It’s Labor Day! Laborers, this one is for you! After working too many hours with a lot of stress, may I make a suggestion? Laugh! Laughter is the best medicine. Put on your PJs, and get your favorite comfort food. Enjoy this list of binge-worthy Netflix shows that will make you laugh.

 I don’t know about you, but after working a 60-plus hour workweek, I want work to be the furthest thing from my mind. Here’s a curated list of 20 years of laughter currently streaming on Netflix.

Released: June 1986

Time: 1hr. / 38 mins.

Starring: Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Jennifer Grey

This character was the hero of many teenagers in the 80s. Most of us dreamed of having a fabulous day as Ferris experienced. Wiggling out of school and outsmarting our parents, teachers, and the principal is something we wish we could have experienced as teens. Ferris and his friends take a day to enjoy all the finer things in life. The story is summed up in the best quote from the movie.

 Best Quote: Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

Men In Black

Released: MIB – July 1997 / MIIB – July 2002 / MIB³ – May 2012

Time: MIB – 1hr. /38 mins./ MIIB – 1hr. /28 mins./ MIB³ – 1hr. /46 mins.

Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Josh Brolin

Steven Spielberg is a rare talent who creates sequels that improve with each series. If you haven’t watched Men In Black in a while, it’s a binge-worthy series that can take your mind off your current troubles.

Best Quotes:

MIB: And, uh, oh – hire a decorator to come in here quick, ’cause… DAMN.

MIIB:   K: Why don’t you go get me some coffee?  J: Sure. How do ya take it? Black? Couple cubes of kiss my a$$?

MIB³ A miracle is something that seems impossible but happens anyway.

Austin Powers in Goldmember

Released: July 2002

Time: 2 hrs. / 27 mins.

Starring: Mike Myers, Beyoncé, Michael Caine

 It’s like watching a James Bond parody gone horribly and hilariously wrong. If you lived through the 70s, you’d see many blasts from the past, like ginormous afros, pimpmobile, and psychedelic clothing. It will take you back and make you giggle. There were a lot of “shag-worthy” innuendoes in this movie. This is the cleanest “best quote” I could find.

Best Quote: MOLE! Bloody mole! We’re not supposed to talk about the bloody mole, but there’s a bloody mole winking me right in the face! I’m gonna chop it off, cut it up, and make some guaca-moley!

The Bucket List

Released: December 2007

Time: 2 hrs. / 29 mins.

Starring: Morgan Freeman, Jack Nicholson, Sean Hayes

Two strangers become friends as they face, cancer and the knowledge that their lives will come to an end soon. They decide to go on an adventure together to cross items off their bucket list. The bucket list is a list of things you’ve always wanted to do before you “kick the bucket.” This movie is a breathtaking journey that two people share as they ponder the greater questions of life. It’s a movie that will make you laugh, and make you think. When you watch, you can ask yourself these two questions.

Best Quote:

1. Have you found joy in your life?

2. Has your life brought joy to others?

Kevin Hart: I’m A Grown Little Man

 Released: February 2009

Time: 1hr. / 9 mins.

Starring: Kevin Hart  

A man that needs no introduction. If you’re a Kevin Hart fan, many of his standups and movies are available on Netflix. Get your laugh on. There were a lot of moments in his standup that will make anyone LOL, but I tried to pick the quote that was the least raunchy. 

Best Quote: I know I’m not a fighter; that’s why I carry a whistle…You may win the fight, but you ain’t going to hear s*** tomorrow.

Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2

 Released: Despicable Me – July 2010 / Despicable Me 2 – July 2013

Time: Despicable Me – 1hr./58 mins. / Despicable Me 2 – 2hr./23 mins.

 Starring: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Pierre Coffin,

 Love, loyalty, leadership, and adventure all rolled into one movie. Gru is the villain who ultimately saves the girls and leads his minions to save the world. Sometimes, bad guys make the best good guys. This is a computer-animated movie that will bring out the kid in you. With this movie, the second installment was better than the first. From Despicable Me 2, we get a memorable quote that will make you laugh and a great song that will make you tap your toes.

 Best Quote:

Despicable Me 2: Lipstick Taser!

 Best Song:

 Despicable Me 2: Happy by Pharrell Williams

Nailed It!

Released: March 2018

Time: 33 mins. / 6 Seasons

Starring: Nicole Byer, Jacques Torres, Wes Bahr

Nailed It is a bake-off competition where amateur, wanna-be bakers try to recreate sculpted cakes that are masterpieces. If you know nothing about baking, the masterpieces look so simple to create. That’s probably what the contestants (who barely know their way around a kitchen) thinks. They quickly find out that it’s not easy at all. It will bring a tear to your eye as the contestant presents culinary disasters to the judges. The good news is there’s a winner of every episode that walks away with $10,000.

The Mitchells vs. the Machines

 Released: April 2021

Time: 2hrs. / 54 mins.

Starring: Michael Rianda, Abbi Jacobson, Maya Rudolph

This movie had me laughing out loud in the first three minutes. When you watch this movie, you should play a game of how many other movies plays a parody in the show. I counted at least 10. This story reminded me of the Croods. I saw the Eye of Sauron, Storm Troopers, and Flying Monkeys, just to name a few. This is a computer-animated movie that will make you route for the underdog. It also teaches the important lesson that being weird is not a weakness; it’s a strength.

Best Quote: Don’t let the world make you normal…

Relax and appreciate the peace of this Labor Day weekend. It’s the last holiday of the summer season. Enjoy. Do you have a favorite movie and quote that is streaming on Netflix? Please share it below.

These are movies streaming on Netflix; watch them before they expire. Yes, a Netflix subscription is required to watch these movies.