15 Movies That Just Aren’t Funny Anymore

Taste is subjective in all of its forms, no matter what you like. With comedy, though, it’s not only about place and timing, but about the sensibilities of the audience being subjected to a given joke. Some topics can be funny during certain periods of time, while falling flat on others.

To prove this, we’ve gathered several movies that, at least considering today’s taste in humor, just aren’t funny anymore. They were all celebrated at the time, and just don’t click like they used to now. You might still like some of these, just not all of them.

There Is Something About Mary

While this comedy was a massive hit, its parade of stalkers, liars, and disability jokes feels incredibly exhausting now. The romantic manipulation at the core of the story just does not read as funny or rebellious anymore.

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry

Building an entire movie around faking a same gender relationship feels incredibly lazy and offensive today. The script is packed with countless jokes that completely miss the mark and simply are not funny by modern standards.

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Sha- Me

This 1999 spy spoof directed by Jay Roach brought Mike Myers back for a wildly popular sequel. However, the excessive gross out humor and repetitive catchphrases feel incredibly dated when you try to watch it today.

Me, Myself & Irene

The Farrelly brothers directed this 2000 dark comedy starring Jim Carrey and Renee Zellweger. The plot centers on a Rhode Island state trooper dealing with a second personality, using mental health struggles as a punchline that feels tired.

Bringing Down the House

Despite featuring talented stars, this comedy suffers from a highly dated script. The narrative relies heavily on tired jokes and resorts to cultural stereotypes that simply are not funny or acceptable for viewers looking for a laugh today.

Deuce Bigalow Male Gigolo

Rob Schneider starred in and co-wrote this 1999 comedy directed by Mike Mitchell. Inspired by older films about male escorts, the chaotic humor and crude visual gags fail to land with audiences who revisit it now.

Adventures in Babysitting

Many of the jokes and plotlines in this suburban adventure have aged remarkably poorly. Using certain slurs as casual insults and treating an adult magazine as a running gag makes for a very awkward rewatch today.

Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitters Dead

This comedy about teenagers left to their own devices after a sudden tragedy used to be a staple of weekend movie nights. Watching it now, the premise feels surprisingly grim and the frantic humor rarely hits the mark.

Look Who Is Talking

Amy Heckerling wrote and directed this 1989 romantic comedy about a baby sharing his inner monologue. While it charmed audiences back then, the novelty wears off quickly today, leaving behind a gimmick that feels more strange than hilarious.

Three Men and a Baby

Leonard Nimoy directed this 1987 comedy starring Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, and Ted Danson. The entire premise of three bachelors struggling with basic childcare feels incredibly dated now, turning what was once charming into a tedious watch.

Father of the Bride

Steve Martin and Diane Keaton led this 1991 romantic comedy, which also marked Kimberly Williams’s film debut. The extreme overreactions to standard wedding planning expenses feel a bit out of touch and less amusing in today’s economic climate.

Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit

Directed by Bill Duke, this 1993 musical comedy sequel was loosely based on real choir instructor Iris Stevenson. The rebellious teen tropes and formulaic school setting lack the fresh comedic spark that made the original movie so enjoyable.

Beverly Hills Cop III

Eddie Murphy made Axel Foley a legendary character starting in 1984, but this third installment lost the magic. The sharp, street smart detective humor was replaced with a theme park setting that feels cartoonish and completely unfunny now.

My Best Friend’s Wedding

This 1997 romantic comedy directed by P. J. Hogan was a massive hit, and yet the protagonist’s behavior is hard to stomach today. Her desperate sabotage attempts to ruin a perfectly happy wedding just feel toxic rather than funny.

Dude, Where’s My Car?

Directed by Danny Leiner, this 2000 science fiction comedy built its entire premise on characters forgetting what happened the night before. The chaotic, juvenile humor simply does not hold up when you look back at it today.