Buddy Comedy movies available on 4K Blu-ray, ranked by transfer quality.
dir. J.B. Rogers
S-Tier 4K. Same story as the first one. Universal gave it a clean transfer.
88 Films · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Peyton Reed
S-Tier Shout Factory 4K. The cheerleader comedy on 4K. Shout Factory has been going deep on 2000s catalog titles.
Shout! Factory · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Mike Nichols
S-Tier Indicator 4K. Jack Nicholson, Ann-Margret in Mike Nichols' film about terrible men. Indicator did right by it.
Indicator · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Brad Silberling
S-Tier Universal 4K. The 90s kids movie. Universal announced the 4K and it's a nostalgia buy for a lot of people.
Universal Pictures · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. David Leitch
Universal 4K. David Leitch directing the Fast & Furious spinoff with Statham and The Rock. S-Tier transfer. The film plays more as a buddy action comedy than a Fast film and collectors tend to own it separately from the main franchise set.
dir. Michael Lehmann
S-Tier Arrow Video 4K. Winona Ryder and Christian Slater's dark high school satire. Arrow loaded the disc with extras.
Arrow Video · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Reginald Hudlin
S-Tier Criterion 4K for the 35th anniversary. The announcement caused a minor riot because everyone was expecting Eyes Wide Shut instead. People want the cover to pull from 90s graphic design rather than something refined and contemporary. The original Blu-ray was a MOD release that was really hard to find in stores.
Criterion Collection · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Joe Dante
Joe Dante's love letter to William Castle and atomic-age creature features getting a 4K from Shout Factory. S-Tier transfer and the early response is all positive. One of those films that never had a bad word said about it but somehow never got a proper release until now.
dir. Frank Capra
S-Tier Sony 4K with Dolby Vision. Part of the Frank Capra at Columbia box set for the 100th anniversary, alongside It Happened One Night. The set is 20 films with 9 in 4K. People are waiting for 50% off sales but also feeling pressure to buy early to show demand for this kind of catalog deep dive from a major studio.
Sony Pictures · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Peter Bogdanovich
S-Tier Criterion 4K. Bogdanovich's black and white father-daughter con artist film. There was no US Blu-ray of this for years, so people were importing the Eureka disc. The Criterion 4K announcement was a big deal, and Walmart had it under $20 USD. People who love this film also tend to love The Last Picture Show.
dir. Joe Layton
Sony's 4K of Pryor's most famous special. Minimal collector discussion beyond the announcement, but the material does the heavy lifting here regardless of transfer quality.
dir. Nora Ephron
Part of the Columbia Classics Vol. 4 box set alongside Punch-Drunk Love and Starman. People who just bought the Criterion Punch-Drunk Love were annoyed. The box set gets praise for being one of the strongest selections since Vol. 1. Standalone availability may come eventually, but for now it's box set or nothing. The film itself has aged in interesting ways, with modern viewers noting the parasocial relationship dynamics more critically.
dir. Billy Wilder
Criterion's S-Tier 4K arrived after Kino Lorber put out their own disc first. Kino's release came from a new scan and includes Dolby Vision, and collectors who already own it are split on whether the Criterion is worth the double dip. Both are strong releases from different labels working the same MGM catalog.
dir. Terry Gilliam
Criterion S-Tier 4K. Gilliam's most emotionally grounded film, and the Criterion transfer does it justice. The fantasy sequences in HDR really earn the tier rating.
dir. Alexander Payne
A curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually, he forms an unlikely bond with one of them — a damaged, brainy troublemaker — and with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam.
dir. Charles Crichton
A meek bank clerk who oversees the shipments of bullion joins with an eccentric neighbor to steal gold bars and smuggle them out of the country.
StudioCanal · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Wes Anderson
Wealthy businessman Zsa-zsa Korda appoints his only daughter, a nun, as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists, and determined assassins.
dir. Emmanuel Klotz, Albert Pereira-Lazaro
Criterion 4K of a French animated comedy about teachers. Extremely niche even by Criterion standards and almost zero collector discussion around it.
Royal Tenenbaum and his wife Etheline had three children and then they separated. All three children are extraordinary --- all geniuses. Virtually all memory of the brilliance of the young Tenenbaums was subsequently erased by two decades of betrayal, failure, and disaster. Most of this was generally considered to be their father's fault. "The Royal Tenenbaums" is the story of the family's sudden, unexpected reunion one recent winter.
dir. Alfred Hitchcock
The trouble with Harry is that he’s dead. In a quiet Vermont village, a corpse creates unexpected chaos as several townspeople each believe they may be to blame.
dir. Penelope Spheeris
The adventures of two amiably aimless metal-head friends, Wayne and Garth. From Wayne's basement, the pair broadcast a talk-show called "Wayne's World" on local public access television. The show comes to the attention of a sleazy network executive who wants to produce a big-budget version of "Wayne's World"—and he also wants Wayne's girlfriend, a rock singer named Cassandra. Wayne and Garth have to battle the executive not only to save their show, but also Cassandra.
