When the mildly weird and funny come together, great things happen—especially in film. Whether you’re up for some alternative comedies or romantic dramedies, here are the best quirky movies and show to stream now.
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Actor: Alain Gendreau, Aubert Pallascio, Brent Carver, Danny Gilmore, Gary Farmer, Ian D. Clark, Jason Cadieux, John Dunn-Hill, Khanh Hua, Marcel Sabourin, Matthew Ferguson, Michel Marc Bouchard, Pierre Leblanc, Rémy Girard, Robert Lalonde
Director: John Greyson
In Last Night in Soho, director Edgar Wright has so much to play with. The old lady character serves an unexpected role, while Ellie (Thomasin McKenzie) faces an interesting morality crisis as she tries to decide who to help at the end of the film. Just as fascinating is the film’s Ghibli-esque premise: we follow a hero going on an adventure far away from home and into a world where it's unclear where reality ends and fantasy begins. However, a lot of the time, it feels like the film was made to serve a big twist that doesn't have enough weight to it. The fantasy is far more intriguing than any tame interaction the film has to offer, so it doesn't feel like it lives up to its potential. But there is one obvious exception: Anya Taylor-Joy’s magnetic presence as Sandie—it’s a presence powerful enough to hold a film together.
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Actor: Aimée Cassettari, Al Roberts, Alan Ruscoe, Andrew Bicknell, Anya Taylor-Joy, Celeste Dring, Colin Mace, Derek Lea, Diana Rigg, Elizabeth Berrington, Jacqui-Lee Pryce, James Phelps, Jessie Mei Li, Josh Zaré, Kassius Nelson, Katrina Vasilieva, Lati Gbaja, Lisa McGrillis, Margaret Nolan, Matt Smith, Michael Ajao, Michael Jibson, Michael Mears, Oliver Phelps, Paul Brightwell, Pauline McLynn, Rita Tushingham, Sam Claflin, Sam Parks, Synnøve Karlsen, Terence Stamp, Thomasin McKenzie
Director: Edgar Wright
True to its name, Joy Ride is a raucous delight that has everything you want out of a road trip comedy and more. There’s love, sex, adventure, and even music, but most of all there’s friendship, the interesting complexities of which are explored against the backdrop of race. There’s something meaningful keeping everything together at the core, and first-time director Adele Lim—helped by a strong script and cast—does an excellent job of holding it down. The film is also just plain funny. There are physical gags and of-the-moment jokes, plus a couple of insider quips made for and by the Asian community. But apart from the hilarity and tenderness, the film also delivers in the visual department: it looks gorgeous, not only because the characters are tourists who embark on a jet-setting adventure, but because of the inspired animation and vibrant editing.
Genre: Comedy
Actor: Alexander Hodge, Annie Mumolo, Ashley Park, Baron Davis, Chris Pang, Daniel Dae Kim, Darryl Quon, David Denman, Debbie Fan, Desmond Chiam, Isla Rose Hall, Kenneth Liu, Lori Tan Chinn, Meredith Hagner, Michelle Choi-Lee, Nathan Parrott, Ronny Chieng, Sabrina Wu, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu, Timothy Simons
Director: Adele Lim
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Actor: Archie Kao, Chloe Bennet, Diana Lin, Jimmy O. Yang, Lisa Gilroy, Ronny Chieng, Sullivan Jones
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Horror, Romance
Actor: Arnaud Vachon, Félix-Antoine Bénard, Madeleine Péloquin, Marc Beaupré, Marguerite Bouchard, Marie Brassard, Micheline Bernard, Noémie O'Farrell, Patrice Dubois, Patrick Hivon, Pierre-Luc Lafontaine, Sara Montpetit, Sarianne Cormier, Sébastien Beaulac, Sophie Cadieux, Steve Laplante, Sylvie Lemay
Director: Ariane Louis-Seize
Set in 1970s Italian countryside, this is a quirky movie that’s full of plot twists.
Lazzaro is a dedicated worker at a tobacco estate. His village has been indebted to a marquise and like everyone else, he works without a wage and in arduous conditions.
Lazzaro strikes a friendship with the son of the marquise, who, in an act of rebellion against his mother, decides to fake his own kidnapping. The two form an unlikely friendship in a story that mixes magical realism with social commentary.
