As you can see, 1980 and 1994 were very good years for comedy movies. The following is a list of the top 10 comedy movies of all time:
- Airplane – 1980 – Paramount
- Animal House – 1978 – Universal Studios
- Borat – 2006 – 20th Century Fox
- Caddyshack – 1980 – Warner Home Video
- Clerks – 1994 – Miramax
- Dumb and Dumber – 1994 – Warner Bros.
- Groundhog Day – 1993 – Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
- Monty Python and the Holy Grail – 1975 – Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
- The Big Lebowski – 1998 – Universal Studios
- The Hangover – 2009 – Warner Home Video
1. Airplane – One of the most common subjects among comedians is the airport, airplanes, and the flying experience. It was only a matter of time before someone like Jim Abrahams and David Zucker made a film about it, which encapsulates the absurd with the asinine into one of the most quoted, talked about and discussed comedies of the twentieth century. Starring Leslie Nielsen, IMDB describes it as, “An airplane crew takes ill. Surely the only person capable of landing the plane is an ex-pilot afraid to fly. But don’t call him Shirley.”
2. Animal House – A classic fraternity movie set at a 1962 college, where the dean, Dean Vernon Wormer, is determined to expel the entire Delta Tau Chi Fraternity, but those troublemakers (characters played by John Belushi, Karen Allen and Tom Hulce) have other plans for him (and his wife). Rochelle O’Gorman describes it as, “One of those movies that works for all the wrong reasons–disgusting, lowbrow, base humor that we are all far too sophisticated to find amusing.”
3. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan – Starring Sacha Baron Cohen, IMDB writes, “Kazakh TV talking head Borat is dispatched to the United States to report on the greatest country in the world. With a documentary crew in tow, Borat becomes more interested in locating and marrying Pamela Anderson.”
Donald Liebenson writes, “A supermarket visit offers the most maddening fromage-inspired looniness since Monty Python’s “Cheese Shop” sketch. Also good for a few chuckles are a faux soundtrack commercial and a Baywatch parody (“Sexydangerwatch”).”
4. Caddyshack – Featuring Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, and Bill Murray, how could this film go wrong? It doesn’t. It’s a legend in it’s own time. While the plot revolves loosely around an exclusive golf course that has to deal with a brash new member, it’s sub-plot about a destructive, dancing gopher and it’s groundskeeper (played by Bill Murray) are what make the show hilarious.
5. Clerks – Kevin Smith’s masterpiece and first big hit, Clerks is a day in the lives of two convenience clerks named Dante and Randal as they annoy customers, discuss movies, and play hockey on the store roof.
6. Dumb and Dumber – Join Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, and Lauren Holly as their cross-country adventures show how just when you thought two good-hearted but incredibly stupid friends couldn’t be more stupid, they totally redeem themselves. Jeff Shannon writes, “This lowbrow laugh-a-thon scores some solid hits for hilarity, but with gags involving ill-fated parakeets, buxom bimbos, and an overdose of laxatives, be prepared to put your brain–and good taste–on hold.”
7. Groundhog Day – IMDB describes Groundhog Day as, “A weatherman finds himself living the same day over and over again.”, but Amazon’s description is far more accurate, “Bill Murray is at his wry, wisecracking best in this riotous romantic comedy about a weatherman caught in a personal time warp on the worst day of his life…Phil [played by Bill Murray] wakes the next morning to find it’s Groundhog Day all over again…and again…and again. Groundhog Day was cheered by critics as Bill Murray’s best movie ever.” It definitely was one of his best.
8. Monty Python and the Holy Grail – Graham Chapman, John Cleese, and Eric Idle star as King Arthur and his knights as they embark on a low-budget search for the Holy Grail, encountering many very silly obstacles. Could this be the funniest movie ever made? By any rational measure of comedy, this medieval romp from the Monty Python troupe certainly belongs on the short list of candidates. According to Leonard Maltin’s Movie & Video Guide, it’s “Recommended for fans only,” but we say hogwash to that–you could be a complete newcomer to the Python phenomenon and still find this send-up of the Arthurian legend to be wet-your-pants hilarious. It’s basically a series of sketches woven together as King Arthur’s quest for the Holy Grail, with Graham Chapman as the King, Terry Gilliam as his simpleton sidekick Patsy, and the rest of the Python gang filling out a variety of outrageous roles.
9. The Big Lebowski – Jeff Bridges, John Goodman and Julianne Moore “Dude” Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire Lebowski, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it. Jeff Shannon writes, “The Big Lebowski is every bit a Coen movie, and its lazy plot is part of its laidback charm. After all, how many movies can claim as their hero a pot-bellied, pot-smoking loser named Jeff “The Dude” Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) who spends most of his time bowling and getting stoned? And where else could you find a hairnetted Latino bowler named Jesus (John Turturro) who sports dazzling purple footgear, or an erotic artist (Julianne Moore) whose creativity consists of covering her naked body in paint, flying through the air in a leather harness, and splatting herself against a giant canvas? Who else but the Coens would think of showing you a camera view from inside the holes of a bowling ball, or an elaborate Busby Berkely-styled musical dream sequence involving a Viking goddess and giant bowling pins? The plot…is almost beside the point. What counts here is a steady cascade of hilarious dialogue, great work from Coen regulars John Goodman and Steve Buscemi, and the kind of cinematic ingenuity that puts the Coens in a class all their own.”
10. The Hangover – Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, and Justin Bartha star in this Las Vegas-set comedy centered around three groomsmen who lose their about-to-be-wed buddy during their drunken misadventures, then must retrace their steps in order to find him. A.T. Hurley writes, “Director Todd Phillips brings back his deft handling of the actors and the dude humor that worked so well in Old School, as well as the unctuous Dan Finnerty, memorable as a lounge/wedding singer in both films. But it’s the nonstop volley of jokes–most cheerily politically incorrect–that grabs the audience and thrashes it around the hotel room. Just watch out for the tiger in the bathroom.”
