Best Comedy Films on KLM June 2026: Critic-Ranked
Comedy is underrated as flight viewing. The assumption is that big visual spectacles or emotional dramas deserve the long-haul commitment — but a genuinely funny film at 35,000 feet, in a pressurised cabin, with nowhere else to be, hits differently than it does at home. These are the best comedy options in KLM's June 2026 catalog, ranked by combined critic score.
→ Browse KLM's full comedy catalog with critic scores — inflight.guide
Why Comedy Works Particularly Well at 35,000 Feet
There's a physiological argument for comedy as flight entertainment: cabin pressure and slight dehydration make emotional responses run slightly higher than normal. Films you'd find quietly funny at home can become properly laugh-out-loud at 11,000 metres. This is not universally understood by airline passengers who default to drama or action, but it's worth knowing.
The Best Comedy Films on KLM in June 2026
1. Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) — 92%
Genre: Biography, Comedy, Crime | Runtime: 1h 46m | RT Score: 98% | Metacritic: 87/100
The highest-rated comedy in KLM's June catalog is also one of the least conventionally funny. Melissa McCarthy plays real-life literary forger Lee Israel, who faked letters from deceased celebrities to pay her rent in early-1990s New York. It's a crime film and a character study and a love letter to a certain kind of literary New York — and it manages to be darkly, uncomfortably funny throughout. 98% on Rotten Tomatoes.
2. The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) — 92%
Genre: Comedy, Drama | Runtime: 1h 54m | RT Score: 96% | Metacritic: 87/100
The comedy is as dark as the drama. Martin McDonagh's film about a friendship that ends abruptly on a small Irish island is the kind of film that makes you laugh and then feel guilty about it immediately. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson are both extraordinarily good. At 1h 54m it's efficient without feeling rushed.
3. No Other Choice (2025) — 92% ★ New to catalog
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama | Runtime: 2h 19m | RT Score: 97% | Metacritic: 86/100
A 97% RT score makes this the highest-Tomatometer-rated comedy of 2025 on KLM's catalog. The crime and drama elements are genuine — this isn't a comedy with crime-film set dressing — but the tonal control is assured enough to make the comedy land even in the film's darker moments.
4. A Real Pain (2024) — 90%
Genre: Comedy, Drama | Runtime: 1h 30m | RT Score: 96% | Metacritic: 85/100
Jesse Eisenberg's 90-minute film about two cousins retracing their grandmother's history in Poland is funny in a way that makes you feel something about why you're laughing. Kieran Culkin won an Oscar for the role. At 1h 30m, it's the most efficient entry on this list — complete, not rushed, and ideal as a second film on a long-haul.
5. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) — 90%
Genre: Comedy, Drama | Runtime: 1h 39m | RT Score: 92% | Metacritic: 88/100
Wes Anderson's most crowd-pleasing film: a concierge at a fictional European hotel in the 1930s gets caught up in a murder plot and the theft of a priceless painting. Ralph Fiennes plays the role as if it was written specifically for him, which it effectively was. The visual design is as distinctive as anything Anderson has made; the comedy is sharper and more physical than his usual register.
6. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2018) — 89%
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama | Runtime: 1h 55m | RT Score: 90% | Metacritic: 88/100
The darkest comedy-drama on the list. Frances McDormand's Mildred Hayes is one of cinema's great creations: a woman who channels grief into rage and refuses to let anyone off the hook, including herself. The film earns its comedy by earning its characters.
7. Little Miss Sunshine (2005) — 86%
Genre: Comedy, Drama | Runtime: 1h 41m | RT Score: 91% | Metacritic: 80/100
A deeply dysfunctional family drives their Volkswagen van cross-country for a children's beauty pageant. The ending of Little Miss Sunshine is one of the most joyfully subversive conclusions in 2000s comedy filmmaking. It holds up on repeat watching more than most of the films it's compared to.
