10 Unintentionally Funny Movies
Not all comedy is born on purpose. Sometimes, a movie tries to be serious, only to stumble face-first into the banana peel of absurdity. Whether it’s over-the-top acting, bizarre special effects, or plot twists that defy all logic, these films tickle our funny bones in ways their creators never intended. Grab some popcorn, prepare your best eye-roll, and let’s dive into 10 unintentionally funny movies that are comedy gold without even trying.
The Happening (2008)
M. Night Shyamalan wanted to scare us with plants. Yes, plants. This eco-thriller stars Mark Wahlberg as a high school teacher whispering sweet nothings to a plastic fern, trying to escape a deadly toxin released by trees. It’s hard to decide what’s funnier: the wooden dialogue, Wahlberg’s befuddled expressions, or the fact that the villain is literally photosynthesis. One scene features people running from the wind, which is only slightly less threatening than a stiff breeze. It’s so absurd, it might make you question whether the plants were trying to avenge The Lorax.
Troll 2 (1990)
Famously called the “best worst movie,” Troll 2 has no trolls, but it does have vegetarian goblins turning people into plant goo to eat them. The acting is as stiff as a wilted salad, the costumes look like they were bought on clearance after Halloween, and the script? Let’s just say it feels like an alien tried to write human dialogue. The most infamous scene involves a character screaming, “They’re eating her… and then they’re going to eat me! Oh my GOOOOOOD!” while bugs crawl on his face. It’s a chef’s kiss of bad movie brilliance, best enjoyed with a double feature of cringe and laughter.
Showgirls (1995)
In this “gritty” tale of Las Vegas showbiz, every moment is dialed up to 11—make that 12. Elizabeth Berkley’s Nomi Malone somersaults her way through a career of catfights, pool sex scenes that defy physics, and dialogue so cheesy it should come with nachos. Paul Verhoeven aimed for shocking; he landed somewhere between camp and chaos. The characters yell “Versace” like it’s a magic spell, and the film’s idea of “grit” involves a literal bucket of fries. It’s a train wreck that’s oddly mesmerizing, like a neon-lit fever dream you can’t wake up from.
The Wicker Man (2006)
Nicolas Cage delivers a performance so wild it feels like he knew he was starring in a comedy—even if no one else did. This remake of the 1973 cult classic turns a psychological horror into a laugh riot with lines like, “Not the bees!” as Cage flails around in a beekeeping helmet. The highlight has to be Cage running around in a bear costume, punching villagers with no explanation. The tonal whiplash is real, but so is the laughter when Cage goes full throttle into absurdity.
Batman & Robin (1997)
Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze serves ice puns colder than a penguin’s popsicle. George Clooney’s Batman has a Bat-credit card, and let’s not even talk about those rubber nipples on the suits. Joel Schumacher’s attempt to bring campy fun back to Gotham gave us comedy instead—whether he meant to or not. Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy looks like she escaped from a botched botanical garden cosplay. This is a movie where the villain’s master plan includes freezing Gotham, presumably to start a competitive ice skating league.
The Room (2003)
Oh, hi Mark! Tommy Wiseau’s magnum opus is a masterclass in unintentional hilarity, from its nonsensical plot to Wiseau’s utterly alien delivery. Every scene feels like it wandered in from a different movie, and the dialogue is pure poetry, as if written by a robot trying to mimic human drama. The constant rooftop scenes with random football tossing feel like they were inserted just to make the runtime longer. Wiseau’s laughter, which erupts at the strangest moments, is the icing on this wonderfully disastrous cake.
Deep Blue Sea (1999)
Scientists in an underwater lab decide to make sharks smarter, because apparently no one in this movie has seen Jaws. What follows is a ridiculous rollercoaster of logic-defying action, LL Cool J fighting a shark in a kitchen, and Samuel L. Jackson’s epic speech that gets interrupted in the worst way possible. The sharks seem to have master’s degrees in engineering and evil plotting. By the time the credits roll, you’ll be wondering if the real villains were the screenwriters.
Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957)
Yes, this one’s old, but it’s a timeless treasure of unintentional laughs. Aliens resurrect dead humans to take over the Earth in a plan so convoluted it could only be called Plan 9. With wobbly tombstones, visible strings on flying saucers, and dialogue that sounds like it was pulled from a fortune cookie, Ed Wood’s masterpiece will leave you in stitches. Bela Lugosi’s footage—shot before his death—was spliced with a double who clearly looks nothing like him. It’s cinematic chaos, but it’s the kind of chaos you can’t help but love.
Battlefield Earth (2000)
John Travolta stars as an alien with dreadlocks and a cackling laugh so bizarre it should come with a warning label. This sci-fi disaster has Dutch angles so extreme it feels like the camera is always falling over. It’s as if every scene is asking, “How much worse can this get?” only to top itself moments later. Travolta’s delivery of lines like, “Man-animal!” is so over-the-top, it belongs in a cartoon.
Cats (2019)
Some films are cursed to live in infamy, and Cats clawed its way to the top of that list. From the unsettling “digital fur technology” to Rebel Wilson’s dancing cockroach army, every scene is a fever dream. Idris Elba’s fur-covered body sparks debates about CGI ethics, and the plot is somehow even weirder than the visuals. It’s like watching a live-action karaoke night, except everyone’s wearing cat ears and existential dread.
