Dogma

If you are after a comedy that actually makes you laugh out loud, Dogma is available in Australia on Foxtel Now, and in the UK on MUBI right now. A tight runtime that never overstays its welcome. 2,874 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. Watch it for Ben Affleck — stay for everyone else around them. Start it on Foxtel Now whenever you need something guaranteed to land.

Dogma arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. Dogma gets the fundamentals right first, then finds room to get weird with it. An abortion clinic worker with a special heritage is called upon to save the existence of humanity from being negated by two renegade angels trying to exploit a loophole and reenter Heaven. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 1999. Dogma earns its laughs from character rather than situation, which is why it does not wear thin the way pure farce tends to. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

If you need a comedy that actually makes you laugh, Dogma is a strong candidate. If you have run out of similar titles to watch, this is a strong next pick. A contained runtime means every scene is doing real work. Ben Affleck's comic timing carries it through its weaker moments. The kind of comedy you recommend to someone who claims they do not watch much.