Kurt Russell is a powerhouse of Hollywood with a great deal of credits to his name, not the least of which being a collection of commendable comedies. A versatile actor, Kurt Russell is best known for his work in action movies, particularly under the watchful eye of John Carpenter, making a name for himself in titles like The Thing and Escape From New York. It’s easy to forget that outside of Russell and Carpenter’s collaborations, he’s also starred in quite a number of comedies, as well.
Compared to Kurt Russell’s Westerns or cheesy 80s blockbusters, Russell is usually the best thing about the comedies he’s in. In general, the actor’s films historically haven’t been massive hits at the box office, and his more humorous appearances keep to this unfortunate pattern. Whether or not the movie surrounding him holds up on his own, Russell always manages to bring a cheery performance that proves his own skill as a hilarious actor when called upon to do so.
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10 Big Trouble in Little China
1986
Big Trouble in Little China 
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PG-13
Director John Carpenter Release Date May 30, 1986 Cast Kurt Russell , Kim Cattrall , Dennis Dun , James Hong , Victor Wong , Kate Burton Runtime 99 minutes
The only John Carpenter and Kurt Russell collaboration that could easily be considered a true comedy, Carpenter made the bold decision to cast a star like Russell in more of a supportive role, despite what Big Trouble in Little China‘s misleading posters might have one believe. Russell stars as Jack Burton, a bumbling American trucker who somehow finds himself at the center of an ancient conflict surrounding the return of the sorcerer Lo-Pan in the titular Chinatown.
Russell really sells Burton’s knack for dumb luck, embodying the soul of a kind-hearted but dim-witted action hero way in over his head.
Mistakenly branded as an intriguing hero on the level of Indiana Jones, Burton is really the sole wholly comedic element driving the film, acting as a relatable everyman to center the magical chaos of the incomprehensible plot. Russell really sells Burton’s knack for dumb luck, embodying the soul of a kind-hearted but dim-witted action hero way in over his head. It’s a shame Big Trouble in Little China wasn’t able to be appreciated in its time, as its easily some of the best of Kurt Russell’s comedy.
9 Overboard
1987
Going Overboard (1989) 0
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Director Valerie Breiman Release Date May 11, 1989 Cast Adam Sandler , Scott LaRose , Tom Hodges , Lisa Collins , Adam Rifkin Runtime 97 Minutes
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Not to be confused with the 2018 remake of the same name, Overboard is the first of Kurt Russell’s two nautically-based comedies with a heart of gold. Kurt Russell plays Dean Proffitt, a simple carpenter who is mistreated by a wealthy heiress during a difficult job. When said heiress falls over the bow of her prized yacht, losing her memory in the accident, Dean takes the opportunity to gaslight her into believing she’s actually his wife, not to mention the mother of his four wild sons.
Admittedly, the premise of Overboard is one of those awkwardly sinister narratives that age poorly with modern sensibilities, making it all the more surprising that the film was ever re-made. However, Russell manages to make it work as the (justifiably) crabby Dean, charming his way through his lies before the truth is discovered. With his performance a delicate blend of crass and tender, it’s easy to see how Goldie Hawn’s Joanna Mintz chooses to stay with Russell’s character even after learning her real identity.
8 The Best Of Times
1986
In movies like The Best of Times, Kurt Russell proved that he was capable of holding his own in a scene with one of the all-time comedy greats. The sports-drama-comedy stars Robin Williams as another Jack, a grown man obsessed with his failure to catch a perfectly-thrown game-winning pass in a high school football game.
Russel plays the quarterback responsible for the pass, now a financially-struggling mechanic, named Reno Hightower.
Ridiculous name aside, Reno Hightower is the perfect persona for Russell’s hilariously square-jawed all-American blue collar worker. He’s able to volley jokes with even the late great Robin Williams with surprising efficiency, while also playing a much more believable former darling high school athlete. Even if The Best of Times doesn’t register as one of Robin Williams’ greatest hits, it serves as a great reminder of Russell’s own skill in the arena.
7 Captain Ron
1992
Kurt Russell’s second major nautical comedy, Captain Ron gave the actor full-steam-ahead to pour every bit of passion he has into a single eccentric character. When a stuffy office drone finds that his late uncle left him an old houseboat in his will, he decides to charter a trip alongside his family to retrieve and sell the vessel. They get more than they bargained for with the wildcard Captain Ron, who seems incompetent at first, but his skills quickly become useful during a dangerous encounter with vicious pirates.
It’s refreshing to see Russell be allowed to carry a comedic film with a single performance, easily being the most entertaining thing about Captain Ron as the titular character. He’s at once unsavory but charming, and it’s impossible not to fall in love with him, just as the exasperated Harvey family do. It’s worth noting that the film is especially popular among actual sailors, proving that Russell is enough of a comedic chameleon to make a lasting impression among the professions he impersonates.
6 Used Cars
1980
While most of Kurt Russell’s comedies are decidedly family-friendly, his lot in black comedy with Used Cars is an interesting deviation. Here, Russell stars as Rudy Russo, an ambitious automobile trader with a dream of running for local office. The only thing standing in his way is the actual success of his used car lot, as hampered by his long-standing rivalry with his brother’s own used car business right across the street. When his brother’s aspirations become desperately criminal, Rudy has to prove his wrongdoing without losing his beloved business.
