The Movie Forums Top 100 Comedies Countdown

The fact that Do The Right Thing's validity as a comedy gets questioned says something about how underestimated comedy gets as a genre. It doesn't have to be an easy sit-down-and-laugh experience where you don't think deeper about any of the themes involved. There are quite a lot of comedies with social commentary and dark themes that are still very funny, they just also have a serious message underneath. Do The Right Thing is such a film. The humor is primarily character-driven, where the dialogue and interactions between them are what make me laugh. There is a hint of tension very early on, but the movie doesn't lose the comedy entirely until it gets dark and serious in the last 15 minutes. I get that cross-genre films can be tricky to define, but there's no doubt in my mind this movie is a drama and a comedy. If the funny moments were more understated I might've understood the skepticism, but quite a few of them are laugh-out-loud funny and intentionally so.

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Trivia: When Mel Brooks was preparing for this film, he discovered that Ken Strickfaden, who'd made the elaborate electrical machinery for the Universal Frankenstein films, was still alive and living in Los Angeles. Brooks visited Strickfaden, and found that he had stored all the equipment in his garage. Brooks made a deal to rent the equipment, and give Strickfaden the film credit that he didn't receive for the original films.

After Holy Grail wiped out my prediction for #1 by appearing yesterday I thought maybe Young Frankenstein could do it - the movie is one of the funniest I've ever seen and my #4 - a perfect match. It has to be Mel Brooks' best, and showcases Gene Wilder's comedic talents to their utmost. It truly is a classic - from the book he finds - "How I Did It" to stabbing himself in the leg while making a very pointed point, Dr. Frederick Frankenstein seems a perfect conduit for the seriously wacky ideas Brooks comes up with. The "Puttin' On the Ritz" segment really gets me every time. I could not play that, even right now, and not laugh. Great cameo from Gene Hackman, and a million other nice touches. I love this film dearly.

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Films I've seen : 78½
Films that have been on my radar : 16½
Films I've never even heard of : 2

Films from my list : 17

#4 - My #4 - Young Frankenstein (1974)
#5 - My #1 - Monty Python and the Holy Grail - (1975)
#7 - My #14 - Groundhog Day - (1993)
#10 - My #17 - Blazing Saddles - (1974)
#12 - My #19 - Hot Fuzz - (2007)
#13 - My #2 - This is Spinal Tap - (1984)
#14 - My #5 - Galaxy Quest - (1999)
#15 - My #6 - Shaun of the Dead - (2004)
#17 - My #24 - The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! - (1988)
#20 - My #12 - Life of Brian - (1979)
#24 - My #18 - The Jerk - (1979)
#30 - My #10 - What We Do in the Shadows - (2014)
#34 - My #9 - Back to the Future - (1985)
#62 - My #13 - The In-Laws - (1979)
#65 - My #21 - Black Dynamite - (2009)
#82 - My #8 - The Producers - (1967)
One pointer - Brewster McCloud (1970)

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Young Frankenstein was #15 on the MoFo Top 100 of the 1970s and #77 on the MoFo Top 100 Refresh. It was also #13 on the AFI’s 100 Years, 100 Laughs.

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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

Laugh riot is not only a loving homage to the Universal Frankenstein series. In fact, Young Frankenstein, my #18, could easily be considered a direct sequel to the Universal series of Frankenstein movies, and it's as much a horror film as The Bride of Frankenstein. Besides that, Frau Blücher is more horrific than anything in Bride.

[yeah, that's me]

Gremlins, my #4, got 22 pts. from me. It's got more movie references and in-jokes than probably any film I can think of. Even if you don't get them all, it still has plenty of laughs and thrills, all done lovingly with a strong visual flair.

Mom's one tough (gingerbread man) cookie!



Joe Dante's visual extravaganza is also a hip homage to all the schlocky horror/sci-fi films of the 1950s. The flick includes broad humor, state-of-the-art F/X, perhaps more movie in-jokes than any other film, a cool color palette, some genuinely scary moments, and just a ton of old-fashioned fun. Please remember, if you're ever "lucky" enough to get your own Mogwai, to follow the three rules: 1) Keep it away from bright light; 2) Don't get any water on it; 3) Never, ever feed it after midnight. Then again, maybe you might have to just "Forget it...it's [from] Chinatown".

Dante's follow-up, Gremlins 2: The New Batch is an underrated gem too. It's more surrealistic and broader but contains many wonderful sights and sounds to behold: Tony Randall as the Brain Gremlin, singing "New York, New York", Christopher Lee as a mad scientist, and John Wayne taking out some gremlin varmints in a shootout.



My List

1. Richard Pryor Live in Concert [#113]
4. Gremlins [DNP]
5. Back to the Future [#35]
6. The Graduate [#27]
7. Alice in Wonderland [DNP]
8. The Quiet Man [DNP]
9. American Graffiti [DNP]
10. Pygmalion [DNP]
11. Harold and Maude [#46]
12. Play It Again, Sam [DNP]
13. One, Two, Three [#86]
14. Some Like It Hot [#9]
15. An American Werewolf in London [DNP]
16. It's Such A Beautiful Day [#62]
17. A Fish Called Wanda [#38]
18. Young Frankenstein [#4]
19. Monty Python and the Holy Grail [#5]
20. City Lights [#11]
21. Tootsie [#108]
22. Toy Story [DNP]
23. Who Framed Roger Rabbit [DNP]
24. The Trouble with Harry [DNP]
25. Ruthless People [My One Pointer]

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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page

Young Frankenstein was on my list, easily my favorite Brooks. I don’t think the third act is as strong but it almost doesn’t matter because the first two are so good. So many classic moments, especially Puttin on the Ritz.

