The summer movie season had a rocky start, with films like “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” “Garfield,” and “IF” not performing as expected. However, the successes of "Inside Out 2" and “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” indicated that audiences are willing to return to theaters in droves.
The latter was filled with exciting action, larger-than-life explosions, and trademark quips from Mike Lowrey and Marcus Barnett. Basically, it’s everything you could possibly want in a summer movie. If you're craving more action and comedy and you have a Netflix subscription, you’re in luck. We here at Tom’s Guide scoured the nearly endless offerings on the streamer and found some of the best action comedies on Netflix right now.
'Beverly Hills Cop'
In the early '80s, Eddie Murphy was primarily known for his cutting-edge stand-up comedy and his stint on “Saturday Night Live." This movie (along with “48 Hrs” and “Trading Places”) launched him to international superstardom.
The story follows Detroit detective Axel Foley as he travels to Beverly Hills to solve the murder of his best friend against the wishes of both his home station and the LAPD. Sergeant John Taggart (John Ashton) and Detective Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) are then tasked with keeping tabs on Foley. However, after some harrowing and hilarious close calls, the trio ends up bonding and bringing the criminals to justice.
Adjusted for inflation, “Beverly Hills Cop” is the highest-grossing R-rated film in America since 1977. It’s widely acclaimed as one of the best comedies, action comedies, and overall movies of all time. And after spawning two more theatrical sequels, a fourth one titled “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” was just released exclusively on Netflix.
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'Ride Along'
Despite Lawrence and Murphy still being active today, an argument can be made that Kevin Hart is their successor in Hollywood. At the very least, the Philadelphia native followed a path very similar to the two legendary comedians as he also thrived in the standup scene before taking his talents to the silver screen. And he’s probably most well known for his frequent collaborations with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. However, before he joined that cinematic tag team with the former WWE Champion, he had great chemistry with Ice Cube in 2014’s “Ride Along.”
In this film, Hart stars as a security guard with a mission. He is desperately trying to prove to his girlfriend’s cop brother that he’s worthy of joining their family through marriage. But things get a little hectic when he gets caught up in a manhunt for a nefarious arms dealer (Laurence Fishburne). While they start out as strange bedfellows, Cube and Hart’s characters eventually warm up to each other, as well as audiences around the world.
Despite mixed to negative reviews from critics, “Ride Along” still managed to top the box office back in January 2014. The stars even reteamed for a sequel that was equally as fun for viewers, especially because of the chemistry between the two leads. Another sequel is also in the works.
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'Mr. & Mrs. Smith'
The final pick on our list comes from writer Simon Kinberg and director Doug Liman. Both men are very familiar with action and comedy. Liman’s CV includes acclaimed films “Swingers,” “The Bourne Identity” and “Edge of Tomorrow.” Meanwhile, Kinberg is responsible for writing the scripts for “Sherlock Holmes,” “XXX,” and a number of X-Men films. However, when they came together for “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” in 2005, it was a match made in heaven.
This movie follows Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as John and Jane Smith, a couple whose marriage is on the rocks and requires counseling. After meeting under exciting circumstances in Colombia, their lives together slowly became more mundane as the years went by and they settled into the upper-middle-class suburbs of New York. At least, that’s how they wanted it to seem. In reality, unbeknownst to their partner, each one was actually a vicious contract killer who was hiding their true identity. But when a job goes wrong, the Smiths’ paths finally intersect field. Their rival firms then task the couple with taking each other out.
“Mr. & Mrs. Smith” is an excellent mix of shoot-em-up action, charming comedy, and an unconventional romance. It’s all very clever and incredibly fun. Basically, it’s exactly the type of movie you want to see during the summer movie season.
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