The 10 best comedy performances in 2018 films

Perhaps it’s ~the times~, but comedy films aren’t what they used to be. That isn’t to say that they aren’t as funny – but the current batch aren’t as salient, formative and quotable as they were, say, a decade ago. You may have cracked up watching Blockers on a flight after you missed it in theaters, but you won’t be quoting it like Anchorman in a few years.

Comedy in 2018 moves faster; it’s quick cuts and sharp edits, jokes piled one on top of the other so densely that you’re likely to miss one if you laugh too hard at the last. That’s true in TV and in films, but luckily it still leaves us with some quality comedic performances – often from actors who we didn’t know had it in them.

Here are the best comedy performances from films in 2018.

10. Tom Hardy, Venom

There’s a lot about Venom that doesn’t work at all, and one thing that works so well that it elevates this whole mediocre exercise into one of the most gut-busting times I’ve had at the films this year. That something is Tom Hardy’s performance as both the beleaguered Eddie Brock and the surprisingly sympathetic ~parasite~ symbiote who invades his body. 

Hardy’s madcap energy and anything-goes attitude are how we end up with scenes like the one of Eddie jumping into a restaurant tank full of lobsters. We probably don’t need another Venom movie, or really another Tom Hardy superhero movie at all. But another Tom Hardy comedy? Sign me up, please. –Angie Han

9. Michelle Williams, I Feel Pretty

Image: Courtesy of STXfilms

A lot of Amy Schumer’s latest rom-com effort fell painfully flat, but Williams’ comedic turn Renee’s breathy, porcelain-doll boss Avery is delightful. She’s kind, if oblivious, a subversion of what we expect. The Oscar-winning actress leans into Avery the way Tilda Swinton embraced her role in Trainwreck, confirming that even when Schumer’s work doesn’t do her adequate service, it’s a lively playground for some very gifted actors.-Proma Khosla

8. John Mulaney, Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse

We weren’t necessarily expecting John Mulaney to spend his 2018 voicing a Looney Tunes-style cartoon pig with the powers of a spider. Honestly, though, once the Spider-Ham casting was announced, it became impossible to think of a more perfect pairing. Mulaney’s dorky vibe and hammy (sorry) delivery make him the ideal fit for this extremely peculiar character. It takes a lot to stand out in a movie crawling with colorful, quirky spider-people, but Mulaney’s Spider-Ham makes off with every scene he’s in. –Angie Han

7. Awkwafina, Crazy Rich Asians

Awkwafina had a damn good summer, starting with Ocean’s Eight and culminating as host of Saturday Night Live, with Crazy Rich Asians sandwiched beautifully in between. She stood out in her second all-star cast of the season, a who’s who of Asian actors from around the world. As Peik Lin, she brought levity to lighten Rachel’s (Constance Wu) drama, with a nice assist from Ken Jeong as her father. –Proma Khosla

6. Jessica Keenan Wynn, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again

The Mamma Mia sequel was truly insane in so many ways, and no one looked like they were having more fun than the actress playing young Tanya (Christine Baranski). Wynn channels the blatant BDE of her older counterpart from bob to heels to voice, making us buy in on this nutty sequel a hundred times over. –Proma Khosla

5. Hugh Grant, Paddington 2

Image: warner bros. entertainment

Hugh Grant goes all in on Paddington 2, embodying the evil, self-centered, washed-up actor named Phoenix Buchanan with complete abandon. He’s eccentric, refreshingly so, as he dons various outrageous costumes and accents to fool the citizens of London and Paddington himself. More of Grant like this in 2019, please. –Kellen Beck

4. John Cena, Blockers

It’s well-documented at this point that John Cena is funny. In Blockers, he gets one of his biggest comedic roles yet as father-to-teenage-girl Mitchell and knocks it out of the park. He has chops in slapstick, he delivers hilarious one-liners, and his presence is electric in every scene. And nobody in Hollywood else had the guts to drop trow and butt-chug a beer. That’s dedication. –Kellen Beck

3. Anne Hathaway, Ocean’s Eight

Hathaway had an obvious ball as dilettante socialite Daphne Kluger in the first half of Ocean’s Eight – and comes in with an even stronger turn for the rest of the movie once Daphne turns out to be in on the heist all along. Equal parts vapid, vain, petty, and ambitious, her performance shines like a bunch of stolen diamonds. –Proma Khosla

2. Julian Dennison, Deadpool 2

Anyone who saw Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople was ecstatic to see Dennison had been cast in Deadpool 2. The New Zealand teen has no problem fighting, swearing, or generally annoying the shit out of Deadpool, and he manages to endear himself to both the Merc with the Mouth and audiences in the processes. -Proma Khosla

1. Jesse Plemons, Game Night

Jesse Plemons is a wild card in Game Night. He plays a deeply unsettling cop named Gary who longs to join his neighbors in their regular game nights, but everyone just finds him too weird. Plemons plays the perfect creep with his monotone delivery, unbreakable eye contact, and a steady intense presence no matter what shocking twist is happening. -Kellen Beck