
High-Concept Comedy movies
A bold premise or rule twist generates the laughs, creating consistent setups, reversals, and comic payoffs.

31. Penelope
Fantasy Comedy Romance Fantasy Romance High-Concept Comedy2007•1h 43min
United Kingdom, United States
Director: Mark Palansky
Vibe
Forlorn heiress Penelope Wilhern is cursed, and the only way out is to fall in love with someone of suitable stock. But how can she find her soulmate when she's sequestered inside her family's estate with only her parents to keep her company? This untraditional fairy tale is about a girl who bucks convention to create her own happy ending.
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32. 50 First Dates
Comedy Romance Romantic Comedy High-Concept Comedy2004•1h 39min
United States
Director: Peter Segal
Vibe
Henry is a player skilled at seducing women. But when this veterinarian meets Lucy, a girl with a quirky problem when it comes to total recall, he realizes it's possible to fall in love all over again…and again, and again. That's because the delightful Lucy has no short-term memory, so Henry must woo her day after day until he finally sweeps her off her feet.
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33. Nanny McPhee
Fantasy Comedy Family Supernatural Fantasy Parent-Child Family2005•1h 37min
France, United Kingdom
Director: Kirk Jones
Vibe
Widower Cedric Brown hires Nanny McPhee to care for his seven rambunctious children, who have chased away all previous nannies. Taunted by Simon and his siblings, Nanny McPhee uses mystical powers to instill discipline. And when the children's great-aunt and benefactor, Lady Adelaide Stitch, threatens to separate the kids, the family pulls together under the guidance of Nanny McPhee.
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34. Happy Accidents
Comedy Romance Science Fiction Romantic Comedy Time Travel Sci-Fi2000•1h 50min
United States
Director: Brad Anderson
Vibe
A comedy that pays tribute to the science fiction genre -- specifically, the sub-genre of time travel. But here the alternate reality is contemporary New York City where past and future experiences of trust, commitment and denial are cleverly put to the test. Just as Ruby is beginning to relish her first-ever healthy relationship, Sam begins muttering about being a time traveler from the year 2470.
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35. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
Comedy Romance Romantic Comedy High-Concept Comedy2003•1h 56min
United States
Director: Donald Petrie
Vibe
A journalist is working on an unusual assignment—a piece about the tricks women use to get rid of a man. To do it, she picks a random guy, plans to make him fall for her, and then test every trick in real life. Unfortunately for her, she chooses a man who has just made a bet with his boss that he can make a girl fall in love with him in ten days.
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36. Legally Blonde
Comedy Romance Romantic Comedy High-Concept Comedy2001•1h 36min
United States
Director: Robert Luketic
Vibe
The life of young Elle Woods is turned upside down when her boyfriend says he wants to break up with her because he considers her not serious enough. In order to win him back and prove to everyone that there is much more behind the image of a beautiful blonde, Elle decides to enroll in Harvard Law School.
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37. What Women Want
Comedy Romance Romantic Comedy High-Concept Comedy2000•2h 7min
United States
Director: Nancy Meyers
Vibe
Advertising executive Nick Marshall is as cocky as they come, but what happens to a chauvinistic guy when he can suddenly hear what women are thinking? Nick gets passed over for a promotion, but after an accident enables him to hear women's thoughts, he puts his newfound talent to work against Darcy, his new boss, who seems to be infatuated with him.
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38. Taxi 2
Action Comedy Adventure Crime Vehicle-Driven Action2000•1h 22min
France
Director: Gérard Krawczyk
Vibe
A cabdriver and a cop race to Paris to rescue a love interest and the Japanese minister of defense from kidnappers.
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39. Mrs. Doubtfire
Comedy Drama Family High-Concept Comedy Parent-Child Family1993•2h 5min
United States
Director: Chris Columbus
Vibe
Loving but irresponsible dad Daniel Hillard, estranged from his exasperated spouse, is crushed by a court order allowing only weekly visits with his kids. When Daniel learns his ex needs a housekeeper, he gets the job -- disguised as a British nanny. Soon he becomes not only his children's best pal but the kind of parent he should have been from the start.
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40. Sneakers
Comedy Crime Drama High-Concept Comedy Heist1992•2h 5min
United States
Director: Phil Alden Robinson
Vibe
When shadowy U.S. intelligence agents blackmail a reformed computer hacker and his eccentric team of security experts into stealing a code-breaking 'black box' from a Soviet-funded genius, they uncover a bigger conspiracy. Now, he and his 'sneakers' must save themselves and the world economy by retrieving the box from their blackmailers.