The Movie Forums Top 100 Comedies Countdown

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I like Groundhog Day well enough, it's a fun watch. It would have possibly been in consideration for my ballot had I made one. A little surprised to see it this high but that's not by any means a complaint.





Groundhog Day was #25 on the MoFo Top 100 of the 1990s as well as #34 on the AFI's 100 Years, 100 Laughs.
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Groundhog Day is a lot of fun. I like it a lot, but it's not a comedy I gravitate towards often. Haven't seen it in a while, so I didn't include it, but I knew it would do well here anyway.


Seen: 71/94

My ballot:  
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Huh, so
Airplane!
Holy Grail
Dr Strangelove
Young Frankenstein
Ghostbusters
The General
Lebowski


One of them misses.
And the surprising part is whichever one missed, also missed the 101-120 spots.


The top four I listed seem like the guaranteed locks.


If asked at the beginning of this, I'd guess Ghostbusters, because it doesn't leap to my mind as a comedy.
But by that rationale, The Blues Brothers wouldn't be so high up on the list.


That leaves The General and Lebowski, both of which (neither are favorites of mine) possibly missing because of split votes, but Lebowski seems unlikely given the placement of the other Coen movies (except Fargo which seemed low, but what do I know of demographics?), which in my mind keeps pointing to The General, which I could see as placing as equally high above Sherlock Jr on a list as below, but missing the 101-120 range just seems really surprising.



That elusive hide-and-seek cow is at it again
Wow.
I thought this one would make my list and was originally on there, but on a revisit I found the character too grabby grabby with MacDowell's character. Yeah, I get that he's on an arc and comes out, in the end, better for it, but it was enough of a distraction to pull me out a few times. I would have expected this to land in the 40s area, maybe. But at 7? It's always great to see Chris Elliott, though I would have preferred Cabin Boy in this spot instead Oh well. That one still has six more chances, eh?
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Oh, Groundhog Day - a movie I nearly placed on my ballot (and actually had to check during the countdown to realize I hadn't), but then realized, that was more me being influenced by other people over the years saying it was one of the great comedies than rather my actual opinion of it. It's often cited as the nexus where Murray was still clearly doing Murray type of comedies but introducing a pathos that would characterize his later career.


And it's good! I rewatched it in the last few years (pairing with Palm Springs when it came out) and the comedy mostly holds up. I'd feel weird if it didn't show up on a top 100 list (though it feels a little high, but compared to other surprises on this list, that seems small). But it didn't exactly capture what I think of as my sense of humor, which I wanted my ballot to reflect, or stand out enough for its comedy the way Duck Soup did. So, ultimately it was cut to make room for other movies.



Groundhog Day is #11 on my list. I think about the movie almost every day. There are so many scenes in it that are applicable to everyday life and almost all of them ring true that it works as a sort of guide to life when you think about it. Where to begin: there's the dangers of relying on a system, if you will, to make people like you like Phil does with Nancy Taylor and when he memorizes Rita's likes and dislikes, there's the value of doing good things for people without expecting anything in return from Phil trying to save the homeless man's life or simply lighting someone's cigarette, there's the value of giving annoying people a chance instead of outright dismissing them in Phil's treatment of Ned Ryerson, etc. I even used the scene where Phil tries to recreate the magic of building a snowman with Rita and totally fails to demonstrate why so many remakes and reboots fail. I also admire the movie's optimism that it's never too late to learn something new like when Phil takes piano lessons.

With that said, I'd like to bounce a crazy theory off of fellow fans of the movie: do you think the bartender, i.e., the one who serves the sweet vermouths on the rocks, is God? In other words, is he responsible for Phil's transformation? There's something about his knowing looks that made me wonder if he's tracking Phil's progress. He gives off the same vibes as Clarence in It's a Wonderful Life, in other words. Who knows...maybe I'm the one who's crazy.



Rewatched Groundhog Day for the list because it had been so long and I knew it would be high. A fine movie that is in no danger of being among the most funny for me.
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I don't think I saw anyone predicting Groundhog Day.
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I forgot the opening line.
Groundhog Day was #14 on my list, and I didn't expect it to place so highly, but I'm overjoyed that it has. It's introduced a phrase to the lexicon of the English language - perhaps forever - and ended up a classic comedy that certain people hold dear to them. I'm one of those people, having seen it in the cinema when it was released and many many times since - Bill Murray is perfect (I quite honestly could not imagine anyone else playing that part - it seems simply impossible) and so is the screenplay. This is the film Rick starts dragging Morty to see while they're in the middle of a time consuming conundrum that's eating away at the fabric of their reality, simply because Rick can't believe Morty hasn't seen it - and understands that it's essential viewing. I agree with Rick - Groundhog Day is essential viewing for every person on the planet, and gives us all pause for thought each day - "What if today were my Groundhog day?"

