Rotten Tomatoes is an excellent site when it comes to finding a great movie. If you aren’t certain what might be worth your time, they have a handy meter to let you know. It’s simple enough: the higher the percentage, the better the movie—at least as far as the critics and audience are concerned.
If you’ve ever spent any time on the site, it’s often fun to not only look for the movies that have reached the coveted 100%, but also to take a peek at the movies that rate at 0%. How bad must a movie truly be to receive what amounts to absolutely nobody in the industry liking it? Are there simply no redeeming qualities in these films people could have latched onto? No, the movies that find themselves at the bottom are there for a reason— as are the ones at the top!
Instead of going through a list of movies sitting at the top compared with those at the bottom, we thought it would be fun to examine a single genre. In this case, we are tackling the very best and the absolute worst when it comes to comedy.
Comedies can run the spectrum from being silly to seriously funny, but one thing they all must have in common is they need to make you laugh. That’s the core of a comedy; the movie has to be funny. When jokes fail to land and audiences don’t enjoy themselves, comedies rarely work.
With that in mind, enjoy these 13 Iconic Comedies With 100% On Rotten Tomatoes (And 12 Stuck With 0%).
0%: POLICE ACADEMY 4: CITIZENS ON PATROL (1987)
The first Police Academy film established itself as a classic screwball comedy, but many of the sequels failed to achieve the same regard. The fourth, Citizens on Patrol, doesn’t even rate highly among fans, who hold it at only 37% on the site.
There isn’t much about this movie that will demand a second screening - or a first for that matter.
It does contain a short cameo by Tony Hawk who plays the stunt-double to a young David Spade in one scene. Other than that, there’s nothing to see here. Move along.
100%: TOY STORY (1995) & TOY STORY 2 (1999)
The Toy Story franchise has consistently entertained audiences wince the first film was released in 1995. It was innovative technologically and helped launch Pixar, but at the end of the day, it was just a great movie.
The characters are beloved and the entire premise infects viewers with nostalgia making these movies some of the greatest animated films ever made.
You may be wondering why Toy Story 3 isn’t thrown in here and that’s due to its comparably horrific score of 99%, but we would have loved to include it.
0%: TRANSYLMANIA (2009)
There are a lot of bad movies out there that are clearly made as cash-grabs banking on gratuitous nudity and gross-out humor, but few compare to the cinematic abomination that is Transylmania.
The movie follows a group of college students who embark on a semester abroad at Razvan University. The school sits deep within Transylvania and it was once the property of a vampire named King Radu in the fabled Dark Ages.
Teachers are leather-clad and a vampire professor is topless.
Basically, the movie stars a bunch of young people showing off their assets to little or no story.
If you have 92 minutes to spare, just take a nap instead of watching this atrocity.
100%: MARY POPPINS (1964)
Mary Poppins is one of those movies everyone watched at least once during their childhood. The beloved family classic stars Julie Andrews as the titular protagonist alongside the wonderful vocal and dance talents of Dick Van Dyke.
The film was one of the earliest to successfully blend animation storytelling with live-action and while it appears dated, it still holds up to this day. The film is full of amazing characters, memorable songs, and beautiful sets.
The film is being remade in 2018 with Emily Blunt cast in the titular role.
0%: NATIONAL LAMPOON’S GOLD DIGGERS (2003)
National Lampoon films started out great with hits like Animal House and Vacation, but in the years following the successful release of American Pie, there have been a lot of duds.
At the top of the list of flops sits National Lampoon’s Gold Diggers, which only managed to bring in 19% of audience ratings with its Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The film follows a couple of 20-somethings who marry women in their 60s in order to acquire their wealth.
The requisite raunchy and gross-out humor are, of course, included.
100%: PADDINGTON 2 (2018)
It’s not often that a sequel outperforms its predecessor, but Paddington 2 breaks the mold. Granted, the first film holds a 98% rating, but that’s not enough to land on this list!
Just like its predecessor, Paddington 2 wowed audiences and critics alike with its beautiful storytelling and amazing characters.
Paddington 2 brings back the team responsible for the first film, with the titular star becoming a popular member of the Windsor Gardens community. The film follows Paddington as he hunts for a book thief in this award-winning film the whole family is certain to enjoy!
0%: SWINGING WITH THE FINKELS (2011)
Martin Freeman and Mandy Moore should have been enough to draw in audiences and critics alike, but hardly anyone enjoyed Swinging with the Finkels.
The film follows the aforementioned couple a few years into their marriage.
In an attempt to revitalize their relationship, they decide to begin a “consensual affair” with their best friends, a couple played by Jonathan Silverman and Melissa George.
Seeing as these sorts of situations never work out the way they are intended, it’s no surprise the movie tanked when it was released on Netflix.
Swinging with the Finkels managed to pull in an Audience Rating of only 20% from 921 reviews.
100%: MR. ROOSEVELT (2017)
Mr. Roosevelt is the feature film directorial debut of Noël Wells, previously of Saturday Night Live. The film follows Wells as a gifted comic who leaves her home for Los Angeles in order to further her career.
She ends up living with her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend who has everything planned and perfect; the exact opposite of Wells’ character.
What follows is an introspective look at Wells’ character Emily and a questioning of the values and goals of the people around her.
Mr. Roosevelt was acquired and distributed by Netflix.
0%: BUCKY LARSON: BORN TO BE A STAR (2011)
Sometimes Adam Sandler stars in a horrible film while other times, he writes them. This film is the latter and it stars Nick Swardson as Bucky Larson, who grew up in a conservative family only to learn that his parents were once adult film stars.
