funny movie review titles

50 of the funniest, most searing movie reviews ever written

• Movie reviewers have had some pretty scathing takes on films throughout the years. 
• One reviewer referred to a film as like "Grease: The Next Generation" acted out by the food-court staff at SeaWorld.
• Another riffed "Some movies leave a bad taste in the mouth. This one causes full-on halitosis."

For many viewers, a movie can simply exist as something to fill a void of upwards of 90 minutes. Film critics, who spend their lives scribbling notes in dark theaters, ask for a little more.

" I have a colleague who describes his job as 'covering the national dream beat,' because if you pay attention to the movies they will tell you what people desire and fear in their deepest secrets," the late Roger Ebert wrote in 1992 . "At least, the good ones will. That's why we go, hoping to be touched in those secret places. Movies are hardly ever about what they seem to be about. Look at a movie that a lot of people love, and you will find something profound, no matter how silly the film may seem."

Sometimes the best thing to come out of a movie is a blistering review. INSIDER rounded up 50 of the funniest, most searing movie reviews ever written.

Critics said that heartbreak was preferable to watching "Valentine's Day."

"'Valentine's Day' is being marketed as a Date Movie. I think it's more of a First-Date Movie. If your date likes it, do not date that person again. And if you like it, there may not be a second date." —   Roger Ebert , Chicago Sun-Times.

Critics eviscerated "Twilight," but the movie still made more than $390 million at the box office.

"I've had mosquito bites that were more passionate than this undead, unrequited, and altogether unfun pseudo-romantic riff on 'Romeo and Juliet.'" — Marc Salov , The Austin Chronicle.  

"The Other Woman" wasn't a hit with critics.

"I know what you're thinking ... 'Enough beating around the bush. Just tell us whether you liked it.' Consider this, which I will say in terms this movie would understand, if you were on an airplane, 'The Other Woman'   might not be preferable to simply staring into your empty airsick bag, but it has enough nicely executed physical comedy that in the event you become ill, it is definitely preferable to staring into your occupied airsick bag." — Linda Holmes , NPR.

"The Emoji Movie" has an 8% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

"This is a movie about how words aren't cool, but you can still expect a girl to fall at your feet in response to mild wordplay. Please keep up. Or throw whatever device you’re reading this on into the ocean. Send me a postcard ... tell me what it’s like to be free." — Kaitlyn Tiffany and Lizzie Plaugic , The Verge.

Netflix is making a sequel to "Bright" despite the fact it was totally panned by critics.

"While I had the misfortune to see 'Bright' in a theater, most people will simply press 'play' out of curiosity on their Roku remote. I am willing to concede that this might elevate the experience a little ... the ability to take a quick trip to the kitchen or restroom after shouting 'no, don't pause it' to your partner on the couch will be liberating." — Jordan Hoffman , Vanity Fair.

"Battlefield Earth" was a box-office bust and a critical failure.

"'Battlefield Earth' saves its scariest moment for the end: a virtual guarantee that there will be a sequel." — Desson Howe , The Washington Post.

The basic plot of "Milk Money" perplexed critics.

Roger Ebert imagined what the conversation between studio executives would have looked like when they greenlit the movie:

"Studio Executive A: Kind of like 'Working Girl Turns a Trick?'

"Studio Executive B: Cuter than that. We start with three 12-year-old boys. They're going crazy because they've never seen a naked woman.

"Studio Executive A: Whatsamatter? They poor? Don't they have cable?"

Even fans of the HBO series prefer to pretend "Sex and the City 2" doesn't exist, according to critics.

"When viewed as a rom-com, 'Sex and the City 2' is terrible and crappy and a horrific inversion of everything the show once was. But when viewed as a science fiction film, 'SATC2' is subversive, stylish and chilling. Like The Island from 'Lost,' we may never know The City's true identity — Is it a VR computer program? A malevolent interdimensional god? Satan?" — Cyriaque Lamar , i09.

Making fun of "Gigli" became a national past-time.

"Even making a little game of it, and trying to pinpoint the exact moment when Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez fell in love, stops being fun after a while. Perhaps it's when he says, in an attempt to seduce her, 'I'm the bull, you're the cow.' Or when she beckons him into foreplay by lying back in bed and purring, 'Gobble, gobble' — which could forever change the way you view your Thanksgiving turkey." — Christy Lemire , The Associated Press.

"The Adventures of Pluto Nash" wasn't a hit with critics.

"It's good to know that, if we have to leave Earth someday, we won't have to go without our kitsch. Forensics experts will be digging through the rubble of this fiasco for a long time, trying to reconstruct the accident. How did so many lines fall flat? Why were the action scenes so corny and unconvincing? Who put the stink on this?" — Jack Mathews , New York Daily News.

"Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2" has a 2% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

" At its best/worst, 'Superbabies' hallucinatory idiocy inspires open-mouthed horror at what happens when an ill-conceived premise leads to even more jaw-droppingly misguided execution." — Nathan Rabin , AV Club.

Critics thought "Gotti" was so bad it was almost criminal.

"I'd rather wake up next to a severed horse head than ever watch 'Gotti' again. The worst movie of the year so far, the long-awaited biopic about the Gambino crime boss' rise from made man to top dog took four directors, 44 producers and eight years to make. It shows. The finished product belongs in a cement bucket at the bottom of the river." — Johnny Oleksinski , New York Post.

Critics got personal with their contempt for "Jaws: The Revenge."

"In the just-released 'Jaws: The Revenge' the shark's main course is intended to be Roy Scheider's widow, Ellen Brody, a frumpy middle-aged woman played by boring actress Lorraine Gary, who happens to be married to the president of MCA Universal, which finances the 'Jaws' films and which explains her lead role. Let's put it this way: When you see and hear the nasal Lorraine Gary on screen you want the shark to eat her." — Gene Siskel , Chicago Tribune.

"One Missed Call" didn't warrant anyone's attention, according to critics.

"The kid in front of me spent most of the movie playing Tetris on his phone. I didn't care enough about the movie to ask him to stop, or to find a cooler game." — Wesley Morris , The Boston Globe.

The critical response to "Jack Frost" was icy.

"With emotions as sincere as the soap flake snow on its sets, 'Jack Frost' goes on to show how much fun it is to have a snowman as a loving, though dead, father … As one more Hollywood effort to look on the sunny side of fatality, 'Jack Frost' is so sugarcoated that it makes other recent efforts in this genre look blisteringly honest." — Janet Maslin , The New York Times.

"The Snowman" left critics cold.

"'The Snowman' is like if aliens studied humanity and tried to make their own movie in an attempt to communicate with us. This simulacrum contains all the requisite pieces of a movie, but humanity got lost in translation." — Barbara VanDenburgh , The Arizona Republic.

Critics saw "Batman & Robin" as more of a cash-grab than a movie.

" The people who made this movie — which, as always, is set up for a sequel — will be laughing all the way to the bank. But isn't there someone in that bank who can lock them all inside a safety-deposit vault and throw away the key?" — Peter Rainer , The Phoenix New Times.

"Cool World" was almost universally hated by critics.

"The plot of Michael Grais' and Mark Victor's screenplay is even more nonsensical than it needs to be, revolving around frequent unmotivated trips between parallel cartoon and live-action universes, and around the question of whether cartoon women will have sex with human men." — Janet Maslin , The New York Times.

"Titanic" won 11 Academy Awards, but critics thought it took its sweet time getting to the point.

"'Titanic' is a good, often stunning movie caught in a three-and-a-half hour drift. As we marvel at the physical spectacle of the Titanic's last few hours, we're left staggeringly untouched by the people facing their last moments. This movie should have blown us out of the water. Instead, we catch ourselves occasionally thinking the unpardonable thought: 'OK, sink already.'" — Desson Howe , The Washington Post.

"Howard The Duck" was a one-note movie that prompted critics to question for whom exactly the movie was made.

"The story has no center; the duck is not likable, and the costly, overwrought, laser-filled special effects that conclude the movie are less impressive than a sparkler on a birthday cake. George 'Star Wars' Lucas supervised the production of this film, and maybe it's time he went back to making low-budget films like his best picture, 'American Graffiti.'" — Gene Siskel , The Chicago Tribune.

"Catwoman" is considered by critics to be one of the worst superhero movies ever made.

"The film could have turned out worse, but only via the addition of a Tom Green cameo, or an accident in which the actors caught on fire." — Keith Phipps , The AV Club

Critics thought "Mac and Me" was a discount version of "ET: The Extraterrestrial."

"'Mac and Me,' which opened yesterday at the Guild and other theaters, has a final police shootout and a fiery explosion in which Eric is the victim. When a doctor announced that Eric was gone, a small boy behind me said, 'He ain't dead,' with all the calm assurance of an experienced moviegoer who knows perfectly well that if E.T. came back, so would Eric. Cloning is a dangerous thing." — Caryn James , The New York Times.

Only a sucker would bother watching "Sucker Punch" after reading reviews.

"In the end, though the metaphor of mental institution as battleground is an interesting one to explore, that is not the analysis at the heart of this movie. Nope, 'Sucker Punch' is a two-hour $82 million fetish film examining how hot sad schoolgirls look when holding weapons. Snyder should have just made a porn movie — it might have been better, and it definitely would have been cheaper and more honest." — Dodai Stewart , Jezebel.

"Movie 43" prompted devastating reviews.

"It's as if 'Movie 43' was itself a feature-length f--- you to Hollywood, a movie made simply to show how bad a movie a studio could be induced to make and actors could be persuaded to act in." — Richard Brody , The New Yorker.

The best thing critics could say about "Fifty Shades Freed" was that the trilogy was finally over.

"Universal has had some fun with its marketing campaign, using the tag-line, 'Don't miss the climax.' It's a shame, though, that the posters exhibit considerably more ingenuity than the film itself." — Brian Lowery , CNN.

"A Christmas Prince" falls squarely in the category of "so bad it's good."

"It's a Netflix original movie, but it feels like a violation of nature that it somehow isn't from Lifetime or the Hallmark Channel. Nathan Atkins is credited with the screenplay, but this film is such a perfect amalgam of established tropes that I am not entirely convinced that isn't a pseudonym to keep us from discovering that Netflix has created the artificial-intelligence technology to generate a script using auto-complete." — Dana Schwartz , Entertainment Weekly.

"A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding" seemed to revel in shoddiness.

"It plays like a piece of Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan fan fiction, written by a child who actually doesn't know who they are but has watched the 'Princess Diaries' films." — Carly Mallenbaum , USA Today.

Critics thought "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" was far too depressing for a superhero movie.

"An even less charitable way to put it is that a clearly excited 7- or 8-year-old kid sitting in front of me busted out crying and had to be whisked out of the theater by his father within the first five minutes. Perhaps he was unnerved by the harsh, operatic violence of Bruce Wayne's parents getting murdered — the mom's pearls get tangled around the gun, somehow, which allows for some very tight and poignant slow motion — or maybe he was offended by the notion that a 2016 Batman movie felt it necessary to depict Bruce Wayne's parents getting murdered. Either way, this kid bounced." — Rob Harvilla , Deadspin.

Critics thought "Transformers: The Last Knight" was simply too incoherent to describe.

"I'll admit, I've been dreading the thought of trying to at all explain the plot of this movie — even in broad, simple terms. I honestly had anxiety dreams last night about this moment. It's like staring at a projected kaleidoscope for two and a half hours and then trying to tell someone about the plot." — Mike Ryan , Uproxx.

Many thought "The Brown Bunny" was tedious and only remembered for its inclusion of one explicit scene.

"It's not really a movie. I suppose it's what could be called a recorded behavior. It simply reproduces, with some crude fidelity, the hapless anguish of a grieving man as he copes with his loss. It has no characters, it has no conflict, it has nothing that could be called a plot. It offers no reason to watch it — that is, no reason within the picture." — Stephen Hunter , The Washington Post.

Critics were thoroughly disgusted by "The Human Centipede," but they were also bored by it.

"This is one of those movies where victims repeatedly have opportunities to escape but choose not to, guaranteeing still more grotesque degradation, full of gore, torture, and sexual humiliation — and contains not an iota of wit or intelligence to justify any of it." — Michael Ordoña , The Los Angeles Times.

"Avatar" is still the highest grossing movie of all time, but not everyone was a fan.

"' Avatar' isn't about actors or characters or even about story; it's about special effects, which is fine as far as it goes. But for a movie that stresses how important it is for us to stay connected with nature, to keep our ponytails plugged into the life force, 'Avatar' is peculiarly bloodless. It's a remote-control movie experience, a high-tech 'wish you were here' scribbled on a very expensive postcard. You don't have to be fully present to experience 'Avatar'; all you have to do is show up." — Stephanie Zacharek , Salon.

Critics thought "I Know Who Killed Me" was embarrassing for everyone involved.

"Pretentious and inane, 'I Know Who Killed Me' arouses unexpected sympathy for its embattled star. 'Should we populate the movie with competent, strong performances, or were we looking for stars?' asks the producer, Frank Mancuso Jr., in the film's production notes. Out of the mouths of producers." — Jeannette Catsoulis , The New York Times.

Critics thought there was nothing redeeming about "Sorority Boys."

"I'm curious about who would go to see this movie. Obviously moviegoers with a low opinion of their own taste. It's so obviously what it is that you would require a positive desire to throw away money in order to lose two hours of your life. 'Sorority Boys' will be the worst movie playing in any multiplex in America this weekend, and, yes, I realize 'Crossroads' is still out there." — Roger Ebert , The Chicago Sun-Times.

"Forrest Gump" won multiple Academy Awards, but it still prompted some biting reviews.

"With two decades of perspective on 'Forrest Gump's triumph, you get the sense that '90s audiences were relieved to see a film that said it was OK — even honorable — to ignore all the bad stuff about war. So, too, was the Motion Picture Academy, which 12 months after lauding 'Schindler's List'   decided, 'Screw it, let's give the awards to the movie that sells cookbooks.' — Amy Nicholson , LA Weekly.

Critics absolutely hated "Life Itself."

"'Life Itself' thinks you're stupid. Or, if not stupid, unable to understand how a movie should work. It's a movie made for people who can't be trusted to understand any storytelling unless it's not just spoon-fed but ladled on, piled high, and explained via montage and voiceover" — Kate Erbland , IndieWire.

"Ridiculous 6" felt intentionally offensive.

"There's the broad racism and misogyny of the piece. After the controversial walk-offs, Netflix claimed that this was 'satire.' It's not. There's nothing satirical about Sandler's bad Native American accent, which totally comes and goes, by the way, or Schneider's Hispanic caricature. Saying that this is satire is like the drunk guy at the bar telling you how many black friends he has after telling a racist joke. Don't fall for it." — Brian Tallerico , RogerEbert.com.

"The Village" felt like a waste of time to some.

" [M. Night Shyamalan] directs the material as if he'd written it (which he did), and not a single friend dared tell him the truth." — Mick LaSalle , SFGate.

The extreme level of product placement in "Crossroads" was an issue for critics.

"It turns out that 'Crossroads' is not a music video, not yet a movie, but more like an extended-play advertisement for the Product that is Britney." — Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post.

Critics thought "Grown Ups" was a lazy attempt at comedy.

"The movie is symptomatic of a social attitude that might be called the security of incompetence. There's something reassuring about a bad movie that doesn't ask you to think or feel or even pay attention ... we can all be happy D-minus students huddled together in communal self-disgust in a D-minus world." — Stephen Holden , The New York Times.

Critics thought "Grown Ups 2" was so bad that it made them appreciate the first movie.

"In 'Grown Ups 2,' which is set on the last day of school, our heroes are now all living in the same small town together, and everybody's pretty happy, so there's little to motivate the action. It makes the first movie look like 'The Maltese Falcon.'" — Bilge Ebiri , Vulture.

Some thought "Suburbicon" was too smug for its own good.

"You absolutely can fault [George Clooney] for wrongheadedness in making a movie that condemns racism, and specifically segregation in the postwar housing boom, albeit in the most broad, perfunctory, awareness-ribbon-wearing way while barely allowing its black characters to speak. 'Suburbicon' might be the biggest embarrassment to pious Hollywood liberalism since 'Crash' won best picture in 2006." — Chris Klimek , NPR.

"Mother!" may not have been enjoyable, but it certainly was memorable.

"I admired the camerawork, the wide-angle close-ups of flaring nostrils, and the pandemonium of the crowd scenes in the second half of the film when it goes haywire and insanity reign. It's an odd sensation to still remember moments of technical brilliance in a movie I never want to see again." — Rex Reed , The Observer.

Some thought "Freddy Got Fingered" was an embarrassment for everyone involved.

" This movie doesn't scrape the bottom of the barrel. This movie isn't the bottom of the barrel. This movie isn't below the bottom of the barrel. This movie doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence with barrels." — Roger Ebert , Chicago Sun-Times.

Critics thought there just wasn't anything funny about "Joe Dirt."

"Why do American audiences accept the stance that silly movies have to be terrible by definition? There's nothing enjoyable about 'Joe Dirt.' Absolutely nothing. Spade's generic nonperformance is the centerpiece of a very wobbly story, and he simply isn't enough of an actor to keep you interested." — Paul Tatara , CNN.

Critics thought "Fantastic Four" was the opposite of fantastic.

"My notebook usually remains near my lap, but at this movie, it made involuntary trips over my mouth to cover all of my gasping. The entire experience is shameful — for us, for the filmmakers, for whoever at the studio had the job of creating the ads, in which the cast appear to be starring in hostage posters." — Wesley Morris , Grantland.

"From Justin to Kelly" was embarrassingly amateur, according to critics.

"How bad is 'From Justin to Kelly?' Set in Miami during spring break, it's like 'Grease: The Next Generation' acted out by the food-court staff at SeaWorld." — Owen Gleiberman , Entertainment Weekly.

"National Lampoon's Gold Diggers" has a 0% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

"Just how repellent is 'National Lampoon's Gold Diggers?' So stupefyingly hideous that after watching it, you'll need to bathe in 10 gallons of disinfectant, get a full-body scrub and shampoo with vinegar to remove the scummy residue that remains. Some movies leave a bad taste in the mouth. This one causes full-on halitosis." — Jen Chaney , The Washington Post.

"Venom" was a tonally-uneven, muddled mess, according to most critics.

"For all of its cult potential, and my God, is this film rife with it, it is 'Venom's' insidious political intonations, which were entirely avoidable, that become the least palatable aspect of the film. And this is a movie where you see Tom Hardy eat out of a garbage can." — Sarah Tai-Black , The Globe and Mail.

"North" almost universally disliked by critics and prompted one of Roger Ebert's movie memorable reviews.

"' North' is one of the most unpleasant, contrived, artificial, cloying experiences I've had at the movies. To call it manipulative would be inaccurate; it has an ambition to manipulate, but fails … I hated this movie. Hated hated hated hated hated this movie. Hated it. Hated every simpering stupid vacant audience-insulting moment of it. Hated the sensibility that thought anyone would like it. Hated the implied insult to the audience by its belief that anyone would be entertained by it." — Roger Ebert , Chicago Sun-Times.

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The 92 Best Comedies of the 21st Century, from ‘Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World’ to ‘Jackass Forever’

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[Editor’s note: This list was originally published in 2017. It has since been updated many times.]

The pandemic may be in the rearview for the U.S. federal government, but the specter of war, a tortured economy, and human rights issues across the globe have occupied the minds of many instead. So, in desperate need of some humor, we thought it was more important than ever to give our Greatest Comedies of the 21st Century list, originally published in 2017, yet another rethink. Since the list was originally published, we’ve expanded it to 90 entries, including titles released since then that deserved including and other titles we somehow overlooked the first time. (Here’s lookin’ at you, “Spy,” and welcome to the ranks, “Catherine Called Birdy”).

As IndieWire has evolved, so has this list, and it will continue to do so as long as Hollywood keeps making films that make us laugh. What else can you do?

With editorial contributions from Christian Zilko, Alison Foreman, Christian Blauvelt, Samantha Bergeson, David Ehrlich, Kate Erbland, Leonardo Adrian Garcia, Eric Kohn, Ryan Lattanzio, Michael Nordine, Chris O’Falt, Zack Sharf, and Anne Thompson.

92. “Thelma” (2024)

91. “Hit Man” (2024)

There’s a dark and queasy undercurrent to Richard Linklater’s “Hit Man,” a story of fake identities and roleplaying stuffed with violence and moral ambiguity. Linklater and star Glen Powell’s screenplay makes it easy to miss though, because this entire twisted story is presented as an easy, breezy screwball rom-com. Powell, as the dorky professor Gary Johnson turned expert undercover fake hit man, gives a megawatt star turn, effortlessly shifting between his character’s multiple personas, while co-lead Adria Arjona is similarly compelling as an abused wife who is more dangerous than meets the eye. The two are both sexy and funny together, and the film makes their connection so rootable that you don’t necessarily care how unhealthy a foundation their lie-filled relationship is built on. Much like Gary does with his targets, “Hit Man” puts on a charming front to hide the danger lurking underneath. —WC

90. “Sick of Myself” (2023)

89. “Bottoms” (2023)

A watershed moment of representation for ugly, untalented gays, Emma Seligman’s “Bottoms” feels like a miracle in 2023: an honest to god mainstream teen sex comedy, centering on lesbians, with the boldness and confidence to make those lesbians terrible people. Ayo Edebiri and Rachel Sennott star as Josie and PJ, two unpopular high school seniors who desperately lust after unattainable cheerleader hotties Isabel (Havana Rose Liu) and Brittany (Kaia Gerber). After a misunderstanding causes the entire school to think the two spent the summer fighting other girls to the death in juvie, the pair parlay their sudden notoriety into starting a “female self-defense class” (glorified fight club) in the hopes of getting closer to the objects of their desire. 

