Here it is, my list of what I consider to be the Top 25 Comedy Movies of all time. I tried to be honest and stray away from personal preferences (Anchorman) so this could be considered a truly validated list. However, as I have no qualifications and this list is completely subjective, this list isn't that valid anyway. I tried to create a variety of movies on this list, but I doubt I was very successful. As you will see the list will be completely unordered, because I think it would be completely narcissistic of me to claim that I can tell which laugh is better than which. When it comes to the best, I honestly think there is no way to rank them fairly and say "This is it. This is the list." Instead, I put the movies in order of their release date, so you can see the different ways movies have made us laugh all throughout the years.
The Gold Rush - 1925
You have to give Charlie Chaplain his dues as one of the first great comedy icons, and I try to honor him by including on this list the film he said he wanted to be remembered for most. Any movie that can produce laughs without even sound deserves a little credit, in my opinion.
Duck Soup - 1933
A classic Marx Brothers comedy that earns its place of this list because no one did it like the Marx's back then. No one does has done it like them since. I doubt anyone ever will.
Some Like it Hot - 1959
The classic crossdressing comedy with Marilyn Monroe has always produced laughs even though it was released over 50 years ago. With one of the best closing lines I've ever seen in a movie it stays true to the comedians number one goal: always leave them wanting more.
Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb - 1964
It's hard to imagine may comedians nowadays satirizing a nuclear scare. It's even harder to imagine that they would do that in the thick of the Cold War, right after the Cuban Missle Crisis almost caused human annihilation. This film has more guts than almost every comedy movie in the last 25 years combined, making it a clear classic.
The Producers - 1968
Mel Brooks first turn at writing and directing a film ended up winning him an Academy Award for his screenplay, multiple Tony awards when he turned it into a musical, as well as a Grammy Award for the cast album. Brooks was arguably at his finest early on, satirizing Hitler and Nazi Germany long before it became cool to do so with one of the most offensive and hilarious songs ever written, the classic "Springtime for Hitler."
Blazing Saddles - 1974
While The Producers may have been overall the best work Mel Brooks has ever done, Blazing Saddles was probably his funniest. Written with the help of comedy legend Richard Pryor, this movie contained a scene containing the most farts in film history, and still got three Academy Award nominations. Pure genius.
Young Frankenstein - 1974
Mel Brooks showed us once again his pure directing genius by managing to re-create the atmosphere of a 1930s to 1940s horror film, in all its black and white glory, and making it entertaining to watch. He also provided us with a genius Fred Astaire number...not by Fred Astaire.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail - 1975
How could this movie not make the list? Over 35 years after its release it still manages to be one of the most quoteable and entertaining movies ever made. It doesn't hurt that it now also has a musical counterpart that won multiple Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Yes, the boys of Monty Python were clearly at their greatest here, and the Middle Ages will never be seen the same way because of it.
Annie Hall - 1977
You can tell this movie was pure gold because it managed to get an Oscar nomination for Woddy Allen...for his acting. Allen managed to add a little bit more depth to his next comedy and the results were astounding. Even if you're not an Allen fan, it's hard to knock this Academy Award winning picture.
National Lampoon's Animal House - 1978
The film that did the impossible: made John Belushi an even bigger star. The film so packed with quotes, mischief and fun that when I first saw it I wanted to drop everything and go to college a couple years early. Spawning off an entire genre of films where our laughs are traced with a little bit of disgust, this movie magic has never been able to be repeated.
Airplane! - 1980
The movie that turned a stupid comment into a somehow memorable and genius quote had a lot going for it, and still does. "Good luck, we're all counting on you," to make us laugh, that is. Luckily, this movie never disappoints.
Caddyshack - 1980
The movie that launched Bill Murray into stardom, purely on his improvised lines as Carl the groundskeeper.This wonderful Cinderella story is a pure delight and never loses its cache, even when my father quotes it daily. Very, very few movies have that kind of prestige.
National Lampoon's Vacation - 1983
Chevy Chase's shot at stardom spawned off an entire new genre of failed family vacation movies, nothing even close to what Chase and the Griswolds were first able to capture in this movie, a classic comedy that only lost some of its dignity because of its less than thrilling sequels.
