The Movie Forums Top 100 Comedies Countdown

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I had A Shot in the Dark on my ballot, and here I am seeing multiple people with The Pink Panther Strikes Again. I like that film, but have always thought A Shot in the Dark was the freshest and therefore best Inspector Clouseau picture.

For me it boiled down to the fact that Strikes Again has the two funniest scenes in any Pink Panther movie - the interrogation at the estate and confronting the Lunatic Dreyfuss at the castle. I also like Return just a little bit more than A Shot in the Dark but none of the Sellers pink Panthers are bad.



So who's up for hosting the 2010 Top 100 Countdown???
Assuming that's what we're doing next then we'll need a host. It's fun, don't be shy!
I wouldn't mind taking the reins on it, assuming there isn't someone new who wants the job.



Dr. Strangelove was #9 on my list, but oddly I don't really have anything to say about it. I like The Big Lebowski well enough, but I've never been as big a fan of it as many of my friends were.

In addition to Bill and Ted which was revealed as a near miss earlier in the thread, 8 more of my films didn't make the Countdown. Of those, I knew 5 of them had no chance to make it, but I thought Rocky Horror and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang might appear at the bottom of the list. I initially didn't think Dolemite is my Name would make it, but after seeing Dolemite on the 1-pointers list, I figured maybe some other people voted for that one too and it would just manage to place...but I lost hope fairly quickly.

My List: 16
01. Young Frankenstein (1974) - #4
02. The Princess Bride (1987) - #16
03. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) - #5
04. Evil Dead II (1987) - #94
05. Parasite (2019) - DNP
06. Brazil (1985) - #48
07. The Great Dictator (1940) - #51
08. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) - DNP
09. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) - #2
10. Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) - DNP #117
11. His Girl Friday (1940) - #26
12. Ghostbusters (1984) - #6
13. Goodbye, Lenin (2003) - DNP
14. Clerks (1994) - #65
15. Shaun of the Dead (2004) - #15
16. Galaxy Quest (1999) - #14
17. What We Do in the Shadows (2014) - #31
18. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) - DNP
19. Hot Fuzz (2007) - #12
20. Re-Animator (1985) - DNP
21. Tropic Thunder (2008) - #59
22. Arsenic & Old Lace (1944) - #28
23. Cabin in the Woods (2011) - DNP
24. Bon Cop, Bad Cop (2006) - DNP
25. Dolemite is My Name (2019) - DNP


I'm going to skip over talking about Goodbye, Lenin, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and Bon Cop, Bad Cop because they were all on my 2000s list, and I don't have anything new to add about them.



05. Parasite (2019)
Is this recency bias? Perhaps, but all that matters to me is that I absolutely loved this film. It was literally one of the best films I had seen in years, and was pretty hilarious to boot. Given how many black comedies and satires I've voted for, this probably isn't too much of a surprise.



08. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

Despite my hatred of musicals, there are a handful I can stomach, and even 2 or 3 that I actually like. Rocky Horror is one of those. Tim Curry's performance absolutely makes the film, and most of the songs are pretty catchy.



20. Re-Animator (1985)
Whatever the opposite of recency bias is (nostalgia goggles?), that's the reason why this is on my list. Horror comedies are my jam, and this has been a long-time favourite of mine. I got to meet Jeffrey Combs at a convention once, so I can say my life is nearly complete.



23. Cabin in the Woods (2011)
This is a film I went into blind on its opening weekend, and I'm so glad I did. Expecting a fairly straight Evil Dead rip-off, I was so surprised by the film's actual direction, and it's still one of my favourite film "twists". I did wonder if I had too many horror films on my list, but I wasn't about to exclude films I cared about for a silly reason like that.



25. Dolemite is My Name (2019)
With so many films fighting for the last couple spots on my ballot, I didn't exactly go for a traditional one-pointer, but I did select something from the next dozen films that I think deserves more attention. I don't even like Eddie Murphy, and blaxploitation films aren't really in my wheelhouse, but I was curious about this film, and it really blew my low expectations out of the water. It was really fun, and definitely worth a watch.



I'm debating if I should save this reveal for Strangelove or not, now's as good of a time as any:

#8. Sorry to Bother You (2018)



Just because I'm not surprised it didn't make the countdown, doesn't mean I'm not disappointed.
And I did think it stood an outside chance of creeping onto the lower end of the list.

The 2010's had some good comedies. Half of my ballot entries from the 2010's were topical satires and the other half were Hertzfeldt animated movies and shorts (I didn't know which way it was breaking, so I put both likely contenders on - and they both seem worthy of making a top 100 list).
Sorry to Bother You was one of the last 5 films I cut from my list.
Same here!
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The Big Lebowski was my #1. The weird thing is that back when I first saw it, it probably wouldn't have made my comedy Top 20. I wasn't that crazy with it, but still, as weeks passed by, I found myself reciting quotes and remembering certain scenes. So I decided to give it a second shot, and like most Coen films, that's when it really clicked. It became a favorite as I saw it more and more, and now I consider it my favorite. Jeff Bridges is excellent, but so is John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore, and the rest of the ensemble cast. I love every quirky little scene and moment. It's just brilliant!