88. “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” (2023)

A lot of blockbusters nowadays have the same sense of humor: pop culture references, endless quipping, and self-aware dialogue that’s less funny than it is aggravating. So it’s a delight to watch “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,” and see an action movie that knows how to actually have fun. Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley’s followup to “Game Night” isn’t the immediate classic that that film was, but it’s a balm in a sea of dour superhero flicks, letting its talented ensemble (Chris Pine as a perfectly bumbling bard, Michelle Rodriguez as a memorably gruff barbarian, Justice Smith and Sophia Ellis in plum supporting roles, and Hugh Grant in the type of smarmy villain role he can play in his sleep) score just as many laughs as asses they kick. But what makes the movie sing is how it adapts not the actual Dungeons and Dragons tabletop role-playing game, but the experience of playing it with a group of friends. It’s an often goofy, chaotic experience, and “Honor Among Thieves” knows the best way to honor the game is to not take it so seriously. —WC

87. “Scream VI” (2023)

86. “Ratatouille” (2007)

Pixar films are often very funny, but “Ratatouille” deserves its flowers for how much its premise has become a meme in itself; no other film from Disney can boast the fact that it was the subject of a multi-part joke in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” Culinary-minded rodent Remy’s (voiced by Patton Oswalt) quest to become a great chef through controlling restaurant busboy Alfredo’s (Lou Romano) actions via hair pulley system is the movie’s window into a colorful and hilarious version of Paris, with a bickering rat colony, a short-tempered restaurateur (Ian Holm), and an adorable rom-com between Alfredo and rôtisseur Collette (Janeane Garofalo) and some excellent physical comedy (watching Remy puppeteer Alfredo’s never gets old). Like most Pixar films, there’s a lot of depth to the script, about the nature of art and elitism, but if you’re going to watch a movie from the company just to laugh, this is the one to go with. —WC

85. “Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar” (2019)

84. “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” (2022)

Sometimes all you need is two polar opposites to make a comedy work. Very nearly a two-hander, “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” focuses on the temporary but meaningful bond between Nancy (Emma Thompson, luminous), a buttoned-up widow, and Leo (Daryl McCormick), a male sex worker she hires over the course of a few weeks. The contrast between the rigid Nancy, desperate for the great experience in bed she’s never quite managed to receive, and the forthright, charming Leo makes for bluntly, wonderfully amusing banter as they bicker and discuss their shared histories with their sexuality. It’s a frequently cringe-inducing film, but light and sweet, and earnest in its quietly radical exploration of one woman’s attempts to get in touch with herself. —WC

83. “Good Boys” (2019)

82. “Bend It Like Beckham” (2003)

The David Beckham references — from the title to a winking inclusion of the man himself during the film’s final feel-good moments — might feel a bit outdated, but Gurinder Chadha’s winning rom-com remains as warm and uplifting as it was when Becks was scoring goals at Old Trafford. The warm-hearted film goes beyond the pitch as it delves into the plight of Punjabi Sikhs in England and other issues of the day — all while maintaining a loose spirit that keeps it firmly in the comedic realm.

Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley, both in star-making roles, make for great teammates and even better castmates, keeping things fleet of foot even as they and their director ensure that “Bend It Like Beckham” is never a mere trifle. Chadha, who grew up in London as part of the Indian diaspora, finds both pain and beauty in her heroine’s attempt to please her traditional parents while forging her own dual identity, a wonderful balancing act between tones that never robs the film of its charm. —KE

81. “Crazy Rich Asians” (2018)

Jon M. Chu’s big screen adaptation of the material, a groundbreaking studio film that is entirely populated by Asian-American performers (the first of its kind at the time since “The Joy Luck Club,” 25 years prior), is a loving take on Kwan’s books, bundled up in a wildly entertaining package. It’s the chemistry among the cast that gives the film its comedic power, be it the back-and-forth zaniness between Constance Wu and Awkwafina or the delightful menace that Michelle Yeoh wraps every line of dialogue. Smiling through every scene is the baseline viewing experience for “Crazy Rich Asians,” which means the cast has you right in the palm of their hands when it’s time to land a joke. As far as contemporary romantic-comedies, “Crazy Rich Asians” is the most irresistible. —ZS

80. “Bad Luck Banging or Looney Porn” (2021)

79. “Chicken Run” (2000)

Aardman Animations’ first feature-length film does plenty to remind viewers of the delirious charms of the stop-motion animation realm and the wacky minds behind it. A feather-rustling, egg-shaking, weirdly very human adventure film, Peter Lord and Nick Park’s comedy follows a group of farmed chickens on the run after they realize — uh, what now? — that they’re about to be turned into meat pies.

It’s a classic story, gussied up with more bird-brained humor than you can shake a chicken coop at, and with all the warmth and love that always runs through Aardman’s work. Care about chickens? How can you not after watching this zippy little slice of feel-good family action. (Apologies to anyone who had to answer some massive questions about the ethics of eating animals after showing this to the young ‘uns, but hey, comedy can be teachable too.) As of last June, a long-rumored sequel seemed to finally be readying to hustle its feathers onto the big screen, thanks to Netflix and Aardman’s continuing production pact.  —KE

78. “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” (2010)

77. “Wild Tales” (2014)

Damian Szifron’s Argentine ode to the messiness of life bears the quicksilver changes in tone that define the best work of Bong Joon Ho. But this fearless, riveting collection of six Spanish-language short films underlines something else: the precision needed to do comedy well — to have kinesthetic mastery over your audience’s nervous systems — is the exact same as that needed to do suspense and horror. One short, about a road rage incident that spirals out of control toward such extremity that laughter is only end-response, particularly captures that. As does the very first installment, “Pasternak,” in which everyone aboard a flight discovers that they know the same person. White-knuckle terror and punchlines can be one and the same. And the final short, a wedding that spirals into accusations and infidelities while the reception guests are still partying, takes cringe comedy to its absolute limit.

76. “Bad Grandpa” (2013)

Johnny Knoxville’s prosthetic immersion into playing naughty grandpa Irving Zisman was so impressive that makeup artist Stephen Prouty earned an Oscar nomination at the 86th Academy Awards. This typically raunchy “Jackass” spinoff entry directed by Jeff Tremaine follows Irving and his impressionable grandson (Jackson Nicoll) on a cross-country road trip that pairs them with society’s sleaziest and most unexpecting. Cameos from “Jackass” behind-the-scenes alum Spike Jonze and even Catherine Keener (though left on the cutting room floor) make for another hilarious experience that pushes the edges of good and bad taste. — RL

75. “World’s Greatest Dad” (2009)

74. “Kung Fu Hustle” (2004)

The worldwide success of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” paved the way for a flurry of wuxia movies in the early aughts (what a time to be alive!), and while most of them offered high-flying displays of the martial artistry that has sustained the genre for so many decades, few were as spirited as Stephen Chow’s “Kung Fu Hustle,” and none were as funny. Wielding big laughs and cartoonishly bad CG with the precision of a katana — or at least a giant axe — Chow’s period extravaganza re-envisioned 1940s Shanghai as part Shaw brothers and part “Looney Tunes,” the filmmaker starring alongside Lam Chi-chung as a pair of petty crooks who dream of joining the violent gang that runs their town with an iron touch.

73. “Spy” (2015)

After her breakout “Bridesmaids” turn, Melissa McCarthy has had hit or miss luck with comedy films, providing her undeniable talent to unworthy projects like “The Happytime Murders” and “Life of the Party.” But she and her “Bridesmaids” director Paul Feig scored another winner in 2015 when they re-teamed for “Spy,” an action comedy casting McCarthy against type as a doormat CIA operative. A top-of-her-class graduate, McCarthy’s character Susan Cooper has been confined to a desk job for years thanks to her passive nature, working as a backup for her crush Bradley Fine (Jude Law). But when Fine gets murdered on the job, she decides to step onto the field to track down nukes dealer Rayna Boyanov (Rose Byrne). McCarthy is an utter delight as Susan, and her journey to becoming a confident, badass action hero makes for a rewarding, surprisingly moving character arc. The only bad thing about “Spy” is it somehow hasn’t gotten a sequel yet. —WC

72. “The Climb” (2019)

71. “Klown” (2010)

There may be better raunchy sex comedies, and there may be better parenting comedies, but no film in recent memory combines the two as well as “Klown.” The Danish blockbuster tells the story of an utter doofus who, upon learning that his girlfriend is pregnant, takes a 12-year-old boy on a very adult “boys trip” in a ham-fisted attempt to convince his girlfriend (and himself) that he is capable of being a father. Mikkel Nørgaard extracts a million funny scenarios from that simple premise, with plenty of help from his excellent stars Frank Hvam and Casper Christensen, resulting in some of the best cringe comedy produced on either side of the Atlantic this century. — CZ

70. “Bachelorette” (2012)

69. “The 40-Year-Old Version”

Radha Blank won the Directing Award in the U.S. Dramatic section of Sundance 2020 and no wonder: here was a comedy shot in black-and-white that expressed something vividly, vibrantly new. Blank stars as a version of herself who’s a playwright, but hasn’t had one of her plays produced in a very long time. She’s maybe cherishing that 30 Under 30 award a little too much, the further she gets from having received it. “I just want to be an artist!” she sobs at one point. Yet that’s hard to do when she’s under pressure to write “a Harriet Tubman musical” — something Blank’s been asked to do in real life — and told by one middle aged white male producer that her work is “inauthentic… I asked myself, did a Black person write this?” So Radha ends up cutting a rap mixtape under the name Radhamus Prime, and finds a new creative release. Blank delivered one of the definitive “laugh, or otherwise you’ll cry” comedies of the 21st century. —CB

68. “Everybody Wants Some!!” (2016)

67. “Sorry to Bother You” (2018)

Potentially the strangest comedy on this list, Boots Riley’s directorial debut “Sorry to Bother You” is, in its director’s words, an “absurdist dark comedy with aspects of magical realism and science fiction inspired by the world of telemarketing.” And yet, that really only scratches the surface of what this movie’s about. Filled with an incredibly talented cast led by Lakeith Stanfield and Tessa Thompson, the film centers around Stanfield’s Cash, a young black telemarketer who adopts a white accent to succeed at his job. This is before the film becomes a parable of corporate greed, a biting commentary on income inequality and modern-day slavery, and a wild absurdist romp along the boulevard of genetic manipulation.

In the end, however, what makes this film so special is Riley’s uniquely singular vision: It’s no exaggeration to state that there is no other movie quite like “Sorry to Bother You.” And a huge trigger warning for potential first-time viewers: Armie Hammer is in this film. But also, knowing what we know now, he is perfectly cast in this film. —LAG

66. “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” (2020)

65. “May December” (2023)

A heartbreakingly sincere piece of high camp that teases real human drama from the stuff of tabloid sensationalism, Todd Haynes’ delicious “May December” continues the director’s tradition of making films that rely upon the self-awareness that seems to elude their characters — especially the ones played by Julianne Moore.

Written by Samy Burch, “May December” is a catty-as-fuck dark comedy that deepens Haynes’ longstanding obsession with performance while poking fun at the kind of actresses he clearly loves so much. The director’s tonal playfulness has sometimes been overshadowed by the unerring consistency of his emotional textures, but here, in the funniest and least “stylized” of his films, it’s easier than ever to appreciate his genius for using artifice as a vehicle for truth. —DE

64. “Paddington 2” (2018)

And yet, for a movie with such an ursa major star at its center, “Paddington 2” is really brought to life by its supporting cast. Brendan Gleeson as prison cook Knuckles McGinty? Iconic. Julie Walters as the distrusting Mrs. Bird? A legend. Hell, Richard Ayoade is only onscreen for about 15 seconds, but he still manages to serve up some pure comic gold. Nevertheless, it should go without saying that no one in this or any other film is able to outshine Hugh Grant’s majestic performance as the villainous Phoenix Buchanan, a washed-up actor whose conviction to do anything for a captive audience is ultimately what elevates “Paddington 2” into the pantheon of great comedies. —DE

63. “A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence” (2014)

And the vignettes just keep coming: one sequence in a beer hall featuring endlessly repeated variants of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” is comedy by repetition that’ll leave you breathless with laughter. Why is “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” being sung in a Gothenburg beer hall? Don’t ask why. Just open yourself to Andersson’s inimitable wavelength. —CB

62. “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” (2008)

61. “Bad Trip” (2021)

Directed by Kitao Sakurai, from a script Sakurai co-wrote with Dan Curry and star Eric André, “Bad Trip” is a hidden camera film best likened to “Bad Grandpa”: another wildly inappropriate road trip comedy, also appearing on this list. The straight-to-streaming Netflix original follows Chris (André) and his best friend Bud (Lil Rel Howery) on a misguided mission to reunite Chris with his high school crush, Maria (Michaela Conlin). Having “borrowed” a relative’s car to travel across the country, the pair are pursued by Trina (Tiffany Haddish): Bud’s unhinged sister who happens to be a criminal newly escaped from prison.

As with the “Jackass” franchise, “Bad Trip” works because of the elaborate behind-the-scenes preparation put in place to achieve such high-risk stunts. From André getting butt-naked in front of customers at a car wash to one truly shudder-inducing encounter with a so-called “gorilla” at a petting zoo, the antics endured by the bystanders of “Bad Trip” demand to be seen. —AF

60. “Frances Ha” (2013)

Noah Baumbach’s movie, co-written by and starring Gerwig, was arguably the first film to unleash her true power onto the world. And it’s a Pandora’s Box that nobody’s been able to close since. Her performance is remarkable in that she brings so much joy to a character that frankly has no reason to be happy. Her loyalty to her friends is so strong, and her passion for dance (even if she’s just an apprentice) so infectious that it’s impossible to look away. At the same time, the film’s craftsmanship and commentary are impeccably smart, never shying away from the real problems staring Frances down. The combination proves fatal: We fully understand why Frances shouldn’t be making these choices, but we can’t help but support her. This pattern culminates with Frances taking a spontaneous trip to Paris as her life collapses around her; it’s a funny-but-heartbreaking attempt to mimic the success of her friends for a day. But as her life deteriorates, her joie de vivre still finds a way to shine through. — CZ

59. “The Royal Tenenbaums” (2001)

58. “The LEGO Movie” (2014)

IndieWire called 2014 ’ s “ The Lego Movie ” “ review proof, ” in part due to its unavoidably positive attitude and, let ’ s be real, adorable animation. Emmett (voiced by Chris Pratt) is happy as an anonymous construction worker in Lego City whose monotonous occupation is met every day with a smile. However , after meeting Wildstyle (Elizabeth Banks), Emmett ’ s world is turned upside down in a quest to save Lego City from its evil President Business (Will Ferrell). The tongue-in-cheek humor makes “ The Lego Movie ” oddly more geared towards adults than tots, and Emmett ’ s existential quest for purpose is relatable in a darker way. As the IndieWire review included, “ Emmett never thinks outside the box: He IS the box, and his ordinariness runs deep. ” The “ clever and funny ” film reminds viewers to break every mold with a smile. — SB

57. “The Grand Budapest Hotel” (2014)

56. “Booksmart” (2019)

The best possible modern mashup of “Superbad” and “Bridesmaids” and innumerable other comedies about the glory and grossness of close friendship, Olivia Wilde’s feature directorial debut isn’t just an ode to smart girls, bad high school experiences, and one last night of debauchery, it’s also just damn funny. Initially inspired by a decade-old Black List script (which leaned a bit more heavily into the romantic possibilities of a couple of overachievers going nuts during the waning days of high school), screenwriter Katie Silberman’s take on the material puts a fresh twist on a classic setup. Best friends forever, Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) have spent their high school years hitting the books and shrugging off any and all social gatherings (aside, of course, from sleepovers with each other and the necessary political protest), all in hopes of putting all their energies towards getting top grades. It’s all panned out as they planned.

55. “Palm Springs” (2020)

“Groundhog Day” meets “Plus One” in “Palm Springs,” where Cristin Milioti and Andy Samberg are trapped in a time-loop rom-com that feeds our existential dread while also paralleling the quest to find a partner to waste away with. Max Barbakow’s film made history at 2020 Sundance, and aptly premiered during a year where quarantine made the twist of “Palm Springs” feel like a prophecy. “Imagine being stuck in a perpetually static purgatory where meaningful change can only be seen through the eyes of the sad bastard suffering alongside you,” IndieWire’s David Ehrlich wrote in his review. “Imagine being surrounded by a million strangers in a world of limitless possibilities, and winding up with the same one every night because of one fateful choice that seemed like a good idea a million years ago. Imagine…being married.” In fact, “Palm Springs” centers around the events of one wedding that takes place over and over again, like a reverse “Melancholia.” — SB

54. “Bodies Bodies Bodies” (2022)

53. “Barbie” (2023)

Greta Gerwig’s zeitgeist-changing smash hit opens, of course, with an homage to Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey.” A dazzling sunrise stretches over a barren desert, populated exclusively with sad-eyed Dust Bowl-era girls and their unblinking baby dolls, as Helen Mirren (!!) narrates us through what life was like pre-Barbie. It wasn’t just boring (though it was certainly boring), but it was limited (oh, was it limited). For so many little girls, dolls were only ever baby dolls, which meant that their playtime could only ever revolve around motherhood, servitude, and no fun whatsoever.

But just as Kubrick’s apes eventually met by an alien monolith that utterly changed their world and worldview, Gerwig’s little girls are about to be descended upon by a world-altering and brain-breaking new entity: a giant, one might even say monolithic, Barbie doll, in the form of a smiling Margot Robbie, kitted out like the very first Barbie doll ever made. And thus spake Barbie. That’s where Gerwig’s funny, feminist, and wildly original “Barbie” begins. It will only get bigger, weirder, smarter, and better from there.

52. “Support the Girls” (2018)

In yet another reminder of how amazing an actress she is, Regina Hall plays the general manager of a Hooters-like breastaurant called Double Whammies in Andrew Bujalski’s “Support the Girls,” an earnest ensemble comedy about working-class women supporting one another while avoiding lecherous men, a rival chain (ManCave), and trappings of late-stage capitalism. A film that unfurls at its own pace and rewards multiple viewings, the real treat of “Support the Girls” is watching the aforementioned ensemble (most notably Hall’s Lisa, Haley Lu Richardson’s Maci, and Shayna McHayle’s Danyelle) navigating both the service industry and their own lives. —LAG

5. “One Cut of the Dead” (2017)

50. “21 Jump Street” (2012)

Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum resurrect the 1980s TV series “21 Jump Street” for the present day. The young cop duo go undercover as high school students to infiltrate a drug ring, á la “Never Been Kissed” but with guns and badges. Tatum and Hill’s hilarious chemistry as rival police officers turned best friends, now undercover as faux brothers, carries the film, along with standout performances by Ice-T as their boss, and Brie Larson and Dave Franco as the teens in question. Never mind the questionable love triangles between the cops and the high schoolers; “21 Jump Street” is a wild good time. — SB

49. “Barbershop” (2002)

48. “Adaptation” (2002)

The ultimate in “don’t try this at home” screenwriting, Charlie Kaufman’s deliriously self-reflexive twist on Susan Orlean’s “The Orchid Thief” is so clever and bittersweet that it can be easy to forget how funny it is; between two Nicolas Cages, a homicidal Meryl Streep, and a quick look at the birth of the universe, the hilarity of something like Donald Kaufman’s pitch for “The 3” (“it’s like a battle between motors and horses”) tends to be engulfed by the anxiety that surrounds it on all sides. But much like the film’s dual protagonists, the despair in “Adaptation” is twinned with hilarity, and director Spike Jonze pushes those polarized energies toward each other until they erupt into an unhinged third act that giddily embraces all the things that Kaufman was laboring so hard to avoid. Few movies have ever found such exciting ways to have their cake and eat it too, and even fewer have been able to wring so many laughs from how bad they would’ve been if everything hadn’t gone wrong. —DE

47. “Sideways” (2004)

46. “Catherine Called Birdy” (2022)

Lena Dunham’s work tends to polarize audiences, but it’s hard to think of many comedies more universally appealing than “Catherine Called Birdy.” Based on the 1994 children’s novel by Karen Cushman, Dunham’s film stars “The Last of Us” breakout Bella Ramsey as the titular Birdy: a 14 year-old girl from a noble family in Lincolnshire who must resist her father Lord Rollo’s (Andrew Scott) attempts to marry her off for financial security. The resulting farce and coming-of-age journey is suitably bawdy and heartwarming, and Dunham proves sufficiently capable of bending her 21st century voice (of a generation!) to the 13th century, immersing the characters in the social mores of the time in a way that never feels inauthentic or false. Boosted by sharp turns from Ramsey, Scott, and Billie Piper as Birdy’s mother Lady Aislinn, it’s the sort of smart family comedy that’s been out of theaters for too long. — WC

45. “Greener Grass” (2019)

IFC Midnight snatched up “Greener Grass” out of Sundance 2019: it’s the definition of a midnight movie. Two housewives are best pals in a suburban neighborhood where everyone wears pastels and engages in vicious one-upsmanship  — until one decides, according to what you’ll find is a logic unique unto “Greener Grass,” to give her baby to the other as a gift. Then another child suddenly turns into a dog. It’s a satire of keeping up with Joneses unlike anything else. Well, maybe not quite. Love all that stuff with Kyle MacLachlan as Dougie and Jim Belushi as the gangster in “Twin Peaks: The Return”? Imagine an entire movie of that. As singular and stylish a movie as that sounds, “Greener Grass” is, above all, funny. It’s the hardest this writer has ever laughed at Sundance. —CB

44. “Dear White People” (2014)

43. “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” (2005)

It’s always Christmas in Shane Black’s films, and our favorite present to unwrap during the holiday season is watching Robert Downey Jr. as a gruff thief named Harry Lockhart, who mistakenly auditions for a film while on the run from the cops. “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” cemented the return of RDJ in 2005, three years before “Iron Man” hit theaters and gave a jolt to his career. A noir meets black comedy, “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” also stars Michelle Monaghan as Harry’s childhood sweetheart Harmony Lane, and Val Kilmer plays the private investigator hired to track down Harry. Fun fact: The film is named after Pauline Kael’s 1968 collection of film reviews, so yes, all those cinephile Easter eggs are very much so intentional. “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” parodies not only action films but SoCal-set neo-noir flicks, with Harry finding out that not everyone in Los Angeles gets their Hollywood ending. — SB

42. “In the Loop” (2009)

41. “The Banshees of Inisherin” (2022)

Martin McDonagh’s re-team with his “In Bruges” stars — Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson — is an even bleaker affair, tackling a story of decayed friendship and societal malaise against the backdrop of Ireland’s civil war in 1923. Farrell gives the performance of his career as Pádraic: a simple-minded member of a tight-knit island community whose world is destroyed when his best friend Colm (Gleeson) suddenly and abruptly chooses to end their friendship. Pádraic’s quest to get his friend back is as funny as it is tragic, thanks to brilliant performances from the two leads along with Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan in the supporting cast. Mostly though, “Banshees” resonates because its premise is simply and painfully relatable. Anyone who’s ever lost a friend, through their own fault or not, will be able to see themselves in the tale.  —WC

40. “Jackass Forever” (2021)

39. “School of Rock” (2003)

No one has been able to harness Jack Black’s manic energy quite like Richard Linklater, whose first collaboration with the musically inclined actor resulted in this definitive performance. Sweet, funny and catchy as hell, this earworm of a movie has inspired actual schools of rock to open up across the country and teach impressionable children the power of the riff. That’s good news, as some of the most important lessons — like remembering to get the led out — aren’t found on normal curricula. —MN

38. “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping” (2016)

37. “Step Brothers” (2008)

Arriving in theaters less than a year after “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox” story, “Step Brothers” further cemented John C. Reilly as one of the most underrated comedic talents in Hollywood. Reilly holds his own against comedic veteran Will Ferrell in this story of dueling middle-aged step brothers. But it’s not a competition. Ferrell and Reilly are a match made in comedy heaven, their juvenile sparring made all the more funny by just how seriously they commit to the immaturity of their characters. Ferrell and Reilly play arrested development without a wink so that you can’t help but fall in love with their aspirational and dumb-witted characters Brennan and Dale.