Paramount Pictures · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Jean Vigo
In a repressive boarding school with rigid rules of behavior, four boys decide to rebel against the director on a celebration day.
Curzon Film · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Walter Hill
For the past four years, San Francisco cop Jack Cates has been after an unidentified drug kingpin who calls himself the Ice Man. Jack finds a picture that proves that the Ice Man has put a price on the head of Reggie Hammond, who is scheduled to be released from prison on the next day.
dir. John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein
A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people.
dir. John Hughes
A-Tier Paramount 4K. Matthew Broderick skips school in Chicago. Paramount's 80s comedy catalog.
dir. Robert Zemeckis
A-Tier Paramount 4K. Tom Hanks on a bench. The transfer is clean and Paramount gave it standard packaging at a reasonable price.
dir. Jennifer Yuh Nelson
A-Tier Universal 4K. Kung Fu Panda 2 snuck out on 4K with barely any marketing. People missed it entirely. The DreamWorks 4K transfers have been inconsistent compared to what Pixar gets, and expectations are tempered accordingly.
dir. Martin Brest
A-Tier Shout Factory 4K. De Niro and Charles Grodin's buddy road movie. Shout Factory's transfer got decent reviews with good Dolby Vision and consistent grain. Some mixed word of mouth before release had people setting low expectations, which the disc cleared.
dir. Todd Solondz
A-Tier Radiance Films 4K. Todd Solondz's 2005 film. Radiance is using someone else's master for this one, which is a pattern with the label.
Radiance Films · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Kelly Reichardt
A24's 4K of Kelly Reichardt's quiet Portland artist film. Zero collector discussion found on Reddit, which tracks for Reichardt's audience. Her fans tend to buy and watch without posting about it. The disc exists for people who already know they want it.
A24 · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Hal Needham
A race car driver tries to transport an illegal beer shipment from Texas to Atlanta in under 28 hours, picking up a reluctant bride-to-be on the way.
dir. Jeff Fowler
Powered with incredible speed, Sonic The Hedgehog embraces his new home on Earth. That is, until Sonic sparks the attention of super-uncool evil genius Dr. Robotnik. Now it’s super-villain vs. super-sonic in an all-out race across the globe to stop Robotnik from using Sonic’s unique power for world domination.
dir. Joel Schumacher
Sony A-Tier 4K. The Brat Pack after college. No relevant collector signal on this one, which puts it squarely in the "it exists if you want it" category of the Sony catalog.
dir. John Landis
Jake Blues, just released from prison, puts his old band back together to save the Catholic home where he and his brother Elwood were raised.
dir. Gregg Araki
Jordan White and Amy Blue, two troubled teens, pick up an adolescent drifter, Xavier Red. Together, the threesome embarks on a sex- and violence-filled journey through a United States of psychos and quickie marts.
Criterion A-Tier 4K of Anderson's most symmetrical film. The pastel color palette in HDR is what you're paying for, and people still post photos from the real Görlitz locations.
dir. Chris Renaud
Max the terrier must cope with some major life changes when his owner gets married and has a baby. When the family takes a trip to the countryside, nervous Max has numerous run-ins with canine-intolerant cows, hostile foxes and a scary turkey. Luckily for Max, he soon catches a break when he meets Rooster, a gruff farm dog who tries to cure the lovable pooch of his neuroses.
dir. Peter Weir
An insurance salesman begins to suspect that his whole life is actually some sort of reality TV show.
dir. Michael Cimino
Capelight A-Tier 4K. Eastwood and Bridges in a Cimino road movie that got lost in the shuffle of 70s Americana. The Montana location photography is the visual draw, and the film is a hidden gem for anyone who likes the era.
Capelight Pictures · 4K + Blu-ray
dir. Sydney Pollack
Sony A-Tier 4K as part of the Columbia Classics Volume 5 box set. People have been asking when Tootsie gets a standalone release for years, and Sony still hasn't confirmed one.
dir. John Lasseter
Disney A-Tier 4K, available individually or in the 29-Pixar steelbook set. Best Buy cycles these through sales at $9.99-$14.99 USD a few times a year.
