Has someone your age made you laugh recently?
Comic roles for older performers may not be plentiful, but there are funny movies and television shows that showcase the talents and humor of 50-plus actors
Here are five recent movies and shows with funny leads who are older performers.
“Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Michelle Yeoh, a 59-year-old Malaysian actress, plays the main character in this action-comedy. Yeoh plays an aging Chinese immigrant who only wants to complete her taxes, but instead must fight to save the world from her alternate personas in the multiverse.
Yeoh not only sets the rapid-fire pace of the jokes in this send-up of martial arts and horror movies, but she also performs most of her own stunts.
Watch on Prime Video.
“Hacks”
Jean Smart, 70, is the co-star of this comedy, which is now streaming its second season.
If you remember her from “Designing Women,” don’t expect that sort of performance in “Hacks.”
Smart plays Deborah Vance, an aging Vegas comic who is by turns poignant and biting, but always hilarious.
Part of the humor from the Joan Rivers-type comedian relies on her interplay with a far younger comedy writer played by stand-up comic Hannah Einbinder. It’s edgy and a bit foul-mouthed — for mature audiences only.
Stream “Hacks” on HBO Max.
“Murderville”
This 2022 mystery-improv comedy stars 52-year-old actor and comedian Will Arnett. You might recognize him from his role as George Bluth II in “Arrested Development.”
In “Murderville,” he plays oddball detective Terry Seattle, who teams with various celebrity guests such as Conan O’Brien and Sharon Stone to investigate the campy murder of each episode.
Stream “Murderville” on Netflix.
“The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent”
If you remember the self-deprecating humor of 1987′s “Raising Arizona,” you already know Nicolas Cage can be a very funny guy.
Now that he’s 58 he’s showcasing those comedic chops in the imaginative action-comedy, “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent,” with a personal — though fictional — plot. It’s currently playing in theaters.
Playing himself, Cage works through the premise that he’s taken $1 million to appear at a rich fan’s birthday, only to be asked to take on a CIA mission.
His character hilariously employs all the iconic Nic Cage movie roles to save the day.
“Home Team”
This sports comedy is based on the true story of New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton. He was caught up in the Bountygate scandal and used his 2012 suspension year to coach his son’s 6th-grade football team.
Kevin James, who may look familiar as the co-star of “The King of Queens,” or the “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” film series, plays Payton. He’s 57, and still has the everyman “I get no respect” laughs working for him.
Stream “Home Team” on Netflix.
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