36. “What We Do in the Shadows” (2014)

In many ways, Viago, Vladislav, Deacon, and Petyr are just like any other assortment of wacky roommates: they bicker about chores, enjoy nights out on the town with each other, attempt to turn unsuspecting victims into vampires, and do battle with a roving werewolf gang. Pardon? That’s, of course, the great joy of Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement’s painfully funny mockumentary: it approaches its seemingly silly idea – vampires! who are kind of dumb and very self-involved! – with total seriousness.

Both a delightful twist on the mockumentary format – why not use a genre literally beholden to being  fake to playing around with classic legends in need of some light ribbing? – and a master class in spiky comedic acting, “What We Do in the Shadows” is genius on every level. Hell, this is a film that makes a joke about someone’s interests including “being cool” feel both deeply silly and incredibly relatable. Vampires: they’re just like us, but Waititi and Clement’s comedic chops are cut from an entirely different cloth. —KE

35. “Tucker & Dale vs. Evil” (2010)

34. “Lady Bird” (2017)

Greta Gerwig’s feature directing debut earned Oscar nominations for her writing and directing, and Irish actress Saoirse Ronan scored her third Oscar nod as Christine “Lady Bird” Macpherson, a culture-vulture eager to escape her Sacramento Catholic School. When scouting local colleges, her frustrated mother (Laurie Metcalf) drives the teenager so crazy she jumps out of the moving car. Tracy Letts is Lady Bird’s sad and adoring father, while Lucas Hedges and Timothee Chalamet are her challenging romantic entanglements.

It’s the best mother-daughter relationship comedy since “Terms of Endearment,” but the emotional depth that drives the movie forward is never too far away from a well-earned laugh. Gerwig’s sense of comic timing is impeccable, from the memorable car-jumping sequence of its opening moments all the way through the rousing finale. — AT

33. “The Lego Batman Movie” (2017)

“The LEGO Batman Movie” deploys Will Arnett’s guttural voice to skewer the self-seriousness that has always threatened to overwhelm the Caped Crusader. As the meme goes: Men will really watch “Jerry Maguire” alone in the theater above their Batcave and cackle at the most dramatic parts before they go to therapy. This Bruce Wayne laughs at the idea of loving another person because, deep down, he knows that he’d be too afraid of losing them. Lucky for him the Joker appreciates the beauty of their hate-hate relationship, and when Batman tells his arch-nemesis that he means nothing to him, it kickstarts a gripping adventure of personal growth that results in our nine-abbed hero learning that life is best when it’s shared.

32. “Game Night” (2018)

A friendly couples game night goes horribly wrong as a real murder mystery unfolds in front of spouses Max (Jason Bateman) and Annie (Rachel McAdams) and their friends, played by Billy Magnussen, Lamorne Morris, and Kylie Bunbury. It all starts when Max’s older brother Brooks (Kyle Chandler) unexpectedly crashes their monthly game, and nosey cop neighbor Gary (Jesse Plemons) starts to clue in that a real crime may be afoot. “ ‘Game Night’ is refreshingly self-aware,” IndieWire’s Steve Greene wrote in his review. “For this group of characters with diverging comic sensibilities, there are certainly enough laughs here to work as glue to keep the whole stretched-out bits from falling apart.” — SB

31. “The Big Sick” (2017)

30. “Blockers” (2018)

29. “Neighbors” (2014)

Like his master teacher Judd Apatow on “Freaks and Geeks,” “Knocked Up,” “Superbad” and “Pineapple Express,” Seth Rogen is a multitasker: he writes, acts, produces and directs. He and partner Evan Goldberg developed and produced “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” director Nicholas Stoller’s raunchy, R-rated “Neighbors,” a well-constructed contemporary slapstick comedy costarring Rogen and “Bridesmaids” star Rose Byrne as hip young parents with an adorable baby. They’ve never been funnier. When a raucous fraternity house dominated by well-muscled ringleader Zac Efron move in next door, the neighbors initially seek to get along, but are soon engaged in all-out war. —AT

28. “Burn After Reading” (2008)

Never underestimate the ability of Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, Richard Jenkins, Tilda Swinton, John Malkovich and George Clooney to play adorably bumbling imbeciles. This precisely crafted Coen brothers Working Title caper comedy is built on people misreading other people. It’s one huge nihilistic cosmic misunderstanding: outrageously unexpected, shocking, and LOL hilarious. —AT

27. “Obvious Child” (2014)

26. “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” (2000)

Packed with corn-pone humor and catchy southern roots music, this rollicking Coen brothers 1930s adaptation of Homer’s “The Odyssey” follows a gang of escaped dimwit prisoners led by pomaded charmer Everett McGill (George Clooney), who tries to get back his wife (“Raising Arizona” star Holly Hunter) by singing her into submission. T-Bone Burnett’s best-selling soundtrack won the Grammy for album of the year and cinematographer Roger Deakins nabbed an Oscar nomination for his pioneering digital alterations to this Working Title film’s color palette. But as always, helping Clooney, Hunter, Tim Blake Nelson, John Turturro and John Goodman earn this meandering fable’s countless laughs was the main goal. —AT

25. “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” (2005)

24. “Idiocracy” (2006)

With the burgeoning rise of conspiracy theorists and science deniers, as time passes Mike Judge’s satire “Idiocracy” is becoming less a high-concept comedy and more a roadmap to a potential future for the United States of America. It’s the prescience of its central conceit — that when the most “average” guy (Luke Wilson) in 2005 is sent 500 years in the future he ends up being identified as the smartest person alive thanks to corporate conglomerates brainwashing the masses — which has allowed “Idiocracy” to remain in the pop cultural lexicon (and even begin to sneak its way into news headlines). But this prescience shouldn’t be mistaken for perfection, because for all the societal ills it has predicted (pride in ignorance, corporatocracy) the film also has a penchant for punching down. Great satire should always aim to not only hold a mirror up to society, but also “comfort the afflicted while afflicting the comfortable,” and while it strays from the latter often “Idiocracy” never wavers in its funhouse reflection of America. —LAG

23. “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle” (2004)

22. “In Bruges” (2008)

Irish directors bring out the best in fellow countryman Colin Farrell. Playwright-director Martin McDonagh, made his film feature directing debut with this anarchic black comedy (and earned an Oscar nomination for his screenplay), handing Farrell his richest comedy role to date as a soulful hitman. Farrell’s Ray is sweetly violent as he hangs out in dullsville Belgium with his partner Ken (Brendan Gleeson), making mischief and mayhem while seeking an ounce of redemption. —AT

21. “Girls Trip” (2017)

Those pure laughs are more than enough to sustain a comedy so crystalline that it was a classic the minute it hit screens, as “Girls Trip” nails laugh after laugh even amidst — and oftentimes because of — dramatic issues that wouldn’t be out of place in a Lifetime movie. As the film’s central ladies make their way through all the glory that New Orleans’ Essence Fest has to offer, including run-ins with a slew of big talents in a seemingly never-ending parade of cameos (Diddy makes off with the best one, predictably bolstered by Haddish’s involvement) and at least one wildly ill-conceived adventure fueled by absinthe, “Girls Trip” keeps the momentum whirling ever onward into the next big comedic set piece. Even as it all ends with a heartwarming reveal, that doesn’t dilute its more raucous sensibilities; it only makes it more clear why Lee and his ladies should turn “Girls Trip” into a franchise that can spawn more uproarious vacations. —KE

20. “Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World” (2023)

19. “Superbad” (2007)

Michael Cera may not actually be the fastest kid alive, but the aughts’ most hilarious movie about teenagers being teenagers was a runaway success all the same. And it wasn’t just McLovin that made it so: Cera and Jonah Hill’s bromance was as genuinely sweet as it was startlingly accurate to the way teens spoke and behaved back then. (As someone who was 19 at the time, I’m more qualified to comment on this than I should probably admit.) —MN

18. “Team America: World Police” (2004)

17. Wet Hot American Summer (2001)

It’s tough going picking out the best gag in David Wain’s cult comedy classic, mostly because this wacky summer camp send-up doesn’t take its foot off the gas for even a minute. From an incredible twist on the timing implications of the montage, the lead up to the world’s worst (or best?) talent show, to a running joke involving the fraught background of no less than Christopher Meloni as the camp’s haunted cook, every joke lands with resounding comedic precision.

16. “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” (2007)

On its face, a simple parody of the musical biopic genre made famous by the Academy Awards bait of “Ray” and “Walk the Line,” Jake Kasdan’s “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” elevates past lesser parody films thanks to the bravura performance of John C. Really as the title character. But the real star of the show here is the amazing soundtrack composed for the film by Dan Bern and Mike Viola (among others) that satirizes rock-and-roll from its salad days to the present day. Songs like “Walk Hard,” “Royal Jelly,” and “Beautiful Ride” aren’t simply ringers for insertion into the catalogues of Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, and Glen Campbell, respectively, they’re also great songs that can be enjoyed free of their referential context. In fact, perhaps the music therein allows “Walk Hard” to sit on the very same shelf as the films it parodies, and well above some: (cough cough) “Bohemian Rhapsody” (cough cough). —LAG

15. “The Lobster” (2015)

14. “Hot Fuzz”

Edgar Wright exploded into the geek consciousness with 2004 zombie flick “Shaun of the Dead,” but he showed he was a talent who would endure with his buddy cop comedy. Since the Keystone Cops, the genre had been built around bumbling, inept lawmen, so Wright’s choice for “Hot Fuzz” made it ingenious: Simon Pegg’s officer is extremely competent. Competent to the point of being threatening to his Metropolitan Police superiors (a meta hierarchy of Martin Freeman, Steve Coogan, and Bill Nighy), the Londoner is banished to a Gloucestershire backwater. Good thing because a spate of killings befalls the town and Pegg has to inspire his new country copper colleagues (Nick Frost, Olivia Colman, Paddy Considine et al) to solve the crime.

13. “MacGruber” (2010)

Will Forte’s running “Saturday Night Live” spoof of “MacGyver” landed him a parody film and even a Peacock spin-off series — and there’s no mystery why. Forte’s ongoing collaboration with writer-director Jorma Taccone, along with Kristen Wiig and Ryan Phillippe, proves to be the perfect balance of wide-eyed, heartfelt slapstick humor, with a mystery to boot. “This was probably one of my worst pitches ever,” Forte joked during the 2020 SXSW presentation, about first pitching “SNL” showrunner Lorne Michaels on the parody. “I think it went something like, ‘MacGruber, who diffuses bombs only using pieces of shit and pubic hair.’ And I just got the worst groan… so the fact that we’re sitting here is remarkable.” — SB

12. “Mean Girls” (2004)

Tina Fey’s “Mean Girls” script is effortlessly funny, but what makes the film truly timeless has more to do with the actors’ ability to find the human grace notes amid the absurd high school hijinks (Kälteen Bars, anyone?) and instant-classic one-liners (“That’s so fetch”). It’s a high school comedy with broad genre humor and specific insight into teenage anxieties, and for that it stands the test of time. —ZS

11. “Four Lions” (2010)

10. “Elf” (2003)

The early Aughts were as much a celebration of raunch in comedy as the ‘80s, so what a delight that one of the very best laughers of this new century should not just be family-friendly, but so very sweet. Or as Will Ferrell’s Buddy, a human who crawled into Santa’s bag as a baby and was raised as an elf at the North Pole, might put it: it’s as sweet as “an entire roll of Toll House cookie dough!” Buddy leaves the North Pole, which looks like a Rankin-Bass stop-motion special come to life, to seek out his New Yorker father (James Caan), who’s very much on Santa’s naughty list.

The result is a fish out of water comedy that sparkles like tinsel. It’s quotable like the best comedies — “You sit on a throne of lies,” Buddy tells a department store Santa he knows is an impostor — but its story is structured as an epic journey with such emotion (not to mention worldbuilding) that you can see how its director Jon Favreau would be teed up to direct the blockbusters he has in its wake. —CB

9. “The Death of Stalin” (2017)

Yet Iannucci never sugarcoats the nature of the villains he takes on as his protagonists; if anything, the bleak finale provides a cogent reminder that even the nuttiest leaders are more than just punchlines when real lives are at stake. Still, while the movie contains remarkable period detail, “The Death of Stalin” has more in common with the Marx brothers than anything about the period in which it’s set: It’s “Duck Soup” with dictators. — EK

8. “Along Came Polly” (2004)

“Along Came Polly” wasn’t especially popular upon release, and the movie remains divisive among typical rom-com lovers for its gross-out humor. Still, to reduce this complex and original comedy to its most lowbrow moments (true, the basketball scene is horrifying ) is to miss out on its oceans of brilliant writing and mid-aughts charm. Conversely, to appreciate it for what it is — an out-of-the-box romance that gave us Ben Stiller salsa dancing and Jennifer Aniston playing an even more hapless Rachel Greene-type, now with a newfound sense of cool — is to be truly happy. Happy as a hippo. —AF

7. “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” (2004)

There are stretches of “Anchorman” (a wild pool party, for instance) where the jokes land a mile a minute and don’t stop for second, and there are set pieces so inane (the panda pregnancy) that it’s hard not to marvel at McKay and his crew for committing so straightforward to the lunacy of it all. That’s what makes “Anchorman” a great comedy: An ensemble-wide commitment to the tone.  —ZS

6. “Force Majeure” (2013)

5. “Bridesmaids” (2011)

What a treat:  Girls  can be naughty, too. Early reviews of Paul Feig’s box office smash focused on the down and dirty nature of the film, using terms like “rude and crude” and “exuberantly raunchy” and “not afraid to mix women with potty humor” to express the full scope of the film’s apparent depravity. But while “Bridesmaids” unleashed some eye-popping scatological humor (from women! of all people! my goodness!) on the mostly unsuspecting masses, it also didn’t shy away from something much messier and far funnier: real human emotion.

That might not sound  funny , but it’s something better: it’s true, and so much of comedy is rooted in mining authenticity and honesty and still finding something to laugh about in the process. The “Bridesmaids” crew make that all look easy.  —KE

4. “Shaun of the Dead” (2004)

This acerbic action comedy introduced a winning combo: sparring buddies Simon Pegg and Nick Frost and master of style Edgar Wright, who dreamed up the script with Pegg. He plays a sad sack who turns out to be more brave and adept at slaying the walking dead than he ever would have thought. And he gets the girl. More Working Title collaborations followed, but the first time out was the charm: mash up a witty British romance and a zombie gorefest, and hilarity ensues.  —AT

3. “Best in Show” (2000)

2. “Borat” (2006)

If “Bruno” and “The Dictator” taught us anything, it’s that “Borat” was truly lightning in a bottle. Sacha Baron Cohen’s feature-length social experiment pissed off nearly as many people as it delighted, which surely pleased the fearless provocateur (even if Pamela Anderson seemed pretty bewildered by the whole experience). Plus, when’s the last time a comedy was credited with bringing back a comeback as hilariously lame as “…not!”, let alone increasing tourism to Kazakhstan?  —MN

1. “Toni Erdmann” (2016)

For a movie so light on its feet, it has more than a little to say about globalization and its discontents. Ines typifies a white collar mindset where everything, to use the business jargon, has become so “frictionless” that even her massage — which she walks out of for being too soft — is also without meaning. Ade delivered a 21st century comedy of capitalism, a worthy heir to “The Apartment” and “Playtime,” one that shows how humor is lifeblood, the key ingredient to facing our lives and getting through our day. “Toni Erdmann” isn’t just full of some all-time raucous laughter. It’s a film about why we need laughter. That makes it not just the best 21st century comedy, but the most 21st century comedy. —CB

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The best comedy movies of all time

Giggle along with our list of the best funny movies like ‘Borat’ and ‘Mean Girls’, as chosen by Time Out writers and top comedians

Comedy gets no respect, no respect at all. Sure, everyone loves to laugh, and just about every film buff has a comedy movie they hold close to their heart. But for some reason, when it comes to awards and canonisation, comedies still get short shrift in the history of cinema. That’s probably because, more than any other genre, comedy is dependent on context. What’s funny in 1924 might land with a thud in 2024. And that’s to say nothing of varying tastes in humour. 

That makes coming up with the best comedy films of all time especially tricky. We had to ask ourselves: what makes a truly great comedy? There’s many criteria, but one of the most important is the question of: ‘Is this film still funny now, and will it still be funny five years, ten years… a century from now?’ With the help of comedians like Diane Morgan and Russell Howard, actors such as John Boyega and Jodie Whittaker and a small army of Time Out writers, we believe we’ve found the 100 finest, most durable and most broadly appreciable laughers in history. No matter your sense of humour - silly or sophisticated, light or dark, surreal or broad - you’ll find it represented here. 

Recommended:

🔥 The 100 best movies of all-time 🤣  The best comedies of 2024 (so far) 🥰 The greatest romantic comedies of all time

Been there, done that? Think again, my friend.

The funniest films of all time

1.  this is spinal tap (1984).

‘What’re the hours?’

Director: Rob Reiner

Cast: Christopher Guest, Rob Reiner

You're asking, how much more funny could this be? And the answer is none. None more funny. Yes, our experts have cast their votes and the winner by a clear margin is Rob Reiner's genre-setting mockumentary – or, if you will, rockumentary – about England's largest-livin', heaviest-riffin', filthiest-lyric-singin', biggest-hair-havin', fluffiest-jumper-ownin' heavy rock combo. Sporting arguably the most quotable script in movie history ('no... these ones go to eleven') and some of the meatiest metal melodies this side of Bon Scott-era AC/DC, this is simply a perfect film: from the first chord of 'Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight' to the very final line ('I dunno, what are the hours?'), there's literally nothing about it that could be improved.

It also, lest we forget, defined an entire genre, accidentally inventing everything from The Office to The Blair Witch Project  (not to mention lead axe-man Christopher Guest's entire subsequent career). Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer would keep gigging as Spinal Tap for three decades – proof that they were so much more than just a joke band in a funny movie. Spinal Tap : for those about to rock, we salute you.

2.  Airplane! (1980)

‘Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue.’

Directors: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker

Cast: Leslie Nielsen, Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty

‘Joey, have you ever been in a Turkish prison?’ A movie that raises belly laughs after countless viewings, this was the second film (after 1977’s Kentucky Fried Movie ) from Jim Abraham and the Zucker brothers, who went on to make the Naked Gun  and Hot Shots  movies. Overflowing with on-target visual gags and one-liners, it’s a playful and deeply silly spoof of 1970s disaster movies and stars Robert Hays as a troubled ex-pilot forced to land an airliner when the real pilot collapses from food poisoning. Leslie Nielsen steals the film as an onboard doctor. Just don’t call him Shirley.

3.  Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979)

‘He’s not the Messiah. He’s a very naughty boy.’

Director: Terry Jones

Cast: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin

The Pythons’ second feature is their masterpiece. The story is rooted in purest farce, as the Three Wise Men arrive at the wrong manger and unsuspecting everyman Brian Cohen is declared the Messiah. He duly bumbles alongside The Greatest Story Ever Told, ending the film on a Calvary Cross for a reluctant chorus of ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’. What a dizzying achievement this is. The Life of Brian  takes potshots at everything from schoolroom Latin to Biblical epics (most of which it shames with its attention to period detail) and religious hypocrisy – but, crucially, never religion itself. Needless to say, this didn’t stop predictable accusations of blasphemy.

4.  Annie Hall (1977)

‘I would never want to belong to any club that would have someone like me as a member.’

Director: Woody Allen

Cast: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton

'Annie Hall' is as Woody Allen as Woody Allen gets – hilarious, neurotic and occupied by the realisation that whatever happens, life is going to trample all over you. It’s also one of the greatest romantic comedies every made (with some of the funniest lines: ‘Don’t knock masturbation. It’s sex with someone I love’). Allen is Alvy Singer, who’s just split from scatty singer Annie (Diane Keaton, his real-life ex). What follows is an anatomy of their relationship. Allen has said that the film is not autobiographical – he co-wrote it with Marshall Brickman – but that’s not what we want to hear.

5.  Groundhog Day (1993)

‘I'll give you a winter prediction: It's gonna be cold, it's gonna be grey, and it's gonna last you for the rest of your life.’  

