When we wrote this list last year, the global movie industry was in the middle of a crisis. Film revenues were falling worldwide, and a number of big-budget Indian films had faltered at the box office. Things are looking a lot rosier in December 2023. The combined marketing blitzkrieg of Barbie and Oppenheimer generated so much hype that someone greenlit a film called Barbenheimer just to capitalise on the buzz. Closer home, Shah Rukh Khan’s triumphant return with Jawan gave a much-needed booster shot to the Indian film industry. The big-budget blockbuster is back in style.

Here at DeadAnt though, we’re more interested in the laughs than in Michael Bay style explosions. So we’ve put together a list of the funniest movies we saw this year. Ranging from small indie films to studio flagship features, these are the films that left us chuckling long after the credits were done rolling.

Kathal

In India, filing an FIR is as easy as getting a plate of pani puri on your street corner. No matter how outlandish the claim might be, the Indian police force is going to entertain your concern—even if it’s about a fruit missing from your tree. That’s right. Yashowardhan Mishra’s Kathal starts off with two prized jack-fruits going missing from a tree in a local politician’s backyard. The missing fruits sets off a bizarre chain of events in this bittersweet satire about the country’s judicial system, and the corruption and caste and gender based discrimination that plagues modern India. Starring Sanya Malhotra as police officer Mahima, with a supporting cast of comedy stalwarts such as Rajpal Yadav, Vijay Raaz and Raghubir Yadav, Kathal excels at depicting the absurdity of life in small-town India with hard-earned authenticity. It makes you think without ever getting too preachy, the hallmark of all truly great satire.

Available on Netflix

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.

Judy Blume’s classic and groundbreaking novel Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret finally gets the big screen adaptation that it deserves. Set in the 1970s, this coming-of-age dramedy grabs your attention from the get-go as it explores the very messy yet universal experience of puberty. The Lionsgate adaptation—starring Rachel McAdams, Elle Graham, Benny Safdie, Abby Ryder Fortson and Kathy Bates—focuses on the life of the Simon family amid their move from New York City to a New Jersey suburb. The film zooms in on the life of 11-year-old Margaret as she tries to get used to her new home, all while standing on the precipice of adulthood. A cocktail of comedy and emotion, Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret, is a must-watch story about self-discovery. 

Available on Netflix

Dream Scenario

American indie-film production house A24 delivers another top-notch absurdist comedy with Dream Scenario. Directed and written by Kristoffer Borgli, the film stars Nicholas Cage as balding, bespectacled evolutionary biology professor Paul Matthews who—get this—inexplicably starts popping up in people’s dreams. Not in the manner of Freddy Krueger though. He’s just… there. Quietly observing. The mystical screenplay explores the concepts of virality and fame through the lens of Cage’s character, who yearns for recognition in his field. There are a ton of awkward moments which punch up the film’s humour quotient while staying true to its surrealist plot-line.

Unavailable on streaming platforms

Romancham

Using a Ouija board as a device to connect with the metaphysical realm is no novelty. But using it to summon spirits that make you jump around with laughter? That’s the basic premise of Malayali horror-comedy Romancham, Jithu Madhavan’s directorial debut. Seven bachelors living in a rented Bengaluru house (that’s horror enough, to be honest) let their curiosity get the better of them and open their doors to supernatural flatmates. The intimate settings and uniquely diverse characters help make Romancham an effortless watch and one of the finest Indian films in its genre. 

Available on Disney+ Hotstar

Beau Is Afraid

Another A24 offering, Ari Aster’s Beau Is Afraid is a riveting dark comedy starring Joaquin Phoenix. A stylistic departure from the horror storytelling of his previous two feature films Hereditary and Midsommar, Aster’s latest chronicles the life of Beau, an anxious sad-sack wading through life while being bogged down by mommy issues. Across the three-hour film, we are made privy to our protagonist’s many issues, through visually appealing sequences and a screenplay which never quite lets you relax. In the process, Aster might have stumbled upon a new genre—anxiety comedy.   

Available to rent on YouTube

Barbie

One of the most-awaited films of the year, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie was well worth the hype, thanks to its impeccable technical prowess and subversive narrative. In the candy-tinted world of Barbieland “all problems of feminism and equal rights have been solved.” But the film takes an existential turn when our plastic protagonist, brought to life by Margot Robbie, seeks her makers at Mattel in the real world to understand her purpose in life. The film is packed to the brim with laugh-out-loud moments with feminist and anti-consumerist undertones, making it a thought-provoking watch. Reminiscent of Being John Malkovich or The Truman Show, this Gerwig classic is self-aware and just a tad self-indulgent, and we’re here for all of it. 

Available on JioCinema

Polite Society

Nida Manzoor—of We Are Lady Parts fame—expertly blends South Asian family melodrama with high-octane action and martial arts stunts in her new film Polite Society. The film follows karate-obsessed teenager Ria (Priya Kansara) and her sister Lena (Ritu Arya), an art school dropout who doesn’t quite know what her future holds as they navigate a patriarchal family environment and the constant societal pressure to get married. Ria sets out to save her sister from a “sham marriage”, resulting in a rollicking and absurd rollercoaster that’s part action-comedy, part sci-fi thriller, and truckloads of fun.

Available on JioCinema

Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty

Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty is your classic rom-com. At no point during the Telugu-language film are you unsure of what’s going to happen to our lead characters Anvitha Shetty (played by Anushka Shetty) and Sidhu Polishetty (played by Naveen Polishetty), but you’re still invested in their journey. Shetty, a revered chef in the United Kingdom, visits India with her terminally ill mother. After her passing, Shetty craves companionship. But she doesn’t have the time or energy to get married, so she decides to try her hand at motherhood via a fertility clinic. Enter Polishetty—an engineer-turned-comedian (that sounds awfully familiar) who is the top-contender to be the sperm donor. The only catch is that he’s oblivious to her intentions. What ensues is a hilarious comedy of errors largely carried by Polishetty’s flawless acting chops.

Available on Netflix

Rye Lane

In today’s world of situationships, Rye Lane is a fitting new-age rom-com. When the lead characters Yaz and Dom run into each other at a gender-neutral bathroom at an art exhibit, their meet-cute starts off on the wrong foot. But as the story unfolds, the two newly single protagonists go on a Richard Linklater-esque date reminiscent of the Before trilogy. The two share their personal qualms with moving on and finding companionship, all while treating the viewers to hearty laughs about dating and relationships. If you’re single and ready to mingle, this one’s for you.

Available on Disney+ Hotstar

The Holdovers

Director Alexander Payne reunites with Sideways star Paul Giamatti in this triumphant return to form. Set in the 1970s, the film features Giamatti playing a grinchy school teacher at a posh New England boarding school who gets stuck with the task of babysitting a pupil who can’t go home for the Christmas break, aided only by the school’s grieving cook. The trio form an unlikely bond over the holidays, united by their shared experiences of loss, loneliness and anger. Expertly balancing sentimentality and humour, this The Breakfast Club meets A Christmas Carol film is a fantastic addition to the Christmas comedy canon.

Unavailable on streaming platforms