Time travel isn't just for heady science fiction features. Characters jumping back and forth through the years or stuck in loops can be prime comedic material, too — at least when done right. From oddball slapsticks to rom-coms to fantasy epics, adding a bit of time travel into the mix is guaranteed to stir up trouble.
H.G. Wells popularized the concept of time travel in his 1897 novella The Time Machine. Little did Wells know his technological invention would be used decades later to make audiences laugh on the big screen. The best time travel comedies veer from formulaic plots and characterizations to tell unique stories, while the worst rely too heavily upon predictable, cornball genre tropes.
10 Best: Groundhog Day (1993)
Technically a time loop comedy, Groundhog Day follows Phil Connor, a cynical TV weatherman played by Bill Murray, who finds himself reliving the titular day over and over again. Murray is hilarious in the role. Andie MacDowell and Chris Elliott make for excellent co-stars in the film, which is directed by Harold Ramis.
Groundhog Day's influence persists into the present; series like Netflix's Russian Doll are clearly indebted to this comedy classic.
9 Worst: About Time (2013)
Despite its unique premise and genuine acting from Domhnall Gleeson and Rachel McAdams, About Time is a decidedly bland rom-com. Gleeson plays Tim, a man with the ability to time travel, who uses it to his advantage romantically.
Tim falls for McAdams' character Mary, but happenstance keeps them from forming a lasting bond. In order to fix this, Tim keeps going back to his past to improve his chances of being united with Mary once and for all in the future.
8 Best: Back To The Future (1985)
Back to the Future may be the most iconic time travel movie ever. Robert Zemeckis blends science fiction, comedy, and action flawlessly in this tale of a high schooler who goes back in time from 1985 to 1955 in his friend Doc Brown's time-traveling DeLorean.
Michael J. Fox plays protagonist Marty McFly, and Christopher Lloyd co-stars as the mad scientist, Doc Brown. Without this film and its sequels, pop culture would be woefully behind in hoverboard technology and deprived of sayings like, "Great Scott!"
7 Worst: 13 Going On 30 (2004)
Innocent and wholesome, 13 Going on 30 is a time travel comedy about Jenna Rink, 13-year-old girl who wishes she were 30 on her birthday. Jenna Rink wakes up the next morning in a strange New York City apartment to find her wish came true.
Jennifer Garner plays Jenna at 30, basically portraying a tween trapped in a woman's body. While feelgood vibes abound in the movie, the laughs are few and far between.
6 Best: Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)
Directed by Jurassic World's Colin Trevorrow, Safety Not Guaranteed is an offbeat, entertaining independent comedy. Mark Duplass plays Kenneth Calloway, a Seattle man who posts a classified ad seeking a time-traveling companion.
Three local magazine employees played by Aubrey Plaza, Jake Johnson, and Karan Soni decide to investigate the ad. They soon realize that contrary to their original assumption, it may not actually be a hoax after all.
5 Worst: Click (2006)
One of Adam Sandler's worst comedies, Click uses a magical remote control as its time-traveling device. Sandler plays an overworked architect named Michael who meets the Angel of Death (whose name is Morty) in a Bed, Bath, and Beyond.
Played by Christopher Walken, Morty gives Michael a universal remote control that allows him to flash forward through bad or boring moments in his life as they happen. Kate Beckinsale co-stars as Michael's wife Donna, whose husband takes his newfound power too far.
4 Best: Bill And Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)
Many time travel comedies have tried to capitalize on Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, a screwball story about two teenage slackers who travel back through time in order to gather historical figures for a high school presentation. Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves play the titular duo, who are guided by none other than George Carlin.
This comedy manages to combine low-brow culture and high-brow ideas to hysterical ends. What other movie contains references to Greek philosophy and the music of Van Halen?
3 Worst: Austin Powers In Goldmember (2002)
Despite being extremely popular when they were released, Jay Roach's Austin Powers movies have not aged well. Goldmember, the third in the spy comedies starring Mike Myers, features a time travel plot so silly not even Beyoncé can save it.
Dr. Evil, Powers's arch-nemesis who is also played by Myers, plots to go back in time to 1975 in order to bring about the end of the world. Powers follows Dr. Evil to the disco era, where a lot of inane jokes and situational comedy ensues.
2 Best: Time Bandits (1981)
Part of Terry Gilliam's genre-defying "Trilogy of Imagination," Time Bandits joins 1985's Brazil and 1988's The Adventures of Baron Munchausen to form an epic fantasy narrative. In Time Bandits, a young boy named Kevin joins a group of dwarves using a special map that helps them track down holes in the fabric of time.
Kevin's six dwarves use the map to steal treasure from different historical eras. Along the way, they encounter Napoleon, Robin Hood and King Agamemnon – the latter of whom is played by Sean Connery.
1 Worst: Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)
John Cusack, Rob Corddry, and Craig Robinson co-star as three vacationing friends who are sent back in time after a night of heavy drinking in a hot tub. The friends suddenly find themselves in 1986, where disaster meets them around every corner as they try to figure out how to get back to the present.
While Hot Tub Time Machine is definitely a step above much of the toxic comedies of the time, the film still revels in homophobia and misogyny for cheap laughs. Even with its time travel narrative and talented cast, Hot Tub Time Machine lacks sustainability.
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August 13, 2020 at 05:30AM