Director: Harold Ramis

Cast: Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell  

Bill Murray gives his most iconic performance as a grumpy, self-absorbed Pennsylvania weatherman who, by some inexplicable cosmic glitch, is forced to live the same day over and over and over and over (and over and over and over and over…) until he learns to look outside himself and let a little love into his heart. Enough movies and TV shows ( Palm Springs and Russian Doll , to name two) have lifted the time-loop concept to explore similar themes, usually with a heavier hand. But Groundhog Day remains the gold standard by taking a more lighthearted approach that nonetheless manages to deliver a poignant message about the things that really matter.

6.  The Jerk (1979)

'There's something I want to say that's always been very difficult for me to say: "I slit the sheet, the sheet I slit, and on the slitted sheet I sit".'

Director: Carl Reiner

Cast: Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters 

When people claim that certain movies ‘couldn’t get made today’, it’s usually just anti-woke grumbling from humourless dolts. But it is a bit hard to imagine many contemporary films opening with a plainly white derelict sitting in a stairwell and proclaiming ‘I was born a poor Black child’. So begins one of the most brilliantly stupid comedies ever. Of course, high-concept stupidity was Steve Martin’s raison d’etre as a standup, and his turn as a spectacularly guileless twentysomething orphan – adopted by African-American sharecroppers as a child – leaving home to discover himself and his ‘special purpose’ made him a bona fide movie star. 

7.  Withnail & I (1987)

‘I feel like a pig shat in my head!’

Director: Bruce Robinson

Cast: Richard E Grant, Paul McGann, Richard Griffiths

The funniest parts of Withnail & I  are the early scenes, when, festering in a Camden flat resembling the inside of a cancerous lung, Withnail and Marwood stumble towards the end of an epic speed and booze bender. There are delirious flights of fancy, bouts of druggy nonsense (‘my thumbs have gone weird’), an abortive attempt to clean the kitchen and a cherishable visit from terrifying drug dealer Danny (Ralph Brown). Later, though, tragedy looms large – and Withnail’s despairing traipse through rain-sodden Regent’s Park ranks among the most heartbreaking closing scenes in all cinema.  

8.  Team America: World Police (2004)

‘I’ve got five terrorists going south-east on Bakalakadaka Street!’

Directors: Trey Parker, Matt Stone

Cast: Trey Parker, Matt Stone

South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone had no idea what they were taking on when they decided to make a Thunderbirds -style puppet movie about the War on Terror. A year of 20-hour days later – Stone described it as ‘the worst time of my life’ – the film was unleashed, and justified every minute of the duo’s hard work. As concerned with skewering the twin pomposities of mainstream action cinema and liberal Hollywood as it is with the terrorist armies of Durkadurkastan and North Korea, the film borders on genius in its self-aware use of wooden marionettes, particularly in the notorious sex scene. Even Matt Damon thinks it’s funny.

9.  Duck Soup (1933)

‘I could dance with you till the cows come home. But I’d rather dance with the cows till you come home.’

Director: Leo McCarey

Cast: Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx

What to say when a film is creeping towards its first century but still feels as timely, relevant and subversive as it did on release? The Marx Brothers’s best movie, Duck Soup  takes them far out of their New York music hall milieu and into a kind of twisted miniature Mittel-Europa filtered through immigrant memory and fairytales, where war is brewing between the proud people of Freedonia and the crypto-fascists of neighbouring Sylvania. With a far lighter touch than Chaplin’s Great Dictator , the film lampoons not just fascism but patriotism and politics in general: this is satire deployed both with a sledgehammer and a scalpel, often in the same scene.

10.  Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

'Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!’

Directors: Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones

Cast: Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Michael Palin

We all love Monty Python’s slapstick savaging of the legend of King Arthur, but we always forget about the llamas: according to the credits, Holy Grail was the creation of Reg Llama of Brixton, and thousands of his llama friends across the world (as well as Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones). Well, Reg and co. created a masterpiece. With its Bergman-ribbing credit sequence, its one-liners and its extravagantly gruesome violence, Holy Grail  was Python’s launchpad to international stardom. Neil Innes’s music and Gilliam’s animations are touchstones for British absurdist humour, while the late Graham Chapman, playing it straight as King Arthur, was never finer. 

11.  Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)

‘When you chase a dream, especially one with plastic chests, you sometimes do not see what is right in front of you.’

Director: Larry Charles

Cast: Sacha Baron Cohen, Ken Davitian

No one who saw Borat should claim to have been surprised by the election of Donald Trump, or the general social climate of the country today. Spinning off from his brilliant Channel 4 and HBO series, prankster genius Sacha Baron Cohen criss-crosses the United States in the guise of Kazakhstani journalist Borat Sagdiyev, saying and doing offensive things which, in turn, causes the real-life Americans he interacts with to say and do things that are even more offensive, precisely because they are real. In terms of committing to the role, Baron Cohen outworks any Method actor you can think of; last we checked, Jared Leto does not have a naked hotel brawl on his résumé. 

12.  The Big Lebowski (1998)

‘That’s just, like, your opinion, man.’

Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Cast: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore

F or its strongest adherents,  The Big Lebowski is as much a lifestyle as a movie. If the number of fans who show up to repertory screenings and country-wide ‘Lebowski Fests’ wearing bathrobes and flip-flops is any indication, there is a sizable demographic that has modelled itself after Jeffrey Lebowski, aka ‘the Dude’, Jeff Bridges’ perpetually unbothered slacker philosopher. And hey, why not? It’s one of the truly iconic performances of all-time. Bridges almost seems to float through the entire movie, even as a case of mistaken identity lands him and his bowling buddies in the crosshairs of a gang of criminal nihilists, and there’s hardly a line of dialogue that doesn’t deserve to be endlessly quoted. 

13.  The Naked Gun (1988)

‘I promise you: whatever scum did this, not one man on this force will rest one minute until he’s behind bars. Now let’s grab a bite to eat.’

Director: David Zucker

Cast: Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, OJ Simpson

Second only to Airplane!  in the gag-for-gag hit-rate stakes, The Naked Gun  never met a dumb pun, slapstick pratfall or deadpan one-liner it didn’t like. The film made Leslie Nielsen a bigger star than he’d ever been playing straight-man roles in ‘proper’ disaster movies – though it has to be said, he tossed away that goodwill almost immediately in the likes of Dracula: Dead and Loving It  – and spawned a fistful of sequels, of which the first is well worth watching for the amazing ‘awfully big moustache’ line alone.

14.  Dumb & Dumber (1994)

‘Hey, want to hear the most annoying sound in the world? ARGHHHGHHHER...’

Directors: Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly

Cast: Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels

Imagine the contents of your hyperactive little brother’s brain splatted on to a TV screen and you have Dumb & Dumber . Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels star as a pair of stupendously stupid no-hopers who head on a road trip across America to return a woman’s briefcase. Unapologetically gross-out, the movie’s a mulch of butt jokes, toilet jokes, snot jokes and sex jokes. It’s totally regressive but in a whoops-just-snorted-my-drink-everywhere-laughing kind of way.

15.  Some Like It Hot (1959)

‘Real diamonds! They must be worth their weight in gold!’

Director: Billy Wilder

Cast: Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon

Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis star as Jerry and Joe, two musicians who are forced to flee Chicago after witnessing the 1929 Valentine’s Day Massacre and disguise themselves as female members of a band travelling to Florida. Joe falls for the band’s seductive singer, Sugar (Marilyn Monroe), while Jerry has to fight off the lusty attentions of a wealthy old man. Billy Wilder delivers a pacy, racy cross-dressing farce, full of gags and sauce.

16.  Trading Places (1983)

‘It ain’t cool being no jive turkey so close to Thanksgiving.’

Director: John Landis

Cast: Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis

America’s love-hate relationship with capitalism has rarely been more cannily explored than in this sadistic fairytale of two conniving businessmen who decide to replace one of their finest employees – Harvard elitist Dan Akyroyd – with Eddie Murphy’s sharp-witted street bum. The image of Aykroyd, drunk and suicidal in a Santa suit on Christmas Eve, says more about the realities (and brutalities) of Wall Street than a hundred financial-crash docs – and means that when he and his erstwhile rival pull together for the big climactic switcheroo, you’re firmly in their corner.

17.  Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)

‘Please. Have mercy. I’ve been wearing the same underwear since Tuesday.’

Director: John Hughes

Cast: Steve Martin, John Candy, Laila Robins, Michael McKean

An underdog contender for the best film in John Hughes’ beloved oeuvre, Planes, Trains & Automobiles isn’t just a Thanksgiving movie. It is the Thanksgiving movie. But it’s not just that, either. Even if the holiday doesn’t exist where you live, its themes resonate: everyone has people they’d go through hell to get home to – and if you don’t, you recognise the loneliness that sits just outside the movie’s zany core. It helps, of course, that Steve Martin and John Candy are an unbeatable comic dream team: hilarious when arguing in cramped hotel rooms and burned-out rental cars, and emotionally devastating in the film’s tearjerking final moments. 

18.  Dr Strangelove: Or, How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb (1964)

‘Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here! This is the War Room!’

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Cast: Peter Sellers, George C Scott, Sterling Hayden

Stanley Kubrick only made one comedy but when that one is Dr. Strangelove , what’s the point of even trying another? Seizing upon Cold War anxieties and dripping with cynicism, and initially intended as a serious thriller, based on the Peter George novel ‘Red Alert’ , it wrings nervous laughter from the threat of nuclear annihilation. Comedies are rarely so boldly scathing. Even rarer? Peter Sellers’ all-timer triple-threat performance as British RAF officer Lionel Mandrake, American President Merkin Muffley and the titular ‘ex’-Nazi scientist. If there were a comedy Mount Rushmore, three of the heads might just be dedicated to those incredible turns. 

19.  Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)

‘Apparently my son was on something called acid, and was shooting a bow and arrow into a crowd.’

Director: Adam McKay

Cast: Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd


Will Ferrell stepped up from the big-boned manchild of Zoolander  and Elf  to musky, manly movie star in a film that recalls a simpler, polyester time. A time when a man was not judged by the contents of his character but on the raw, unchecked ferocity of his cologne, the lustre of his moustache and the quantity of leather-bound books that lined the mahogany shelves of his apartment. But although everyone is ultimately in the shadow of the glistening chestnut bombast of Ron’s towering hair, Anchorman  is very much an ensemble effort, and everyone brings their A-game to the bullpen.

20.  Four Lions (2010)

‘Rubber-dinghy rapids, bro!’

Director: Chris Morris

Cast: Riz Ahmed, Nigel Lindsay, Kayvan Novak

This first (and so far only) feature from British TV and radio comedian Chris Morris dared to mock the stupidity of homegrown British jihadis in the wake of 2005’s terror attacks on London. Framed as a slapstick sitcom and built on solid satirical foundations, Morris and his co-writers based much of their script on evidence and court transcripts relating to real cases of DIY terrorism. In the years since, the film has become a regular reference point in the news as life – tragically and comically – continues to imitate art.

21.  Young Frankenstein (1974)

‘For what we are about to see next, we must enter quietly into the realm of genius.’

Director: Mel Brooks

Cast: Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman, Peter Boyle

Mel Brooks’s finest genre parody succeeds as a hilarious send-up because it’s also a love letter to the classic 1930s Frankenstein  movies. As the old Baron’s grandson (co-writer Gene Wilder) brings the family business back to life, Brooks milks the familiar material to the point of absurdity – notably when Wilder performs a tuxedo-ed song-and-dance duo to prove his monster (Peter Boyle) is a civilised creation. The knockabout is great fun, but knowing the originals only increases one’s appreciation. 

22.  Ghostbusters (1984)

‘Don’t cross the streams!’

Director: Ivan Reitman

Cast: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd

When New York is invaded by ghastly ghouls, who you gonna call? You know the answer: four self-styled Ghostbusters ready to dash in and zap the spirits into oblivion. Much of this sci-fi-comedy’s charm lies in its have-a-go-heroes: these underdogs are thrown into the spotlight with delightful results. Bill Murray’s deadpan, womanising scientist is an undoubted highlight, while Rick Moranis brings crazy character humour as the dork living in the most haunted building in Manhattan. 

23.  Tootsie (1982)

‘I have a name. It’s Dorothy. Not Tootsie or Toots or Sweetie or Honey or Doll.’ ‘Oh, Christ!’ ‘No, just Dorothy.’

Director: Sidney Pollack

Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Bill Murray

Sure, this is Dustin Hoffman’s show – he’s the gut in a dress, after all. But it’s Bill Murray who sticks in the memory: the source of most of the film’s big laughs and a goodly portion of its soul. Looking back, the concept of a guy dressing up as a woman to get a better job is a vaguely uncomfortable one, and its approach to feminism is badly out-dated. But the performances still shine, the script still sparkles and director Sydney Pollack’s smooth ’80s style still charms. Now hang on while I fix my lippy.

24.  Play It Again, Sam (1972)

'No, my parents never got divorced. Although I begged them to.’

Director: Herbert Ross

Cast: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts

Woody Allen establishes his on-screen persona as a haplessly neurotic would-be lover in this sparkling adaptation of his 1969 Broadway play, where he’s a movie critic so obsessed by Casablanca  that he’s conjured up an imaginary Humphrey Bogart to dispense hard-boiled wisdom. Bogey’s kiss-or-kill strategies couldn’t be less appropriate, which is where the fun starts, and Diane Keaton makes a most appealing romantic foil as events head to a wittily achieved airport finale with deliciously misappropriated classic movie dialogue.

25.  Bridesmaids (2011)

'Help me I'm poor...'

Director: Paul Feig

Cast: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Chris O’Dowd, Melissa McCarthy

Bridesmaids  is way more than just a lads comedy with the genders switched. Sure, there are some of the bad-taste trappings, but it more than outgrows them with its silly-but-smart script and the lively direction from Freaks and Geeks  legend Paul Feig. Even better, though, is the note-perfect casting. Kristen Wiig's performance as Annie is raucously hilarious (her impersonation of a penis is a highlight), as is Rose Byrne, whose deadpan performance as Helen is severely underrated. Mostly, though, it works because the relationships between the women feel real and honest.

26.  The Castle (1997)

‘Compulsorily acquired? You know what this means, don’t you… They’re acquiring it. Compulsorily.’

Director: Rob Sitch

Cast: Michael Caton, Anne Tenney, Stephen Curry

Voted Australia’s favourite homegrown film, this modest fable about ordinary folk battling the vested interests who have issued a compulsory purchase order on their property manages the rare trick of laughing with its characters while getting significant comic mileage from their deficiencies of taste, common sense and general knowledge. The Kerrigan household aren’t the sharpest tools in the box, but their affectionate family bond creates a sense of home as something you just can’t put a price on. An irresistible feelgood charmer.

27.  Blazing Saddles (1974)

‘What’s a dazzling urbanite like you doing in a rustic setting like this?’

Cast: Gene Wilder, Cleavon Little, Slim Pickens

‘My movies rise below vulgarity,’ Mel Brooks once quipped in the salad days of his career. Exhibit A for that claim, surely, is Blazing Saddles . A satire of Hollywood’s white-centric accounts of the American West, and told from the perspective of the first black sheriff in an all-white town, the film can be wince-inducing in the politically-charged, highly racial tone of its humour. Co-written by Richard Pryor (and co-starring Gene Wilder), it remains a riot of bad taste. John Wayne was offered a cameo role, Brooks once claimed in an interview. After reading and considering the script, the iconic Cowboy declined the opportunity. The dialogue, he said was ‘too dirty’. Amen to that.

28.  Zoolander (2001)

‘Have you ever wondered if there was more to life, other than being really, really, ridiculously good looking?’

Director: Ben Stiller

Cast: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Will Ferrell

Did someone say fish in a barrel? Okay, so the fashion world isn’t exactly a challenging subject for satire but Ben Stiller’s tale of international intrigue, haute couture and ludicrous pretension has such great gags, committed performances and cod sincerity that it’s hard not to guffaw. Stiller’s Zoolander is a supermodel on the slide, threatened by up-and-comer Owen Wilson, exploited by grasping designer Will Ferrell and constrained by his gargantuan stupidity, source of most of the big laughs. But he’s also insecure, well-meaning and basically quite sweet, which makes his story all the more amiable.  

29.  Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)

‘Lawrence Fells. Lawrence Feings. Forest Lorenston. Low. Lars. LARS. Lawrence. Lawrence. Luch. Lawrence. Tuh. His name is James Jesenthon. Lawrence Fell. Lawrence Jesterton. LAWRENCE JESTERTON!’

Director: Frank Oz

Cast: Steve Martin, Michael Caine, Glenne Headly

Scoundrels  is the perfect description of Steve Martin and Michael Caine’s characters in this remake of 1964’s Bedtime Story . The duo play a pair of conmen who’ve been tricking the rich women of the French Riviera out of their fortunes before realising they share the same turf. Thus begins an increasingly ridiculous duel, with Caine’s buttoned-up Lawrence making the perfect foil for Martin’s goofball Freddy. Their behaviour could easily come off as mean, but by the end of the film they’ve conned you into thinking they’re loveable rogues.

30.  South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)

‘Hey Stan, tell them about the part where Terrence calls Phillip a testicle-shitting rectal wart.’

Director: Trey Parker

Cast: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Isaac Hayes

What’s the greatest musical of all time? Singin’ in the Rain ? Too cute. West Side Story ? Too butch. Meet Me in St Louis ? If Judy Garland had called Margaret O’Brien a donkey-raping shit eater, it might have stood a chance. Surely, the finest example of the musical form in cinema has to be this rites-of-passage tale of life in a quiet Colorado mountain town, where all the folks need to worry about is parking provision, bad language, gay dogs, an impending land war with Canada, Satan’s fuck-buddy Saddam, whether it really was Cartman’s mother in that German scheisse video and, of course, those goddamned Baldwins. Aw, shucks. 

31.  ¡Three Amigos! (1986)

‘Would you say that I had a plethora of piñatas?’

Cast: Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Martin Short

Pitched somewhere between Seven Samurai  and The Artist  (only with much bigger hats), this goofy Hollywood comedy sees three fading silent-era stars travelling to Mexico to appear at a warlord’s birthday party only to wind up leading a peasant’s revolt. It’s all deeply silly – most of the jokes come at the expense of wacky accents, donkeys and Martin Short falling over – but Alfonso Arau’s thunderous performance as the villainous El Guapo is a major treat, as is Randy Newman’s whacked-out cameo as a singing bush.

32.  Shaun of the Dead (2004)

‘How’s that for a slice of fried gold?’

Director: Edgar Wright

Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield

Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright emerged from the cult TV bliss of Spaced fully formed to take over the midnight-movie circuit with this daffy, hyperkinetic zom-rom-com that defined the director’s unique visual style from the get go. The quips and sight gags come a mile a minute, but the secret to Shaun ’s success is in its respect for the source material: This isn’t a parody. It’s a loving homage, complete with a sly social commentary of the Romero mold lurking behind the gags and gore, both of which hit the screen with glorious frequency. There’s an effortless balance between laughs, genuine thrills and touching pathos. That it all looks so effortless is some sort of miracle. 

33.  A Night at the Opera (1935)

‘I saw Mrs Claypool first. Of course, her mother really saw her first but there’s no point in bringing the Civil War into this.’

Director: Sam Wood

Cast: Groucho Marx, Chico Marx and Harpo Marx

Even funnier than the overblown Queen album of the same name, this was the Marxes at their anarchic apogee, an excoriating dissection of snot-nosed, jazz-age, high-society wags that contained some of their most memorable comic riffs. The story, in which Groucho falls in with a moneyed has-been and has to assist a struggling opera company, plays second fiddle to an intense barrage of puns, tongue-twisters and wisecracks. Chico’s on hand, too, with his unhinged cod-Italiano witterings, while Harpo’s energetic feats of slapstick repeatedly threaten to steal the show. And if you’ve ever pondered how many people can fit into the cabin of an art deco transatlantic ocean liner, then this is the movie for you. 

34.  When Harry Met Sally… (1989)

"I'll have what she's having." 

Cast: Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher

We love Rob Reiner and screenwriter Nora Ephron’s bar-setting romantic comedy for many reasons. We love the way it deftly weaves the witty, adult conversationality of Woody Allen into a satisfyingly familiar romcom setup. We love the leads, of course, who perfected the archetype of the clashing A and B types who are nonetheless drawn together, but we also love Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby as their instantly compatible opposites. Really, it might be the most lovable comedy ever, because it truly understands the silliness of love, and the strange, almost inexplicable ways people end up together. Just about every romcom since has been chasing it. 

35.  National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)

‘Christ. Seven years of college down the drain. Might as well join the fucking Peace Corps.’

Cast: John Belushi, Karen Allen, Tom Hulce

National Lampoon’s 1978 effort follows a wild fraternity of party lads, playboys and misfits put at danger of being shutdown by the dean of their straight-laced university. If that plotline sounds familiar it’s probably because it’s been aped by a whole host of college movies since, from the American Pie  sequels to the recent Zac Efron film Bad Neighbours . But none of them have the same gutsy energy brought by Animal House  cast members like John Belushi.

36.  The General (1926)

There were two loves in his life: his engine and…’

Directors: Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton

Cast: Buster Keaton, Marion Mack

Viewed today, the natural reaction to Buster Keaton’s civil-war masterpiece isn’t so much laughter as sheer, jaw-on-the-floor astonishment. In a world long before health and safety, here is a man literally risking life and limb to present some of the most astonishing sight gags ever performed, from ducking cannon balls to flipping railroad ties to chucking an entire, full-size locomotive off a bridge. It’s hilarious too, of course: the birth of the chase movie, and the template for everything from the Looney Tunes cartoons to Mad Max: Fury Road . 

37.  Elf (2003)

' So, good news...I saw a dog today.'

Director: Jon Favreau

Cast: Will Ferrell, James Caan, Bob Newhart

This story of Buddy the 'elf', a human raised in the north pole by Santa and his real elves, and his journey to find his real dad is fast becoming a festive family staple. The juxtaposition between Ferrell's Buddy, a guileless simpleton who accidentally causes havoc and destruction, and his stiff-lipped and gruff businessman of a father provides genuine moments of humour and heart. Meanwhile, director Jon Favreau delivers any cornball sentiments with an adept balance of irony and sincerity.

38.  Nuts In May (1976)

‘“I want to see the zoo,” she said. “I want to see the zoo.”’

