The Movie Forums Top 100 Comedies Countdown

Gotta know what’s in this Comedy Box set because that’s very intriguing.

My guess would be .... a bunch of dvds.
No need to thank me, all part of the service

I'm doing it every 20 entries.

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It includes:

1. A Night at the Opera (1935)
2. Stage Door (1937)
3. Bringing Up Baby (1938)
4. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
5. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
6. The Long, Long Trailer (1954)
7. The Great Race (1965)
8. Blazing Saddles (1974)
9. The In-Laws (1979)
10. Caddyshack (1980)
11. National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)
12. Risky Business (1983)
13. The Goonies (1985)
14. Spies Like Us (1985)
15. Beetlejuice (1988)
16. Grumpy Old Men (1993)
17. Ace Ventura Pet Detective (1994)
18. Analyze This (1999)
19. Wedding Crashers: Uncorked Edition (2005)
20. The Hangover (2009)

Is Caddyshack a comedy though?
Seems more like a zany, golf social-satire.


Like a more light-hearted version of Seijun Suzuki's A Tale of Sadness and Sorrow.

Say, that's a nice package.

Caddyshack is making its MoFo debut while The Jerk was #54 on the MoFo Top 100 of the 1970s.

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"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra

I watched His Girl Friday this morning, and I have to say it's a great addition to this list.

Cary Grant and Ruseel have amazing on-screen chemistry, and have the combined wit of Grucho Marx. Loved the little twists made by the yellow paper reporters, and maybe took as much pleasure as Mr. Burns in the suffering of Bruce Baldwin.

Elegant & Fast Paced, recommend to the others who've been putting this one off

+

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Just caught a few scenes from Heaven Can Wait while I was at lunch. I know it probably has no chance to make the list, and it was a fairly early cut from my ballot, but I sure do have a fond place in my heart for it. Maybe it's the way that little oboe ditty makes me a little misty when I hear it, or maybe it's just seeing old favorites like Charles Grodin and Dyan Cannon on screen.

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Havin a strong immunity, I know neither Caddyshack nor The Jerk. Seeing their main actors, they seems to be films to skip.

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"Population don't imitate art, population imitate bad television." W.A.
"You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." M.T.

As might be expected from my avatar, I had The Jerk on my list, at #3. It is a masterpiece of comedy, Steve Martin at his absolutely wildest and craziest best. I totally connect with its absurdist humor, which to varying degrees is shared by my top two spots as well. Sure, I like Steve Martin in a wide range of roles and comedy types, but when he is at his most irreverent and most absurd, I love him best. As for his writings, I'll take Cruel Shoes over Shopgirl any day. I'm certain I've seen The Jerk more than any other film on my list. Caddyshack is not as funny as we remember it from the 80s, but at least it has Bill Murray. Watched it again the other day, and gave it a shrug.

My List:
3. The Jerk (#24)
4. Playtime (#48)
8. Being John Malkovich (#44)
12. The Apartment (#29)
13. Modern Times (#39)
21. One, Two, Three (#85)
22. Beetlejuice (#78)
24. Sullivan's Travels (#100)

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I may go back to hating you. It was more fun.

And in case you didn't recognize him, Ralph Bellamy, who plays the hapless Bruce Baldwin in His Girl Friday, is one of the Duke Brothers in Trading Places (#34).

I honestly thought Back to the Future was a lock for the top ten, but obviously its multiple genre tags cost it a lot of points. I don't have any sentimental attachment to Back to the Future, having only watched it twice in my life, but it's great fun and deservedly iconic. Too bad Marty McFly doesn't dip into the old birth canal. I think most viewers would give him a pass since his mom is played by Lea Thompson.

