Curly Sue

If you are after a comedy that actually makes you laugh out loud, Curly Sue is available in the US on Hoopla right now. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. 572 viewers have already rated it on TMDB — the kind of consensus that does not happen by accident. Jim Belushi is the obvious draw, but the whole ensemble earns its laughs. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Hoopla.

There is a reason Curly Sue keeps coming up in conversation. The jokes in Curly Sue land because the characters underneath them are worth caring about. Bill is a penniless drifter who scams strangers out of just enough money to feed himself and his partner in crime, an orphan girl known as Curly Sue. Bill and Curly Sue target Grey, a yuppie lawyer, but their con takes an unexpected turn when the successful woman begins to like the ramshackle duo. But there's one problem—Grey's jealous, conniving boyfriend, Walker. Jim Belushi and Alisan Porter lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 1991. The real test of any comedy is whether it is still funny once you know all the jokes, and Curly Sue holds up on rewatch in a way that separates it from one-off curiosities. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

Curly Sue is the kind of thing you put on in the background and end up fully watching. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. Short enough to finish in one sitting, substantial enough to feel satisfying. Jim Belushi is funny in a way that holds up on rewatch. Put it on when you need something guaranteed to land.