Larry Crowne

If you are after a comedy that actually makes you laugh out loud, Larry Crowne is available in Australia on Beamafilm, and in the US on Amazon Prime Video right now. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. With 1,433 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Watch it for Tom Hanks — stay for everyone else around them. Start it on Beamafilm whenever you need something guaranteed to land.

Larry Crowne arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. Larry Crowne does what great comedies rarely manage — it is actually funny, consistently, across the whole run. When he suddenly finds himself without his long-standing blue-collar job, Larry Crowne enrolls at his local college to start over. There, he becomes part of an eclectic community of students and develops a crush on his teacher. Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2011. Larry Crowne 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.

Larry Crowne is the kind of thing you put on in the background and end up fully watching. It has built its own audience without needing a direct comparison. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch from start to finish. Tom Hanks's comic timing carries it through its weaker moments. The kind of comedy you recommend to someone who claims they do not watch much.