Film & TV Recs: Gay Comedies

I don’t know about you guys, but most of the gay movies I end up watching are dramas and if there’s anything funny about them, it’s like one scene. So it got me thinking: where are the comedies? And I’m talking actually hilarious stuff. Not romcoms (that is going to be another rec list in the near future!), not slice-of-life with a few joke thrown in. Comedies.

I put one TV show on this list, just for some variety. In all fairness, I was initially going to include Schitt’s Creek, but I figured everyone knows about that absolute gem so there’s really no point.

And yes, I’m painfully aware there’s no trans rep on this list, hence the title, but finding good comedies with trans characters played by trans actors proved beyond my powers. If you know any, please let me know, so I can make a list just for them!

Unpregnant (2020)

dir. Rachel Goldenberg
Letterboxd
Rep: lesbian mc, sapphic side character

Why Should I Watch It?

Starting the list with my new absolute favourite. If you liked Booksmart (and if you haven’t watch it yet, I’m gonna talk about it next), you’re gonna like this one too! This is very clearly a movie made by women about women for women. It’s also a movie about a teen girl getting an abortion (don’t let the trailer fool, they do use the word!) that still manages to be absolutely hilarious. I’m a big fan of how every helpful/nice person the girls meet is either LGBT or POC, and any weird creeps are straight white folks. Poetic justice.

Booksmart (2019)

dir. Olivia Wilde
Letterboxd
Rep: lesbian mc, sapphic li

Why Should I Watch It?

I’m not the only one who thinks those two movies feel like a series of some kind, so it only makes sense to mention them one after another. And like with Unpregnant, this is a women movie and it’s clear from every scene. It’s hilarious, it’s incredibly stressful (if you’re anything like me), it’s full of surprises and keep you on your toes. Judging people by their looks, by first impressions? Booksmart never met her.

4th Man Out (2015)

dir. Andrew Nackman
Letterboxd
Rep: gay mc, gay side characters

Why Should I Watch It?

Includes the absolute iconic exchange: “Why didn’t you tell me you were gay 20 fucking years ago?! / I was three!!”. This is basically a movie about a group of friends and how they handle one of them coming out as gay. Technically that might sound bad and like the movie centers the straight guys, but it’s actually quite the opposite, and done very respectfully in that regard. And it’s one of those laugh-out-loud movies, believe me.

Blockers (2018)

dir. Kay Cannon
Letterboxd
Rep: lesbian mc, lesbian Chinese-American side character
TW: vomitting, drugs

Why Should I Watch It?

You could assume it’s a teen movie, but in reality it’s more a movie about the parents of said teens. Which isn’t to say the teens don’t get enough screen time to become fully fleshed-out characters! I might not be the biggest fan of how one lesbian tell another questioning girl that she won’t know for sure she doesn’t like boys unless she tries, but. The coming out scene was actually very cute, and the lesbian’s dad in general had good vibes.

Bad Education (2019)

dir. Cory Finley
Letterboxd
Rep: gay mc, gay side characters

Why Should I Watch It?

This is not a comedy in a sense that you will be laughing all the time. More in a sense that if you think about how the ending plays out, it’s hilarious. It’s also pretty much a dark humour type of thing. And what I love most is that the main character, who is gay, also happens to be uhh… making some interesting choices. And yes, it’s based on facts so really, life gets kudos for giving us such cool rep.

Handsome Devil (2016)

dir. John Butler
Letterboxd
Rep: gay mc, gay characters
TW: homophobia, bullying, outing

Why Should I Watch It?

Kind of a comedy, kind of a coming of age movie, because hey, why not have both, right? It’s one of those great movies where characters get to make mistakes (giant ones, even) but they’re also allowed to learn from them and make up for them. Despite an outing scene or maybe exactly because of that scene and because of how it was handled, I really love this movie. Also Andrew Scott as a gay English teacher? Groundbreaking.

Dope (2015)

dir. Rick Famuyiwa
Letterboxd
Rep: Black lesbian character

Why Should I Watch It?

Honestly, I don’t even know where to start with this movie because it’s amazing in so many different ways! But let’s focus on the lesbian rep since that’s why we’re here. And listen. If you’ve ever wished for a movie with a cool female character, one of the bros, a girl who will absolutely kick your ass… Dope is for you. But it gets better because that girl? She’s also a lesbian. Also being the key word here, since being a lesbian is a major part of her character, but it’s not what her personality is build around.

The Shiny Shrimps (2019)

dir. Maxime Govare & Cédric Le Gallo
Letterboxd
Rep: gay characters, Black gay character

Why Should I Watch It?

Yeah, it’s ridiculous. Yeah, it’s flamboyant and sometimes kinda stereotypical. Yeah, it’s extremely French. But listen, it’s still a super fun movie that will make you laugh a lot and that offers a cute wholesome message of acceptance. And admit it, there are days when that’s the only type of movie you wanna watch.

Dating Amber (2020)

dir. David Freyne
Letterboxd
Rep: lesbian mc, gay mc, lesbian & gay side characters
TW: homophobia, internalised homophobia, bullying

Why Should I Watch It?

Adore this movie! It’s stupidly funny, it’s a great coming of age story as well, but most importantly: it treats its gay characters with all the care and respect they deserve. It’s very clear this was written and directed by a gay man, actually. I also love that Amber and Eddie are so different in their gayness, that they approach it in different ways, take different paths to be okay with it.

Special (2019-)

cr. Ryan O’Connell
IMDb
Rep: gay mc with mild cerebral palsy

Why Should I Watch It?

The one TV show I promised, but don’t worry, it’s only 8 episodes long and they’re about 20 minutes each. It’s also created based on Ryan’s memoir and that sincerity shows. It’s hilarious and it’s not afraid of poking fun at its characters.

If you liked this post, consider supporting me on ko-fi.