20 Adventure Comedies Where the Side Quests Are the Highlights

Adventure comedies often rely on the journey rather than the destination to generate humor and character development. The protagonists usually set out with a clear primary goal but find themselves distracted by obstacles that function like video game side quests. These detours frequently contain the most memorable scenes and iconic dialogue of the entire production. The following films showcase instances where the distractions completely overshadow the main mission.

‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’ (1975)

King Arthur travels throughout Britain to recruit knights for his Round Table and seek the Holy Grail. The quest dissolves into a series of sketch-like encounters that have little to do with the actual artifact. The Knights Who Say Ni demand a shrubbery in one of the most quoted sequences in film history. Arthur also faces a killer rabbit that requires the use of the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch. The episodic nature of these absurd challenges makes the lack of a resolution feel intentional and hilarious.

‘Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ (2023)

A bard named Edgin gathers a team of thieves to rescue his daughter and retrieve a resurrection tablet. The group must take a massive detour to find a magical helmet guarded by a paladin named Xenk. This excursion leads them to a graveyard where they must ask questions to reanimated corpses. The comedic timing of the questioning mechanic stands out as a high point in the fantasy adventure. The mission to get the helmet ends up being more engaging than the initial heist planning.

‘Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle’ (2004)

Two friends depart their apartment with the singular goal of eating hamburgers at a specific fast-food chain. Their night spirals out of control when they encounter a variety of bizarre obstacles on the road. They are forced to perform surgery in a hospital and ride a cheetah through the woods. A run-in with Neil Patrick Harris completely derails their progress and escalates the absurdity of the night. The burgers serve only as a MacGuffin to facilitate these chaotic misadventures.

‘The Emperor’s New Groove’ (2000)

Emperor Kuzco is turned into a llama and must rely on a peasant named Pacha to return to his palace. The duo faces numerous distractions in the jungle that serve as comedic bonding moments. They stop at a diner where they must disguise themselves to avoid the villainous Yzma. The physical comedy during the diner sequence outshines the broader political plot of the film. Their struggle to simply climb a hill or order food becomes the heart of the story.

‘Shrek 2’ (2004)

Shrek and Donkey visit the kingdom of Far Far Away to meet Fiona’s parents but quickly find themselves on a new mission. They must break into the potion factory of the Fairy Godmother to obtain a Happily Ever After potion. This heist sequence introduces Puss in Boots as a fan-favorite character. The trio also navigates a medieval version of a police chase that parodies reality television. These diversions expand the world significantly while providing non-stop humor.

‘Zombieland’ (2009)

Survivors of a zombie apocalypse travel across the United States to reach a supposed safe haven in Los Angeles. The group decides to take a break from their survival mission to visit the mansion of Bill Murray. This extended cameo sequence features the actors playing golf and reenacting scenes from ‘Ghostbusters’. The detour offers a brief respite from the violence and allows for significant character bonding. It remains the most discussed segment of the film despite being irrelevant to the survival plot.

‘O Brother, Where Art Thou?’ (2000)

Three escaped convicts wander through Depression-era Mississippi in search of a hidden treasure. The narrative mirrors ‘The Odyssey’ with a series of episodic encounters that impede their progress. They accidentally become radio stars by recording a song as the Soggy Bottom Boys. A run-in with a Bible salesman and a siren song by the river serve as distinct chapters in their journey. The popularity of the recorded song becomes a major plot point that resolves their legal troubles.

‘Pee-wee’s Big Adventure’ (1985)

Pee-wee Herman travels across the country to recover his stolen bicycle after a fortune teller gives him a false lead. He hitchhikes with a truck driver named Large Marge in a scene that traumatized a generation of children. The protagonist also ends up dancing on a bar to the song Tequila to win over a motorcycle gang. A visit to the Alamo reveals that there is no basement and renders his entire trip technically futile. These random encounters define the surrealist tone of the movie.

‘Thor: Ragnarok’ (2017)

The God of Thunder is banished to the junk planet Sakaar while his sister Hela takes over Asgard. Thor must participate in a gladiatorial contest against the Hulk to win his freedom. This extended sequence introduces distinct characters like Korg and the Grandmaster. The colorful aesthetic and buddy-comedy dynamic on Sakaar contrast sharply with the grim events happening on Asgard. The time spent on the trash planet revitalized the franchise with its humor and style.

