Special Report

Comedies Audiences Love But Critics Hate

We’ve all likely told a joke we thought was hilarious that ended up falling flat. Humor is wildly subjective and can be influenced by one’s generation, culture, family, or religion. Comedic films are no different. What critics may write off as cheesy fluff might knock the socks off of a majority of viewers who are looking for an easy laugh. (Here are 25 box office bombs that became comedy classics.)

To determine the comedies loved by audiences and hated by critics, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on audience and critic reception from Rotten Tomatoes. Comedies were ranked based on the percentage-point difference between Rotten Tomatoes audience score and Tomatometer score. Only films with at least 10 critics reviews, 10,000 audience reviews, and audience scores of at least 75% were considered. Cast information came from IMDb.

Click here for a list of comedies audiences love but critics hate

Directors Michael Bay, Tamra Davis, and Jay Chandrasekhar each have two films featured. Actor-director Tyler Perry directed four films on the list and wrote the screenplay for another. These include numerous films in the Madea franchise in which Perry, dressed in drag, plays a tough elderly woman whose character is based on his own mother and aunt.

Many of these films have gone on to amass a cult following, including “Wet Hot American Summer,” “Billy Madison,” and “Empire Records.” Several stoner comedies, including “Next Friday,” “Half Baked,” “Grandma’s Boy,” and “How High,” also appear on the list, some of which have also achieved cult status. Action films and romantic comedies are represented as well. (These are the 50 best R-rated rom-coms of the past 50 years.)

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