Director: Mike Leigh

Cast: Roger Sloman, Alison Steadman, Anthony O’Donnell

Of all the films Mike Leigh made for TV in the 1970s, this comedy about two ‘green’ middle-class Londoners who pitch up at a Dorset campsite and make fools of themselves is almost as enduring as the better known Abigail’s Party . Arriving in the countryside, priggish Keith (Roger Sloman) turns up his nose at non-free-range eggs (this was 40 years ago), while his wife Candice Marie (Alison Steadman) might not be as floaty and submissive as she first appears. Squirm, and squirm some more.

39.  Coming to America (1988)

‘The royal penis is clean, your highness.’

Cast: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones

Just a few years after he became the biggest box-office draw in America, Eddie Murphy’s golden period was already drawing to a close. But this tale of African princes and fast-food heiresses is a scrappily suitable swansong for the Eddie we loved in the ’80s, offering his signature blend of crudity, sweetness, wit, style and vague politicking, all wrapped up in a high-concept romcom package. The highlight, though, has to be ER  star Eriq LaSalle in full Jheri curl nightmare as hair product salesman Daryl. Just let your Soul Glo... 

40.  The Pink Panther (1963)

‘Simone, where is my Surété Scotland Yard-type mackintosh?’

Director: Blake Edwards

Cast: David Niven, Peter Sellers, Robert Wagner

The first in a series of five films featuring the clumsy antics of Peter Sellers’s bungling pseudo-French detective Chief Inspector Clouseau, The Pink Panther  is also the most measured, languorous and subtle of the lot. While often very funny, Sellers’s incompetent character only came to the fore from the second film, A Shot in the Dark , onwards. Consequently, anyone seeing this expecting wall-to-wall Sellers may be a mite disappointed. But hey, it knocks spots off the awful 2006 remake.

41.  Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

‘Just follow your heart. That's what I do.’

Director: Jared Hess

Cast: Jon Heder, Jon Gries, Efren Ramirez

‘Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills… like bow hunting skills, computer hacking…’ It’s safe to say that lanky Idaho high schooler Napoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder) doesn’t really understand girls – or conversation. This social misfit makes for a terrific underdog hero, and when he decides his skill is dancing, things get really funny. Look out for a hilarious turn from Efren Ramirez as Napoleon’s best friend Pedro, a transfer student running for class president. Vote for Pedro!

42.  His Girl Friday (1940)

‘Never mind the Chinese earthquake, take Hitler and stick him on the funny page. No, no, leave the rooster story alone – that’s human interest!’

Director: Howard Hawks

Cast: Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell, Ralph Bellamy

Where would screen comedy be without His Girl Friday ? The double-edged cynicism of Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur’s oft-adapted Broadway play The Front Page  couldn’t be more modern. But director Howard Hawks had the inspired brainwave of turning the male Hildy into a female firebrand played by Rosalind Russell – detonating one of the most incendiary, yet affectionate, sex-war duels in cinema history.

43.  The Blues Brothers (1980)

‘Boys, you got to learn not to talk to nuns that way.’

Cast: John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd

The controversy around The Blues Brothers  has been raging since its release. Is this a case of two white comedians exploiting the heroes of soul music to make themselves look cool? Or is the film actually a loving tribute to a great American art form? The truth is, a bit of both. But luckily, there’s a brilliantly paced plot, a punchy script and a riot of car chases to keep you distracted every time Belushi and Aykroyd’s mugging gets a bit much. Of course, the heart of the movie is in its musical performances: Cab Calloway, Ray Charles and James Brown all hit hard, but it’s Aretha Franklin’s ‘Respect’ that’ll have you jiving in your seat.

44.  Broadway Danny Rose (1984)

‘If you take my advice I think you’ll become one of the great balloon-folding acts of all time!’

Cast: Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Nick Apollo Forte

Woody comes to both bury and praise his hero Danny Rose in this lyrical note to the dimmer lights of the Great White Way. A cock-eyed optimist and full-time dreamer, guileless theatrical agent Danny dotes over his woeful stable of one-shot novelty acts – blind xylophonists, uniped tap dancers, ice-skating penguins dressed, naturally, as Hassidic rabbis – but it’s clear to everyone else that an age is swiftly passing. It would be an easy world to mock, but Allen gives it a generous, mournful, affectionate send-off that pays far richer, far funnier dividends.

45.  Rushmore (1998)

'Best play ever, man.’

Director: Wes Anderson

Cast: Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Olivia Williams

Some films create an entire world, with its own rules and its own geography. Rushmore  is one of the greatest of these. The grounds and environs of Rushmore Academy are at once familiar and strange, populated by bored millionaires and Scottish vagabonds, lost aquatic heroes and their grieving lovers, gruff headmasters and winsome Asian teens, and of course Max Fischer, arguably the most complex, original, loveable but infuriating movie creation of the past three decades. Yes, there’s a little Harold and Maude here, a little Hal Hartley there. But even as it approaches its third decade, Rushmore  still feels blindingly original and unique.

46.  The Producers (1967)

‘I was born in Dusseldorf and that is why they call me Rolf.’

Cast: Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder, Dick Shawn

The beginning of the Brooks empire, and still his funniest film, The Producers  combines old-school kvetch comedy, Broadway backstage hi-jinks and outright headline-grabbing bad taste to intoxicating effect. Wilder steals the show as the accountant to Mostel’s portly, conniving stage producer. The con itself – an elaborate plan to run with the takings of a show so dreadful it closes overnight – keeps things ticking along at a brisk pace, but it’s that Busby Berkeley ‘Springtime for Hitler’ scene that remains most vividly in the memory.

47.  Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)

‘I never forget a pussy... cat.’

Director: Jay Roach

Cast: Mike Myers, Elizabeth Hurley, Michael York

Take Sean Connery’s suave James Bond out of his ’60s-martini-bar comfort zone and you’re left with Austin Powers. He’s a flouncy-collared, womanising secret agent who was cryogenically frozen in the 1960s, then awoken in 1997 to battle cat-stroking villain Dr Evil. Written and starring Mike Myers in both the lead roles, the film’s storyline is as silly as it sounds but that’s what makes it so much fun. Shame about the sequels. 

48.  The King of Comedy (1982)

‘Better to be king for a night than schmuck for a lifetime!’

Director: Martin Scorsese

Cast: Robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis, Sandra Bernhard

Martin Scorsese isn’t exactly known for his comedy, although his 2013 hit The Wolf of Wall Street  was perhaps the most out-and-out funny film he’s made so far. This 1982 film, which followed Raging Bull , thrives on awkward laughs as Robert De Niro’s sociopathic and deluded Rupert Pupkin is so desperate to become a successful stand-up comic (despite an apparent total lack of talent) that he hatches a crazy kidnap plot involving a chat-show host played by Jerry Lewis. It’s watch-through-the-fingers stuff – amusing, yes, but also seriously uncomfortable.

49.  In the Loop (2009)

‘I don’t want to have to read you the riot act, but I am going to have to read you some extracts from the riot act.’

Director: Armando Iannucci

Cast: Tom Hollander, Peter Capaldi, James Gandolfini

Scabrous and smart, Armando Iannucci’s political satire is the sort of film that rewards repeated viewing, if only to catch the jokes you laughed through last time round. It opens out the action from original sitcom The Thick of It  by sending mad-eyed spin doctor Malcolm Tucker, hapless government minister Simon Foster and their cohorts to the States, where they flip and flop for our entertainment, groping towards a coherent policy. The vulgarity is tumultuous, the wit pointed and the performances impeccably judged. Proof that transferring a great sitcom to the big screen need not be difficult, difficult, lemon difficult.

50.  Raising Arizona (1987)

‘Does the Pope wear a funny hat?’

Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter

The Coen Brothers did a full 180 turn after the nihilistic noir of Blood Simple to deliver perhaps their most madcap comedy: a live-action cartoon full of wildly conceived characters, tongue-twisting dialogue and a huge amount of heart. Sure, Raising Arizona is about a couple – a manic Holly Hunter and an oddly subdued Nicolas Cage – who snatch a baby from a millionaire, then flee opportunistic criminals and a battle-scarred biker seemingly forged in hellfire across the same hoodoo-laden Arizona desert Wile E Coyote calls home. This is a Coen brothers movie, after all. But it’s also their sweetest and most warmly deranged, highlighted by a deeply felt pair of central performances and whisked along by Carter Burwell’s yodel-intensive score.

51.  Sons of the Desert (1933)

‘Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into.’

Director: William A Seiter

Cast: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy

Eccentric man-child Stan Laurel and roly-poly fall-guy Oliver Hardy make the screen’s most revered comedy double-act and this is reckoned to be their finest 68 minutes, as the boys plot to evade their domineering wives and slope off to their fraternal lodge convention. It all goes horribly wrong, of course, setting off a whole series of inventive, exquisitely timed sight-gags as the hapless twosome wind up hiding out in their own attic. Short, sharp and delightful. 

52.  The Odd Couple (1968)

‘He's too nervous to kill himself. He wears his seat belt in a drive-in movie.’

Director: Gene Saks

Cast: Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau

Unrepentant slob Oscar (Walter Matthau) and cleaning-obsessive neurotic Felix (Jack Lemmon) make a perfect match as two old pals driven by marriage troubles to sharing a Manhattan apartment. This film version plonks Neil Simon’s Broadway smash on screen without rethinking it for celluloid. Still, the obvious theatricality allows the performers to play to their contrasting strengths, whipping up a frenzy of love-hate exasperation underpinned by life-long friendship. It’s so funny because it’s so believable – everyone knows an Oscar and a Felix.

53.  Bedazzled (1967)

I, Stanley Moon, hereinafter and in the hereafter to be known as “the damned”… The damned?’

Director: Stanley Donen

Cast: Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Eleanor Bron

Forget the underwhelming remake with Brendan Fraser and Liz Hurley. The original Bedazzled  is a vintage piece of swinging London comedy and probably Pete and Dud’s finest big-screen outing. Dudley Moore is a sad-sack cook mooning after a waitress (Eleanor Bron) and Peter Cook plays the devil, who procures his soul in exchange for seven wishes. What follows is a Faustian series of set-pieces – some witty, some garish, some a tad aged – that offer plenty of opportunities for the duo’s distinctive power play. 

54.  The Man With Two Brains (1983)

‘Into the mud, scum queen!’

Cast: Steve Martin, Kathleen Turner, David Warner

The early Steve Martin movies catch comedy at a crossroads: on the surface they’re old-school slapstick romps complete with dubious innuendo, pratfalls and happy-ever-after endings, a short step from Abbott and Costello. But they also manage to incorporate the best of everything new that was happening in comedy at the time: the sight-gag overload of Airplane! , the romance of Woody Allen, the confrontational attitude of the new stand-ups and perfect surrealism of Martin’s own live act.

55.  Toy Story (1995)

‘That wasn’t flying! That was falling with style!’

Director: John Lasseter

Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles

In the past, there were cartoons made for children and cartoons aimed at adults, but scant few intended to appeal equally to both demographics. It’s probably not historically accurate to say Pixar’s debut feature was the first movie to thread that particular needle, but it certainly did so better than any before and maybe even since. A kind of Planes, Trains and Automobiles in (literal) miniature, it introduces anthropomorphic playthings Woody the Cowboy (Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Allen) as a squabbling odd couple trying to make it back home to their beloved owner Andy. Jokes shoot at the screen at a rate that would impress the Zucker brothers, and for each that might fly over the little ones’ heads, there’s another just behind that will hit them square in the funny bone. 

56.  It Happened One Night (1934)

‘I don't know very much about him, except that I love him.’

Director: Frank Capra

Cast: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert


Ask a film historian: what was the first ever romcom? Chances are they’ll tell you that it’s this this deliciously fizzy 1934 screwball comedy. Clark Gable is the newspaper hack who stumbles across a spoilt heiress (Claudette Colbert) on the bus to New York – she’s running away from her rich daddy to marry a fortune hunter. Pay attention and you’ll see elements that romcom scriptwriters have been ‘paying homage’ to ever since: a couple who can’t stand each other at first sight, quick-fire bickering and the realisation that they’re head-over-heels. Irresistible.

57.  Mrs Doubtfire (1993)

'He was hit by a Guinness truck. So it was quite literally the drink that killed him.’

Director: Chris Columbus

Cast: Robin Williams, Sally Field, Pierce Brosnan

The set-up of this 1993 family comedy might be slushy and very, very silly, but it showcases Robin Williams at his most anarchic. He plays struggling actor and divorced dad Daniel who tries to stay in his kids’ lives by dressing up as an (unconvincing and slightly creepy) older woman and getting hired by his ex-wife (Sally Field) to be the children’s nanny. What comes next is a whole lot of meddling.

58.  Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

‘Insanity runs in my family… it practically gallops.’

Cast: Cary Grant, Priscilla Lane, Raymond Massey

This 1944 jet-black farce about serial-killing old dears was years ahead of its time. Cary Grant’s a real trouper, all wide eyes and double takes, as he uncovers the dark secret of his dotty aunt’s cellar. He shifts into another gear when his sinister murderous brother (Raymond Massey) enters the fray. Plotted with precision, delivered with panache, still a model of controlled comic hysteria. 

59.  Clueless (1995)

‘Why should I listen to you, anyway? You're a virgin who can't drive.’

Director: Amy Heckerling

Cast: Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy

Based on Jane Austen's Emma , Clueless  follows Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone), a teenager obsessed with shopping and clothes, as she guides newbie Tai (Brittnay Murphy) through high school. It's much more than a teen movie, however - for a film that's nearly 30 year old, Clueless  still holds a lot of cultural clout, whether it's inspiring music videos, fashion trends or on-going cries of 'As if!' Mostly, though, it's that stellar performance from Silverstone that gives this film so much charm and wit.

60.  Midnight Run (1988)

‘Nothing personal, but fuck off.’

Director: Martin Brest

Cast: Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin

A film whose reputation seems to grow with each passing year (it’s shot up by 34 places since the last time we put together this list), Midnight Run  comes on like just another buddies-on-the-road comedy thriller. That is, until you notice just how flawlessly written and ferociously performed it is. Robert De Niro wisely plays it straight as the bail bondsman tracking down mob informant Charles Grodin, who proceeds to whinge and whine all the way from New York to LA. The pace is relentless, the supporting players are brilliantly sketched and the script cuts like a scalpel.

61.  A Fish Called Wanda (1988)

‘You’re the vulgarian, you fuck!’

Director: Charles Crichton

Cast: John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, Michael Palin

Perhaps the best British comedy since the heyday of Python, since John Cleese deliberately attempted to move away from satirical silliness and back to a more inclusive, plot-driven, unmistakably British brand of comic caper. (He even went so far as to hire 78-year-old Ealing stalwart Charles Crichton to direct.) The result is a film which, like its slippery American heroine, is madly in love with language, from tongue-teasingly delicious sarcasm to some truly outrageous swearing. Add to this four iconic performances (five if you count the inimitable Tom Georgeson as cockernee gangster George ‘Unbe-fackin’-lieveable!’ Thomason), and the result speaks for itself.

62.  Wayne's World (1992)

‘Did you ever find Bugs Bunny attractive when he put on a dress and played girl bunny?’

Director: Penelope Spheeris

Cast: Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Tia Carrere

Penelope Spheeris captured the easygoing slacker rapport of Mike Myers and Dana Carvey’s cable-access SNL heroes perfectly, speaking to the emerging aimlessness of the grunge era that directors like Cameron Crowe were simultaneously trying to deify. Perhaps we weren’t worthy: Wayne’s World is a gift of slice-of-life absurdism with a huge heart that has endured well beyond the shelf-life of most early ‘90s teen-centric cultural phenomena. And sure, without Wayne’s World , there would be no A Night at the Roxbury or It’s Pat . But there would also be no MacGruber or Austin Powers. We’ll take that as a win.

63.  Bananas (1971)

‘I once stole a pornographic book that was printed in braille. I used to rub the dirty parts.’

Cast: Woody Allen, Louise Lasser, Carlos Montalbán

The plot of Woody Allen’s second feature movie sounds like a Seth Rogen stoner comedy: lazy guy stumbles into job as leader of a South American revolution. Except this is a Woody Allen film, so amidst daft slapstick, cutting one-liners and guerrilla warfare you’ll find commentary on the corruption of power and the role of the media. It’s a bit mad – there’s one scene where someone orders 1,000 grilled cheese sandwiches – but it’s one of Allen’s best.

64.  Swingers (1996)

‘You’re so money and you don’t even know it.’

Director : Doug Liman

Cast : Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn, Heather Graham, Ron Livingston

An endlessly quotable slice of life about LA transplants struggling to make it in Hollywood, Swingers  is anchored by the real-life friendship between Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn, effectively playing themselves as then-underemployed actors whose competing personalities – the former sensitive but self-defeating, the latter obnoxious yet loyal – form a crucial balance for each other, and their peers. Some of the details have aged poorly – there’s no explaining Gen X’s brief obsession with swing music – but as long as there are confused twentysomethings in the world, its smart observations and themes of career anxiety and romantic despair will resonate. 

65.  Heaven Can Wait (1943)

'It’s a father's function to save his son from the mistakes he made.’

Director: Ernst Lubitsch

Cast: Gene Tierney, Don Ameche, Charles Coburn

A satirical portrait of a womaniser who messes up the great romance right in front of him, this Technicolor delight from the legendary Ernst Lubitsch features the screen’s most elegant visualisation of hell: all marble columns and shiny floors, presided over by Laird Cregar’s suave Satan, who decides whether new arrival Don Ameche is to go ‘down below’ or ‘up above’. This is a sophisticated watch – if a little forgiving of male foibles, and more likely to give you an attack of wry smiles than out-and-out guffaws.

66.  Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985)

'There's a lotta things about me you don't know anything about, Dottie.’

Director: Tim Burton

Cast: Paul Reubens, Elizabeth Daily, Mark Holton

Tim Burton’s first feature might just be proof that the blockbuster visionary is better off with lower budgets, so long as he has a solid collaborator. Kicking off with an iconic score from Danny Elfman (then simply known as ‘that guy from Oingo Boingo’) and culminating with an ultra-meta spy spoof, Pee-Wee is pure joy: A classic road film in which a hyperactive manchild becomes a nigh-mystical roadside prophet brightening the lives of drifters and wayward souls as he searches for a lost bike. Burton’s signature style is everywhere, from the menacing roadside dinosaurs to the nightmarish dream sequences and the generation-scarring Large Marge. But it’s Paul Reubens’ finely calibrated mania that makes the film as essential now as it was when it launched its creators’ careers: the comedian captures the essence of childhood joy one obnoxious giggle at a time.

67.  The Death of Stalin (2017)

‘You’re not even a person, you’re a testicle!’

Director Armando Iannucci

Cast Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Rupert Friend, Jeffrey Tambor, Michael Palin, Jason Isaacs

First time round, we were too busy laughing to notice just how dark Armando Iannucci’s Stalinist satire really is. With the benefit of hindsight – not to mention three more years of contemporary demagoguery under our belts – it feels a lot more like Animal Farm than Animal House : nasty, venal politicians vying for power in a game of snakes and ladders where the loser ends up in the gulag. The kind of world where Jason Isaacs’s Marshal Zhukov feels like a hero because, hey, at least he’s honest enough to be openly psychotic. Of course, it’s bloody funny too – just very literally so.

68.  Top Secret! (1984)

‘I know a little German. He’s sitting over there.’

Cast: Val Kilmer, Omar Sharif, Billy J Mitchell

Eager to parody the WWII spy flick but keenly aware that, despite what Mel Brooks might think, the Nazis really weren’t all that funny, the Airplane!  team of Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker hit upon the notion of a dimwit American rock star sent into East Berlin to infiltrate the Russkies. The result isn’t quite as rampantly gag-stuffed as either Airplane!  or The Naked Gun , but the jokes there are land hard: Peter Cushing’s amazing giant eye, Kilmer’s pitch-perfect Beach Boys parody and some timeless wordplay (see above).

69.  The Cable Guy (1996)

‘Free cable is the ultimate aphrodisiac.’

Cast: Jim Carrey, Matthew Broderick, Leslie Mann

Produced by Judd Apatow, directed by Ben Stiller and starring Jim Carrey, Jack Black and Matthew Broderick, The Cable Guy  has all the building blocks of a legendary lad comedy. The film is no bromance though – Carrey plays a manic cable guy who drags newly single Broderick into his twisted fantasy world. Featuring a weird scene where a trip to a Medieval-themed restaurant leads to the two pals jousting viciously, this dark comedy’s strengths lie in revealing the nasty side of Carrey’s acting persona.

70.  Mr Hulot’s Holiday (1953)

'Mr. Hulot is off for a week by the sea. Take a seat behind his camera, and you can spend it with him.'

Director: Jacques Tati

Cast: Jacques Tati, Nathalie Pascaud, Micheline Rolla

A sleepy French seaside resort becomes the playground for director-star Jacques Tati’s lanky, kindly middle-aged bachelor Monsieur Hulot, whose efforts at enjoying himself invariably end in disaster. Former mime Tati essentially dispenses with dialogue, but while his approach certainly draws on silent comedy, he's less interested in quick-fire slapstick than slowly escalating complications whose intricate choreography often proves more whimsical, or beautiful even, than out-and-out hilarious. Filled with sunny nostalgia and bittersweet longing, its funny-sad demeanour is quintessential Tati.

71.  Way Out West (1936)

‘Any bird can build a nest, but it’s not everyone that can lay an egg.’

Director: James W Horne

Laurel and Hardy’s frontier tale is their most varied featurette, and ranks with their very best. Having witlessly contrived to hand over a valuable property deed to a scheming saloon owner, their attempts to make amends involve an airborne mule, an ill-fated piano and much tickling. All this plus several utterly charming old-timey musical numbers (including 1970s novelty number one ‘Trail of the Lonesome Pine’) and the convincingly surreal sight of Ollie using his thumb as a lighter. Solid gold. 

72.  Best in Show (2000)

'Bratwurst and shillelaghs... Paging Dr. Freud!’

