The Movie Forums Top 100 Comedies Countdown

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There is only about 5 movies that have any right topping a list of best comedies, and Airplane is definitely one of them.


Because of this Naked Gun left me disappointed when I first saw it. Especially considering it had even more Leslie Neilson. But I never thought it lived up to Airplanes genius of paying homage to what it was making fun of to the point it almost felt like a shitty Airport movie. Just gone soft in the head. And weird and mesmerizingly hilarious


But that was dumb. I rewatched Naked Gun last summer and, while I don't think it is nearly as good a movie as Airplane, it is at least half as funny (which is a compliment). And Nielson is a genius. So even with the slightly not great taste the sequels left in my mouth, the original def deserves to be on this list.


Princess Bride is brilliant. It's funny, exciting, heartwarming, imaginative, full of great cameos and is great meta commentary on the art of storytelling. You people who don't like it are mental.



*Dr Strangelove
*Hot Fuzz
*Shaun of the Dead
*Young Frankenstein
*Airplane
Ghostbusters
*The Big Lebowski
*Groundhog Day
*City Lights
*Monty Python and the Holy Grail
The Royal Tenenbaums
This is Spinal Tap
The General
Breakfast Club
Duck Soup
Some like it Hot
Blazing Saddles

3 of these are a miss, which if I had to project will be The General, Some like it Hot, and Duck Soup. Crazy.
I don't know about The Royal Tenenbaums, but I believe the rest make it.



I tried to rewatch Raising Arizona before the Countdown, but I wasn't really into it so I turned it off. Bringing Up Baby, Life of Brian, and Office Space are all films I enjoyed, but neither were in contention for my list. I don't remember enough about Caddyshack or Naked Gun to have an opinion on them.

The Princess Bride is a film I avoided during my childhood and teen years because I thought it would be some boring rom-com. I was nearly 30 when I finally saw it, after hearing from multiple co-workers that it was actually really good. It was charming, funny (even the lines I had heard a million times before from friends and through pop-culture), and I absolutely loved it. Not long after it was playing at the local theatre during a film festival, so I saw it again with my room mates, and then I also bought the BluRay. A large version of its film poster is hanging in the living room, and I even bought a deluxe edition of the novel. I can't believe I spent most of my life intentionally ignoring the film. It was #2 on my list.

Seen: 54/86

My List: 9
02. The Princess Bride (1987) - #16
04. Evil Dead II (1987) - #93
06. Brazil (1985) - #47
07. The Great Dictator (1940) - #50
11. His Girl Friday (1940) - #25
14. Clerks (1994) - #64
17. What We Do in the Shadows (2014) - #30
21. Tropic Thunder (2008) - #58
22. Arsenic & Old Lace (1944) - #27





The Princess Bride is a film I avoided during my childhood and teen years because I thought it would be some boring rom-com.


This statement seems appropriate for the conceit of the movie.



aggressively silly
pure comedy
single-minded in its pursuit of hilarity
great comedy
Quoted some spot on words from yoda's very on point post about The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! my #3. Great to see it made this many ballots. Could've made top ten even if chypmunk sent a ballot. Faith in MoFo's comedic taste restored. Nice to see The Princess Bride this high as well, it's already a classic imo, the 80's just rule. No vote because it's already on my top 'Adventure' list. Makes me wonder if Raiders could be the next 'shocker' to pop up on the list.

Seen 60/86
Ballot







EDIT: I somehow got the two old men from Trading Places confused with each other. Fixed now.

Wow, I'm behind!

I think I can divide these into three categories:

Haven’t Seen: The Apartment, After Hours, The Graduate, Annie Hall

Seen, but Didn’t Make the List:

Planes, Trains and Automobiles has some good funny moments. For example, the exasperation at the car place in the airport. I didn’t care for the “Those aren’t pillows” scene, though.

Raising Arizona definitely has some funny moments as well. The whole “They got too many babies and we need one” concept still works. An early sign that the Coen Brothers were ones to watch and that Nicolas Cage was gonna make it as an actor.

The Blues Brothers was a late cut for me. More hilarity whether it’s the world’s strictest nun or where a mall in Chicago becomes the graveyard for multiple cars. Aykroyd and Belushi play well off of each other and the big cast of musicians make wonderful music together.

The Life of Brian was a bit uneven for me. Some bits worked, some didn’t. The last joke was a howler, though. Made the whole thing worth it.

The Princess Bride was another just missed it entry. Inconceivable. Whether it was watching Carol Kane and Billy Crystal arguing about what a dying man said or watching a pirate fall down a hill telling a princess something she should remember from their younger days together, there’s plenty of laughs with the heart and drama.

