{{Short description|Film and TV genre}} '''Action comedy''' is a hybrid genre that combines elements of action fiction with comedy. While early action films feature stuntwork and humor, academic Cynthia King wrote that the genre only came into its own as a mainstay of the American action film genre in the 1980s when actors who had backgrounds in comedy such as Eddie Murphy began taking roles in action films.{{sfn|King|2019|p=141}} The genre approaches various narratives and styles such as buddy films, superhero films, and Hong Kong action cinema featuring various actors such as Jackie Chan.
Action comedy has also been a recurring theme in television, with series such as ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' (1979–1985)<ref name="perlmutter" /> and ''Peacemaker'' (2022).<ref name="Truitt" />
==Film== Academic Yvonne Tasker described most post-classical Hollywood action films as "more or less hybrids."{{sfn|Tasker|2004|p=4}} Action films are set across multiple settings and spaces with no single defining landscape and can become complicated in categorization which is sometimes acknowledged through hybridized designators such as action comedy.{{sfn|Holmlund|Purse|Tasker|2024|p=2}}
===Characteristics=== [[File:Eddie-murphy-1984.jpg|thumb|200px|Academic Cynthia King said that the action comedy film only came into its own as a mainstay of the American action film genre in the 1980s when actors who had backgrounds in comedy such as Eddie Murphy (pictured) began taking roles in action films.{{sfn|King|2019|p=141}}]] Cynthia King said that the term "action comedy" is typically reserved for action films in which humor plays a relatively central role.{{sfn|King|2019|p=140}} Such films can take on a wide variety of formats, including buddy films involving mismatched partners such as the ''Lethal Weapon'' (1987–1998) and the ''Rush Hour'' (1998–2007) film series, as well as Hong Kong action cinema films featuring actors such as Jackie Chan. King also included within the genre the more comedic superhero films such as ''Mystery Men'' (1999), ''Hancock'' (2008) and ''The Green Hornet'' (2011).{{sfn|King|2019|p=140-141}}
Elements of action comedy existed in early cinema, such as the chase sequences in pre-1915 films such as ''The Lonedale Operator'' (1911), which anticipate editing patterns of later action films such as ''Wheels on Meals'' (1984).{{sfn|Barrowman|2019|p=19}} Later silent film comedies such as those featuring Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton (e.g., ''Easy Street'' (1917) and ''The General'' (1926)) featured chases, gags and stunts that would serve as inspirations for both comedic and non-comedic action set pieces in later action films.{{sfn|Barrowman|2019|pp=19-20}} These films include Chaplin and Keaton using physical materials on stage, either weapons or props, to emphasize, affect or respond to their bodily actions.{{sfn|Barrowman|2019|p=20}}
King wrote that despite a large cinematic history of humor and peril, the action comedy film only "came into its own" as part of American action film genre in the early 1980s, notably when actors who had backgrounds in comedy such as Eddie Murphy began taking roles in action films.{{sfn|King|2019|p=141}}
In his book, ''Lights, Camera, Action: Crafting an Action Script'' (2005), Gregory Sarno said that not all films containing conflict and humor are action comedies; Sarno considered films with action-laden subplots such as ''Big Momma's House'' (2000) and ''Dumb & Dumber'' (1994) to be closer to straight comedies because the action lacks an integral role in their narratives.{{sfn|Sarno|2005|p=3}} King echoed this point, saying that films such as ''Night at the Museum'' (2006) or ''Loaded Weapon 1'' (1993) are better categorized as straight comedies since most of the action is framed comically with no serious violence or peril. She also said that the occurrence of sardonic one-liners in an action film, such as "Go ahead, make my day" from ''Sudden Impact'' (1983), is insufficient to categorize such a film as an action comedy.{{sfn|King|2019|p=142}}
Mark Gallagher, in ''Action Figures: Men, Action Films and Contemporary Adventure Narratives'' (2006), stated that action comedies often feature a fish out of water theme, such as Murphy's character clashing with upper-class white communities and conventional police procedures in the ''Beverly Hills Cop'' (1984–2024) film series.{{sfn|Gallagher|2006|p=163}}