Director: Christopher Guest

Cast: Jane Lynch, Catherine O'Hara, Parker Posey

The best of Christopher Guest’s post- Spinal Tap  mockumentaries (see also Waiting for Guffman , A Mighty Wind  and… actually, don’t see For Your Consideration ), this chronicle of a dog show overflows with hilarious caricatures, from yuppies and A-gays to laconic backwoodsmen and addled commentators. The largely improvised material is generally geared around character rather than out-and-out gags but the simmering neuroses and blithely inane foot-in-mouth outbursts build to a fist-biting tsunami of excruciation. 

73.  Kingpin (1996)

‘ You’re on a gravy train with biscuit wheels.’

Cast: Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid, Bill Murray

The oft-overlooked oddity squeezed between the giant blockbuster tentpoles (oo-er) of Dumb and Dumber  and There’s Something About Mary , Kingpin  sees the Farrelly Brothers drawing on some mysterious inner pool of inexplicable comedy genius and coming up with the ludicrous tale of a thatch-headed Amish bowling prodigy (Quaid) and his bitter, one-handed mentor (Harrelson) as they head cross-country to the national championships. Lin Shaye’s turn as Harrelson’s grotesque, sexually rapacious landlady is unforgettably despicable.

74.  The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

‘“Vamonos, amigos,” he whispered, and threw the busted leather flintcraw over the loose weave of the saddlecock. And they rode on in the friscalating dusklight.’

Cast: Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Luke Wilson

Wes Anderson’s third feature film follows three child prodigies turned adult burnouts, called back to New York by their dying father. Gwyneth Paltrow, Luke Wilson and Ben Stiller play the siblings, who function in a typically Anderson world painted in hyper-stylised strokes and grubby pastel shades. The script (especially the narration from Alec Baldwin) is full of dry wit, but it’s the sweetly sad narrative about love and disappointment that gives the film its magic.

75.  Ace Ventura, Pet Detective (1994)

‘If I’m not back in five minutes... just wait longer.’

Director: Tom Shadyac

Cast: Jim Carrey, Courteney Cox, Sean Young

When ‘Snowflake’, a 500-pound dolphin and mascot of American football team the Miami Dolphins, is stolen on the eve of the Super Bowl, the only person with the animal instincts to solve the crime is Ace Ventura. Played by Jim Carrey, he’s a second-tier detective with a penchant for Hawaiian shirts and the hyperactive energy of a six-year-old. It’s Carrey at his most Carrey. Be warned: there’s a lot of toilet humour. 

76.  The Great Dictator (1940)

‘Heil Hynkel!’

Director: Charlie Chaplin

Cast: Charlie Chaplin, Paulette Goddard

Charlie Chaplin’s courageous 1940 satire sees him sending up Adolf Hitler as the fictional despot Adenoid Hynckel. The famous scene where he dances with a giant globe offers a comic pisstake on vaunting megalomania, though there’s also a murderous reality to Hynkel’s behaviour – and prescient talk of ‘concentration camps’. Overall, it’s more a movie about the power of comedy than a chuckle-fest in itself, since the subplot with Chaplin also playing a plucky barber rather struggles to raise a smile.

77.  Office Space (1999)

'It's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care.’

Director: Mike Judge

Cast: Ron Livingston, Jennifer Aniston

As the world rethinks the concept of the workplace post-pandemic, Mike Judge’s furious satire of capitalist drudgery seems both sharper than ever and increasingly anachronistic. Will future generations even understand the joyless forced camaraderie of the breakroom birthday party? Or the intense desire to curb-stomp a malfunctioning copy machine? Then again, where we work might change, but as long as there are barely-definable corporate jobs, there’ll be drones dreaming of escaping and/or defrauding them….and even if there isn’t, Diedrich Bader’s stone-serious delivery of the line ‘two chicks at the same time’ will remain forever hilarious.

78.  The Return of the Pink Panther (1975)

‘Compared to Clouseau, Attila the Hun was a Red Cross volunteer!’

Cast: Peter Sellers, Christopher Plummer

Eleven years after A Shot in the Dark , Edwards and Sellers revived the Clouseau franchise. And though several dismal cash-ins followed, quality control is still in evidence for this sequel to the first movie, with Christopher Plummer now the gem-snaffling Sir Charles and Catherine Schell battling to keep a straight face as his slinky spouse under close surveillance by a disguise-swapping Sellers. Twitchy boss Herbert Lom and ninja butler Burt Kwouk rather overplay their hand, but Sellers’ mangled Gallic vowels remain resplendent.

79.  Slap Shot (1977)

‘I may be bald, but at least I'm not chickenshit like you.’

Director: George Roy Hill

Cast: Paul Newman, Michael Ontkean

Paul Newman thrives in what’s surely the least-heroic, worst-dressed role of his career as the has-been player-coach of a lower-league ice hockey team, threatened by closure just as their fortunes improve by whacking the living daylights out of their opponents. Pilloried at the time for its relentlessly salty language, George Roy Hill’s film has since gathered a considerable cult following and now stands as a milestone sports comedy that’s also a telling portrait of threatened masculinity in a declining America. Well worth discovering.

80.  Old School (2003)

'Every now and then I get a little bit nervous then I see the fuckin’ look in your eyes...’

Director: Todd Phillips

Cast: Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn

Director Todd Phillips found critical and commercial acclaim with The Hangover and, more surprisingly, Joker . But he forged his cult with this early aughts Animal House riff that serves as an appetiser for a decade of Apatow-adjacent bro comedies. The plot is pretty boilerplate (old guys start an on-campus frat for outcasts, blowhard dean can’t deal with it), but it’s all executed with chaotic zeal thanks to a stacked Frat Pack cast that includes an especially manic Vince Vaughn. The real breakout, though, is Will Ferrell, whose internal battle between middle-aged family man and party-obsessed Frank the Tank provides the film a Jekyll and Hyde dynamic soaked in bong water and cheap beer. Old School announced the arrival of Will Ferrell, Movie Star, and it did it in the most Ferrell way possible: by going streaking. 

81.  Sullivan's Travels (1941)

‘There’s a lot to be said for making people laugh. It isn’t much, but it’s better than nothing in this cock-eyed caravan.’

Director: Preston Sturges

Cast: Joel McCrea, Veronica Lake

Sullivan’s Travels  is perhaps best known today as being the movie that ‘inspired’ the Coens’ O Brother, Where Art Thou? , but this meaning-of-life masterpiece deserves so much more. At once witty, wacky, wholesome, devious and devastatingly smart, it showcases director Preston Sturges at the absolute pinnacle of his game, offering up not just a wildly entertaining Hollywood romp but a razor sharp (and explosively political) examination of why comedy matters at all. A work of genius, plain and simple. And damn, Veronica Lake!

82.  The Big Sick (2017)

‘So... to fully know I love someone, I have to cheat on them?’ Director: Michael Showalter Cast: Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano There aren’t too many modern comedies with the chutzpah to pull off a 9/11 joke. There are even fewer to give us a Pakistani-American culture-shock romance that isn’t awash with clichés (okay, ignoring at least one killer Uber gag). Take a bow, then, Emily V Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani, the real-life couple who penned an inspired-by-real-life gem that does both – and a whole lot more besides. We meet Emily (Zoe Kazan plays Gordon’s on-screen surrogate) and Kumail (Nanjiani playing a version of himself) doing all the standard stuff: dating, having sex, watching Vincent Prices movies. Then she falls into a coma and suddenly for Kumail, there’s heartache, hospitals and parents to deal with. Funny and wise, The Big Sick  is one of those rare comedies with something genuinely fresh to say.

83.  Waiting for Guffman (1996)

‘People say, “You must have been the class clown.” And I say, “No, I wasn’t. But I sat next to the class clown and I studied him.”’

Cast: Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara

As axeman Nigel Tufnel, Christopher Guest was part of the timeless success of This Is Spinal Tap . But he also picked up the filmmaking baton, going on to direct masterworks of situational improv such as Best in Show , For Your Consideration  and this movie. The superb cast play members of a small-town, amateur-dramatic society pinning their hopes on a visit from a big-shot critic, though what he’ll make of the pageant ‘Red, White and Blaine’ is regrettably clear to everyone else. Often painful, sometimes moving, frequently hilarious, it’s an oddball delight and a tribute to self-deluding ambition everywhere. 

84.  School of Rock (2003)

‘God of Rock, thank you for this chance to kick ass.’

Director: Richard Linklater Cast: Jack Black, Mike White

Under certain circumstances, Jack Black cranked to 11 can be a form of comedic tinnitus. In the case of Richard Linklater’s rock’n’roll underdog story, it’s hard to imagine the movie working with anyone else, or with his Jack Blackness dialed down even a single decibel. Black is remarkably endearing as a headbanging ball of unhinged enthusiasm named Dewey Finn, a slacker musician who cons his way into a substitute teaching gig and ends up unleashing the inner rock gods in a group of nerdy band kids – and their buttoned-up principal, wonderfully played by Joan Cusack. It sounds corny on paper (and a little like Sister Act 2 ) but Black annihilates all shreds of cloying sentimentality through sheer force of energy. The kids are all pretty good, too.

85.  Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016)

‘E ver since I was born, I was dope.’

Director : Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone Cast : Andy Samberg , Jorma Taccone , Akiva Schaffer Like Spinal Tap  on Adderall, The Lonely Island’s mile-a-minute lampooning of modern pop stars and their egos and, in the case of fast-fading solo artist Conner4Real (Andy Samberg), the 30 people they have around them to make them look dope is a wild and ridiculous ride. There are hilarious riffs here on everything from boyband politics to the perils of celebrity weddings (avoid wolves, basically). Fittingly, Connor’s PR person gets one of the best – and most stinging – lines:  ‘I'd love to get Connor to the point where he's just kind of everywhere – like oxygen or gravity or clinical depression.’

86.  The Mask (1994)

Director : Chuck Russell

Cast : Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz, Peter Riegert

87.  The Gold Rush (1925)

'Climbing! Plodding! Mushing! Back and forth... back and forth.'

Cast: Charlie Chaplin, Mack Swain

Chaplin’s little tramp finds himself braving the Alaskan gold rush in this celebrated silent feature, whose surreal invention – watch him fend off starvation by chomping down his boots – has gone down in screen history. The romantic asides (his poignant longing for a flighty showgirl) still play too, showcasing the sophistication of Chaplin’s acting as well as his facility for balletic knockabout. Lovely stuff, but do try to see the silent original rather than the awkwardly narrated sound reissue.

88.  There's Something About Mary (1998)

“Getting your dick stuck in your zipper was the best thing that ever happened to you.”

Directors: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly

Cast: Cameron Diaz, Ben Stiller, Matt Dillon

By 1998, the Farrelly brothers had firmly established themselves as the new masters of the unapologetically dumb comedy. A romcom, however, seemed far out of their depth. But There’s Something About Mary turned out to be their career highpoint; a movie with genuine heart that sacrifices none of the duo’s body-fluid-intensive comedic sensibility. Give much of the credit to the chemistry of its leads. Ben Stiller is perfect as Ted Stroehmann, an anxiety-riddled sports agent still carrying a torch for his high school crush. And Cameron Diaz, as the titular Mary, proves exceedingly game to get down and dirty: how many ascendant It Girls in history would agree to a gag about inadvertently styling their hair with semen? 

89.  Booksmart (2019)

‘Who allowed you to take my breath away?’ Director:  Olivia Wilde Cast:  Kaitlyn Dever,  Beanie Feldstein Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) are two high-school besties on the cusp of living their best Ivy League dreams. But on graduation day they discover a cruel fact: a life of bookish abstinence isn’t the only pathway to those ivory towers. Their cooler, sexier, harder-partying classmates are likewise heading to elite universities. Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut captures the friends’ hilarious (and heartfelt) attempt to grab the fun they deserve before leaving town. Following her scene-stealing role as Saoirse Ronan’s sidekick in Lady Bird , Feldstein yet again proves she’s one of the funniest actresses around (and the one we’d really, really love to be pals with IRL). 

90.  The Heartbreak Kid (1972)

‘They should have warned us that there was a danger of running out of pecan pie.’

Director: Elaine May

Cast: Charles Grodin, Cybill Shepherd, Jeannie Berlin

Improv pioneer Elaine May completely changed comedy through her influential stage work with Mike Nichols, yet as a director she’s mostly associated with the unfairly maligned mega-bomb Ishtar . In a just world, her Heartbreak Kid would be her calling card – a proto cringe comedy from the pen of Neil Simon that features one of the best jittery performances of Charles Grodin’s career. In a masterpiece of awkward tension, Grodin stars as an aloof salesman who suddenly – as in, en route to the honeymoon – realises his new bride (Jeannie Berlin, May’s real daughter) is the absolute worst, then promptly falls for another guest (Cybil Shepherd) while his unsuspecting spouse heals from a bad sunburn. Grodin and Shepherd do wonders in making their shallow characters believable, and the fact that charming Ben Stiller and Michelle Monaghan couldn’t do the same in the Farrelly Brothers’ ill-conceived remake is a testament to the tightrope walked by May in her underseen classic.    

91.  Harold and Maude (1971)

‘Harold, everyone has the right to make an ass out of themselves.’

Director: Hal Ashby

Cast: Bud Cort, Ruth Gordon

Genre-non-specific movies like Harold and Maude  have suffered on this list: is it really a comedy? Isn’t there a bit too much death and holocaust talk for that? But if it’s not a comedy, what is Harold and Maude ? Therein, of course, lies its genius: it’s not anything, except real. Controversial on first release, forgotten for decades and then happily rediscovered (at least in part thanks to Cameron Diaz in There’s Something About Mary ), Harold and Maude  is now firmly established as one of the all-time romantic classics. The central relationship may be unconventional – teenage boy falls for 79-year-old concentration camp survivor – but the themes of self-discovery and universal love speak to all of us. 

92.  The Other Guys (2010)

" At age 11, I audited my parents. Believe me, there were some discrepancies, and I was grounded .”

Director:  Adam McKay

Cast:  Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Samuel L Jackson

Adam McKay’s buddy cop homage came out to warm reviews, but was anyone acclaiming it as an all-timer? Nope, they were grumbling about the film’s (admittedly bolted-on) capitalist critique and a woolly plot involving Steve Coogan’s shady billionaire. But it turned out that even those bits were built to last. Will Ferrell is a treat as a NYPD accountant cosplaying as a detective, but Mark Wahlberg steals the show as the alpha cop enraged by literally everything his partner says and does.  Oh, and  Michael Keaton’s TLC riff ? Just inspired. 

93.  The Philadelphia Story (1940)

‘The course of true love gathers no moss.’ Director: George Cukor Cast: Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, James Stewart A romcom that sparkles like champagne, The Philadelphia Story  is a delicious comedy of misunderstandings and misdemeanours. Which of three men will win the heart of Katharine Hepburn’s icy heiress on the eve of her wedding: her millionaire ex-husband Cary Grant, snooping reporter James Stewart or her dull businessman fiancé John Howard? At the end you might decide that she picks the wrong man, but you can’t argue with the fact that this witty, charming and romantic movie is a near-perfect comedy. 

94.  Local Hero (1983)

'We've been invaded by America. We're all gonna be rich!' Director: Bill Forsyth Cast: Peter Riegert, Burt Lancaster, Peter Capaldi

There’s nothing quite like an hour or two in the company of Bill Forsyth’s evergreen comedy to fill your bucket. Peter Riegert, a genuinely underrated ‘comic’ straight man (see also: The Mask , Animal House ), is a lawyer sent to scope out a Scottish fishing village that’s in the sights of an American oil company, only to fall under its spell. The story of the little man thumbing his nose at a corporate behemoth, here even the corporate behemoth – represented by Burt Lancaster’s oil baron – catches the bug. Maybe there is more to life than chasing dollars after all?

95.  Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)

‘Goddamnit, this is a dark fucking period!’

Director: Jake Kasdan

Cast: John C Reilly, Jenna Fischer, Tim Meadows, Kristen Wiig

Spoofs of the grandly silly Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker variety were decades out of style in 2007, but the genre almost had to be resurrected in order to deliver an all-out roasting of an ascendant brand of awards bait: the prestige musical biopic. Reilly’s Dewey Cox is a well-meaning rube turned rock’n’roll pioneer who never quite sheds his dopey innocence, even while getting hooked on stronger and stronger drugs and writing increasingly indulgent songs featuring ‘an army of didgeridoos’. While plenty absurd, Walk Hard lacks the anarchic zaniness of its parodic forebears but makes up for it with direct-hit explosions of its chosen target. If it had been a bigger hit, it might have spared us Bohemian Rhapsody – just out of sheer embarrassment.      

96.  Safety Last! (1923)

‘The idea of working in your shirt sleeves! Think of the shock to your customers, women of culture and refinement!’ Director: Fred C Newmeyer Cast: Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis Always sporting round specs and straw boater, silent comedian Harold Lloyd’s shtick was to cultivate a likeable boy-next-door persona, then put his protagonist in hair-raising jeopardy. In his best-known feature, his plan to get an athletic acquaintance to climb a department store facade as a publicity stunt backfires, so Harold tackles the perilous ascent himself. Cue pesky pigeons and an inconvenient clock face in a beautifully constructed, very funny set-piece whose clever use of perspective creates vertiginous thrills without back projection – or a single computer pixel! 

97.  The Nice Guys (2016)

• Action and adventure

‘Sweetheart, how many times have I told you? Don't say “and stuff". Just say, "Dad, there are whores here”.’

Director: Shane Black

Cast: Ryan Gosling, Russell Crowe, Angourie Rice

Nowadays we know that Ryan Gosling can do it all – and that comedy may be his strongest suit. But back in 2016, he hadn’t had many opportunities to show off his comedic chops. Neither had Russell Crowe. Leave it to the writer of Lethal Weapon to pair them together as a new Riggs and Murtaugh. In this polyester-laden send-up of ’70s noirs, Crowe is a tough-guy-for-hire forced to work with Gosling’s bumbling P.I. on a convoluted missing persons case, the details of which matter less than their bickering interplay. Gosling, in particular, gives a tour-de-force performance full of quippy banter and old-school, Abbott and Costello -style slapstick. That it flopped hard at the box office is the real crime here.

98.  The Trip (2011)

‘I  think anyone over 40 who amuses themself by doing impressions needs to take a long, hard look in the mirror. ’

Director : Michael Winterbottom Cast : Rob Brydon, Steve Coogan

Here’s what happens in The Trip : Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, playing fictionalised versions of themselves, drive across the English countryside, eating fancy meals, bickering about their careers, singing ABBA and doing a lot of celebrity impressions. That’s literally the whole thing – and that’s all it needs to be. Trimmed to film length from a six-episode BBC television series, it’s arranged by director Michael Winterbottom as a series of vignettes that all play out more or less the same way, and yet it’s hysterical. Coogan and Brydon have the kind of comic chemistry where the concept can sustain itself across three, almost equally funny films. Make this your starter.

99.  Mean Girls (2004)

'You can't sit with us.'

Director: Mark Waters

Cast: Lindsay Lohan, Jonathan Bennett

When Cady (Lindsay Lohan) moves from being home-schooled by her parents in Africa to an American high school, she has rude awakening. Confronted by the school's hierarchy where popularity means everything, she finds herself infiltrating the girl clique The Plastics. Loaded with laugh-out-loud moments, the script, penned by Tina Fey, is filled with zingers. It's a film that provides genuine insight and empathy as well as a hefty dose of putdowns and comeuppances.

100.  Meet the Parents (2000)

‘I have nipples, Greg. Could you milk me?’

Cast: Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro

Meeting your partner’s parents is bound to be stressful – but Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) has it worse than most. Turns out his potential father in law (Robert De Niro) is a former CIA agent with a suspicious nature – and a polygraph lie-detector machine at his disposal. Over the course of an eventful visit, Focker’s misfortune builds to a farcical crescendo as his intended (Teri Polo) looks on. Stiller is on hilarious, hapless form and De Niro has never been funnier.