Dr. Strangelove was my #6. Like The Big Lebowski, it is one that I wasn't that crazy about the first time. But last year, I was preparing for an interview with a Kubrick expert for my podcast, and I decided to rewatch it and it certainly improved. Here's something that I wrote back then:

"The film is so pointedly funny and sharp in its critique, without losing the focus of what it is. The way that Kubrick manages to satirize and make fun of the incompetence of both sides is masterful, and the film is full of quotable lines.

Peter Sellers is excellent in all three roles, but I think his best work is as President Muffley, with an excellent combination of deadpan delivery and genius improvisation. But still, as good as Sellers is, George C. Scott steals every moment for me. His whole performance is hilariously over-the-top, and it's only made more hilarious when you know the circumstances behind it. There's hardly a moment that he's on screen that I'm not at least chuckling at his body language or expressions."
So two great films end up at #1 and #2!



Here are the other ones from my ballot that missed the cut...

#5. UHF (1989, Levey)



This has been a favorite of mine since forever. Silly, absurd, stupid, and supremely funny in a way that only Weird Al could've made it. But as funny as he is, it always surprises me how he doesn't necessarily hog the camera, or at least not as much as you'd expect, and let the ensemble cast shine very often. Love every little sketch, every little quirky character. Me and my best friends still quote it often.


#8. Election (1999, Payne)



This is a film I saw a long time ago but always stuck with me. So when I revisited it last year, it really dawned on me how brilliant and well done it is. Here is something I wrote back when I rewatched it last year:

"One of the things that Election does so well is to balance a tone that walks a really tight-rope between dark comedy, serious drama, and socio-political subtext. And depending on your state of mind when you see it, there might be different things that resonate with you."
So yeah, it's good.


#11. There's Something About Mary (1998, Farrelly)



Saw this one in theaters back in the day and it still stands as one of my favorite movie-going experiences. I've seen it a lot of times since and it's just a genius of both acting and directing. Not only are Stiller, Dillon, and Diaz great, but the Farrellys show how to hold back, and when to unload (uhh, no pun intended).


#14. One Cut of the Dead (2017, Ueda)



This was my most recent entry, but I think it is well deserved. Saw this last year and it just had me rolling on the floor. Here's something I wrote back then:

"For a genre that has been as beaten to death as zombie films, a film really needs to bring it to surprise us. Whether it is by chance or by design, One Cut of the Dead achieves that with a unique script and execution and a lot of heart. The end result is an undeniably fun film that manages to subvert the tropes of not only zombie films, but also of reality/live TV, and filmmaking in general."
Truly a film that needs to walk in blind. So if you haven't seen it, don't read anything; just see it, and stick with it all the way.


#17. Wag the Dog (1997, Levinson)



I think that, out of the 25 films on my list, this is the one I haven't seen in the longest time. But it doesn't matter, cause it stuck with me fiercely. A dark comedy about the manipulations of politicians and the media that I'm now realizing might probably ring different in this time and age, but still... funny and sharp.


#18. Zoolander (2001, Stiller)



Outside of Liar Liar, and maybe There's Something About Mary, I think this is the one I'm most surprised that didn't make the list, at least in the bottom 20 or 30. I found this absurdly hilarious. From Ben Stiller to Will Ferrell, in addition to some inspired cameos, and a really, really funny script ("What is this? a center for ants?!") Still makes me laugh every time I see it.


#19. Kung Pow: Enter the Fist (2002, Oedekerk)



Yet another one I saw in theaters, and yet another one I would classify among my favorite movie-going experiences. Imagine seeing this festival of absurdity and silliness with a group of 10 to 15 teens. Our laughters pretty much took over the theater. And putting aside the absurdity of it, just imagine the patience and skill it takes to assemble a film like this from bits and pieces of other films? It's amazing.


#21. The Cabin in the Woods (2012, Goddard)



Yet another one I'm a bit surprised that didn't even place in the bottom 20. I think this is a hilarious send-up of the typical horror/slasher film, and I think it's genius the way the director slowly pulls the curtain to reveal what is happening. Here is something I wrote a long time ago when I first saw it:

"I have to give points to the writers (Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard) for originality. Their approach to the clichés of horror films was unique and, well, funny ... Their premise serves as a critique of the genre, while also serving as some sort of homage to classic horror films."
Like One Cut of the Dead, one that deserves to walk in blind.