Walt Disney Studios · 4K + Blu-ray
Disney A-Tier 4K. The Pixar steelbook collection has matching art across the trilogy and animation collectors are trying to complete the set. Best Buy sales are the usual entry point.
dir. Lee Unkrich
Disney A-Tier 4K. The Toy Story steelbooks look coordinated on a shelf, which is why people buy all three even though most only really want the first.
dir. Josh Cooley
Disney A-Tier 4K. Target had this at $10 USD during their 70% off Blu-rays sale last year, a price a lot of people felt was closer to fair.
dir. Bruce Robinson
Two out-of-work actors -- the anxious, luckless Marwood and his acerbic, alcoholic friend, Withnail -- spend their days drifting between their squalid flat, the unemployment office and the pub. When they take a holiday "by mistake" at the country house of Withnail's flamboyantly gay uncle, Monty, they encounter the unpleasant side of the English countryside: tedium, terrifying locals and torrential rain.
dir. Ted Kotcheff
B-Tier Kino Lorber 4K. Ted Kotcheff's football film with Nick Nolte. No relevant collector discussion around the 4K.
Kino Lorber · 4K + Blu-ray
C-Tier Paramount 4K. Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte in Walter Hill's buddy cop original. The transfer is acceptable for a catalog title from the early 80s. Not much collector discussion around this one.
dir. Dennis Dugan
C-Tier Kino Lorber 4K. Adam Sandler at the golf course. Kino's been going after the 90s comedy catalog.
dir. Ivan Reitman
C-Tier Kino Lorber 4K. There's a running joke that this should be Criterion spine #1000, and the fan-made mock cover art is reportedly better than anything Criterion has actually produced. Kino put out the 4K in 2024.
C-Tier Paramount 4K. John Hughes' Thanksgiving classic with Steve Martin and John Candy. The 4K transfer was widely panned, with multiple reviews calling it one of the worst on the format. The lost hour of deleted footage was found and included as a bonus, which was the real draw. The Blu-ray was already mediocre, and the 4K is only marginally better. Paramount needs to redo this one without the grain reduction.
dir. Todd Phillips
Kino is carving out a niche with millennial comedies and the announcement got a warm reception. The real enthusiasm in those threads was less about Road Trip itself and more about what it signals. If Kino is going this deep into early-2000s comedies, Eurotrip, Old School, and Van Wilder might not be far behind.
Kino Lorber
dir. Emanuele Scaringi
C-Tier Kino Lorber 4K. Italian comedy-drama from 2018 with zero collector discussion found.
A snobbish investor and a wily street con-artist find their positions reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaires.
Paramount Pictures
dir. Dany Boon
On a mission to loosen up, a miser's sets about buying a house in the country for his family.
dir. Jared Hess
Four misfits find themselves struggling with ordinary problems when they are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into the Overworld: a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination. To get back home, they'll have to master this world while embarking on a magical quest with an unexpected, expert crafter, Steve.
dir. Steve Oedekerk
Via Vision Entertainment is bringing it to 4K. The thread immediately split on which Ace Ventura is better. 'I've been waiting for the superior Ace Ventura to come to 4K' is the opening comment and nobody agrees on which one that is. Via Vision is an Australian label, so US collectors are watching to see if a domestic release follows.
dir. Frank Oz
On the verge of bankruptcy and desperate for his big break, aspiring filmmaker Bobby Bowfinger concocts a crazy plan to make his ultimate dream movie. Rallying a ragtag team that includes a starry-eyed ingenue, a has-been diva and a film studio gofer, he sets out to shoot a blockbuster featuring the biggest star in Hollywood, Kit Ramsey -- only without letting Ramsey know he's in the picture.
Lightning McQueen, a hotshot rookie race car driven to succeed, discovers that life is about the journey, not the finish line, when he finds himself unexpectedly detoured in the sleepy Route 66 town of Radiator Springs. On route across the country to the big Piston Cup Championship in California to compete against two seasoned pros, McQueen gets to know the town's offbeat characters.
dir. Lau Kar-Leung
Arrow Video 4K limited edition. Has the greatest fight scene put to film according to pretty much everyone who watches it. Chan's breakout hits box set from Arrow is the way to get this one, and collectors with kids getting into martial arts films are buying it as an entry point.
Arrow Video · 4K Ultra HD
dir. Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell
It's Ted the Bellhop's first night on the job...and the hotel's very unusual guests are about to place him in some outrageous predicaments. It seems that this evening's room service is serving up one unbelievable happening after another.
Kino Lorber · 4K Ultra HD
dir. Mike Newell
Over the course of five social occasions, a committed bachelor must consider the notion that he may have discovered love.
Final Cut Entertainment · 4K Ultra HD
dir. Brian De Palma
Vietnam vet Jon Rubin returns to New York and rents a rundown flat in Greenwich Village. It is in this flat that he begins to film, 'Peeping Tom' style, the people in the apartment across the street. His obsession with making films leads him to fall in with a radical 'Black Power' group, which in turn leads him to carry out a bizarre act of urban terrorism.
Radiance Films · Limited Edition
dir. Troy Miller
The greatly anticipated follow up to the platinum selling Beyond the Pale. In this Austin performance that capped off the 2008 sold-out stand up tour, Gaffigan does not let the audience catch their breath. This all-new show proves no other comedian working today can romanticize laziness and over-indulgence like Jim Gaffigan.
