High-Concept Comedy backdrop

High-Concept Comedy movies

A bold premise or rule twist generates the laughs, creating consistent setups, reversals, and comic payoffs.

The Cobbler

1. The Cobbler

Fantasy Comedy Drama Supernatural Fantasy High-Concept Comedy
5.8
20141h 39min

Overview

Max Simkin repairs shoes in the same New York shop that has been in his family for generations. Disenchanted with the grind of daily life, Max stumbles upon a magical heirloom that allows him to step into the lives of his customers and see the world in a new way. Sometimes walking in another man's shoes is the only way one can discover who they really are.

Themes

Urban redevelopment pressure, Gentrification and displacement, Family legacy and duty, Economic and social inequality, Heritage vs modernity, Craft identity and pride

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Hulu
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Walk of Shame

2. Walk of Shame

Comedy High-Concept Comedy
6.0
20141h 35min

Overview

A reporter's dream of becoming a news anchor is compromised after a one-night stand leaves her stranded in downtown L.A. without a phone, car, ID or money - and only 8 hours to make it to the most important job interview of her life.

Themes

Career ambition under scrutiny, Media gatekeeping and opportunity, Urban survival under pressure, Public image vs personal reality, Economic vulnerability in crisis, Gendered expectations in media

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Delivery Man

3. Delivery Man

Comedy High-Concept Comedy
6.3
20131h 45min

Overview

An affable underachiever finds out he's fathered 533 children through anonymous donations to a fertility clinic 20 years ago. Now he must decide whether or not to come forward when 142 of them file a lawsuit to reveal his identity.

Themes

Secrecy and disclosure, Unintended fatherhood, Deception and legitimacy, Economic incentives in family life, Intergenerational impact, Responsibility vs risk

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2

4. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2

Animation Family Comedy Family Animation High-Concept Comedy
6.3
20131h 35min

Overview

After the disastrous food storm in the first film, Flint and his friends are forced to leave the town. Flint accepts the invitation from his idol Chester V to join The Live Corp Company, which has been tasked to clean the island, and where the best inventors in the world create technologies for the betterment of mankind. When Flint discovers that his machine still operates and now creates mutant food beasts like living pickles, hungry tacodiles, shrimpanzees and apple pie-thons, he and his friends must return to save the world.

Themes

Trust under pressure, Unintended consequences, Public risk from invention, Scientific responsibility, Corporate pressure, Ambition vs caution

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Instructions Not Included

5. Instructions Not Included

Comedy Drama Family Drama High-Concept Comedy
7.5
20132h 2min

Overview

Valentin is Acapulco's resident playboy, until a former fling leaves a baby on his doorstep and him heading with her out of Mexico.

Themes

Language barriers, Found family resilience, Custody and parental rights, Unconventional fatherhood, Risk versus protection, Career vs family

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain

6. Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain

Comedy Documentary Biographical Documentary High-Concept Comedy
6.7
20131h 14min

Overview

Captures the laughter, energy and mayhem from Hart's 2012 "Let Me Explain" concert tour, which spanned 10 countries and 80 cities, and generated over $32 million in ticket sales.

Themes

Divorce and self image pressure, Public performance as explanation, Audience dynamics in venue, Private shift vs public reception, Showmanship under scrutiny, Spectacle shaping narrative

Available on

Google Play Movies
YouTube
Plex Channel
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Thunderstruck

7. Thunderstruck

Comedy Family Parent-Child Family High-Concept Comedy
5.1
20121h 34min

Overview

After NBA star Kevin Durant switches talent with 16 year old Brian, the teenager becomes the star of his high school team, but Durant starts struggling and eventually learns an important lesson.

Themes

Coaching and mentorship under change, Adolescent pressure and belonging, Identity through ability, Performance tracking and scrutiny, Competition and jealousy, Talent transfer dynamics, Team leadership under upheaval

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Midnight in Paris

8. Midnight in Paris

Fantasy Comedy Romance Time-Rule Fantasy Fantasy Romance
7.6
20111h 34min

Overview

While on a trip to Paris with his fiancée's family, a nostalgic screenwriter finds himself mysteriously going back to the 1920s every day at midnight.

Themes

Nostalgia vs reality, Artistic longing, Past-era idealization, Time travel longing, Creative ambition vs relationship, Romance vs commitment

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Arthur

9. Arthur

Comedy Romance Romantic Comedy High-Concept Comedy
5.7
20111h 50min

Overview

A drunken playboy stands to lose a wealthy inheritance when he falls for a woman that his family doesn't like.

Themes

Romance vs duty, Reputation management, Inheritance pressure, Arranged marriage conflict, Self reliance vs dependency, Social aspiration

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Just Go with It

10. Just Go with It

Comedy Romance Romantic Comedy High-Concept Comedy
6.4
20111h 57min

Overview

While romancing Palmer, a much younger schoolteacher, plastic surgeon Danny Maccabee enlists his loyal assistant Katherine to pretend to be his soon to be ex-wife, in order to cover up a careless lie. When more lies backfire, Katherine's kids become involved, and everyone heads off for a weekend in Hawaii that will change all their lives.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Deception in romance, Age disparity in relationships, Social performance of family, Fake family dynamics, Authenticity versus pretense

Available on

Netflix
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.