I haven't seen many Marx Bros comedies, but I'm aiming on rectifying that - and I'm pretty sure what I have seen (many years ago) didn't include Duck Soup - so I reserve my judgement on that.

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Films I've seen : 75½
Films that have been on my radar : 16½
Films I've never even heard of : 2

Films from my list : 15

#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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Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.
Groundhog Day is fun and funny up to a point. Bill Murray is such an ass I almost wanted him to never get out of Groundhog Day. I guess that's the point though. Never considered it.


I love just about everything in American Graffiti, my #9. Yes, you could say it seems "mainstream" but this was pretty much as experimental as THX 1138. It featured a no-name cast (except for grown-up Ronny Howard) and was shot almost entirely outside and at night. There are very few instances of "Day for Night" shooting, most noteworthy being the "Goat Killer Murderer" scene. This is the direct opposite of THX which was mostly shot indoors but in extreme bright light. The soundtrack is probably my fave use of songs to comment on what's happening at the time in the story of any film, and the writing and acting are really quite exemplary. There are just too many classic scenes to mention, but I'll just name the Liquor Store, Letting the Air out of the Tires and using Shaving Cream, The Cop Car and, of course, the Drag Race. It's true that Terry the Toad (um... Tiger) probably wouldn't have scored with Debbie if he was riding around on his Vespa instead of in Steve's super-fine machine, and if any film signified the phrase "car culture", it would have to be American Graffiti, especially "in an everyday urban/suburban setting".









When I feel like watching something which enables me to just sit back with what amounts to about two dozen old friends and admire film in an almost pure form, this is always one of my Go-To films. From the opening titles, it's clear that Lucas is in complete control of the camera and sound, and in fact, it's partly the way he actually lights and shoots (with plenty of expert help) the film (95% of which takes place at night) which turns something which can be seen as a silly high school comedy into something much more meaningful. However, with that rock solid script, a collection of great performances and one of the greatest uses of pop songs in motion picture history (each song seems to comment on the exact actions of the characters at the time), it would be difficult to confuse American Graffiti with something like Porky's. There are so many memorable episodes and incidents, and they all flow so smoothly, that anyone who has never watched this yet or didn't get it the first time should take another look ASAP. Be sure to watch the Special Features where Lucas discusses that nobody wanted to film the original script, the original cut was over three hours and that if he didn't get a name attached to the film (Francis Ford Coppola), it would have never been financed and filmed in the first place, even though the budget was only $700,000. Of course, when you're watching this on DVD now, it looks like the budget was closer to $40 million with the state-of-the-art visual updating and ultimate sound recording and effects.

My List

1. Richard Pryor Live in Concert [#113]
5. Back to the Future [#35]
6. The Graduate [#27]
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]
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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I have seen Groundhog Day only once and have to decided to never rewatch it because a) I felt I got everything I could get out of it in one viewing and b) because only ever watching it once is a joke all on its own. Needless to say, I did not vote for it.
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I don't think I saw anyone predicting Groundhog Day.
The bottom half of my guess for the Top Ten wasn't bad...if you subtract Ghostbusters.
1. Airplane!
2. Dr. Strangelove
3. Young Frankenstein
4. The Big Lebowski
5. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
6. Groundhog Day
7. Duck Soup
8. Blazing Saddles
9. Some Like it Hot
10. Ghostbusters (1984)
  1. The Big Lebowski
  2. Dr. Strangelove
  3. Groundhog Day
  4. Duck Soup
  5. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
  6. Young Frankenstein
  7. Blazing Saddles
  8. Airplane!
  9. Ghostbusters
  10. Some Like it Hot
  1. Groundhog Day
  2. The Big Lebowski
  3. Dr. Strangelove
  4. Big
  5. Ghostbusters
  6. Holy Grail
  7. Airplane
  8. Ninotchka
  9. This Is the End
  10. Charade
10. Mystery Film
9. Ghostbusters
8. Duck Soup
7. Blazing Saddles
6. Dr. Strangelove
5. The Big Lebowski
4. Groundhog Day
3. Young Frankenstein
2. Airplane!
1. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
10. Duck Soup
9. Some like it Hot
8. Blazing Saddles
7. Ghostbusters
6. Groundhog Day
5. The Big Lebowski
4. Airplane
3. Young Frankenstein
2. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
1. Dr. Strangelove
1. Dr. Strangelove
2. The Big Lebowski
3. Young Frankenstein
4. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
5. Ghostbusters (2016)
6. Airplane!
7. Groundhog Day
8. Blazing Saddles
9. Duck Soup
10. Some Like it Hot