Nowhere is the relationship between comedy and tragedy more closely entwined than in the history of politics. One can take virtually any political era from the last two eons and walk away either crying at the horror of it all or laughing at the absurdity. The trend continues to this day, whereby major political figures and events are either terrifying or hilarious, depending on how one chooses to look at them.
For a number of filmmakers, the satirical or comic approach is the best one. That’s given way to an enduring history of political comedies, many of which deliver pointed and often grim messages under a somewhat zany veneer. Some may figure among the highest-grossing R-rated comedies of all time.
To determine the 25 best political comedies, 24/7 Tempo developed an index using average ratings on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, as of August 2022, weighting all ratings equally. Documentaries were not considered.
Click here to see the 25 best political comedies of all time
One recent entry on our list is Adam McKay’s “Don’t Look Up,” in which modern society is too shallow and corrupt to deal with its own impending doom. Looking back to the 20th century, Stanley Kubrick’s classic “Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb” similarly channels global catastrophe through a satirical lens. In a different mode, Barry Levinson’s “Wag the Dog” depicts the power of fake news in diverting attention away from a presidential sex scandal. (These are the 35 best fictional presidents in movies and on TV.)
Then there’s the work of Armando Iannucci, who continues to balance petty political in-fighting with major geo-political consequence. Efforts such as “The Death of Stalin” and “In The Loop” both offer perfect examples of his unique talents. There may even come a day when historians study his films and others as a way to analyze or understand broader political events.
25. Don’t Look Up (2021)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (518,855 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (100 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 55% (294 reviews)
> Directed by: Adam McKay
Director Adam McKay’s smash satire delivers a not-so-subtle metaphor about the imminent threat of environmental catastrophe. Standing in for climate change is a looming comet, which promises to destroy the planet and all mankind. Can two astronomers (Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio) penetrate America’s distracted culture and corrupt political landscape before it’s too late?
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24. God Bless America (2011)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (68,918 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 68% (36,900 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 66% (114 reviews)
> Directed by: Bobcat Goldthwait
Comedian turned filmmaker Bobcat Goldthwait serves up this scathing satire about America’s unique brand of cultural stupidity. It finds a terminally-ill man (Joel Murray) and teenage girl (Tara Lynne Barr) taking out the country’s most ignorant offenders, such as reality TV stars and racists.
23. Primary Colors (1998)
> IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (28,358 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 64% (19,975 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (79 reviews)
> Directed by: Mike Nichols
This political comedy adapts a best-selling book of the same name and stars John Travolta as Bill Clintâ¦ahemâ¦Governor Jack Stanton. In the midst of his presidential campaign, the smooth-talking politician grapples with various personalities and a looming sex scandal.
22. Bulworth (1998)
> IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (25,594 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 68% (20,624 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 76% (67 reviews)
> Directed by: Warren Beatty
While flawed in terms of execution, Warren Beatty’s send-up of modern politics feels more prescient now than ever before. He directs and stars as Jay Bulworth, a disillusioned senator who decides to be completely honest with American voters.
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21. Long Shot (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (103,692 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (5,056 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (301 reviews)
> Directed by: Jonathan Levine
This underseen rom-com with satirical elements has no shortage of defenders, making it something of a cult classic. As the unlikely boyfriend to a presidential candidate (Charlize Theron), speechwriter Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogen) is thrust into a world that’s well above his pay grade.
20. The President’s Analyst (1967)
> IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (3,245 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (1,137 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 77% (22 reviews)
> Directed by: Theodore J. Flicker
The president’s shrink (James Coburn) is on the run and various entities want to find him in this political satire. Village Voice critic J. Hoberman called it a “reasonably fit and funny artifact from the age of grooviness.”
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19. Citizen Ruth (1996)
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (7,771 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (5,342 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (26 reviews)
> Directed by: Alexander Payne
The feature debut from director Alexander Payne is one of his most biting efforts to date. Laura Dern plays pregnant drug addict Ruth Stoops, who’s used as a political tool by people on both sides of the abortion debate.
18. Team America: World Police (2004)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (164,240 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (402,965 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 77% (198 reviews)
> Directed by: Trey Parker
From the creators of “South Park” comes this puppet musical satire with a similar sensibility. Follow an elite counter-terrorism unit as they police the world and take down North Korean ruler Kim Jong-il (voiced by Trey Parker).
17. The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming (1966)
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (8,539 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (4,772 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (21 reviews)
> Directed by: Norman Jewison
This Oscar-nominated comedy examines Cold War paranoia through a slapstick lens. When a Russian submarine gets stuck on American soil, the crew members resort to various hijinks to avoid an international incident. Alan Arkin delivers a standout performance as Lieutenant Yuri Rozanov.
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16. The Candidate (1972)
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (10,642 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (4,993 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (32 reviews)
> Directed by: Michael Ritchie
This political dramedy stars Robert Redford as Bill McKay, a progressive lawyer who compromises his values while running for Senator. Rife with enduring themes, it won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
15. Wag The Dog (1997)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (81,359 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (44,627 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (76 reviews)
> Directed by: Barry Levinson
Hired by the president in the wake of a sex scandal, two men (Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro) fabricate a war as a diversionary tactic. The film’s title plays upon a long-standing political idiom with origins dating back to 1870. David Mamet co-wrote the screenplay.