8. Spy (2015) — 84%
Genre: Action, Comedy | Runtime: 2h 0m | RT Score: 94% | Metacritic: 75/100
Melissa McCarthy's best studio comedy. Paul Feig's CIA spoof works because it plays the espionage elements completely straight — McCarthy's character is actually a competent spy, which is not the joke the film appears to be setting up. Jude Law and Jason Statham both do their best comedic work. The 94% RT score reflects how cleanly it lands.
9. Barbie (2023) — 84%
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy | Runtime: 1h 54m | RT Score: 88% | Metacritic: 80/100
Greta Gerwig's film is funnier about the patriarchy than most films that are explicitly about the patriarchy. The opening 20 minutes in Barbieland are a high-concept comedic set piece that works entirely on their own terms. The film transitions into something more melancholy in its third act — the tonal shift is deliberate and effective.
10. Freakier Friday (2025) — 66% ★ New June Arrival
Genre: Comedy, Family, Fantasy | Runtime: 1h 50m | RT Score: 73% | Metacritic: 60/100
The sequel to the 2003 body-swap comedy, twenty-two years later. Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis are back; the premise now extends to a second generation. It's lighter than the rest of this list — the 66% score reflects a film that's decent rather than essential — but it's the most accessible choice if you're looking for something undemanding. Good for the last two hours of a long flight when you're too tired for anything that requires sustained attention.
Comedy Rankings — June 2026
| Rank | Title | Year | RT | Metacritic | Combined | Runtime |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Can You Ever Forgive Me? | 2018 | 98% | 87 | 92% | 1h 46m |
| 2 | The Banshees of Inisherin | 2022 | 96% | 87 | 92% | 1h 54m |
| 3 | No Other Choice | 2025 | 97% | 86 | 92% | 2h 19m |
| 4 | A Real Pain | 2024 | 96% | 85 | 90% | 1h 30m |
| 5 | The Grand Budapest Hotel | 2014 | 92% | 88 | 90% | 1h 39m |
| 6 | Three Billboards | 2018 | 90% | 88 | 89% | 1h 55m |
| 7 | Little Miss Sunshine | 2005 | 91% | 80 | 86% | 1h 41m |
| 8 | Spy | 2015 | 94% | 75 | 84% | 2h 0m |
| 9 | Barbie | 2023 | 88% | 80 | 84% | 1h 54m |
| 10 | Freakier Friday | 2025 | 73% | 60 | 66% | 1h 50m |
Combined score = (RT + Metacritic) / 2, rounded. Scores verified against inflight.guide as of 31 May 2026.
→ Filter KLM comedy films with live scores — inflight.guide
Comedy Viewing Tip
For comedy specifically, the night flight is not necessarily better. Mid-flight, when you've eaten and are settled but not yet tired, is the optimal comedy window. Trying to watch The Grand Budapest Hotel in the last two hours before landing — when you're starting to think about bags and connections — tends to split your attention. Front-load the comedy; save the drama for later.
If You Liked The Grand Budapest Hotel, Also Try...
- Can You Ever Forgive Me? — shares the precise period detail and the interest in characters who are charming in a specific, slightly criminal way
- The Banshees of Inisherin — same writer-director as Three Billboards, similar tonal range
- A Real Pain — shorter, more recent, shares the European setting and the interest in grief as a comedic subject
Frequently Asked Questions
Does KLM have comedy films available on all flights? Long-haul widebody flights (787, 777) carry the full catalog including all comedy titles. Short-haul A321neo flights stream to personal devices via Wi-Fi with a reduced catalog. European 737-800 routes have seatback screens with a smaller selection.
How often does KLM's comedy selection change? Monthly. No Other Choice and Freakier Friday are both new June 2026 additions. Check inflight.guide for the current lineup.
Is Freakier Friday new to KLM in June 2026? Yes — Freakier Friday (2025) is a new June arrival. The sequel to the 2003 original stars Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis. Combined critic score of 66%.
Internal Links
- KLM Movies June 2026 — Full Rankings — all genres combined
- Best Drama Films on KLM June 2026 — for comedy-drama crossovers
- KLM Inflight Entertainment Guide — full IFE overview