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Dec 18, 2023 · Explore this curated list of the best comedy movies of all time. From timeless classics to modern gems, we've got the ultimate collection of funny films.
- Rosa Escandon
- Blazing Saddles’ The Hollywood Western as on its last legs in 1974 when Mel Brooks decided to create this spoof, which took all the cliches from the genre and totally subverted them.
- Airplane!’ Leslie Nielsen was a dramatic actor before he took on the role of Dr. Rumack in this slapstick film, which forever changed his career and the face of comedy in general.
- Monty Python and the Holy Grail’ British comedy troupe Monty Python were near the peak of their popularity when they decided to shoot a film parodying King Arthur's quest to find the Holy Grail during a break between seasons of their BBC sketch show.
- Animal House’ Long before the title "National Lampoon's" signified a low budget, crap fest of a movie like National Lampoon Presents Dorm Doze or National Lampoon's Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj, it was a mark of impeccable quality.
- The General (1926) Buster Keaton's willingness to very nearly get himself killed over and over again for the sake of public entertainment is well-documented, and Keaton's particular brand of daring comedy never reached greater heights than with The General.
- Duck Soup (1933) The Marx Brothers weren't just a collective powerhouse. When they were at their best, they were four powerhouses operating independently of each other, and when joined together by the end of a film they were an unstoppable comedic force.
- It Happened One Night (1934) You can go as big as you want with your comedy movie, but sometimes the best formula for timeless joy is simply getting two very talented people, putting them together for 90 minutes, and letting them work their magic.
- Modern Times (1936) Though the image of him as The Tramp is indelibly stamped on American pop culture, Charlie Chaplin was much more than the embodiment of that character.
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- The truly great comedies stand the test of time, and sometimes change the genre forever.
- 25. Groundhog Day (1993)
- 24. Mean Girls (2004)
- 23. National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)
- 22. What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
- 21. Bridesmaids (2011)
- 20. Game Night (2018)
- 19. It Happened One Night (1934)
- 18. The General (1926)
- 17. Dumb and Dumber (1994)
By IGN Staff
Updated: Nov 7, 2023 5:03 pm
Posted: Sep 15, 2023 1:00 pm
In the mood for some yuck-yucks? Or perhaps a gaggle of giggles? Look no further because we've compiled the 25 best comedy movies ever made!
Given that this genre of cinema has been around practically since the birth of moving pictures, this was a particularly challenging list to wrangle. Many IGN editors cast their votes for this one, with the idea also that this would be a balanced showcase. Is there a world where this list could have had five Mel Brooks films on it? Of course? Multiple Will Ferrells? Absolutely. More than one Mike Myers movie? You're damn right. But in order to spread the love, we aimed to select the absolute best from some of these comedy legends while also pulling from as many decades as we could.
What you'll find here are comedies that have stood the test of time, ones we can safely call "the best comedies of all time." Also, some of these movies are so danged important we can forgive their dated qualities, while others are relatively new but seem destined to go down as among the most hilarious motion pictures ever made.
Where to Watch: Netflix
Bill Murray is a mean-spirited and almost completely unlikable weatherman who’s forced to live out the same day of his life - Groundhog Day - over and over again with no end in sight. The genius of Harold Ramis’ film is how ingeniously well-developed that concept is. What could have been a repetitious gag becomes an endless series of brilliant jokes, from heists to therapy sessions to felonious groundhog-napping. Nobody gets annoyed like Bill Murray, but nobody sees the error of his ways quite like him either. Groundhog Day is one of the cleverest movies ever produced, and one of the funniest too.
Where to Watch: Netflix, Paramount+
Mean Girls, written by Tina Fey, is a hilarious cultural touchstone, taking cues from past high school comedies while also spinning the cliches off in new, bold directions. Starring Lindsay Lohan as an international transfer student who immediately discovers how ill-prepared she is for the cutthroat teenage social hierarchy of the American education system, Mean Girls is a delightful, quotable revenge film that inspired a whole new generation of moviegoers, a Broadway musical, and (not using) the word "Fetch." Also starring Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, Amanda Seyfried, and Fey herself.
Where to Watch: rentable on most platforms
Chevy Chase stars as a suburban dad trying to chase down an old-fashioned American Dream: the wholesome cross-country road trip. Unfortunately, modern America has other plans, and each stop along the way sends Chase and his family further into hilarious madness. Some of the gags have aged poorly - including a nasty incident with a dog and some unfortunate racial stereotyping - but the film’s overall impression, of a dream gradually dying, is one of the darkest, funniest gags in movie history. (The third film in the series, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, recaptures that sensation wonderfully too.)