Vinegar Syndrome · Limited Edition
dir. Tetsuya Nakashima
Momoko, a strange and seemingly emotionless girl obsessed with 18th century France, befriends a Yanki biker and the two experience the ups and downs of their unusual lives in a rural Japanese town.
dir. Howard Franklin
Motivational Speaker Jack Corcoran is determined to get his career off the ground, but the biggest gigs he can get are the ones nobody wants. One day, he receives a telegram that his circus clown father has passed away and left a "huge" inheritance: an elephant that was his father's pride and joy. His main intention to sell the pachyderm off, Jack must choose between loud and rude zookeeper Mo or attractive animal show owner Terry. As the two trek through the country Jack and the elephant develop a bond, and it changes his approach to life for the better.
dir. Billy Crystal
Buddy Young was the comic's comic, beloved by everyone. Now, playing to miniscule crowds in nursing homes, it seems like everybody but Buddy realizes that he should retire. As Buddy looks for work in show business, he realizes that the rest of the world has forgotten the golden days of Buddy Young, and that there just may not be room in the business for an old comic like himself.
Blu-ray
dir. Ron Howard
The story of the Buckman family and friends, attempting to bring up their children. They suffer/enjoy all the events that occur: estranged relatives, the 'black sheep' of the family, the eccentrics, the skeletons in the closet, and the rebellious teenagers.
Universal Pictures · 4K Ultra HD
dir. Fumihiko Sori
As children, the introverted Smile was being bullied by a gang of kids until the brash Peco comes by and chases all of them them away. Peco then takes Smile under his wings and teaches him how to play the game of ping pong. From there a life long best friend relationship comes into existence between these two polar opposite kids.
dir. Howard Zieff
A sheltered young high society woman joins the US Army on a whim and finds herself in a more difficult situation than she ever expected.
dir. Shinobu Yaguchi
A group of delinquent high school girls form a band when they accidentally poison their school's brass band and have to replace them.
dir. Sean Baker
It's Christmas Eve in Tinseltown and Sin-Dee is back on the block. Upon hearing that her pimp boyfriend hasn't been faithful during the 28 days she was locked up, the working girl and her best friend, Alexandra, embark on a mission to get to the bottom of the scandalous rumor. Their rip-roaring odyssey leads them through various subcultures of Los Angeles, including an Armenian family dealing with their own repercussions of infidelity.
Second Sight Films · Limited Edition
dir. Adam Rifkin
A man pursues stand-up comedy encouraged by his fellow garbage man. Though his friend, who accompanies him on accordion, continues to tell him how great he is, he actually stinks. When the "comedian" grows a third arm out of his back, the friend uses this twist to get him signed up with a sleazy talent agent, and it begins to look like his career is on the move, even though his girlfriend has left him.
Sony Pictures · 4K Ultra HD
dir. Howard Deutch
Universal announced this alongside Harry and the Hendersons on the same day. The comments are pure nostalgia. 'Finally. One of the best 80s summer movies.' John Candy in 4K is the only argument you need.
dir. Dani Levy
A communist kangaroo moves in with an artist in Berlin.
dir. John Ford
The life story of a salt-of-the-earth Irish immigrant, who becomes an Army Noncommissioned Officer and spends his 50 year career at the United States Military Academy at West Point. This includes his job-related experiences as well as his family life and the relationships he develops with young cadets with whom he befriends. Based on the life of a real person.
Powerhouse Films · Restored
dir. Olivier Baroux
After a groundbreaking presidential election, Jeff Tuche becomes the new President of France and moves in the Elysee with his family to govern the country.
StudioCanal 4K announcement. The blu-ray.com thread sparked a minor debate about whether Ealing comedies need 4K at all, which predictably turned into a defence of the format itself. One comment flagged that Film Movement's US distribution deal with Vinegar Syndrome could mean a Region A release eventually.
StudioCanal · 4K Ultra HD
Ordinary man-in-the-street Arthur Ferguson Jones leads a very straightforward life. He's never late for work and nothing interesting ever happens to him. One day everything changes: he oversleeps and is fired as an example, he's then mistaken for evil criminal killer Mannion and is arrested. The resemblance is so striking that the police give him a special pass to avoid a similar mistake. The real Mannion sees the opportunity to steal the pass and move around freely and chaos results.
Julius and Vincent Benedict are the results of an experiment that would allow for the perfect child. Julius was planned and grows to athletic proportions. Vincent is an accident and is somewhat smaller in stature. Vincent is placed in an orphanage while Julius is taken to a south seas island and raised by philosophers. Vincent becomes the ultimate low life and is about to be killed by loan sharks.
Fabulous Films · 4K Ultra HD