‘National Lampoon’s Vacation’ (1983)

Clark Griswold is determined to take his family on a cross-country drive to the Walley World theme park. The road trip is plagued by a series of disasters that prevent them from making good time. They stop to visit Cousin Eddie in Kansas and wind up taking a grumpy aunt and her dog along for the ride. The family also gets lost in the desert and crashes their car. The arrival at the park is anticlimactic compared to the chaos endured on the highway.

‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’ (2010)

Scott Pilgrim wants to date Ramona Flowers but must defeat her seven evil exes to do so. Each battle functions like a boss fight in a video game and halts the romantic progression. The confrontation with the Vegan Police is a hilarious highlight that satirizes dietary restrictions. Scott also has to deal with his own band commitments and lingering issues with his ex-girlfriend. The structural format of the film turns every relationship hurdle into a literal combat quest.

‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ (2014)

A group of intergalactic criminals is arrested and thrown into the high-security prison known as the Kyln. They must work together to execute a complex escape plan involving a prosthetic leg. This prison break sequence establishes the team dynamic and showcases their individual skills. The group later travels to the mining colony Knowhere to sell an orb to the Collector. These locations provide rich world-building that distracts from the looming threat of Ronan the Accuser.

‘EuroTrip’ (2004)

A teenager travels to Europe with his friends to apologize to his German pen pal. The group accidentally ends up in Bratislava due to a travel error and discovers how far a few dollars can go. They also stop in Amsterdam for a chaotic experience at a bakery and a wandering mime fight in Paris. The visit to the Vatican results in the accidental death of the Pope. Each country they visit offers a self-contained comedic vignette that overshadows the romance plot.

‘Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure’ (1989)

Two high school slackers use a time machine to collect historical figures for a history presentation. They grab Socrates, Genghis Khan, and Joan of Arc before unleashing them on a modern shopping mall. The scene where the historical figures wreak havoc in the mall is the comedic peak of the film. Beethoven drawing a crowd at a music store and Genghis Khan destroying a sporting goods store are iconic moments. The presentation itself is merely the wrap-up to their time-traveling shenanigans.

‘Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle’ (2017)

Four teenagers are sucked into a video game and must return a jewel to a jaguar statue to escape. The game structure forces them to complete specific levels that act as side quests. They must navigate a bazaar to find a clue while dealing with their avatars’ weaknesses. A detour involves learning how to flirt from a non-player character to distract guards. These mechanics satirize video game tropes while advancing the action-comedy plot.

‘The Princess Bride’ (1987)

Westley must rescue Buttercup but faces several trials before he can reach the castle. He engages in a battle of wits with Vizzini and a sword fight with Inigo Montoya. The duo later visits Miracle Max and his wife Valerie to revive a mostly dead Westley. The scene with Miracle Max provides some of the most quotable lines in the film. These encounters build the legend of the Dread Pirate Roberts before the final confrontation.

‘Shaun of the Dead’ (2004)

Shaun tries to rescue his mother and girlfriend during a zombie outbreak with the ultimate goal of hiding at the Winchester pub. The group gets distracted when they encounter another group of survivors who mirror their own composition. They also attempt to blend in with a horde of zombies by acting intoxicated and moaning. The plan to kill the landlord and grab a car serves as a failed quest that forces them on foot. The journey to the pub is fraught with interpersonal drama that is as funny as the horror elements.

‘Rat Race’ (2001)

An eccentric billionaire selects random people to race from Las Vegas to New Mexico for a cash prize. The racers are split up and encounter their own bizarre hurdles along the route. One pair gets stranded at a museum dedicated to squirrels while another family inadvertently steals Hitler’s car. These individual storylines provide variety and keep the pacing frenetic. The race itself is secondary to the strange situations each character faces on the road.

‘Finding Nemo’ (2003)

Marlin crosses the ocean to find his son and encounters a variety of marine life that helps or hinders him. He attends a support group for sharks who are trying to stop eating fish. Marlin and Dory also bounce through a jellyfish forest and ride the East Australian Current with sea turtles. The time spent inside a whale allows for a breakthrough in communication between the two fish. These episodes teach Marlin to let go of his anxiety before he reunites with Nemo.

‘Galaxy Quest’ (1999)

Actors from a cancelled sci-fi show are abducted by aliens who believe the episodes are historical documents. They are tasked with retrieving a Beryllium Sphere from a dangerous mining colony. The crew must navigate a hallway of crushing pistons that serves no logical purpose other than bad set design. This specific obstacle forces the actors to confront the absurdity of their own show’s writing. The mission to get the sphere is a perfect parody of television filler episodes.

Please share your favorite movie side quests in the comments.