Melissa McCarthy's 10 Best Comedy Movies, Ranked (2024)

Melissa McCarthy is one of the most beloved comedy movie stars in Hollywood, having given hysterical performances in such hit comedies as The Heat, Spy, and This is 40. Ever since her star-making turn in Bridesmaids, McCarthy has been one of the world’s most renowned comedic actors. McCarthy has also proven her dramatic chops with roles like literary forger Lee Israel in Can You Ever Forgive Me?, which earned her an Oscar nod for Best Actress, and author Frances Welty in the miniseries Nine Perfect Strangers. But McCarthy will always be remembered for her comedic performances.

McCarthy is one of the few performers to earn an Academy Award nomination for a zany comedic performance in a straightforward raunchy comedy. She has her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and has even written some of her own starring vehicles, like Tammy and The Boss, which allowed her to build her own characters from the ground up. From donning a proton pack in the Ghostbusters reboot to co-starring with puppets in the NSFW whodunit The Happytime Murders, McCarthy has starred in some truly hilarious comedies over the years.

10 The Hangover Part III (2013)

Neither of The Hangover sequels lived up to the iconic original, but where the second one just rehashed the first movie’s story, the third one switched up the genre to a fast-paced action thriller, and had a much darker sense of humor than its predecessors. The Hangover Part III sees the Wolfpack returning to Vegas to settle an old score with a mob boss played hilariously by John Goodman. McCarthy doesn’t have a huge role, but she’s a great comedic match for Zach Galifianakis as Alan’s eccentric love interest.

9 The Boss (2016)

One of several starring vehicles that McCarthy wrote for herself with her husband Ben Falcone, The Boss revolves around a business magnate who loses her fortune and claws her way back to the top. McCarthy draws on her improv background to fully embody the role of Michelle Darnell, and she’s surrounded by well-matched co-stars, from Kristen Bell as the “straight man” to Peter Dinklage as the villain to Kathy Bates as a mentor-turned-rival. The script is conventional and predictable, but McCarthy gets the most out of every gag.

8 The Happytime Murders (2018)

Most of the puppeteering projects produced by The Jim Henson Company are family-friendly, but The Happytime Murders – directed by Jim Henson’s son, Brian Henson – is anything but. Set in a world where humans co-exist with puppets, The Happytime Murders is a hilariously NSFW “buddy cop” caper about a human cop (played brilliantly by McCarthy) and a puppet P.I. teaming up to investigate the killings of a retired sitcom cast. It delivers sex, violence, foul language, and everything else one would never expect to see in a Muppet movie.

7 Ghostbusters (2016)

The reception of the all-female Ghostbusters reboot got engulfed by sexist trolls, but it’s a really fun action comedy. With modern CGI effects and a nine-figure studio budget, the ghosts are more spectacular than ever, and there’s a rapid-fire gag rate to match. The writing and direction of the reboot might not be as sharp as the classic original, but the cast of hilarious women – McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones – are firing on all cylinders.

6 Go (1999)

McCarthy made her feature film debut in the sprawling ensemble cast of Doug Liman’s crime caper Go. A Pulp Fiction-style intertwining character piece, Go chronicles the aftermath of a drug deal from three different perspectives. There were many copycats that followed Pulp Fiction, but Go is one of the few that even came close to matching its greatness. Although it was initially a box office bomb, its sharp script and dazzling direction have given Go a second life as a cult classic.

5 St. Vincent (2014)

McCarthy paired up with a classically curmudgeonly Bill Murray in St. Vincent, the story of a young boy forging an unlikely bond with the misanthropic war veteran next door. Murray is typically hilarious as the cranky neighbor and McCarthy makes a great foil as the boy’s mother in the midst of a bitter divorce. There are plenty of laughs in St. Vincent, but it also has plenty of heart and it’s not afraid to indulge in sappy sentimentality.

4 This Is 40 (2012)

Judd Apatow walks a fine line between soapy melodrama and laugh-out-loud comedy in his coming-of-middle-age tale This is 40. The bitter marital strife between Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann induces more anxiety than laughter, but they’re surrounded by scene-stealing supporting players like Albert Brooks, Megan Fox, and Chris O’Dowd, who get a huge laugh whenever they’re on-screen. McCarthy appears in one of the movie’s funniest scenes as a fellow parent with a personal grudge against Rudd and Mann.

3 The Heat (2013)

Paul Feig paired McCarthy with Sandra Bullock for a classic “buddy cop” duo in The Heat. Bullock is the “straight man,” a by-the-book FBI agent, opposite McCarthy’s loud-mouthed, rule-bending Boston detective. The Heat’s script might follow a predictable plot, but as with any movie in this subgenre, the plot isn’t the main attraction; it’s all about the buddy dynamic. McCarthy shares endlessly enjoyable chemistry with Bullock as reluctant partners who gradually warm up to each other and become close friends.

2 Spy (2015)

After spoofing the “buddy cop” genre in The Heat, McCarthy and Feig reunited to satirize James Bond-style spy movies in the aptly titled Spy. McCarthy plays Susan Cooper, the guy-in-the-chair to a 007-style international man of mystery played by Jude Law. When he’s seemingly killed in action, it’s up to Susan to save the day. Spy is a delightfully absurd send-up of the Bond formula, with a standout supporting turn by a hysterically deadpan Jason Statham mocking his own invincible on-screen persona.

1 Bridesmaids (2011)

Melissa McCarthy’s breakout movie is still her very best by far, and probably always will be. Bridesmaids nails the subversive Apatowian blend of raunchy humor and sincere character development. Kristen Wiig is the star of the movie (as Annie, whose life goes into a tailspin when her best friend gets engaged), but McCarthy steals all her scenes as the groom’s wildcard sister, Megan. It’s extremely rare that comedies – especially big mainstream studio comedies – are recognized at the Oscars. But the Academy made an exception for Bridesmaids and McCarthy received a surprising but much-deserved nod for Best Supporting Actress.