Pleasantly surprised to see Trading Places do so well. A comedy countdown would feel incomplete without at least one Eddie Murphy appearance. Beverly Hills Cop is my favorite Murphy vehicle, but I think Trading Places is his funniest. I like how the structure of the story allows Murphy and Aykroyd's characters to develop on their own so that both performers have their share of the spotlight, making it even more of a delight when they inevitably join forces. I've never found Jamie Lee Curtis particularly attractive, but Cheap Hooker is a great look on her. Tropic Thunder is no longer the only film on the countdown to feature blackface:



Comedies like Animal House are specifically designed to appeal to the youth of their generation, so the humor doesn't typically age well. I found the movie and its characters more obnoxious than amusing. I prefer a lot of the later comedies it influenced that played their part in perpetuating the toxic behavior associated with frat houses. File Planes, Trains and Automobiles under the "good but nothing special" folder. I think the lack of Thanksgiving films has helped lift its stock over the years. (And who has time for movies on that day when there's football to be watched?) I'm not a big Steve Martin fan but I love John Candy. However, he plays the role so well that, much like Martin's character in the film, I'm desperate to get away from him.

I greatly underestimated the popularity of What We Do in the Shadows. It had its funny, clever moments, but it also felt stretched way too thin even at just 80-something minutes. That would seem to suggest that there wouldn't be much mileage in a TV show adaptation, but strangely I find the show much funnier and more engaging than the movie. A lot of that might have to do with my preference for the show's characters, especially the droll energy vampire, Colin Robinson (Torgo's avatar). Taika Waititi is a likeable dude, but his acting performances feel way too broad to me, like a local theater actor hamming it up. Stay behind the camera, bro.

I'd currently rank After Hours in the bottom half of Scorsese's vaunted filmography. I found it more entertaining than amusing. I think I'd vibe with it more on a re-watch. I appreciate that Arsenic & Old Lace is much darker than the typical Capra, but I still don't think it's quite dark enough given the premise. Also a shame that they cast a lookalike instead of the actual Boris Karloff. Still a funny, enjoyable classic, and I'm always impressed by how willingly Cary Grant indulged in goofiness despite his debonair good looks. The Graduate is more of a great movie than a great comedy. I find Caddyshack enormously overrated. Bill Murray's scenes are funny. Everything else is dire. I think I was too harsh on The Jerk (rated it 2.5 stars nearly a decade ago). Quite a few of its idiotic scenes and quotes ("I've got a special purpose!") have stuck with me ever since. I prefer Steve Martin in absurd, over-the-top mode than down-to-earth straight man. Time for a revisit.

The Apartment and His Girl Friday were on my ballot. Two of the greatest films ever made and two of the strongest scripts, in particular.

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A twofer for me. I had Caddyshack at number 8. I loved the acting in it and the gold stuff appeals to me a lot. I think I saw it when I was younger but I watched it right before this countdown and it really connect for me.

The Jerk was my number 13 and Steve Martin was just the man in it.

Loved both films upon release and they definitely have a place in my heart. Fast forward, "Caddyshack" doesn't really hold up well. Once I found funny, now I shutter at the gopher scenes. Now "The Jerk" still has that slapstick angle that does still play well.


Neither made my ballot...

My oldest friend and I are big fans of this film.

9 behind (#35-#24), and my list is starting to come through a bit more. All these movies are unassailable classics - I'm really happy to see them this high. I've seen all these films as well, meaning I've still seen all but 2 of the list.

First, the films that didn't make my list:

BTTF is one of my all-time favorite films, but not funny enough for this list (IMO) - same with After Hours, a fantastic film, but not considered, and The Graduate, which I recently watched and adore.

I LOVE Trading Places, but 25 is not enough to get there. Same with Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, which I seriously considered. What We Do in the Shadows was really funny, but again, only 25.

I enjoy Animal House, but wow, it did not age well and I didn't find it nearly as funny as I used to on my last rewatch. Caddyshack was a lot closer, but also didn't age too well.

