Skip to main content

5 most anticipated comedy movies of fall 2024, ranked

Three teens stand and gawk in Y2K.
A24

Although 2024 is entering its final months, there are still plenty of reasons to be excited as a movie fan. Even if you’re not into the traditional prestige fare that comes with Oscar season, there are still several interesting titles to choose from.

If you’re looking for reasons to laugh this fall, then we’ve got you covered. We’ve pulled together the most exciting comedies of the fall movie season and ranked from least to most anticipated. Every movie on this list is going to be interesting, but we’ll have to wait and see how many of them will ultimately be great.

Recommended Videos

Need some streaming recommendations right now? We also have guides to the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Maxand the best movies on Disney+.

5. Y2K — December 6

Y2K | Official Trailer HD | A24

Perhaps the most purely comedic movie on this list, Y2K is set at the turn of the millennium, and imagines a world in which the fears that Y2K would start some sort of apocalypse are well-founded. The movie follows two high school juniors who crash a New Year’s Eve party, and then have to fight for their lives after the world starts to crumble around them.

Directed by Saturday Night Live‘s Kyle Mooney, the film seems to have the kind of gonzo sensibility that will help it find an audience that’s willing to go along for the ride.

4. Nightbitch — December 6

NIGHTBITCH | Official Trailer | Searchlight Pictures

Nightbitch has got to be among the strangest premises of the fall, but that’s part of what makes it so intriguing. Starring Amy Adams as a stay-at-home mom who slowly becomes convinced that she’s turning into a dog, Nightbitch is in part about the ways that motherhood can drive a person crazy, even when nothing all that terrible is happening.

Adams has never been one to turn in anything less than a fully committed performance, and director Marielle Heller has made a number of genuinely excellent films, so don’t be surprised if Nightbitch is better than its trailer suggests.

3. Saturday Night — September 27

SATURDAY NIGHT - New Trailer (HD)

A stressful comedy about making comedy, Saturday Night documents the 90 minutes immediately before the very first episode of Saturday Night Live, which was then called simply Saturday Night.

Featuring a lineup of young stars who have been tasked with playing legends, Saturday Night is very much about what a long shot the show seemed to be when it premiered, and what a disaster the show’s first episode almost was. Watching early SNL, you might realize that the show took a minute to find its footing. This movie is about exactly how the show went about doing that.

2. A Real Pain — November 1

A REAL PAIN | Official Teaser | Searchlight Pictures

A small-scale comedy featuring two great central performances, A Real Pain tells the story of two Jewish cousins who travel to Poland together to honor their grandmother following her death. As they journey through the country, they also deal with resurfaced tensions between them, and with the scars the Holocaust has left behind even on generations that were born decades later.

Starring Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg, the movie has earned rave reviews since its premiere at Sundance, including particular praise for Culkin’s performance.

1. Anora — October 18

Anora Trailer #1 (2024)

Director Sean Baker makes observational comedies that can, at least at times, also feel incredibly tense. Anora seems to fit firmly into that mold, telling the story of a Brooklyn sex worker who finds herself swept into a life of luxury after she marries the son of a Russian oligarch.

Once the news reaches Russia, though, the couple’s fairytale life begins to get a little more complicated. Featuring a widely praised performance from Scream‘s Mikey Madison, Anora could be the kind of comedy that goes deep into the Oscar race because of the way it balances tension with more overtly comedic elements.

Joe Allen
Joe Allen is a freelance writer at Digital Trends, where he covers Movies and TV. He frequently writes streaming…
Everything leaving Hulu in November 2024
Karen Gillan and Aaron Paul and Karen Gillan in Dual.

There's very good news for Hulu fans if you're concerned about the movies and TV shows leaving the streamer in November. For the most part, Hulu isn't losing much content at all in the penultimate month of 2024. That means more bang for your subscriber buck, which is good because prices went up recently. Get used to that yearly trend.

Throughout November, there are a handful of indie movies to check out from Hulu, including Dual, Terminal, and I Kill Giants. I've never seen The Man Who Killed Hitler and then the Bigfoot, which is another one of the exiting titles. If a film is audacious enough to have that name, then the main character better freakin' kill Hitler and then Bigfoot, in that order.

Read more
Everything leaving Netflix in November 2024
Alyssa Sutherland in "Evil Dead Rise."

Netflix had a good couple of months where only a few titles of note left the streaming service's library. But in November, it's a full-on purge as TV shows and movies head for the door. Even Key & Peele, which has been on Netflix for years, is losing two seasons from its run. But there's not enough time to catch every episode unless you binge them all tonight.

The rest of the departures are spread throughout the month. These titles include Evil Dead Rise, A Man Called Otto, Sausage Party, Ali, First Man, and Glengarry Glen Ross. Although it's a good bet that the majority of these titles will be on other streamers soon, if you want to get the most out of your Netflix subscription, you should start making your viewing plans now. Our roundup of everything leaving Netflix in November 2024 is below. Our picks for the month are in bold.

Read more
The 50 best shows on Netflix in November 2024
A woman sits in the middle of another woman and man.

The beginning of the month isn't often Netflix's strong suit for original shows, but the end of the month is another matter. The Diplomat season 2 and Territory debuted at the end of October and have raced to the top of the list of the most popular shows on Netflix to kick off November. Both shows may have the momentum to carry Netflix through the early part of November.

Recent arrivals Escape at Dannemora and Outer Banks season 4 have also done well, while Netflix has already renewed the animated series Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft for a second season. That's a strong start for the penultimate month of the year. But if you want more fresh options, check out our full list of the best shows on Netflix right now. We update this list on Friday mornings with the newest shows, so you'll always have something fresh to watch on the weekend.

Read more