#22. Four Lions (2010, Morris)



Another "recent" one that I wanted to give some love, not only because of how funny it is, but also how thought-provoking it is in the process. A great example of how to make great comedy that's both smart and sharp, and an early testament to how great Riz Ahmed is.


#24. EuroTrip (2004, Schaffer)



Finally, another one that's so silly and yet so funny that I can't help laugh with it. I think the chemistry between the four leads is great, but the highlight is Jacob Pitts as the sardonic best friend. Also, a hilarious cameo from Matt Damon! But other than that, I love the setpieces and little sketches. If anything, I would say that the final act is lacking, but I don't care. It's hilarious.



And here's my full ballot...

Seen: 76/100

1. The Big Lebowski (#1)
2. Liar Liar (#118)
3. Spaceballs (#57)
4. Clerks (#64)
5. UHF
6. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (#2)
7. Raising Arizona (#22)
8. Election
9. One Week
10. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (#17)
11. There's Something About Mary
12. Life of Brian (#19)
13. The Nice Guys (#69)
14. One Cut of the Dead
15. What We Do in the Shadows (#31)
16. The Return of the Living Dead
17. Wag the Dog
18. Zoolander
19. Kung Pow: Enter the Fist
20. National Lampoon's Vacation (#54)
21. The Cabin in the Woods
22. Four Lions
23. Office Space (#18)
24. EuroTrip
25. La Guagua Aérea (One-Pointer)



Society ennobler, last seen in Medici's Florence
Dr. Strangelove
Being highly active within the IMDB forum board during its heydays 2003-2009, I've constantly been confused by the high popularity of some movie with weird even grotesque long title. Finally, I saw it around 2010. What a gem, I've immediately loved this film, seen a dozen times since then. Can't stop watching the scenes featuring Sterling Hayden or George C. Scott, what a cult.

This was my #12.

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"You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." M.T.



#1* Ghostbusters (1984)
#2* Waynes World (1992)
#3 Waynes World 2 (1993)
#4* National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)
#5* Airplane! (1980)
#6* Trading Places (1983)
#7* Office Space (1999)
#8 BASEketball (1998)
#9* Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
#10* The Blues Brothers (1980)
#11* Blazing Saddles (1974)
#12* MASH (1970)
#13* Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)
#14 Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (2006)
#15 Tommy Boy (1995)
#16* The Naked Gun: From the files of Police Squad (1988)
#17* Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985)
#18 Smokey and the Bandit (1977)
#19 The Sandlot (1993)
#20 Destry Rides Again (1939)
#21 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
#22* Caddyshack (1980)
#23 The Simpsons Movie (2007)
#24 Kentucky Fried Movie (1977)
#25* Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979)

* selected



A system of cells interlinked
Wow, I predicted the top 2. I knew Dr. Strangelove had to be somewhere and I just know how everybody loves The Big Lebowski so that one wins.
But...you posted that prediction 18 hours ago, when there were only two films left on the countdown. Those two films were the only two possibilities left, and were the site's global consensus as the final two. If you had predicted the Top 2 sometime around the fiftieth entry being revealed, that would have been impressive...

Predicting the Top 2 when all but two films had been crossed off the list was just stating the obvious, yea?

:Shrug:
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Society ennobler, last seen in Medici's Florence
My List:

1. The Gold Rush (1925) [#83.]
2. Don't Look Now: We're Being Shot At (1966)
3. Deconstructing Harry (1997)
4. City Lights (1931) [#11.]
5. The Kid (1921) [#88.]
6. The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980)
7. One, Two, Three (1961) [#85.]
8. The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain (1995)
9. Le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez (1964)
10. Barefoot in the Park (1967)
11. Annie Hall (1977) [#18.]
12. Dr. Strangelove (1964) [#2.]
13. Modern Times (1936) [#39.]
14. Notting Hill (1999)
15. The Mask (1994)
16. Midnight Run (1988)
17. Beverly Hills Cop (1984) [#105.]
18. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
19. Take the Money and Run (1969)
20. Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
21. Forrest Gump (1994)
22. The French Dispatch (2020)
23. Crocodile Dundee (1986)
24. Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983)
25. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)





You ready? You look ready.
Where’s Fight Club? Where’s Mystery Men? Where’s Death to Smoochy?

1. Fight Club (1999)
2. Mystery Men (1999)
3. Death to Smoochy (2002)
4. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)
5. Blast from the Past (1999)
6. Spaceballs (1987)
7. Rush Hour (1998)
8. Friday (1995)
9. American Pie (1999)
10. Something's Gotta Give (2003)



Thursday Next's Avatar
I never could get the hang of Thursdays.
I think The Big Lebowski was somewhere on an early version of my list but in the end I decided I didn't remember it well enough to include it over some of my other picks. Obviously it did not need my help!

A fun and unpredictable countdown, thanks Yoda and Diehl for all your work on it. I think I've seen about 75% of the movies. Now looking forward to the 2010s...