===List of films=== {| class="wikitable sortable" border="1" <!-- width="100%" --> |+ List of action comedy films |- ! scope="col" | Film ! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" class="unsortable" style=white-space:nowrap | {{Ref heading}} |- | ''21 Jump Street'' || 2012 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''22 Jump Street'' || 2014 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''48 Hrs.'' || 1982 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''American Made'' || 2017 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Ant-Man'' || 2015 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Ant-Man and the Wasp'' || 2018 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Attack the Block'' || 2011 || <ref name="cosmopolitan" /> |- | ''Bad Boys'' || 1995 || <ref name="menshealth" /> |- | ''Bad Boys for Life'' || 2020 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Big Trouble in Little China'' || 1986 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Beverly Hills Cop'' || 1984 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Birds of Prey'' || 2020 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Black Dynamite'' || 2009 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''{{sortname|The|Blues Brothers|dab=film}}'' || 1980 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''{{sortname|The|Cabin in the Woods}} '' || 2011 || <ref name="cosmopolitan" /> |- | ''D.E.B.S.'' || 2004 || <ref name="cosmopolitan" /> |- | ''Deadpool'' || 2016 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Deadpool 2'' || 2018 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Deadpool & Wolverine'' || 2024 || <ref>{{Cite web |title=Deadpool & Wolverine {{!}} Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deadpool_and_wolverine |access-date=2025-01-04 |website=www.rottentomatoes.com |language=en}}</ref> |- | ''Drive-Away Dolls'' || 2024 || <ref name="cosmopolitan" /> |- | ''Drunken Master II'' || 1994 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves'' || 2023 || <ref name="cosmopolitan" /> |- | ''Everything Everywhere All at Once'' || 2022 || <ref name="cosmopolitan" /> |- | ''{{sortname|The|Fall Guy|dab=2024 film}}'' || 2024 || <ref name="cosmopolitan" /> |- | ''Free Guy'' || 2021 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Galaxy Quest'' || 1999 || <ref name="cosmopolitan" /> |- | ''Game Night'' || 2018 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Get Smart'' || 2008 || <ref name="menshealth" /> |- | ''{{sortname|The|General|dab=1926 film}}'' || 1926 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''{{sortname|The|Gentlemen|dab=2019 film}}'' || 2019 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Ghostbusters'' || 1984 || <ref name="cosmopolitan" /> |- | ''Guardians of the Galaxy'' || 2014 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2'' || 2017 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''{{sortname|The|Heat|dab=film}}'' || 2013 || <ref name="menshealth" /> |- | ''Hit Man'' || 2023 || <ref name="cosmopolitan" /> |- | ''Hot Fuzz'' || 2007 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''If Looks Could Kill'' || 1991 || <ref>{{cite news|last=Baldwin|first=Daniel|date=July 29, 2016|title=From Grieco With Love: Remembering 'If Looks Could Kill'|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielbaldwin/2016/07/29/from-grieco-with-love-remembering-if-looks-could-kill/|url-status=live|work=Forbes|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231227035018/https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielbaldwin/2016/07/29/from-grieco-with-love-remembering-if-looks-could-kill/|archive-date=December 27, 2023|access-date=December 29, 2023}}</ref> |- | ''{{sortname|The|Interview}}'' || 2014 || <ref name="menshealth" /> |- | ''Johnny English'' || 2003 || <ref name="menshealth" /> |- | ''Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle'' || 2017 || <ref name="menshealth" /> |- | ''Keanu'' || 2016 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Kick-Ass'' || 2010 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Kingsman: The Secret Service'' || 2014 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Kiss Kiss Bang Bang'' || 2005 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Kung Fu Hustle'' || 2004 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Lethal Weapon'' || 1987 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Lethal Weapon 2'' || 1989 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'' || 1998 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Logan Lucky'' || 2007 || <ref name="cosmopolitan" /> |- | ''{{sortname|The|Man from U.N.C.L.E.|dab=film}}'' || 2015 || <ref name="cosmopolitan" /> |- | ''{{sortname|The|Mask|dab=1994 film}}'' || 1994 || <ref name="cosmopolitan" /> |- | ''Men in Black'' || 1997 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Midnight Run'' || 1988 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Miss Congeniality'' || 2000 || <ref name="cosmopolitan" /> |- | ''Mr. & Mrs. Smith'' || 2005 || <ref name="cosmopolitan" /> |- | ''{{sortname|The|Nice Guys}}'' || 2016 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Now You See Me 2'' || 2016 || <ref name="cosmopolitan" /> |- | ''{{sortname|The|Other Guys}}'' || 2010 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''{{sortname|The|Paper Tigers}}'' || 2020 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl'' || 2003 || <ref name="cosmopolitan" /> |- | ''Police Story'' || 1985 || <ref> https://www.allmovie.com/movie/police-story-am19730</ref> |- | ''Polite