Now from my list:

The Apartment (1960) - An all-time great, probably the best Billy Wilder (though Sunset Boulevard would like a word!) A fantastic film that is also damn funny. Well deserved of the top 30 (and probably higher, frankly). It was my #21.

Arsenic & Old Lace (1944) - just hilarious. Such a fantastic film - delightfully naughty. I really need to rewatch as it's been too long. It was my #19.

His Girl Friday (1940) - just a masterpiece of writing, performance, story - everything. Has to be on this list. It just has to be. My #18.

And of course, The Jerk (1979) - has a strong claim to be the funniest film ever made. The once-in-a-lifetime brilliance of Steve Martin and Carl Reiner with this premise is astounding. As funny as it ever was even today. If you have somehow not seen this film, what are you doing reading this? My #4.

Seen: 74/76.

My list as of now:

1. The In-Laws (1979)
2. Step Brothers (2008)
3.
4. The Jerk (1979)
5.
6. Way Out West (1937)
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12. Best in Show (2000)
13.
14.
15. Superbad (2007)
16.
17.
18. His Girl Friday (1940)
19. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
20. The Lady Eve (1941)
21. The Apartment (1960)
22.
23.
24.
25. It Happened One Night (1934)

wow, I need to revisit that one myself. Saw it in the theater, loved it, and haven't seen it since the nineties.

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What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
- I might not be a real King of Kinkiness, but I make good pancakes

~Mr Minio

That film was funny! This reminds me of another film that I feel won't make the cut...

Glad to see we fed the boomers their liquid steak so we can get back to some ****ing comedies.... Just kidding. Both The Apartment and The Graduate are solid movies and I was sure they would both be ranked pretty high. If I had done my ballot in a Greatest Comedy Movie and not funniest they may even be close to making my top 100. No surprise that they had a good showing. I have them both at but haven't watched either in awhile. I do remember watching them expecting comedy and being underwhelmed at how much funny was in them but they're good movies. The soundtrack to The Graduate is outstanding. It's up there with Dazed and Confused for best ever, in my opinion. There's a John Hughes movie, it's an all time fav, well I left it off my ballot because of the drama aspects that made up a significant part of the last third of the film. That's kind of where where these two fall. A little too much drama for me to consider a great comedy but my memory is Swiss cheese so maybe they're funnier than I remember.

Did not get What We Do in the Shadows. Maybe it's because I don't like vampire movies so why watch a movie tearing down the world of vampires. I thought Movie 43 had some pretty great moments so my tastes are, admittedly, rather doo-doo, so I'm sure WWDitS, while being out of my element, is worthy. After Hours is one I didn't like when I saw it back in the 80's but had to watch it again for one of the MoFo HoF's and liked it much more. A lot more, actually. I don't remember it being hilarious but rather had a bunch of little very funny moments and a great supporting cast. It has Teri Garr and that's enough for me.

The Jerk is excellent. I think it loses a little of it's steam after he becomes rich but it's still more funny than 95% of the stuff out there. It was on my initial top 48. My favorite bit is when Steve is talking to a sleeping Bernadette about how "I know we've only known each other four weeks and three days, but to me it seems like nine weeks and five days" and then proceeds to explain it. Gets me every time.



that is Caddyshack. By all metrics this is a bad movie and it was my number 6. Why? Because it's ****ing hilarious. Ted Knight's performance alone puts this in the top ten. I can't count the number of times I've said "You'll get nothing and like it!"

So what if the story is dumb, the acting is bad, it's a technical eh. When you shove all that in a blender you get what? Shit, but it's good shit. It's like worm burning a Top Flite from 120 yards out to within in 6 inches of the hole. It's a great miss. Bill Murray is fine, Chevy is fine they each have their moments (Bill is better) but Rodney and Ted, their battle is where the movie is at it's best. The supporting cast from Murrays bro as Lou to Columby as D'Annunzio are fantastic ("I ain't payin' no 50 cents for no Coke.") It's not a good movie it's just one of the funniest.