From what I understand Gene Wilder told Mel Brooks to not appear in the film because he’d just schtick it up and while Brooks was originally angry he was eventually like, “Yeah you’re right.”


“He, was, my, BOYFRIEND!”

Good film, didn't vote for it.

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Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0

Young Frankenstein would've been a lock for my ballot - somewhere in the top five most likely, maybe even top three.

I watched Young Frankenstein for the first time in 2015 and was not at all impressed. Mel Brooks isn't my kind of comedy.

I'm thrilled it showed up today though because that means the one remaining film from my ballot that made it is in the top three!

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Young Frankenstein was on my ballot at #11. I've loved most of what I've seen from Mel Brooks and this is my favorite of his films. It has loads of humor and charm which, in spite of having watched it at least three times, never gets tiring for me. Also, when I watched Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein, it was cool catching some of the references in Brooks' film as I didn't pick up on them the first couple times I watched it.

Also, the remaining three films which will be mentioned on this list made my ballot as well, so it looks like my ballot did better than I expected.

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IMDb
Letterboxd

1. It Happened One Night (#35)
2. City Lights (#11)
3. The Graduate (#27)
4. To Be or Not To Be (#86)
5.
6. Harold and Maude (#45)
7.
8.
9. Duck Soup (#8)
10. Being John Malkovich (#44)
11. Young Frankenstein (#11)
12.Sherlock, Jr. (#56)
13.
14. Shaun of the Dead (#15)
15.
16.
17.
18.
19. Some Like it Hot (#9)
20.
21.
22. The Apartment (#29)
23.
24.
25. The Great Dictator (#50)

Amadeus has lots of intentional laughs in it. Raiders of the Lost Ark is full of them, including the shooting of the swordsman which is one of the biggest laughs ever created in the past fifty years of cinema. It doesn't make them comedies.

Very few dramas are so dour and self-serious that they do not allow for moments of humor or levity. To me the difference between a comedy and a drama with moments of comedy is usually pretty clear, and it seems very clear to me in Do the Right Thing. I suspect if one asked Spike Lee if particular moments were meant to elicit laughter he would say of course they are. I also suspect if you called Do the Right Thing a great comedy to his face he would stare at you like you were an @sshole.

But hey, your mileage may vary.

Not seen Young Frankenstein.

Have seen so far: 50 - The Nice Guys - I decided to watch a movie that I haven't seen from the countdown list and thought this movie was alright, a few laughs here and there nothing special.

Have not seen so far: 46

I have not seen Young Frankenstein

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Moviefan1988's Favorite Movies
https://www.movieforums.com/communit...?t=67103<br />

Welcome to the Dance: My Favorite 20 High School Movies
https://www.movieforums.com/communit...02#post2413502

Well, at least you know what makes raul cry (or whine!) and that's MoFo countdown lists.

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Weird story. A while ago, I started watching Young Frankenstein. Was enjoying it, but for some reason, had to stop halfway through... and I never finished it. Don't remember why. I need to get on that ASAP.

So... no points from me.



Seen: 73/97

Young Frankenstein was number two on my ballot, good for twenty-four of its 454 points. Mel Brooks believes it is the best movie he ever made and I certainly agree with him. A parody that clearly loves its subject, perfectly recreating the James Whale Universal world, grey for grey, some forty years later. Impeccably cast, wonderfully acted, meticulously made. It doesn't quite go for the laugh-a-minute pace that Blazing Saddles did, which was released earlier that same year, but each of its laughs are even bigger and longer. From wordplay to sight gags it has it all. Not many movies, comedy or otherwise, deserve to be called masterpieces but Young Frankenstein is one of them.

"Blücher!"

Holden’s Ballot
2. Young Frankenstein (#4)
3. After Hours (#29)
4. His Girl Friday (#26)
5. Monty Python’s Life of Brian (#20)
6. Singin’ in the Rain (#50)
7. Rushmore (#54)
8. Duck Soup (#8)
9. Bringing Up Baby (#22)
10. The Graduate (#27)
11. Harvey (DNP)
12. Raising Arizona (#23)
13. The Palm Beach Story (DNP)
14. Ghostbusters (#6)
15. One Two Three (#86)
16. The Blues Brothers (#21)
17. Defending Your Life (DNP)
18. Fletch (DNP)
19. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (DNP)
20. Joe versus the Volcano (DNP)
22. This is Spın̈al Tap (#13)
23. L.A. Story (DNP)
24. OSS-117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (DNP)
25. Let It Ride (DNP)

Wait, what? [taps headset] Yeah, they inform me that the *checks note* 29th Hall of Fame also makes raul cry (or whine)

Nice to see that toxicity exist everywhere.