Our latest comedy movie reviews

• 4 out of 5 stars
• Recommended

The central relationship in Babes reaches its climax when pregnant yoga teacher, Eden (Ilana Glazer), reveals that she feels betrayed that BFF-since-childhood Dawn (Michelle Buteau) is prioritising time with people she has known a fraction as long – her husband and kids. That this conversation lands as both hilariously funny and poignantly true is the secret of Babes’ powers. It has its craving-induced Cheetos and eats them, thanks to a screenplay attuned to the fact that emotionally needy adult friendships are as absurd as they are full of life-expanding warmth. We are dropped into Eden and Dawn’s friendship as they meet for their annual tradition of a Thanksgiving morning movie. It’s a ritual honoured despite the tortured commute inflicted by Dawn relocating from their shared neighbourhood, Astoria, to the Upper West Side. Glazer, who co-wrote the screenplay with Josh Rabinowitz, remains best known for TV’s raucous joyfest, Broad City, and this – its slightly more grown-up twin is equally sluiced in New York mentality, pivoting around what it means to live in one borough over another, and animated by characters with a capital C. Dawn’s waters break before the trailers end. This doesn’t stop the duo going for a slap-up lunch. From the off, there is a shame-free worship for womanhood: from our bodily functions, to our wild impulses, to the wellspring of love we have for our chosen family. ‘Your vagina looks like it’s yawning,’ Eden tells Dawn, more fascinated by her friend’s

Can a movie leave you with a comedown? If it’s as raucous and unruly as Kneecap, a nonstop blizzard of beats, bumps of white powder and punky defiance of the British and Belfast’s sectarian past, the answer’s a firm ‘yes’. Not just inspired by real life, but played, brilliantly, by its own three real-life Irish hip-hoppers, this Gaelic rap origin story is a bit like 8 Mile stumbling, half-cut and high, down the Falls Road, or if Trainspotting spoke Gaelic.The story follows three unfulfilled Belfasters with a few things to say – about the Brits, the slow death of their mother tongue and the joys of Class-As – on their journey to becoming the globally-renowned rap trio of the title in the late 2010s. There’s clubs-and-drugs-loving layabouts Naoise (aka ‘Móglaí Bap’) and Liam (‘Mo Chara’), Celtic-loving boyhood pals who piss off the police for larks, and their beat-crafting producer JJ (‘DJ Próvaí’). He’s an older, stuck-in-a-rut school teacher with the musical chops to make alchemy from all their pent-up energy and scribbled-down lyrics. The tunes, from anti-Brit anthem ‘H.O.O.D’ to ‘Parful’, a club banger about the unifying power of getting extremely high with Protestants, offer out-of-it musical interludes as the gang try to juggle career progress with industrial quantities of ketamine. Think 8 Mile stumbling, half-cut and high, down the Falls Road Michael Fassbender lends star power as Móglaí’s dad, a one-time IRA inmate of the city’s notorious Maze prison who has faked his

• 3 out of 5 stars

Not so much ‘fast and furious’ as slow and serene, Thelma is a nonagenarian action-comedy that’s taken its pills and will stop at nothing on a madcap quest for justice. Apart from platform lifts and particularly steep steps. Writer-director Josh Margolin draws inspiration from his own family for a likeable indie that wants you to think about ageing differently – and succeeds in warm-hearted style. His debut delivers pearls of wisdom about intergenerational family dynamics and the constraints (and freedoms) that come with old age, as Thelma, a 93-year-old grandma, sets off to track down the scammers who have ripped her off.  Played by the wonderful Squibb and based on the director’s own gran, Thelma Post is still a life force: living independently and knocking about with her loveable but lost grandson Danny (Fred Hechinger, soon to be a villain in Gladiator II). Then comes a mysterious call: Danny has been arrested and $10,000 is needed to bail him out. To the horror of her fretful daughter (Parker Posey) and know-it-all son-in-law (Clark Gregg), she mails a bundle of cash to the San Fernando Valley PO Box address specified by the fraudsters. Thelma is neither as funny nor as Marmite-y as Little Miss Sunshine, a kindred spirit in the quirky indie realm, but its light shines in myriad little character beats. Many of them involve Richard Roundtree – John Shaft himself – as Thelma’s old pal Ben, who reluctantly absconds from his care home, mainly because Thelma has stolen his mob

Sasquatch Sunset

Part comedy, part environmental lament, all vibes – Sasquatch Sunset is a very weird, largely gross, yet somehow very charming chronicle of a year in the life of a group of sasquatch, or bigfoots (bigfeet?). Directed by David and Nathan Zellner (2014’s Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter) it follows a family of these apparently mythical beings as they face threat from the natural world and the encroachment of humans on their habitat.  The group of four sasquatch are an alpha male (Nathan Zellner), a pregnant female (Riley Keough), a second male (Jesse Eisenberg), and a child (Christophe Zajac-Denek). Although, you would be unlikely to ever guess that Keough and Eisenberg are in the cast as they’re beneath prosthetics and the sasquatch speak only in grunts and hoots. Their days pass with in-fighting – often because one male or another wants to have sex with the female – searches for food, encounters with other animals, and occasional straying into areas where humans have decimated the forest.  There’s not a great deal more to it than that. Its humour is of the puerile kind, with plenty of farting, vomiting and pathetically wagging sasquatch erections. In one scene, when the sasquatch encounter a road, a sight that terrifies them, they show their distress by taking it in turns to pee and crap all over it. But if there are times when the joke feels rather repetitive, or the screentime stretched a little thin, even at 88 minutes, there is also some well-earned poignancy to it.  It’s very

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100 best comedy films of all time, according to critics

At the turn of the century, comedies had consistently been one of the top-grossing genres at the domestic box office, accounting for about 15% to 20% of earnings each year. But in the 2010s, as superhero-filled and action-packed franchises started to dominate big screens nationwide, comedies began falling down the charts, dropping to as low as 3.7% of total box office earnings in 2020. All that changed in 2023 when "Barbie" came around and comedies' box-office share bounced back to nearly 13% . The movie became the biggest comedy of all time, bringing in a record $636 million. Thus far in 2024, comedies are continuing their reign , largely thanks to "Kung Fu Panda 4,"  "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire," and "If" (which have racked in about $418 million collectively as of July 30, 2024).

Perhaps in the wake of the tribulations of the 2020s, laughter is once again proving to be the best medicine. New studies from the National Institute of Health indicate that laughter not only has physiological benefits but psychological advantages as well. Among other things, scientists have found that laughter lowers cortisol levels, increases killer cell activity, and increases systolic blood pressure at levels similar to exercise. And the best news: it makes little difference to our bodies whether or not this laughter is spontaneous. Whether it's forced or planned, laughter is equally beneficial.

And what better way to get yourself laughing (and racking up all those glorious health benefits) than by streaming a side-splitting comedy? To that end, Stacker compiled a list of the 100 best comedy films of all time, according to critics. Using data from Metacritic , we selected films listed or co-listed as comedies and organized them by their Metascore (ties are broken internally by Metacritic). Any one of these picks is sure to inspire plenty of laughs.

Of course, our list has plenty of classics—think "Borat" or "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"—but there are also tons of lesser-known gems like "Good Morning" and "The Lavender Hill Mob." Many movies are more comedy in form (i.e., they have a happy ending and follow a certain structure) than in the number of slapstick gags or jokes contained within. But whatever your sense of humor, there's sure to be something here that will get you chuckling and reaping physical benefits.

#100. Tampopo (1987)

- Director: Jûzô Itami - Metascore: 87 - Runtime: 114 minutes

Described by The Criterion Collection as "a rapturous ramen western," "Tampopo" is a Japanese comedy about a pair of truck drivers who help a down-on-her-luck restaurant owner create the perfect noodle recipe. Interspersed throughout the primary plotline is a series of comedic and heart-warming vignettes about other locals' relationships with food and love.

#99. Force Majeure (2014)

- Director: Ruben Ostlund - Metascore: 87 - Runtime: 120 minutes

This black comedy tackles a marriage that dissolves under the pressure of an impending avalanche. Set in the French Alps, the movie was widely praised for its cinematography and almost too awkward to watch humor. An English-language version of the story, starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell ("Downhill"), was released in 2020.

#98. Love & Friendship (2016)

- Director: Whit Stillman - Metascore: 87 - Runtime: 90 minutes

Based on Jane Austen's epistolary novel "Lady Susan," this period comedy follows a recently widowed woman as she attempts to secure suitable husbands for her daughter and herself. Kate Beckinsale stars as the titular Lady Susan, with Chloë Sevigny as her American best friend Mrs. Johnson. Unlike other Austen titles, "Lady Susan" has only seen a handful of screen adaptations over the years, with critics widely declaring this 2016 film to be among the best of them.

#97. The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)

- Directors: Steve Box, Nick Park - Metascore: 87 - Runtime: 85 minutes

A stop-motion, claymation parody of classic monster movies, "The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" follows a cheese-loving inventor and his wickedly smart dog as they work to rid their town of a giant rabbit infestation. An installment in the popular "Wallace & Gromit" series, the cast includes a number of big names like Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, and Peter Sallis. While the movie was considered a box office flop in the U.S., it was more successful on an international stage—so much so that Netflix announced a standalone sequel set to premiere in 2024.

#96. Back to the Future (1985)

- Director: Robert Zemeckis - Metascore: 87 - Runtime: 116 minutes

Director Robert Zemeckis introduced audiences to Michael J. Fox in this first installment of the "Back to the Future" series. Marty McFly is a high school student whose eccentric scientist friend Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) accidentally sends him 30 years into the past through a time-traveling DeLorean. Stuck in 1955, McFly must be careful to prevent changes to his present. A Vox critic claimed the film was "the most perfect blockbuster ever made."

#95. Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962)

- Director: Agnès Varda - Metascore: 87 - Runtime: 90 minutes

"Cléo from 5 to 7" is not a comedy in the way you might be thinking; there are no corny jokes nor an abundance of body-based humor. But it is a comedy in the more traditional sense, with its happy ending and generally positive outlook. The French New Wave film follows a young singer over the course of two hours as she nervously awaits the results of a medical test. Written and directed by Agnès Varda, the film is generally considered by critics to be one of the greatest movies ever made.

#94. I Vitelloni (1953)

- Director: Federico Fellini - Metascore: 87 - Runtime: 104 minutes

This sardonic 1953 film follows five young men in Italy who are facing a turning point in their lives. In English, the title roughly translates to "The Overgrown Teenagers" or "The Big Loafers." The movie was Fellini's third feature.

#93. The Long Goodbye (1973)

- Director: Robert Altman - Metascore: 87 - Runtime: 112 minutes

Elliott Gould stars as Philip Marlowe, a private investigator caught up in the mysterious death of a close friend's wife. Gould made five movies with director Robert Altman over the course of his career, starting with "M.A.S.H." in 1970. Altman dedicated the movie to Dan Blocker, an actor on the television Western "Bonanza" who had recently died. Altman had directed several episodes of the TV series.

#92. It Happened One Night (1934)

- Director: Frank Capra - Metascore: 87 - Runtime: 105 minutes

Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert star in this romantic comedy directed and co-produced by Frank Capra. Colbert plays a spoiled heiress who has eloped against her parents' wishes. Gable plays a journalist who attempts to help Colbert's character reunite with her husband as long as he gets a story out of it. It was the first film to win all five major Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

#91. Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)

- Director: Marielle Heller - Metascore: 87 - Runtime: 106 minutes

Melissa McCarthy plays Lee Israel, a lonely and broke writer who realizes she can make ends meet by forging handwritten letters of famous playwrights and authors and tangles up a good friend in her fraud. The film is based on the real-life story of Israel , a New York writer who forged letters by Noel Coward, Fanny Brice, and Dorothy Parker in the early 1990s. Caught by the FBI, she was sentenced to house arrest and probation. She died in 2014.

#90. The Awful Truth (1937)

- Director: Leo McCarey - Metascore: 87 - Runtime: 90 minutes

Cary Grant and Irene Dunne play a couple getting divorced but plotting to sabotage each other's plans for getting remarried. Their prolonged entanglement included court-ordered visits with their dog, Mr. Smith. The dog in real life was named Skippy and appeared as Asta in "The Thin Man" and its sequels.

#89. Shakespeare in Love (1998)

- Director: John Madden - Metascore: 87 - Runtime: 123 minutes

This romantic period comedy-drama depicts a young William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) in love with a woman who disguises herself as a man so she can be an actor (Gwyneth Paltrow). The film won seven Academy Awards, including Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Picture.

#88. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)

- Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu - Metascore: 87 - Runtime: 119 minutes

Michael Keaton made his comeback in this dark comedy. Writer-director Alejandro González Iñárritu tells the story of an actor (Keaton) famous for playing a superhero, who is preparing for the premiere of his new Broadway play. Emma Stone, Edward Norton, and Zach Galifianakis also appear in the film. It took home four Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Motion Picture.

#87. Good Morning (1959)

- Director: Yasujirô Ozu - Metascore: 87 - Runtime: 94 minutes

A stark departure from Yasujirô Ozu's typical refined and somber style, "Good Morning" is a Japanese comedy about two boys who stop speaking to protest their parents' decision to not buy a TV. Shot in color and filled with juvenile humor, the delightful movie is a loose remake of an earlier black-and-white silent film of Ozu's called "I Was Born, But…"

#86. Life Is Sweet (1990)

- Director: Mike Leigh - Metascore: 88 - Runtime: 103 minutes

This British comedy directed by Mike Leigh takes a look at the lives of a lower-middle-class family in suburban London. Los Angeles Times writer Kenneth Turan said the film "has the wild, brazen, anything-goes energy of a 2-year-old."

#85. Eighth Grade (2018)

- Director: Bo Burnham - Metascore: 88 - Runtime: 93 minutes

Writer-director Bo Burnham highlights the awkwardness of adolescence through the story of an eighth-grader named Kayla (Elsie Fisher). The audience watches Kayla as she makes it through the last week of middle school.

#84. Tootsie (1982)

- Director: Sydney Pollack - Metascore: 88 - Runtime: 116 minutes

Before Robin Williams played Mrs. Doubtfire, Dustin Hoffman donned a wig and a dress in "Tootsie." Hoffman plays Michael Dorsey, a failing actor who dresses up like a woman to get a role in a soap opera. Problems arise when he falls in love with his co-star Julie (Jessica Lange). Teri Garr, Bill Murray, and Geena Davis make up a cast New York Times critic Vincent Canby called "splendid."

#83. Up (2009)

- Directors: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson - Metascore: 88 - Runtime: 96 minutes

This CGI-animated comedy starts tragically with the death of an elderly man's wife. But the majority of the movie is an uplifting story about an aging explorer who uses helium balloons to travel the world. A young boy joins him for the ride. The film won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

#82. Chicken Run (2000)

- Directors: Peter Lord, Nick Park - Metascore: 88 - Runtime: 84 minutes

In the first of the "Chicken Run" series, a group of chickens band together to escape their evil owners. Critics generally agreed this animated film was just as much fun for adults as it was for children.

#81. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

- Director: Wes Anderson - Metascore: 88 - Runtime: 99 minutes

In his eighth feature film, director Wes Anderson tells the story of Gustave H. (Ralph Fiennes)—a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel—and Zero Moustafa (Tony Revolori), the lobby boy who becomes his friend. Edward Norton, Saoirse Ronan, F. Murray Abraham, and Tilda Swinton star in this stylish, eccentric, and silly comedy.

#80. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)

- Director: Martin McDonagh - Metascore: 88 - Runtime: 115 minutes

After her daughter is murdered, a mother (Frances McDormand) puts up three controversial billboards in response to the local police's (Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell) failure to find the killer. McDormand's performance in the black comedy won her an Academy Award for Best Actress.

#79. Tulpan (2008)

- Director: Sergei Dvortsevoy - Metascore: 88 - Runtime: 100 minutes

Director Sergei Dvortsevoy tells the story of Asa, a discharged Russian sailor living in Kazakhstan. He wants to be a herdsman who owns his own ranch one day, but first, he wants to get married. He sets his sights on Tulpan, the only eligible young woman in his proximity.

#78. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

- Director: George Seaton - Metascore: 88 - Runtime: 96 minutes

This heartwarming Christmas standard stars Maureen O'Hara as Doris Walker, Natalie Wood at age 8 as her daughter, and Edmund Gwenn as Kris Kringle. Wood said in her biography that she believed Gwenn was Santa Claus until she saw him without a beard when filming had ended. The movie was originally called "The Big Heart" and was released with that name in Britain, but the title was changed for the American audience.

#77. The Death of Stalin (2017)

- Director: Armando Iannucci - Metascore: 88 - Runtime: 107 minutes

After Joseph Stalin dies in Moscow in 1953, his underlings (Steve Buscemi, Jeffrey Tambor, Michael Palin) struggle to see who will wield the power and become the next Soviet leader in this satire directed by Armando Iannucci. Critics described the humor as " frightfully uneasy ," with " perfectly timed slapstick ."

#76. Paddington 2 (2017)

- Director: Paul King - Metascore: 88 - Runtime: 103 minutes

In this animated sequel, Paddington gets used to living with the Brown family in Windsor Gardens. The film follows the bear as he tries to find a gift for his aunt's 100th birthday. Critic Christy Lemire wrote that the film "proves the smart-but-sweet combination that marked the first live-action film was no fluke. "

#75. Show Boat (1936)

- Director: James Whale - Metascore: 88 - Runtime: 113 minutes

"Show Boat" follows the triumphs and tribulations of the crew of the Cotton Palace over the span of 40 years. Based on the Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein musical (which was, in turn, based on a novel by Edna Ferber) the cast includes several members of the original Broadway run and three original songs. Universal had to obtain special permission from the Hays Office to include the famous miscegenation plotline that drives much of the action.

#74. Anomalisa (2015)

- Directors: Duke Johnson, Charlie Kaufman - Metascore: 88 - Runtime: 90 minutes

Charlie Kaufman uses puppets and stop-motion animation to portray an aging motivational speaker as he tries to connect with others. He finally makes a friend when he meets Lisa (Jennifer Jason Leigh). The film taps into "an existential loneliness most films can only hint at," according to NPR's Bob Mondello .

#73. The Madness of King George (1994)

- Director: Nicholas Hytner - Metascore: 89 - Runtime: 110 minutes

The film shows King George III (Nigel Hawthorne) as he slips into insanity after losing the American colonies in 1788. Some believe Hawthorne should have won the Oscar that year instead of Tom Hanks for "Forrest Gump."

#72. The Farewell (2019)

- Director: Lulu Wang - Metascore: 89 - Runtime: 100 minutes

A Chinese family decides not to tell their grandmother that she has terminal cancer, scheduling a hasty wedding to gather together before her death. Awkwafina won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy. The plot was based on Lulu Wang's real family who lied to their grandmother about her illness and had a wedding to get the family to visit. Wang not only wrote and directed the movie, but she played piano on the soundtrack as well.

#71. Funny Girl (1968)

- Director: William Wyler - Metascore: 89 - Runtime: 151 minutes

The movie follows film star and comedian Fanny Brice and her relationship with gambler Nicky Arnstein. Barbra Streisand won an Academy Award for her role in this musical comedy.

#70. Borat (2006)

- Director: Larry Charles - Metascore: 89 - Runtime: 84 minutes

Largely unscripted, "Borat" follows a Kahzakhstani journalist (Sacha Baron Cohen) as he travels through the U.S., filming a documentary composed of interactions with real-life American citizens. Critics and audiences alike generally loved the film, praising its blunt humor and ingenious critiques of American culture. However, its cringy nature and the ineptitudes it revealed led some to sue the creators and many Middle Eastern countries to ban the film entirely.

#69. Love and Death (1975)

- Director: Woody Allen - Metascore: 89 - Runtime: 85 minutes

Satirizing Russian literature, "Love and Death" sees Woody Allen starring as a 19th-century Russian who falls in love with his married cousin (Diane Keaton). Allen wins a duel against a cuckolded husband and is then asked to join a plot to kill Napoleon.

#68. The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)

- Director: Charles Crichton - Metascore: 90 - Runtime: 78 minutes

An action comedy about a gold heist gone hilariously awry, "The Lavender Hill Mob" marks Audrey Hepburn and Robert Shaw's first film appearances. Alec Guinness and Stanley Hollway star as the two ordinary Londoners who mastermind the elaborate scheme, and their delightful performances still garner critical acclaim some 70+ years later .

#67. Ghost World (2001)

- Director: Terry Zwigoff - Metascore: 90 - Runtime: 111 minutes

Adapted from Daniel Clowes' comic book of the same name, "Ghost World" stars an angsty Scarlett Johansson alongside Thora Birch. The film explores the friendship of two teenage girls as they leave high school. New York Times critic A.O. Scott said the film was "the best depiction of teenage eccentricity since 'Rushmore.'"

#66. Paterson (2016)

- Director: Jim Jarmusch - Metascore: 90 - Runtime: 118 minutes

Adam Driver stars in this quiet comedy-drama written and directed by Jim Jarmusch. Driver plays Paterson, a bus driver in New Jersey who dabbles in poetry. Viewers follow Paterson through a week of his life in a film that celebrates the normal.

#65. Licorice Pizza (2021)

- Director: Paul Thomas Anderson - Metascore: 90 - Runtime: 133 minutes

Set in 1973, "Licorice Pizza" chronicles a budding relationship between two young people. Between its ensemble cast (Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn, and Bradley Cooper) and controversial plotline (the primary romance is between a 15-year-old boy and a 25-year-old woman), the film was popular with audiences when it hit theaters in 2021.

#64. The Circus (1928)

- Director: Charles Chaplin - Metascore: 90 - Runtime: 72 minutes

The Little Tramp (Charlie Chaplin) is hired as a clown by a traveling circus. The silent movie's most famous scene is Chaplin, with his fine-tuned comic timing, walking a tightrope and being attacked by escaped monkeys. Chaplin won his first Academy Award for "versatility and genius in writing, acting, directing, and producing." The film was made while Chaplin was going through an acrimonious divorce, with production forced to come to a halt for eight months while lawyers tried to seize the studio's assets.

#63. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)

- Director: Woody Allen - Metascore: 90 - Runtime: 107 minutes

This 1986 comedy-drama written and directed by Woody Allen follows a family over two years culminating in a Thanksgiving dinner. The cast includes Mia Farrow, Michael Caine, Dianne Wiest, Carrie Fisher, and Farrow's real-life mother Maureen O'Sullivan. The film won Oscars for Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress.

#62. Being John Malkovich (1999)

- Director: Spike Jonze - Metascore: 90 - Runtime: 113 minutes

Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) is an unemployed puppeteer who takes a job as a file clerk. When Craig finds a portal that leads inside the head of actor John Malkovich, he beings to explore what it's like to be the actor. Director Spike Jonze paired up with writer Charlie Kaufman to produce this original and sometimes outlandish film.

#61. Topsy-Turvy (1999)

- Director: Mike Leigh - Metascore: 90 - Runtime: 160 minutes

Set in the late 1800s, "Topsy-Turvy" tells the story of how the musical theater-writing duo of W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan nearly fell apart before the two made "The Mikado," one of their most well-known comic operas. Variety critic Deborah Young called the film, "[A] beautifully crafted and lively romp around the 1880s stage world."

#60. Finding Nemo (2003)

- Directors: Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich - Metascore: 90 - Runtime: 100 minutes

A clownfish named Marlin (Albert Brooks) sets out to find his lost son Nemo after the two become separated in the Great Barrier Reef. Along the way, Marlin meets up with forgetful Pacific regal blue tang Dory (Ellen DeGeneres). The animated film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and spawned a successful sequel 13 years later.

#59. To Have and Have Not (1944)

- Director: Howard Hawks - Metascore: 90 - Runtime: 100 minutes

Loosely based on an Earnest Hemmingway novel of the same name, " To Have and Have Not " follows the budding romance between a fisherman and an American drifter on the eve of WWII. With a screenplay written by William Faulkner, and a cast consisting of Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, and Walter Brennan, it's no surprise that the film has been such a massive and enduring hit. Movie trivia fans will also be delighted to know that the set of this rom-com is where Bogart and Bacall met and fell in love.

