10 Hidden Comedy Gems from the Early 2000s You Might Have Missed

1. Saving Silverman (2001)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 18/51%

In this slapstick adventure of love and friendship, Darren Silverman's buddies, played by Jack Black and Steve Zahn, engage in a wild escapade to save their friend from marrying the wrong woman. When Darren falls head over heels for Judith, a controlling girlfriend who detaches him from his pals and their Neil Diamond cover band, his friends decide it's time for a rescue mission. They concoct a zany plan to kidnap Judith and reunite Darren with his high school sweetheart, Sandy.

2. Orange County (2002)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 47/61%

Picture a high school surfer, Shaun Brumder, who discovers a passion for writing after stumbling upon a novel buried in the sand. He aims to ditch the waves of Orange County for the hallowed halls of Stanford University. However, his dysfunctional family and a bungled application threaten to tank his collegiate dreams. The plot surges forward with Shaun, his girlfriend, and his stoner brother attempting to salvage his acceptance. Their plan? Break into Stanford and plead his case directly to the dean.

3. Wet Hot American Summer (2001)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 38/75%

It's the last day at a summer camp in 1981; the counselors and campers of Camp Firewood are in a frantic push to tie up loose ends before they part ways. The film tracks several characters: Coop, the nice guy pining after Katie; Susie and Ben, the drama aficionados preparing for the big talent show; and Gene, the Vietnam vet cook with a peculiar fondness for canned vegetables. The characters throw themselves into a series of wacky situations, including a sci-fi subplot involving a piece of NASA's Skylab crashing towards the camp, secret romances, and an out-of-the-blue government assassination plot.

4. Death to Smoochy (2002)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 42/66%

Enter the cutthroat world of children's television, where Rainbow Randolph, the corrupt star of a kids' show, is ousted amidst a bribery scandal. Enter his replacement: Sheldon Mopes and his character Smoochy the Rhino, who's the embodiment of goodness. Randolph, however, isn't going down without a fight. He schemes to sabotage Smoochy in the most outrageous ways, leading to a darkly comic battle that includes Nazi-themed ice shows, corrupted charity boxing matches, and underworld crime figures who all have a stake in the kiddie-show market.

5. EuroTrip (2004)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 47/75%

After high school graduation, Scotty gets dumped by his girlfriend and discovers his German pen pal, Mieke, is a girl, not the guy he thought he was talking to. In a grand gesture, he travels to Europe with his friends Cooper, Jenny, and Jamie to confess his love. What follows is a continental journey that's a teenager's dream and a parent's nightmare. The group encounters misadventures at every border crossing: from an aggressive soccer hooligan played by Vinnie Jones, to a bizarre beach encounter in Southern France, and a Slovakian hostel that's too good (and too creepy) to be true.

6. Super Troopers (2001)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 36/90%

Stationed in the fictional town of Spurbury, Vermont, these prank-loving, syrup-chugging lawmen find themselves on the verge of being shut down. To save their jobs, they need to solve a crime and outdo the local police department. The plot thickens with a murder mystery, an illegal drug trade, and an epic rivalry with the local cops. From fake bear attacks to high-speed chases in a bullet-riddled Winnebago, the troopers' antics are outlandishly over-the-top.

7. The New Guy (2002)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 7/54%

Scrawny, geeky Dizzy Harrison gets himself expelled so he can start anew at a different school. With the help of a prison inmate, he transforms into the cool, confident Gil Harris. As he navigates the social landscape, he gains popularity, revamps the school's failing football team, and even wins the heart of the head cheerleader. But keeping up the façade proves tricky, especially when his old nerdy nature starts to peek through.

8. Bubble Boy (2001)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 31/48%

Jimmy Livingston was born without an immune system, but that doesn't stop him from falling in love with the girl next door, Chloe. When he learns she's getting married in Niagara Falls, he builds a portable bubble suit and sets off across the country to stop the wedding. Each stop on his journey is a vignette into different slices of American life, complete with bikers, cultists, and a traveling freak show.

9. Run Ronnie Run (2002)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 71/72%

Ronnie Dobbs is a small-town ruffian whose multiple arrests land him on a reality police show, making him an overnight sensation. Spotting a lucrative opportunity, a failing infomercial producer whisks Ronnie away to Hollywood to make him a star. The resulting show, "Ronnie Dobbs Gets Arrested", becomes a hit, leading Ronnie to experience the highs and lows of celebrity life. With a barrage of cameos and a relentlessly mocking tone, the journey of Ronnie Dobbs is one part satire, one part absurdity, and all parts hilarious.

10. Slap Her... She's French (2002)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 38/38%

This film, also released under the title She Gets What She Wants, is a tale of a French foreign exchange student, Genevieve, who upends the life of a Texas high school's most popular girl, Starla. Intent on becoming the perfect American teenager, Genevieve cunningly steals Starla's friends, boyfriend, and even her family's affection. The cultural clash is exaggerated to the extreme, and as Starla tries to reclaim her life, the comedy comes from the wild lengths she'll go to expose Genevieve and restore her social status.