Society'' || 2023 || <ref name="cosmopolitan" /> |- | ''{{sortname|The|Princess Bride|dab=film}}'' || 1987 || <ref name="cosmopolitan" /> |- | ''Red'' || 2010 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Ride Along'' || 2014 || <ref name="menshealth" /> |- | ''Romancing the Stone'' || 1984 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Rumble in the Bronx'' || 1995 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Rush Hour'' || 1998 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Rush Hour 2'' || 2001 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Rush Hour 3'' || 2007 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Scott Pilgrim vs. the World'' || 2010 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Shanghai Noon'' || 2000 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Shaolin Soccer'' || 2001 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Shaun of the Dead'' || 2004 || <ref name="menshealth" /> |- | ''Shazam!'' || 2019 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Sherlock Holmes'' || 2009 || <ref name="cosmopolitan" /> |- | ''Shotgun Wedding'' || 2022 || <ref name="cosmopolitan" /> |- | ''Something Wild'' || 1986 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Spy'' || 2015 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Spy Kids'' || 2001 || <ref name="cosmopolitan" /> |- | ''{{sortname|The|Suicide Squad|dab=film}}'' || 2021 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Supercop'' || 1992 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Tag'' || 2018 || <ref name="cosmopolitan" /> |- | ''Team America: World Police'' || 2004 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Thor: Ragnarok'' || 2017 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Three Kings'' || 1999 || <ref name="rt" /> |- | ''Tropic Thunder'' || 2008 || <ref name="rt" /> |}
==TV series== {| class="wikitable sortable" border="1" <!-- width="100%" --> |+ List of action comedy TV series |- ! scope="col" | TV series ! scope="col" | Year(s) ! scope="col" class="unsortable" style=white-space:nowrap | {{Ref heading}} |- | ''{{sortname|The|A-Team}}'' | 1983–1987 | <ref name="beard">{{cite news |last1=Beard |first1=Matthew |title='A-Team' is viewers' most-wanted oldie for prime-time revival |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/ateam-is-viewers-mostwanted-oldie-for-primetime-revival-92658.html |access-date=December 15, 2022 |work=The Independent |date=October 23, 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221215220335/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/ateam-is-viewers-mostwanted-oldie-for-primetime-revival-92658.html |archive-date=December 15, 2022}}</ref> |- | ''Burn Notice'' | 2007–2013 | <ref>{{cite news | author=Staff | url=https://deadline.com/2010/03/action-comedy-tv-showrunner-matt-nix-23122/ | title=Action Comedy TV: Showrunner Matt Nix | work=Deadline Hollywood | date=March 14, 2010 | access-date=December 2, 2022 | archive-date=December 2, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221202191519/https://deadline.com/2010/03/action-comedy-tv-showrunner-matt-nix-23122/ | url-status=live }}</ref> |- | ''Chuck'' | 2007–2012 | <ref>{{cite book | last1=Proulx | first1=Mike | last2=Shepatin | first2=Stacey | year=2012 | title=Social TV: How Marketers Can Reach and Engage Audiences by Connecting Television to the Web, Social Media, and Mobile | publisher=Wiley | isbn=978-1-118-23965-0 }}</ref> |- |''Doom Patrol'' | 2020–2022 | <ref>{{cite news | last=Butler | first=Karen | url=https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/TV/2022/10/10/doom-patrol-hbo-max/6681665405020/ | title=Season 4 of 'Doom Patrol' to premiere on Dec. 8 | work=upi.com | publisher=UPI | date=October 10, 2022 | access-date=December 12, 2022 | archive-date=October 10, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221010135208/https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/TV/2022/10/10/doom-patrol-hbo-max/6681665405020/ | url-status=live }}</ref> |- | ''{{sortname|The|Dukes of Hazzard}}'' | 1979–1985 | <ref name="perlmutter">{{cite book | last=Perlmutter | first=David | year=2018 | title=The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows | publisher=Rowman & Littlefield | isbn=978-1-5381-0374-6 }}</ref> |- | ''Future Man'' | 2017–2020 | <ref name="hulu">{{cite web | url=https://www.hulu.com/hub/comedy-tv/collections/5466 | title=Action Comedy | work=hulu.com | publisher=Hulu | access-date=December 2, 2022 }}</ref> |- | ''Kidd Video'' | 1984–1985 | <ref name="perlmutter" /> |- | ''Lethal Weapon'' | 2016–2019 | <ref name="hulu" /> |- | ''Our Flag Means Death'' | 2022-2023 | <ref>{{cite news | last=Shachat | first=Sarah | url=https://www.indiewire.com/2022/03/our-flag-means-death-pirate-ship-revenge-1234705721/ | title=How 'Our Flag Means Death' Built a Realistic but Farcical Pirate Ship | work=IndieWire | date=March 12, 2022 | access-date=December 12, 2022 | archive-date=December 12, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221212142133/https://www.indiewire.com/2022/03/our-flag-means-death-pirate-ship-revenge-1234705721/ | url-status=live }}</ref> |- | ''Peacemaker'' | 2022 | <ref name="Truitt">{{cite news | last=Truitt | first=Brian | url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2022/01/13/peacemaker-hbo-max-superhero-show-brings-hair-metal-friends-vibe/9160893002/ | title=How HBO Max's 'Peacemaker' became a hair metal superhero spin on the ensemble comedy | work=USA Today | date=January 13, 2022 | access-date=December 12, 2022 | archive-date=December 11, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221211231546/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2022/01/13/peacemaker-hbo-max-superhero-show-brings-hair-metal-friends-vibe/9160893002/ | url-status=live }}</ref> |- | ''Remington Steele'' | 1982–1987 | <ref>{{cite book | last=Taylor | first=Larry | year=2018 | chapter=Nomads | title=John McTiernan: The Rise and Fall of an Action Movie Icon | publisher=McFarland | isbn=978-1-4766-3233-9 | page=17 }}</ref> |- | ''Rush Hour'' | 2016 | <ref>{{cite news | last=Swift | first=Andy | url=https://tvline.com/2014/09/30/rush-hour-tv-series-bill-lawrence/ | title=Rush Hour TV Series In the Works for CBS from Bill Lawrence, Brett Ratner | work=TVLine | date=September 30, 2014 | access-date=December 12, 2022 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> |- | ''Teenage Bounty Hunters'' | 2020 | <ref>{{cite news | last=Nemetz | first=Dave | url=https://tvline.com/2020/07/30/teenage-bounty-hunters-trailer-netflix/ | title=''Teenage Bounty Hunters'' Trailer: High School Girls Kick Ass After Class in Netflix's Edgy Action Comedy | work=TVLine | date=July 30, 2020 | access-date=December 12, 2022 | archive-date=July 30, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200730161215/https://tvline.com/2020/07/30/teenage-bounty-hunters-trailer-netflix/ | url-status=live }}</ref> |}
==References== {{Reflist|refs= <ref name="cosmopolitan">{{cite magazine | last=Thomas | first=Leah Marilla | url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/movies/g60079761/funniest-action-movies/ | title=These 35 Comedy Action Movies Add 'Ha Has' To Your 'Pew Pews' | magazine=Cosmopolitan | date=July 30, 2024 |access-date=December 13, 2024 | archive-date=August 14, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240814164431/https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/movies/g60079761/funniest-action-movies/ | url-status=live }}</ref> <ref name="menshealth">{{cite magazine | last=Calderon | first=Jenna | url=https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/g34183919/funny-action-movies/ | title=The Best Action Comedy Movies of All Time | magazine=Men's Health | date=September 28, 2020 | access-date=December 2, 2022 | archive-date=December 2, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221202201956/https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/g34183919/funny-action-movies/ | url-status=live }}</ref> <ref name="rt">{{cite news | last=Vo | first=Alex | url=https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/action-comedies/ | title=The 50 Best Action-Comedy Movies, Ranked By Tomatometer | work=Rotten Tomatoes | publisher=Fandango Media | date=August 10, 2021 | access-date=December 2, 2022 | archive-date=February 18, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230218094254/https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/action-comedies/ | url-status=live }}</ref> }}
==Sources== {{refbegin}} * {{cite book|title=A Companion to the Action Film|chapter=Origins of the Action Film|year=2019|editor-last=Kendric|editor-first=James|last=Barrowman|first=Kyle|publisher=Blackwell Publishing Ltd.|isbn=978-1119100492}} * {{cite book|last=Gallagher|first=Mark|year=2006|title=Action Figures: Men, Action Films and Contemporary Adventure Narratives|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|page=163|isbn=1403970122}} * {{cite book|title=Action Cinema Since 2000|editor-last1=Holmlund|editor-last2=Purse|editor-last3=Tasker|editor-first1=Chris|editor-first2=Lisa|editor-first3=Yvonne|isbn=9781839022784 |year=2024|last1=Holmlund|last2=Purse|last3=Tasker|first1=Chris|first2=Lisa|first3=Yvonne|chapter=Introduction: Action as Mode|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|author-link3=Yvonne Tasker}} * {{cite book|title=A Companion to the Action Film|chapter=Comedy in Action|year=2019|editor-last=Kendric|editor-first=James|last=King|first=Cynthia M.|publisher=Blackwell Publishing Ltd.|isbn=978-1119100492}} * {{cite book|last=Sarno|first=Gregory|year=2005|title=Lights, Camera, Action: Crafting an Action Script|publisher=Littlebear Productions|isbn=978-0595360574}} * {{cite book|title=Action and Adventure Cinema|editor-last1=Tasker |editor-first1=Yvonne|publisher=Routledge|year=2004|isbn=0-203-64515-4}} {{refend}}
{{Film genres|state=collapsed}} {{Comedy footer}}
Category:Action comedy comedy Category:Comedy genres Category:Film genres Category:Lists of films by genre Category:Television genres