Genre: Drama, Fantasy
Actor: Adriano Tardiolo, Agnese Graziani, Alba Rohrwacher, Alessandro Genovesi, Alice Rohrwacher, Antonio Salines, Carlo Massimino, Carlo Tarmati, Daria Deflorian, Daria Pascal Attolini, David Bennent, Elisabetta Rocchetti, Gala Othero Winter, Leonardo Nigro, Luca Chikovani, Natalino Balasso, Nicoletta Braschi, Pasqualina Scuncia, Sergi Lopez, Tommaso Ragno
Director: Alice Rohrwacher
Young love, gunslinging, and the players of an opium ring open the first episode of the Indian comedy-crime-thriller, Guns & Gulaabs. The show alternates between scenes of serious crime, gruesome murder, love confessions, and comedic bits, which all blend surprisingly well. It also employs various quirks, including movie soundtrack references and fast-paced action scenes, that strengthen its 90s worldbuilding. And the multiple storylines quickly allude to each other in the first two episodes, allowing them all to progress without any lag. With its deft balance of crime and comedy, Guns & Gulaabs begins with a bang and a chuckle that's hard to turn away from.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Adarsh Gourav, Dulquer Salmaan, Gulshan Devaiah, Rajkummar Rao, TJ Bhanu
Best known for its cute characters, Sanrio has partnered with Netflix to deliver a children’s adventure mini-series centered on their laziest egg yolk Gudetama. If you’d like to know how an egg like Gudetama can exist, this show conceives of a world where once out of their shells, all eggs have sentience, from regular chicken eggs, to eggs of other species, and to various forms of egg dishes like omelets and flans. While it’s slightly horrific to imagine eating these kawaii creatures, the show embraces the absurdity of its premise, depending heavily on food-based puns, as well as contemplating the purpose of raw eggs. This show may not be to everyone’s taste, but it’s certainly one of a kind, and short and sweet enough to swallow.
Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Family
Actor: Sarutoki Minagawa, Serena Motola, Shunsuke Takeuchi
Genre: Animation, Drama, Fantasy
Actor: Antonín Zacpal, Jan Kraus, Jiří Suchý, Petr Čepek, Petr Meissel, Vladimír Kudla
Director: Jan Švankmajer
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Briana Cuoco, George Rexstrew, Jayden Revri, Jenn Lyon, Kassius Nelson, Lukas Gage, Ruth Connell, Yuyu Kitamura
Genre: Drama
Actor: Adabel Guerrero, Agustín Sullivan, Alan Sabbagh, Anna Favella, Diego Pérez, Fabián Arenillas, Federico Barón, Joaquín Ferreira, Juan Minujín, María del Cerro, Mayte Rodríguez, Mónica Antonópulos
Director: Ariel Winograd
Genre: Action, Comedy, Romance
Actor: Athena Chu, Chang Chen, Eric Kot Man-Fai, Faye Wong, Jeff Lau Chun-Wai, Jeffrey Lau, Ning Jing, Peter Chan Lung, Rebecca Pan, Roy Cheung, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Wang Wang, Wang Xudong, Wong Wing-Ming, Zhao Wei
Director: Jeff Lau Chun-Wai, Jeffrey Lau
Genre: Adventure, Animation, Fantasy
Actor: Kristýna Kohoutová
Director: Jan Švankmajer
"Imagine a nightmare when you had to relive your adolescence," says Cecilia Aldarondo at the beginning of her third film, You Were My First Boyfriend. Indeed, the scene recalls a teen prom that could easily be yours (if you were one of the unpopular girls): neon lights, prettier dresses that are never yours, disapproving looks, and the impression that everyone around you is having the time of their lives, while you sit awkwardly in a corner. This image sets the tone for a self-exploration in documentary form that relies on a simple, yet imaginative premise, what if you could re-enact the formative events from back then, but do so today, by directing actors to step in for your past selves. Aldarondo approaches the topic sincerely and with curiosity. Not a pang of nostalgia there, but the heartfelt doc manages to reflect on the pasts that shape us in a witty way to promote self-acceptance and, ultimately, healing.
Genre: Documentary, Drama
Actor: Cecilia Aldarondo, Gabriel Kristal, Laura Gallegos, Melissa Baker, Sarah Baker Butterfield
Director: Cecilia Aldarondo
Genre: Drama
Actor: Akari Akase, Hayato Sano, Jun Kunimura, Kanako Momota, Kenjiro Tsuda, Kimiko Yo, Koji Kikkawa, Kosuke Suzuki, Mio Imada, Ren Meguro, Riko Fukumoto, Ryosuke Sota, Seira Anzai, Takashi Tsukamoto, Terunosuke Takezai, Tomoya Maeno
Director: Kenta Tanaka, Kentarō Takemura, Murao Yoshiaki, Yoshiaki Murao