Made the List:

Animal House was my number 22. Bringing the talents of one John Belushi to a wider audience than late night TV on Saturdays. This classic rogue frat versus the stuffy administration comedy is good for a multitude of laughs (food fight!) and lines (they’re on double secret probation).

What We Do in the Shadows was my number 23. This absurdist comedy features a number of memorable lines (we’re werewolves, not swear wolves) and goofy situations as various vampires deal with mundane tasks such as chore lists and tech issues. Enjoyed the scene where the vampires view a sunrise for the first time…safely from their computer screen.

Arsenic and Old Lace was my number 15. Poor Cary Grant. He finally gets married to a lovely woman only to learn that his aunts have a thing for elderberry wine, his uncle thinks he’s Teddy Roosevelt and his brother might be a killer! Frank Capra keeps things going in high gear. It never gets old watching “Teddy” shout charge as he runs up the stairs at high speed.

His Girl Friday is my number one! It’s Cary Grant again, this time trying to win back Rosalind Russell from a bland insurance salesman (Ralph Bellamy). But she’s not interested in him; she’s more intrigued by the story of an escaped prisoner trying to prove his innocence. Plenty of one liners done in a rapid fire fashion. This battle of the sexes is a comedy that holds up very well today as Russell proves to be more than his equal.

Caddyshack was my number 14. When you think of sports comedies, this has to be up there towards the top. Everybody is doing their job. Rodney Dangerfield is throwing the one liners, Ted Knight is being the pompous jerk/snob, Bill Murray is doing the physical comedy declaring war on a gopher (while trying to win the Masters!), and the young-ones are just there, more or less appealing to the younger demographic. Its highs are pretty high (even though some bits wouldn’t pass muster today). A good example is one guy having the round of his life while playing in stormy weather.

The Jerk was my number 20. The rags to riches story of Navin Johnson (Steve Martin) and his invention the Opti-Grab makes for a hilarious viewing. It’s uneven at times, but much like Caddyshack, the highs are pretty high. Such as Carl Reiner showing the dangers of the Opti-Grab. Or Navin packing his things to head elsewhere.

Bringing Up Baby was my number 3. Another screwball comedy, this one highlights the comedy sensibilities of Katherine Hepburn. The scene where she’s in prison and confessing to the cops that she’s Swingin’ Door Susie is hilarious. Cary Grant once again, this time playing the straight man to the hilarity around him. The animosity is there, but maybe that’s not the only thing?

Office Space is my number 12. A comedy of the absurdities we face in the working world, whether it’s cruel bosses looking to make us work on the weekends or ones that are focused on the rules and regulations (there’s not enough flair on your uniform). Lessons learned include the key to becoming a manager is not caring and don’t mess with the quiet man’s stapler.

The Naked Gun was my number 13. A failed series in the early 1980s becomes a successful comedy series in the late 1980s and early 1990s as the absurd verbal and physical humor works better on the big screen. Some hilarious moments throughout.

My List:

1. His Girl Friday
3. Bringing Up Baby

9. Clue
11. Anchorman
12. Office Space
13. The Naked Gun
14. Caddyshack
15. Arsenic and Old Lace

16. A Fish Called Wanda
20. The Jerk
22. National Lampoon's Animal House
23. What We Do in the Shadows

24. It Happened One Night

HM: Trading Places, Happy Gilmore, Clueless, Mean Girls



*Dr Strangelove
*Hot Fuzz
*Shaun of the Dead
*Young Frankenstein
*Airplane
Ghostbusters
*The Big Lebowski
*Groundhog Day
*City Lights
*Monty Python and the Holy Grail
The Royal Tenenbaums
This is Spinal Tap
The General
Breakfast Club
Duck Soup
Some like it Hot
Blazing Saddles

3 of these are a miss, which if I had to project will be The General, Some like it Hot, and Duck Soup. Crazy.
I kind of lean towards Breakfast Club, The Royal Tenenbaums and City Lights being the ones to miss.

I think The General and The Big Lebowski are 50/50. To make room for another surprise, perhaps two. I can see some supporters for both, but I can also see them fall in under the just missed category as well.

I'd be surprised if the others missed the list.



Raven73's Avatar
Boldly going.
Oh yeah, I'd say it's actually more of a comedy than any other one genre, though it really does manage to run the gamut of emotions. It does basically all the things movies can do, which is one of a dozen reasons I adore it.
Nah, it's more of a fantasy adventure.
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I finally watched Life of Brian last night, and I'm glad I did.

While at first it was similarly hit & miss as Holy Grail was , it quickly picked up and became funnier & funnier as it goes. I was gaggling by the final crucifixion sequence, and had a constant smile on my face. Reminiscent to the humor of successors like History of the World & The League of Gentleman (series). Life of Brian has plenty to offer in the 1 liner, satirical commentary, and gag departments. Did some jokes stretch a bit long? Sure. But I don't know how you can watch this & not have a grin on your face.