Beverly Hills Cop - 1984
As I have grown up mainly with the pop culture of the 2000s, I am cursed with not being able to remember a time when Eddie Murphy was a beloved and well respected comedy icon. Luckily for him, films are timeless, and he shines wonderfully in his performance when he was a much younger, and much more well respected, comedian.
Ghostbusters - 1984
When I was much younger, around 4 or 5, and I first saw parts of Ghostbusters, I couldn't comprehend what the dialougue was, so I thought Ghostbusters was a serious action movie about people who fought ghosts. This made it all the better for me rediscovering Ghostbusters later as a genius comedy film, because it visually looked like an action film, pushing the limits of special effects of the time, but its dialougue betrayed that it was actually one of the greatest comedy movies of all time.
This is Spinal Tap - 1984
Before The Office managed to make the mockumentary style of camera work famous, this fake documentary manged to turn the laughs up to 11. The fake rock band Spinal Tap even managed to make real rockers sides ache, and both Eddie Van Halen and The Edge of U2 were reportably stunned at how accurately the film managed to portray rock life. Spinal Tap is now given serious attention as one of the most influential rock bands, silencing those mean critics who simply called their album Shark sandwhich: "shit sandwhich."
Ferris Bueller's Day Off - 1986
Don't we all just wish we could randomly take a day off from school or work or whatever, and have the time of our lives? Ferris Bueller's legendary day inspired all of us who watched it to go out and enjoy ourselves because sometimes, one day is all you need for a great adventure.
The Princess Bride - 1987
While its medieval setting sometimes puts it in a unwinnable contest with itself and Monty Python and the Holy Grail, this film is still memorable and extremely quoteable, sometimes to the point of blissful exhaustion. (My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die)
A Fish Called Wanda - 1988
Monty Python member John Cleese moves on from his sketch comedy brothers, co-writing and co-directing a new movie, and the result is to die for. Literally, it's rumored this movie caused someone to die from laughter. Enough said.
Groundhog Day - 1993
Stuck in the same day over and over again, Bill Murray provides us with some unforgettable hijinxs, and later he provides us with a beautiful message and implored us to make every day from now on count. That being said, my favorite scene is still the one where Murray and the groundhog go driving.
The Big Lebowski - 1998
It might surprise people now that an acclaimed actor like Jeff Bridges got his big start with a character known simply as "The Dude." Yet the Dude was an unforgettable character, just like the many characters that surround the Dude are pretty unforgettable, played by such actors as John Goodman and Julianne Moore. Oh, and did I mention that before their multiple Academy Awards and nominations, this is what the Coen brothers directed? I didn't....well they did.
There's Something About Mary - 1998
Brett Favre is in this movie. That should give you a hint as to how awesome this movie is. Of course, it also has Cameron Diaz and Ben Stiller, in one of their best performances to date, but personally I think it's just cool that Favre happens to be there, in one of the great cameo moments in movie history.
Office Space - 1999
The ultimate office comedy, before even Ricky Gervais had concieved it. And I don't think even he could have predicted the awesomeness of the world's best stapeler joke. Plus the trashing of the copier has got to be one of the greatest action sequences ever made, full of violence, emotion and hilarity. It's certainly a better sequence than anything Transformers has done.
South Park: Bigger Longer and Uncut - 1999
Matt Stone and Trey Parker teamed up to create of the most offensive but funniest shows in existance. So what did they do with that show? Why turn it into not just a movie, an animated movie, but an animated movie musical. The result rivals even what Disney has done with the movie musical, a hilarious movie making fun of the very people who are offended by it, as it made it into the Guniess World Record Book for most swear words in a movie.
The 40 Year Old Virgin - 2004
You'd think a movie with a title like this would not exactly be among the comedy greats, but it turns out to be a genius heartfelt comedy that doesn't settle for the easy laughs and keeps its tone as a wonderfully hilarious film. Steve Carrell is in one of the roles of his career and his three supporting men, as well as Jane Lynch, aren't so bad either. Probably the comedy film that mostly defined the rest of the decade, as after directing this movie Judd Apatow firmly rooted himself as one of the primary directors/producers of comedy films in the business.
Well, that's the list folks, and as they say, always leave them wanting more....well, I probably didn't do so well there...
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