Here is my list:

1. Withnail & I (1987)
2. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
3. Some Like It Hot (1959)
4. But I'm a Cheerleader (1999)
5. What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
6. Wet Hot American Summer (2001)
7. Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979)
8. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
9. Zombieland (2009)
10. It Happened One Night (1934)
11. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
12. The Favourite (2018)
13. Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
14. Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1991)
15. Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
16. Galaxy Quest (1999)
17. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)
18. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
19. Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
20. The Full Monty (1997)
21. 24 Hour Party People (2002)
22. Safety Last! (1923)
23. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)
24. Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers (1993)
25. I Love You Phillip Morris (2009) (one-pointer)



Dr. Strangelove made my list. It’s an excellent film but more satirical and clever than outright hilarious. But probably my favorite Kubrick.

Damn 40 points separated these two! It wasn’t even close.


The Big Lebowski was my #3. I saw it for the first time as a teen and liked it plenty, but over the course of my life I grew to love it more and more to the point where it’s one of my favorite movies. It’s a movie I always want to be watching and constantly thinking about. Like Ghostbusters it’s been quoted and talked about to death so I’ll try to highlight some of my lesser discussed favorite moments, like when The Dude is at Maude’s and there’s some guy there giggling. And he asks Jeff what does for a living and The Dude’s like, “Who the **** are you man? What do you do?!” And then this guy and Maude get on the phone and start laughing like lunatics while it cuts to a wide of The Dude looking confused. Or when the private detective keeps calling Maude Jeff’s “special lady.” And he’s like, “She’s not my special lady she’s just my ****ing lady friend. I’m just helping her conceive, man.” Or at the beginning when Brent is like, “These are Mr. Lebowski’s children,” and Jeff’s like, “So racially he’s pretty cool.”

I’m not a big stoner and I don’t try to live like The Dude or anything but it is my go to on 4/20 just for an excuse to watch it again.


Thanks Diehl and Yoda for all your hard work on this. This countdown turned out to be a real banger from beginning to end.

I’ll post my list later so I can bitch about all the ones that didn’t make it.



Thursday Next's Avatar
I never could get the hang of Thursdays.
I think the one film I'm most disappointed about not making it, besides the ones on my list, is In Bruges. I only watched it for the first time after submitting my list or I would have voted for it. I thought it was, a few questionable moments aside, very darkly funny.



When "Fargo" was revealed, I predicted that at that time unidentified Coens movie would be our #1. That unidentified movie was "The Big Lebowski". "The Big Lebowski" was also #11 on my ballot. The Following is my full ballot:

1. Tropic Thunder (2008) (#59)
2. Easy A (2010)
3. Mean Girls (2004) (#68)
4. Heathers (1988) (#47)
5. A Fish Called Wanda (1988) (#38)
6. Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)
7. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)
8. The Nice Guys (2016) (#70)
9. Hot Fuzz (2007) (#12)
10. Clueless (1995) (#88)
11. The Big Lebowski (1998) (#1)
12. Horrible Bosses 2 (2014)
13. Walk of Shame (2014)
14. Fist Fight (2017)
15. Destination Wedding (2018)
16. The Interview (2014)
17. Scary Movie 2 (2001)
18. Palm Springs (2020)
19. American Pie (1999)
20. American Reunion (2012)
21. Bad Moms (2016)
22. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006) (#42)
23. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020)
24. My Cousin Vinny (1992) (#53)
25. Free Guy (2021)



Welcome to the human race...
One vote. Strangelove is another film that I ranked highly in the past but a recent rewatch had me question it juuuuust enough that when it came time to throw out a ballot (and you know me, I usually just go with whatever's off the top of my head), it somehow fell behind the likes of Ghost World when I was thinking of it. A bit of a mistake, but what you gonna do. Lebowski was my #2 and, well, I don't think I need to say anything about it. Anyway, the final ballot...

1. The Blues Brothers (1980) [#21]
2. The Big Lebowski (1998) [#1]
3. Evil Dead II (1987) [#94]
4. Slacker (1991)
5. Withnail & I (1987) [#95]
6. Chungking Express (1994)
7. Big Trouble in Little China (1986) [#73]
8. Heathers (1989) [#47]
9. Repo Man (1984)
10. Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (1991)

11. It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012) [#62]
12. Shaun of the Dead (2004) [#15]
13. This Is Spinal Tap (1984) [#13]
14. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) [#5]
15. The Princess Bride (1987) [#16]
16. Brazil (1985) [#48]
17. House (1977) [#90]
18. Dazed and Confused (1993) [#76]
19. Police Story (1985)
20. Duck Soup (1933) [#8]
21. Army of Darkness (1992)
22. After Hours (1985) [#29]
23. Clerks (1994) [#65]
24. Ghost World (2001)
25. Dolemite (1975)
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