Rudy’s increasingly audacious and legally-questionable sales tactics are a joy to watch him fulfill, as he wages commercial war with his brother Roy, played by Jack Warden. Director Robert Zemeckis manages to paint a damning picture of American culture with Russell as a mouthpiece, while still keeping him sympathetic and hilarious to watch. It’s impressive to watch Russell keep up with the script’s dense number of jokes-per-minute, carrying what could easily be a dull affair otherwise on his cheap-suit-strewn shoulders.
5 The Barefoot Executive
1971
Disney’s obsession with movies starring animals, including live chimpanzees, was at full-swing in the 70s, and even the mighty Kurt Russell wasn’t able to dodge this particular fad. Thus spake The Barefoot Executive, a classic tale of struggling entrepreneurship clashing with the animal kingdom. Russell stars as the fittingly-named Steven Post, a mailroom clerk working for a big-name production company who discovers a chimpanzee named Raffles with the eerie ability to predict the ratings of TV programs.
Even in a novelty picture such as
The Barefoot Executive,
Kurt Russell is funny enough to hold his own and make the film worth watching.
For such a gimmicky comedy, Russell plays his part surprisingly solidly, able to work with an unpredictable animal co-star with commendable comedic timing. It’s worth noting that he also pulls double-duty as the film’s narrator, lending his soothing timbre to the otherwise banal story. Even in a novelty picture such as The Barefoot Executive, Kurt Russell is funny enough to hold his own and make the film worth watching.
4 Now You See Him, Now You Don’t
1972
Following up The Barefoot Executive, Kurt Russell continued his Dexter Riley trilogy as the eponymous college student with Now You See Him, Now You Don’t. Following the series’ trend of mad science gone wrong, this time around, Dexter Riley haphazardly discovers a fantastical chemical formula that can grant invisibility to objects and people. Soon, he’s forced to use this incredible discovery to help his college campus, apparently on the brink of financial ruin, from being turned into a casino and gambling town.
As corny as they come, Now You See Him, Now You Don’t is par for the course for the wholesome Dexter Riley series, full of contrivances to drive the puzzling story. Still, it’s a true treat to see a young, hungry Kurt Russell act his heart out as the lovable Riley, the boy genius accounting for a very particular type of role Russell doesn’t always get typecast as. Even if it isn’t the most gut-busting comedy by modern standards, Now You See Him, Now You Don’t is just funny enough for its tone and era.
3 Sky High
2005
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Sky High 0
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pg-13
Director Mike Mitchell Release Date July 29, 2005 Writers Mike Mitchell Cast Mary Elizabeth Winstead , Michael Angarano Runtime 100minutes
Lone before he graced the MCU as Ego the Living Planet in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Kurt Russell had another cult-celebrated entry in the superhero genre.Sky High tells the story of a teen boy who gets sent to the amazing titular high school for heroes, so named for its location floating high up in the sky, on the basis that his parents are both some of the most famous superheroes around. The only catch is that Will Stronghold has yet to develop any powers, much to the chagrin of his teachers and parents alike.
Russell stars as the studly Steve Stronghold, a.k.a. The Commander, a Superman analog with a criminally small amount of screentime. Russell is hilarious as the typical bumbling Dad who happens to be able to lift a bus over his head, blessing the film with some of its best-delivered lines while also managing to project a surprisingly believable heroic presence when necessary. One of the best superhero parody films ever made, Kurt Russell’s presence elevates Sky High to otherwise unachievable heights.
2 The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes
1969
The first film of the Dexter Riley series and one of Kurt Russell’s earliest critically-recognized performances, The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes is a fascinating family-friendly live-action comedy emblematic of Disney’s past forays into the space. The first film explains Riley’s origins as a boy genius, describing an accident in which a sudden electrical shock from a powerful computer somehow transfers the computers calculative abilities and knowledge into him. Unfortunately, he also gets the computer’s information on an illegal gambling racket ported straight to his memories, making him a target.
The homey, safe comedy may not have the most audacious jokes in the world, but there’s a reason it was popular enought to spawn a series of spin-off movies.
It’s great fun to watch an incredibly green Russell play such a poindexter, flexing his new computer-based abilities to learn and dispense information. The homey, safe comedy may not have the most audacious jokes in the world, but there’s a reason it was popular enough to spawn a series of spin-off movies. Russell’s young charm is something that the movie industry perhaps wasted, not that he’s any less hilarious in his older age.
1 The Christmas Chronicles
2018
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Director Clay Kaytis Release Date November 22, 2018 Writers Matt Lieberman Cast Lamorne Morris , Darby Camp , Judah Lewis , Kimberly Williams-Paisley , Kurt Russell , Oliver Hudson
With his kind eyes, warm smile, and silvery beard, it’s a wonder it took until 2018 to ever cast Kurt Russell as the one and only Santa Claus. In The Christmas Chronicles, Russell’s Saint Nick is caught off-guard one Christmas night by a pair of over-curious children, causing a mishap that results in the loss of half of his cargo of presents. It’s up to the kids to work together with Santa to correct the mistake before the sun rises on yet another Christmas night.
Granted, The Christmas Chronicles is nothing groundbreaking by holiday movie standards, with a simple family-friendly plot bearing relatively low stakes. But the low barrier to entry is well-worth seeing Russell truly excel in a role as the kindly Santa, embodying the Christmas spirit with his every joyful move. One of the best Christmas movies of the 2010s, The Christmas Chronicles is a rigorous showing for Kurt Russell’s ability to carry a family comedy.
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