Where to Watch: rentable on most platforms
It’s hard to find the right balance between horror and comedy, and Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi’s ebullient What We Do in the Shadows doesn’t really bother. It’s an endlessly witty comedy about vampire roommates, all of them from different centuries, trying to adapt to the 21st century. Half fish-out-of-water jokes, half ghoulish murder humor, and always utterly charming, it transforms monsters into everyday Joes, and makes us love them. Even when their teeth are in necks. (And the werewolves are hilarious too.)
Where to Watch: Netflix, Peacock
Paul Feig’s comedy smash Bridesmaids stars Kristen Wiig as a working class woman whose best friend is getting married, and who has to nearly destroy herself just to keep up with the expensive wedding festivities. Bridesmaids made the statement that women can headline blockbuster comedies too, and be just as crass as their male counterparts (there’s a heck of a lot of poop, that’s for sure). But this isn’t just a broad comedy; it’s a real motion picture about social and economic distress, with an Oscar-nominated performance from Melissa McCarthy that will always be great.
Where to Watch: Hulu
Game Night officially marks Rachel McAdams' second film on this list as she and Jason Bateman toplined this awesome laugh-fest from the previous decade. Directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (who also did the sidesplitting Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Amongst Thieves), Game Night follows Bateman and McAdams' ultra-competitive couple and their friends during a get-together gone horribly wrong, after their scheduled game night unravels into real-life mystery when one of them is kidnapped. Sharon Horgan, Lamorne Morris, Jesse Plemons, Michael C. Hall, and Kyle Chandler also star in this sharp, dark instant classic.
Where to Watch: n/a
There were comedy romances before this film, but It Happened One Night pretty much invented the “romantic comedy.” Clark Gable stars as a reporter following runaway socialite Claudette Colbert on a cross-country journey, and they spend the whole film sniping before they realize - almost too late - that they’re in love. It seems formulaic now but this film invented that formula, and it’s still just as lively and funny and romantic as it’s ever been. It Happened One Night earned the top five Academy Awards, for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay, and Gable’s gangster impersonation was a direct influence on the creation of Bugs Bunny!
Where to Watch: The Roku Channel (w/ ads), Freevee (w/ ads), Tubi (w/ ads)
Buster Keaton is a train conductor who tries to enlist for the Civil War, but then gets rejected because his job is too important and gets labeled a coward. But when the woman he loves is kidnapped he hops in his engine, “The General,” and the most epic chase in movie history begins. Keaton was renowned for unbelievable gags and he literally defies death multiple times over the course of this complex and hilarious motion picture, which is full of stunts you won’t believe were real (even though every single one of them is).
Where to Watch: Max
Honestly, it's all there in the title. Two of the stupidest dudes on Earth - played by Jim Carrey and (in a surprising turn) Jeff Daniels - hit the road in an attempt to return a briefcase to a beautiful woman (Lauren Holly) one of them hopes to ask out on a date. That's it. And that's enough, truly. Lloyd and Harry's riotous idiocy carries this '90s gem across the finish line. Dumb and Dumber was a huge hit, helped cement “in his heyday” Carrey’s legacy even more, and put the Farrelly brothers on the map as new usurpers to the throne of comedy. Poop, boogers, dead birds, more poop, the most annoying sound in the world... the movie's got it all.
- 3 min
- 10
- Superbad (2007) Superbad (3/8) Movie CLIP – McLovin Buys Booze (2007) HD. Moving into the most recent set of big-screen comedians, we’d be remiss not to include Seth Rogan somewhere on this list.
- Borat (2006) Borat – Throw the Jew Down the Well!! Officially titled “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” Sacha Baron Cohen’s brilliantly offensive depiction of a foreigner exploring American society is the most side-splitting mockumentary ever (honorable mention to 2000’s Best in Show).
- Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) ANCHORMAN COMPLETE FIGHT SCENE. “I’m Ron Burgundy?” His 2004 portrayal of a cluelessly misogynistic 1970s newscaster is the highlight of Will Ferrell’s comedic career – and that’s saying a lot.
- South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999) By far, the funniest animated movie ever is Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s adaptation of their envelope-pushing cartoon series, South Park.
1. National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) R | 109 min | Comedy. 7.4. Rate. 79 Metascore. At a 1962 college, Dean Vernon Wormer is determined to expel the entire Delta Tau Chi Fraternity, but those troublemakers have other plans for him. Director: John Landis | Stars: John Belushi, Karen Allen, Tom Hulce, Stephen Furst. Votes: 129,389. 2.
May 27, 2023 · Take a deep dive into the history of cinema with these top 10 comedy movies that have stood the test of time. 10 'Airplane!' (1980) Image via Paramount Pictures. Leslie ("Don't call me Shirley")...
