Written by Bradley Klaus. Published: April 02 2026
(Photo:
Paramount)
The
Lonely Island, the beloved comedy trio which consists of Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer, has changed the face of comedy for
a whole generation. Their musical and sketch digital shorts
revolutionized what could be done on “SNL”. Early hits, such as
“Lazy Sunday” and “Laser Cats”, catapulted them into early internet
virality, which paved the path for them to make their feature film
debut Hot Rod in 2007.
We have
picked 5 of The Lonely Island’s best films and ranked them
below!
5. MacGruber (2010, dir. Jorma Taccone)
This film is
not for everyone. Its comedy styling is very out there and is
off-putting for most. Despite all of that and placing it last, we
still very much enjoy this film. Will Forte has
always pushed scenes and bits to their very limits, MacGruber being no exception.
MacGruber as a concept is hilarious. It is, of course, a
parody of the hit ’80s TV series “MacGyver”, but the original “SNL”
sketch was just about MacGruber being easily distracted by personal
issues and worsening behavior while failing to disarm a bomb. The
absurdity of the MacGruber character is perfectly translated into
feature films. There are so many quotable scenes, such as when Kristen Wiig’s character struggles to order coffee
disguised as MacGruber, and Val Kilmer’s hilarious
performance that should’ve been featured more. Give this film a
shot, especially if you can watch it with friends. (Stream on
HBO Max)
4. The Naked Gun (2025, dir. Akiva Schaffer)
The Naked
Gun is a legacy sequel to the 80s/90s Naked
Gun trilogy, following Liam Neeson as
Detective Frank Drebin Jr. as he has to save the world from a tech
billionaire trying to destroy the world for financial gain. The
story is good enough for this type of film, but what we are all
here for when watching a Naked Gun film is the
density of jokes and gags. That is meant in both how many jokes
there are in the film, but also how some of the jokes can go over
someone’s head whether due to the nicheness of the joke or because
they missed it since they were laughing at another joke. There is a
joke being told in every frame of the film, both in the foreground
and oftentimes in the background. Every line is a set up to an
eventual punchline. It’s all one big joke that has something for
everyone. It’s perfectly in line with previous Naked
Gun films, as well as a perfect modern comedy. (Stream on Prime Video)
3. Palm Springs (2020, dir. Max Barbakow)
Palm
Springs has one of the absolute best setups for a romantic
comedy. Two strangers, Nyles (Andy Samberg) and Sarah
(Cristin Milioti), are stuck in a timeloop and are
drawn together because of their shared suffering. But is it real or
are they just together due to being the only people in the loop?
Samberg and Milioti’s chemistry is electric. The balance of science
fiction elements, romcom tropes, and engaging inner drama that
Sarah and Nyles are individualling dealing with is fantastic. Palm Springs is one of the best modern romantic
comedies that never gets old no matter how many times you watch it. (Stream on Hulu)
2. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016, dir. Akiva
Schaffer & Jorma Taccone)
Popstar is a brilliant satire on the music industry
as it was in the 2000s and 2010s, the turbulent lives of pop stars,
as well as being a mockumentary about themselves and their sudden
rise of fame. It’s as much as a Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox
Story spiritual sequel as it is a look at how sudden
virality can change and ruin relationships. Then, there’s Andy
Samberg singing about gay rights that takes a maybe homophobic
turn, Bill Hader getting off by flatlining like in
the movie Flatliners, fighting bees with a flame thrower,
and Justin Timberlake as a chef who can actually
sing really well. This is one of the most perfect comedies ever
made, and it’s only topped by one other… (Stream on
Peacock)
1. Hot Rod (2007, dir. Akiva Schaffer)
Best comedy
ever, and the one that started it all. There is so much absurdity
that it forces the audience to laugh because of how ridiculous and
awkward every aspect of the film is. There will be bits where we
are watching Jorma Taccone, Bill Hader, and Danny
McBride dancing in front of a convenience store, or
McBride quickly high-fiving Bill and Jorma to show them how it’s
done, or Richardson (Chester Tam), who wants to
join Rod’s crew, dancing in the background which becomes the
foreground. It produces an involuntary, guttural force coming out
of you as it’s the only reaction that makes sense when witnessing
Andy Samberg punch-dancing in the forest, Ian
McShane beating the crap out of Samberg, and anything
McBride does. Every rewatch reveals a new all-time favorite bit;
there is so much in this movie that is so catered to a very
specific audience. This feels like The Lonely Island at the top of
their game, not discounting everything that came after. (Stream
on Pluto TV)