Determined to follow in his parents’ footsteps, Bucky heads to Los Angeles to carry on the family business.
Granted, it’s not that easy and most people don’t just walk into that industry - especially when they look like Bucky. It could have been a funny gross-out comedy, but it failed to make a mark.
100%: THE YOUNG OFFENDERS (2016)
The Young Offenders was inspired buy a true story revolving around the largest seizure of illegal substances in Ireland’s history. The movie is a comedy about two best friends who are exactly alike in every way possible.
When word gets out that the Irish authorities have seized 61 bales of contrabond worth seven million euros each, but one got away, the boys head out to find it.
After stealing a couple of bikes, a road trip ensues, but a determined law enforcement officer is hot on their tails the entire time.
The Young Offenders is a fun comedy exploring the nature of friendship and is as enjoyable as it is hilarious.
0%: A THOUSAND WORDS (2012)
A Thousand Words follows the story of Eddie Murphy’s Jack McCall, a literary agent whose fast-talking ways help him close any deal. This lands him in hot water with someone he really shouldn’t have crossed.
After a magical tree appears in his back yard, Jack is cursed so that every word he utters causes a leaf to fall to the ground.
When the last leave falls, he and the tree will perish.
It’s an interesting concept that could have worked, but the film failed to achieve its goal. The less said about it, the better.
100%: WILD BILL (2011)
Dexter Fletcher’s art house comedy Wild Bill delves into some serious social issues that take it a bit closer to a drama than most comedies, but the laughs are still present throughout the film.
The movie follows the titular Bill, played by Charlie Creed-Miles, after he is released from prison. He finds his 11 and 15-year-old sons abandoned by their mother and fending for themselves.
Bill finds it difficult to fit into the role of father after being gone for so long, but learns to adapt when social services are brought into the picture.
Fletcher recently took over Bryan Singer’s director duties on Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.
0%: THE RIDICULOUS 6 (2015)
Netflix offered Adam Sandler a four-picture deal, to mixed results.
The Ridiculous Six was a bit of a dud that very few people can honestly say they enjoyed.
The movie failed to make a mark with critics and only scored a 32% Audience Rating, but it pulled in enough views for the online streaming platform to justify the expense.
The movie features a great cast, many of whom often join Sandler on the big screen, but it fails to offer humor most adults would truly appreciate.
100%: SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (1952)
Singin’ in the Rain is one of those classic films just about everyone has seen thanks to Turner Classic Movies. The film stars Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds, who sing some of the most famous tunes in motion picture history.
The film was preserved in the National Film Registry and was proclaimed by the British Film Institute to be one of their “50 films you should see by the age of 14” so if you haven’t seen it yet, you probably need to get on that!
0%: LOOK WHO’S TALKING NOW! (1993)
Look Who’s Talking was a fun, quirky, and memorable comedy film about life from the perspective of a newborn baby. It featured outstanding performances by Bruce Willis, who voiced the infant, and even John Travolta.
Unfortunately, they didn’t stop with one movie.
The sequel, Look Who’s Talking Too, was more of the same from the first movie, but with the addition of another child. Not wanting to sit with only two movies, they decided to go with a third, Look Who’s Talking Now, which shifts the perspective away from the children and onto the dogs. Literally.
100%: THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940)
The Philadelphia Story stars Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and James Stewart - who were pretty much Hollywood royalty - in this romantic comedy about a socialite on the eve of her wedding.
The movie is considered one of the best examples of the “Comedy of remarriage” genre that was popular in the ’30s and ’40s, which involved switching one spouse for another. It was an amazing success and should be viewed by anyone who loves classic romantic comedies or great performances.
0%: A LOW DOWN DIRTY SHAME (1994)
A Low Down Dirty Shame was written, directed by, and starred Keenan Ivory Wayans. While some filmmakers can handle all of those hats, Mr. Wayans failed in his task when making this movie.
The film has certainly disappointed critics, but you wouldn’t know that from looking at the audience score.
Rotten Tomatoes often features vastly different scores when comparing the Tomatometer to the Audience Score, but the gulf between these two is telling. With a 0% on the Tomatometer, the Audience Score sits at 71%, making this one of those movies you might enjoy, but won’t admit to liking in public.
100%: THE ODD COUPLE (1968)
The Odd Couple is a rare example of a theatrical play being successfully adapted into a movie. Neil Simon’s same-titled play was a smash hit on Broadway long before Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau hit the big screen in this classic American comedy.
The film centers around two recently divorced men who have nothing more in common than the fact that they are no longer married. Lemmon’s Felix Ungar is neurotic and neat while Matthau’s Oscar Madison is a slob who would rather enjoy life than pick up after himself.
0%: WAGONS EAST! (1994)
When an actor passes away, one would hope their final film would be memorable but that wasn’t the case for veteran comedian John Candy.
Sadly, Candy’s final film was full of bad jokes and forgettable characters.
The movie follows a group of pioneers who gave up and returned East after coming to the conclusion that the West just wasn’t for them.
The film starred Candy, Richard Lewis, Robert Picardo, Ellen Greene, and John C. McGinley in an unfunny waste of time. Few remember it for being anything other than Candy’s last picture, which was released posthumously.
100%: SWING TIME (1936)
Swing Time is one of those movies many people have seen clips from, but few have sat through, which is unfortunate. The lovely comedy starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers is a classic musical featuring some of the greatest dance routines put to film.
This was the film that featured the song “The Way You Look Tonight”, which raked in an Academy Award for Best Original Song when it premiered in 1936.
The National Film Registry chose to preserve Swing Time as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and the film falls at #90 on AFI’s “100 Years… 100 Movies” list.