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14. Dave (1993)
> IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (51,473 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 72% (42,834 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (60 reviews)
> Directed by: Ivan Reitman
Ivan Reitman’s comedy classic tells the story of a regular man (Kevin Kline) who looks exactly like the president. Hired as a double, he soon takes on the role full-time. Its plot bears resemblance to a number of predecessors, including Akira Kurosawa’s historical drama “Kagemusha” and the 1894 novel “The Prisoner of Zenda.”
13. The American President (1995)
> IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (55,166 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (55,116 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (57 reviews)
> Directed by: Rob Reiner
Before creating the hit TV series “The West Wing,” Aaron Sorkin wrote the screenplay for this high-concept romantic dramedy. It follows a widowed president (Michael Douglas) as he runs for re-election and welcomes a new love interest (Annette Bening) into his life. But will this personal twist compromise his public persona and political pursuits?
12. Bob Roberts (1992)
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (14,904 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (7,623 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (43 reviews)
> Directed by: Tim Robbins
Director Tim Robbins plays conservative folk singer and aspiring politician Bob Roberts in this overlooked mockumentary. It expands upon an “Saturday Night Live” sketch and chronicles the devious character as he runs for senator in Pennsylvania. Look for a number of high-profile cameos and guest roles, including Gore Vidal as incumbent Brickley Paiste.
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11. Election (1999)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (93,961 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (61,870 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (115 reviews)
> Directed by: Alexander Payne
Alexander Payne’s laser-sharp satire functions as both a political microcosm and a bonkers character study. The story takes place in a Nebraska high school and centers around the election for class president. Ambitious student Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) is determined to win at all costs and teacher Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick) is just as determined to stop her.
10. The Death of Stalin (2017)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (94,529 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (6,655 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (249 reviews)
> Directed by: Armando Iannucci
“Veep” creator Armando Iannucci co-wrote and directed this political black comedy, about the conspicuous power vacuum left behind by Stalin’s death. Senior members of the Council of Ministers scramble to adapt in a manner that’s probably more authentic than one might imagine. “A devastatingly funny dissection of power politics,” wrote critic Sandra Hall for the Sydney Morning Herald.
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9. Thank You for Smoking (2005)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (216,480 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (258,628 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (181 reviews)
> Directed by: Jason Reitman
Director Jason Reitman’s feature debut, drawn from the Christopher Buckley novel of the same name, takes viewers behind the scenes of the Big Tobacco lobby. Aaron Eckhart plays spokesman Nick Naylor, who spins death and other hazards into positive promotion for the cigarette industry.
8. In the Loop (2009)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (58,086 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (100,000 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (179 reviews)
> Directed by: Armando Iannucci
Spun-off from the BBC series “The Thick of It,” this quick-witted satire explores the fine line between casualness and catastrophe in the modern world. What starts with an off-the-cusp remark escalates into geo-political conflict with possible military repercussions.
7. The Great McGinty (1940)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (3,823 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (633 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (25 reviews)
> Directed by: Preston Sturges
This Old Hollywood comedy features the kind of brilliant satire that only a director like Preston Sturges could deliver. It tells the story of Dan McGinty (Brian Donlevy), whose career in crooked politics gets derailed by a moment of honesty.
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6. One, Two, Three (1961)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (20,391 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (4,853 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (22 reviews)
> Directed by: Billy Wilder
Based on a one-act play, Billy Wilder’s political comedy takes place during the Cold War in the hotbed of West Berlin. A Coca-Cola executive (James Cagney) agrees to look after his boss’s teen daughter and soon finds himself grappling with her communist ties. The Berlin Wall was erected shortly before the film’s release and it affected audience perceptions of it.
5. Ninotchka (1939)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (20,101 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (6,837 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (36 reviews)
> Directed by: Ernst Lubitsch
Greta Garbo plays Soviet diplomat Nina Ivanovna “Ninotchka” Yakushova in her first-ever full-fledged comedy. Sent to Paris to oversee the sale of valuable jewels, Yakushova ends up falling for the debonair Count Leon d’Algout (Melvyn Douglas).
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4. Being There (1979)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (69,791 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (25,145 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (57 reviews)
> Directed by: Hal Ashby
Mistaken for a member of the upper class, a slow-witted gardener (Peter Sellers) rises to the top of Washington society in this socio-political satire. Author Jerzy Kosinski adapted his own novel when co-writing the screenplay. It won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Melvyn Douglas.
3. To Be or Not to Be (1942)
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (33,747 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (6,029 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (47 reviews)
> Directed by: Ernst Lubitsch
Satire meets slapstick in this WWII comedy from director Ernst Lubitsch, which takes place in Poland during the Nazi invasion. When an important list gets into the wrong hands, an acting troupe must use their unique skills to save the day. It holds the #229 spot on IMDb’s list of the Top 250 Movies.
2. The Great Dictator (1940)
> IMDb user rating: 8.4/10 (213,266 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (43,757 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (45 reviews)
> Directed by: Charles Chaplin
Chaplin’s first full-blown talkie film stars the multi-hyphenate as both a Hitler-like dictator and a Jewish barber. It puts a comic spin on the horrors of war and builds toward one of the most famous monologues in movie history.
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1. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
> IMDb user rating: 8.4/10 (467,737 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (209,644 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (92 reviews)
> Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
Kubrick’s pitch black satire was originally conceived as a dramatic adaptation of a 1958 novel about global nuclear destruction. As the screenplay progressed, the director found a nightmarish comedy of errors instead. The rest is cinematic history.
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