+

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I kind of lean towards Breakfast Club, The Royal Tenenbaums and City Lights being the ones to miss.

I think The General and The Big Lebowski are 50/50. To make room for another surprise, perhaps two. I can see some supporters for both, but I can also see them fall in under the just missed category as well.

I'd be surprised if the others missed the list.

The General, The Big Lebowski, and City Lights for sure are 100% guaranteed to make it.
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The General, The Big Lebowski, and City Lights for sure are 100% guaranteed to make it.

I don't think anything is 100% guaranteed at this point, but while I can imagine someone putting Modern Times on their ballot but not City Lights, I'd be a little surprised if there were any or many ballots that put on The Kid, but not City Lights (saying this sight-unseen on The Kid).



I don't think anything is 100% guaranteed at this point, but while I can imagine someone putting Modern Times on their ballot but not City Lights, I'd be a little surprised if there were any or many ballots that put on The Kid, but not City Lights (saying this sight-unseen on The Kid).
That is assuming that every voter has seen them all. I didn't vote for any Chaplin, but if I had, I would've voted for The Kid or The Gold Rush, but not City Lights (because I haven't seen it )
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Nah, it's more of a fantasy adventure.
I mean, it's a lot of things, and it's not a majority any one thing, so we're ultimately arguing about whether it's 35% comedy and 30% adventure or the other way around.

Obviously these questions aren't objectively answerable, but my rationale is that the comedy is the clearest and largest part of the story. The novel it's based on was, after all, essentially satire; the blurb on the book was “What happens when the most beautiful princess in the world marries the most handsome prince in the world — and he turns out to be a son-of-a-bitch?”



Victim of The Night
I still think 9 of my top 10 are pretty safe (with 3 already in the bag).
A little sad to see one of my favorite comedies of all time, apparently my No.1 Romantic Comedy per my ballot, not make the list, but it doesn't have a shot at this point.
But I would be utterly shocked if the other 6 don't show up in these remaining slots. That would give me 15 on the list, way below what I expected but, as we've all discussed, it's been an interesting list. But I think I still have another 5-6 significantly in play, so that would give me 20-21.
I think there's an outside chance, though it's looking less and less likely, that I could land 23 just because there's one or two movies that, while it would be a small shock to see them this high, it's also hard for me to believe they won't make a top 100. Particularly when Adam Sandler did.



That is assuming that every voter has seen them all. I didn't vote for any Chaplin, but if I had, I would've voted for The Kid or The Gold Rush, but not City Lights (because I haven't seen it )

I think my brain did that logic, but in reverse. i.e. The Kid seems like the deeper cut. For me, it feels like whenever a local repertory theater shoes a Chaplin film, it frequently feels like it's City Lights.



rbrayer's Avatar
Registered User
Catch up time!= re 23-16.

All movies I have seen. Three were on my list. First the non-listers.

Bringing Up Baby was one of my last cuts. Already having His Girl Friday on the list led me to cut it, even though it's actually funnier(!)

The Blues Brothers is fine. I never had strong feelings about it. A little surprised it's this high, honestly.

Life of Brian is a quality film, but I only had room for one Monty Python film on my list...

That leaves 2 classics - The Naked Gun - which I strongly considered, as it definitely checked the funny box, and my wife's favorite movie The Princess Bride, definitely a terrific film that I should probably have considered more. Oh well.


Annie Hall (1977) - my #22. It was tempting to keep off given everything but it's a stone cold classic and is legitimately hilarious. It has to be on this list.

Raising Arizona (1987) - my #17. Such a great film that is often overlooked/forgotten. I rewatched recently and it holds up great - it's still hilarious. Well deserved spot.

Office Space (1999) - my #8. I'll never forget how awful the trailer for this looked. Months later in Blockbuster I noticed it was written by Mike Judge. "Hmm," I thought, "the writer's awfully important to comedy and I trust Judge..." Little could I begin to imagine. Insanely funny. Too low at #18.

Seen 82-84.

My list so far:

1. The In-Laws (1979)
2. Step Brothers (2008)
3.
4. The Jerk (1979)
5.
6.
7.
8. Office Space (1999)
9.
10.
11.
12. Best in Show (2000)
13.
14.
15. Superbad (2007)
16.
17. Raising Arizona (1987)
18. His Girl Friday (1940)
19. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
20. The Lady Eve (1941)
21. The Apartment (1960)
22. Annie Hall (1977)
23.
24.
25. It Happened One Night (1934)