#58. It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012)

- Director: Don Hertzfeldt - Metascore: 90 - Runtime: 62 minutes

This black comedy-drama was written, directed, animated, and produced by Don Hertzfeldt. The film is split into three chapters that follow a stick figure named Bill who has an unknown illness that causes memory lapses and strange visions. The visuals may be simple, but emotions still come through.

#57. Gosford Park (2001)

- Director: Robert Altman - Metascore: 90 - Runtime: 137 minutes

Robert Altman directs this mystery in which the lives of both the guests and servants are upended when a murder occurs at a party. The ensemble cast includes Helen Mirren, Clive Owen, Ryan Phillippe, Maggie Smith, and Kristin Scott Thomas, among others.

#56. American Splendor (2003)

- Directors: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini - Metascore: 90 - Runtime: 101 minutes

This biographical comedy-drama is about Harvey Pekar, the author of the "American Splendor" comic book series for which the film is named. Paul Giamatti plays Pekar, who chronicled his life as a hospital file clerk in Ohio in his comic books. The film mixes scenes that show the real-life Pekar, who died in 2010.

#55. After Hours (1985)

- Director: Martin Scorsese - Metascore: 90 - Runtime: 97 minutes

Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne) experiences an absurd night as he makes his way through SoHo after meeting Marcy (Rosanna Arquette) in a New York cafe. Martin Scorsese directed this black comedy that critics liked but wasn't an instant audience favorite.

#54. The Worst Person in the World (2021)

- Director: Joachim Trier - Metascore: 90 - Runtime: 128 minutes

The Guardian declared "The Worst Person in the World" an "instant classic" when it premiered at Cannes in 2021. The Norwegian film follows a young woman over the course of four years as she struggles to settle into a career path and find love.

#53. Bringing Up Baby (1938)

- Director: Howard Hawks - Metascore: 91 - Runtime: 102 minutes

When it was first released, critics panned this screwball comedy starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant. Hepburn plays a mad-cap heiress whereas Grant is an absent-minded professor who needs $1 million to finish constructing a brontosaurus skeleton. The movie is a treasure trove of gags, physical antics, and double entendres.

#52. The Favourite (2018)

- Director: Yorgos Lanthimos - Metascore: 91 - Runtime: 119 minutes

Olivia Colman won an Oscar for Best Actress for her role as the ailing Queen Anne. Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone play a palace aristocrat and a servant competing for her attention. Both were nominated for Oscars in the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role. Colman has said in interviews that she didn't remember making her Oscar acceptance speech—" This is hilarious," she exclaimed —thanks to all the trips she made to the bar at the back of the awards ceremony auditorium.

#51. Secrets & Lies (1996)

- Director: Mike Leigh - Metascore: 91 - Runtime: 136 minutes

"Secrets & Lies" addresses issues of race and identity when a woman (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) living in London finds out her birth mother (Brenda Blethyn) is living in a run-down part of town. The film was nominated for five Oscars and won the Palme d'Or at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival. Blethyn won a Golden Globe for Best Actress.

#50. Three Colors: White (1994)

- Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski - Metascore: 91 - Runtime: 92 minutes

This French-Polish comedy-drama is the second in the "Three Colors" series. The story follows a man whose wife (Julie Delpy) leaves him when he can't consummate the marriage. After losing his money, home, and friends, he must regain his livelihood while learning to let his wife go.

#49. Uncut Gems (2019)

- Directors: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie - Metascore: 91 - Runtime: 135 minutes

Adam Sandler is a fast-talking, manic, and deeply-in-debt gem dealer who thinks he has found a solution to his problems by selling a huge uncut opal. However, when he allows a customer, an NBA star, to borrow the gem, he sets off a string of calamities. Inspiration for the movie came in part from directors Ben and Joshua Safdie's father, who worked for a time in midtown Manhattan's Diamond District.

#48. Her (2013)

- Director: Spike Jonze - Metascore: 91 - Runtime: 126 minutes

Director Spike Jonze shows viewers a future in which artificial intelligence can help with loneliness. The film tells the story of a quiet, solitary Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) falling in love with his operating system Samantha (Scarlett Johansson). New York Times critic Manohla Dargis says the film is a touching and remarkably believable love story between man and machine.

#47. Jafar Panahi's Taxi (2015)

- Director: Jafar Panahi - Metascore: 91 - Runtime: 82 minutes

After the Iranian government banned Jafar Panahi from making films and traveling in 2010, the director side-stepped the censorship by making this funny and captivating movie addressing social issues in Iran while posing as a taxi driver. This was Panahi's third feature he filmed after the ban.

#46. The Ladykillers (1955)

- Director: Alexander Mackendrick - Metascore: 91 - Runtime: 91 minutes

Starring Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers, this black comedy tells the story of a group of five men who plan a bank robbery while renting rooms from an elderly widow who believes the men are classical musicians. While Alexander Mackendrick directed this original feature, Joel and Ethan Coen remade the film in 2004 with a cast that included Tom Hanks, Marlon Wayans, J.K. Simmons, and Irma P. Hall.

#45. I Was Born, But... (1932)

- Director: Yasujirô Ozu - Metascore: 91 - Runtime: 100 minutes

Initially released in 1932, Japanese director Yasujirô Ozu's silent film was digitally restored with retranslated subtitles in 2010. The film tells the story of a family through the perspective of two young brothers who are disappointed with their father's submissive behavior at work. After viewing their father in a different light, the boys shed some of their innocent views of the world.

#44. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

- Directors: Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones - Metascore: 91 - Runtime: 91 minutes

Filled with Monty Python's signature British humor, this feature film was a "marvelously particular kind of lunatic endeavor," according to a New York Times review . As the name suggests, the comedy follows King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table as they search for the Holy Grail.

#43. The Triplets of Belleville (2003)

- Director: Sylvain Chomet - Metascore: 91 - Runtime: 80 minutes

Directed by French filmmaker Sylvain Chomet, this animated feature tells the story of Madame Souza, a grandmother who must rescue her kidnapped son from a group of gangsters who want to use his bicycling prowess in a gambling scheme. Along the way, Souza and her friend meet a 1930s jazz group called The Triplets of Belleville. The film features Oscar-nominated music by Benoit Charest.

#42. Love Affair (1939)

- Director: Leo McCarey - Metascore: 91 - Runtime: 88 minutes

A dashing French painter (Charles Boyer) and an American singer (Irene Dunne) meet and fall in love on an ocean cruise, only to learn that the other is engaged to marry someone else. The movie was remade in 1957 as "An Affair to Remember" with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr and again in 1994 as "Love Affair" with Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, and Katharine Hepburn.

#41. Breaking Away (1979)

- Director: Peter Yates - Metascore: 91 - Runtime: 101 minutes

A group of young men adjust to life after high school. Dennis Christopher plays Dave, a cycling enthusiast who wants to become a world champion. After meeting the Italian racing team, he and his friends (Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, Jackie Earle Haley) decide to challenge some college boys in the town's annual bike race. The film won an Academy Award for Best Screenplay.

#40. Swing Time (1936)

- Director: George Stevens - Metascore: 91 - Runtime: 103 minutes

The fifth movie pairing Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers is a comedy based on mistaken identity, with its high points including dance numbers, especially the "Never Gonna Dance" routine. Due to Astaire dancing a solo in blackface ("Bojangles of Harlem"), the movie is not broadcast on television as much as other Astaire-Rogers collaborations.

#39. A Summer's Tale (1996)

- Director: Éric Rohmer - Metascore: 91 - Runtime: 113 minutes

A man who has recently graduated from university heads to the beaches in Bretagne for a three-week vacation. After his girlfriend declines his invitation, he meets another woman who sparks his interest. He must decide between his new love interest and his former flame. Los Angeles Times critic Kenneth Turan said the movie was "unhurried and gently amusing." Originally released in the U.S. in 1996, the newly restored film made its American debut in the summer of 2014.

#38. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)

- Director: Rob Reiner - Metascore: 92 - Runtime: 82 minutes

This mockumentary focuses on a once-famous (now aging) British heavy metal group as they plan a concert tour after 17 years out of the spotlight. Director Rob Reiner co-wrote the script for this cult classic along with the film's stars Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer.

#37. Toy Story 3 (2010)

- Director: Lee Unkrich - Metascore: 92 - Runtime: 103 minutes

Pixar knocked it out of the park again with the third installment of the "Toy Story" series. This time, Sheriff Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack), and the gang find themselves in daycare as Andy heads off to college. The film won Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song.

#36. Annie Hall (1977)

- Director: Woody Allen - Metascore: 92 - Runtime: 93 minutes

This film follows neurotic New Yorker Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) as he falls in love and navigates a relationship with Annie Hall (Diane Keaton). Written and directed by Allen, the film won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Actor.

#35. The Wizard of Oz (1939)

- Directors: Victor Fleming, George Cukor, Mervyn LeRoy, Norman Taurog, Richard Thorpe, King Vidor - Metascore: 92 - Runtime: 102 minutes

One of Hollywood's all-time classics won an Academy Award for Best Music, Original Song, and Best Music, Original Score. The Munchkins were played by a troupe of European actors, many of whom were Jewish and remained in the United States to escape Nazi persecution. Star Judy Garland grew close to the dog who played Toto and wanted to adopt her, but her owner did not want to give her up.

Lines from the movie are among cinema's most iconic: "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain;" "There's no place like home," and "Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."

#34. The Band Wagon (1953)

- Director: Vincente Minnelli - Metascore: 93 - Runtime: 112 minutes

Headed by stars Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse, this film's cast includes Ava Gardner and Julie Newmar, who appear uncredited. Newmar played Catwoman in television's "Batman" series in the 1960s. Vincente Minnelli directed two movies that won Oscars for Best Picture—"An American in Paris" in 1951 and "Gigi" in 1958. Minnelli also invented the crab camera dolly that can move in any direction for shooting.

#33. Top Hat (1935)

- Director: Mark Sandrich - Metascore: 93 - Runtime: 101 minutes

In this film, stars Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers perform the classic dance routines "Isn't This a Lovely Day?" and "Cheek to Cheek." Astaire reportedly disliked the gown Rogers wore in "Cheek to Cheek'' which was made mostly of ostrich feathers, complaining that it detracted from the dancing's clean lines. Lucille Ball has a small uncredited role.

#32. Sita Sings the Blues (2008)

- Director: Nina Paley - Metascore: 93 - Runtime: 82 minutes

This ambitious and visually loaded animated film tells the Hindu story of the Ramayana interspersed with musical numbers featuring the vocals of 1920s star Annette Hanshaw. The feature placed first at several international film festivals around the world.

#31. Do the Right Thing (1989)

- Director: Spike Lee - Metascore: 93 - Runtime: 120 minutes

Director Spike Lee details events that led to a race riot between residents in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn on the hottest day of the year. The events center around an Italian American pizza parlor owner named Sal (Danny Aiello), his employee Mookie (Spike Lee), and Mookie's friend Buggin' Out (Giancarlo Esposito). Some see this groundbreaking movie as a Black nationalist manifesto , as well as one of the most important films of its time.

#30. Toni Erdmann (2016)

- Director: Maren Ade - Metascore: 93 - Runtime: 162 minutes

A professional woman's estranged father likes to play jokes and dress in disguises. He poses as a life coach for her CEO to get close to her. Father and daughter attempt to repair their relationship when his identity is finally revealed. Maren Ade wrote and directed the German-Austrian film, which was Oscar-nominated for Best Foreign Language Film.

#29. Duck Soup (1933)

- Director: Leo McCarey - Metascore: 93 - Runtime: 69 minutes

Groucho Marx is Rufus T Firefly, head of the country of Fredonia, which badly needs a financial boost from Mrs. Gloria Teasdale, played by Margaret Dumont. Harpo and Chico Marx play spies from a neighboring country hoping to overthrow Freedonia. In Italy, Benito Mussolini saw the movie as an affront and banned it. It was the last Marx Brothers' movie with Zeppo Marx, who quit the family troupe.

#28. Lady Bird (2017)

- Director: Greta Gerwig - Metascore: 93 - Runtime: 94 minutes

Writer Greta Gerwig makes her directorial debut with a film dubbed exquisite by New Yorker critic Richard Brody. "Lady Bird," a script loosely based on Gerwig's own life, tells the story of an angsty teenager (Saoirse Ronan) at a California Catholic school and explores her relationship with her mother (Laurie Metcalf). The feature was nominated for five Academy Awards and won Golden Globes for Best Actress and Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy).

#27. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972)

- Director: Luis Buñuel - Metascore: 93 - Runtime: 102 minutes

Six people at a dinner party try to finish a meal together but are interrupted by a series of dreams. Directed by Luis Buñuel and written in collaboration with Jean-Claude Carriere, the surrealist comedy won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and was nominated for Best Original Screenplay.

#26. La La Land (2016)

- Director: Damien Chazelle - Metascore: 94 - Runtime: 128 minutes

Mia (Emma Stone) and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) keep ending up together as they both pursue their dreams—with plenty of singing and dancing along the way—in this romantic feature. The musical comedy-drama took home six Academy Awards, including Best Actress and Best Director. While many critics praised the film , some weren't as enamored with the feature.

#25. Chimes at Midnight (1965)

- Director: Orson Welles - Metascore: 94 - Runtime: 115 minutes

Director Orson Wells stars as Sir John Falstaff in this compilation drawn from Shakespeare's "Henry IV," "Richard II," "Henry V," and "The Merry Wives of Windsor." The top-notch cast includes Jeanne Moreau, Margaret Rutherford, and Sir John Gielgud. Many critics consider it to be Wells' best work. The filmmaker directed and starred in "Citizen Kane" in 1941.

#24. The Apartment (1960)

- Director: Billy Wilder - Metascore: 94 - Runtime: 125 minutes

Jack Lemmon is an insurance company employee who lends his Manhattan apartment to company bigwigs for trysts in the hopes of getting a promotion. Billy Wilder became the first person to win Oscars all in the same year for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. The movie also won Oscars for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White, and Best Film Editing.

#23. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

- Director: Vincente Minnelli - Metascore: 94 - Runtime: 113 minutes

This Christmas musical stars Judy Garland and Margaret O'Brien, the latter of whom was awarded a special Juvenile Oscar for her performance. Garland and Vincente Minnelli met in the making of the film and soon were married. He was nearly 20 years older than she was, and by 1949, the pair had separated.

#22. Sideways (2004)

- Director: Alexander Payne - Metascore: 94 - Runtime: 127 minutes

Miles (Paul Giamatti) and Jack (Thomas Haden Church) embark on a road trip through California wine country in advance of Jack's marriage. Miles meets another wine buff (Virginia Madsen), while Jack spends the weekend with winemaker Stephanie (Sandra Oh). The film increased the popularity of pinot noir by 170% after its release.

#21. Inside Out (2015)

- Directors: Pete Docter, Ronnie Del Carmen - Metascore: 94 - Runtime: 95 minutes

Emotions come to life in this innovative animated film. After a young girl moves from the Midwest to San Francisco, viewers get a look inside her head as her feelings try to navigate this new life. The cast includes Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Mindy Kaling, and Lewis Black. The film won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

#20. La Dolce Vita (1960)

- Director: Federico Fellini - Metascore: 95 - Runtime: 174 minutes

This 1960 classic shows viewers a week in the life of a playboy journalist in Rome. The feature won an Academy Award for Best Costume Design, and Fellini took home the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

#19. The Social Network (2010)

- Director: David Fincher - Metascore: 95 - Runtime: 120 minutes

Based on a book by Ben Mezrich, writer Aaron Sorkin and director David Fincher tell the story of the creation of Facebook. Jesse Eisenberg portrays founder Mark Zuckerberg as he gets caught up in a lawsuit after two Harvard students sued him, claiming Facebook was their idea. The film won three Academy Awards, including Best Adapted Screenplay.

#18. The Producers (1967)

- Director: Mel Brooks - Metascore: 96 - Runtime: 88 minutes

Before it became a Broadway hit, "The Producers" starred an over-the-top Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel on the silver screen in 1968. Mel Brooks, who wrote and directed the film, won an Academy Award for Best Screenplay, while Wilder received a Best Supporting Actor nod.

#17. Modern Times (1936)

- Director: Charles Chaplin - Metascore: 96 - Runtime: 87 minutes

Originally released in 1936, Charlie Chaplin wrote, directed, and starred in this film. "Modern Times" tells the story of Chaplin's iconic character, Little Tramp, as he struggles to adapt to the modern, industrialized world. This was the last film featuring Chaplin's Tramp character.

#16. The Lady Eve (1941)

- Director: Preston Sturges - Metascore: 96 - Runtime: 94 minutes

Barbara Stanwyck stars as a con artist who sets her sights on a bumbling but wealthy cruise ship passenger, played by Henry Fonda. The movie is considered one of the best by writer and director Preston Sturges, known for fast-paced dialogue and zany physical comedy in the 1940s.

#15. A Hard Day's Night (1964)

- Director: Richard Lester - Metascore: 96 - Runtime: 87 minutes

The Beatles made their film debut in this 1964 musical comedy. The audience gets a feel for Beatle-mania as we follow the band through a fictional day in the life of the musicians.

#14. Ratatouille (2007)

- Directors: Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava - Metascore: 96 - Runtime: 111 minutes

In this 2007 animated film, a rat who loves to cook teams up with a young chef at a popular restaurant. The film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

#13. The Philadelphia Story (1940)

- Director: George Cukor - Metascore: 96 - Runtime: 112 minutes

Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and Jimmy Stewart all grace the screen in this romantic comedy. Hepburn plays the daughter of a wealthy Philadelphia family who is on the way to her second marriage. Grant stars as the ex-husband who wants to foil the wedding while Stewart plays a tabloid journalist who falls for Hepburn. The American Film Institute considers it one of the top 100 American films of all time.

#12. Nashville (1975)

- Director: Robert Altman - Metascore: 96 - Runtime: 160 minutes

This film's massive ensemble cast includes the likes of Ned Beatty, Lily Tomlin, Keith Carradine, Henry Gibson, Karen Black, Geraldine Chaplin, Michael Murphy, Elliott Gould, and Julie Christie. Most of the movie was improvised, with the actors writing and performing their own songs. The movie was nominated for a record 11 Golden Globes.

#11. The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

- Director: Ernst Lubitsch - Metascore: 96 - Runtime: 99 minutes

Two shop employees, played by Margaret Sullavan and Jimmy Stewart, dislike each other and are unaware that they are anonymous pen pals. The movie was made in 28 days for less than $500,000 . It was the basis for the 1998 movie "You've Got Mail," with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, in which Ryan's bookstore is called The Shop Around The Corner.

#10. Toy Story (1995)

- Director: John Lasseter - Metascore: 96 - Runtime: 81 minutes

The Pixar computer-animated film that spurred three sequels, "Toy Story" introduced audiences to the cowboy doll Sheriff Woody (Tom Hanks), who struggles to accept his owner's latest birthday present: a spaceman toy named Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen). The film helped launch Pixar—then a young company headed by Steve Jobs—and changed the animation industry forever .

#9. Parasite (2019)

- Director: Bong Joon Ho - Metascore: 96 - Runtime: 132 minutes

The story of two interconnected families, one rich and one poor, won four Oscars—Best Motion Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film—as well as a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. It also was the first Korean-language film to win the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

#8. American Graffiti (1973)

- Director: George Lucas - Metascore: 97 - Runtime: 110 minutes

Set during the summer in the early '60s, four teenagers experience their last night before heading to college. The film features a young Ron Howard, Harrison Ford, Richard Dreyfuss, and Suzanne Somers. Directed and co-written by George Lucas and produced by Francis Ford Coppola, this 1973 classic was voted one of the American Film Institute's top 100 films of all time .

#7. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

- Director: Stanley Kubrick - Metascore: 97 - Runtime: 95 minutes

Peter Sellers plays three roles in this Stanley Kubrick-directed film about a mentally unhinged American general who triggers a nuclear holocaust. The black comedy, which satirizes the Cold War, was based on a novel called "Red Alert" and is widely considered to be not just one of the best comedies of all time but one of the best films of all time.

#6. Some Like It Hot (1959)

- Director: Billy Wilder - Metascore: 98 - Runtime: 121 minutes

Set in 1929, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon star as two musicians who flee a police raid of their speakeasy and accidentally witness a mob hit. They disguise themselves as women band members to avoid detection, and during their travels, they meet Sugar Kane (Marilyn Monroe). BBC Culture considers it one of the greatest comedies of all time .

#5. The Rules of the Game (1939)

- Director: Jean Renoir - Metascore: 99 - Runtime: 110 minutes

A comedy of manners, "The Rules of the Game" follows a group of rich French socialites and their servants as they gather at a chateau on the eve of WWII. Described by The Criterion Collection as " a scathing critique of French society ," the film was initially despised by audiences and critics alike, who perhaps didn't appreciate the worst parts of their natures being shown on the big screen. It was so despised that the original negatives were destroyed during the war, and the film was only restored to its original cut in the late 1950s.

#4. City Lights (1931)

- Director: Charles Chaplin - Metascore: 99 - Runtime: 87 minutes

Charlie Chaplin stars as the Little Tramp, a scoundrel who falls in love with a beautiful woman who is blind, played by Virginia Cherrill. While other movies at the time already had sound, Chaplin made the movie silent. At $1.5 million, it was an expensive production, in no small part because Chaplin held the cast and crew on standby for nearly two years but only shot for six months.

#3. Playtime (1967)

- Director: Jacques Tati - Metascore: 99 - Runtime: 155 minutes

It took nearly three years to film " Playtime ," director Jaques Tati's magnum opus. An almost wordless comedy about struggling to exist in a high-tech world, the film features Monsieur Hulot (Tati's recurring character) and some of cinematic history's most jaw-dropping camera shots.

#2. Singin' in the Rain (1952)

- Directors: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly - Metascore: 99 - Runtime: 103 minutes

This 1950s classic starring Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds received universal acclaim. The musical comedy was directed and choreographed by Kelly and Stanley Donen, and follows a group of performers transitioning from silent films to "talkies." The movie, which features an iconic scene where Kelly sings and dances while twirling an umbrella in the rain ( some say with a fever ), has since been preserved in the National Film Registry of the United States Library of Congress.

#1. Celine and Julie Go Boating (1974)

- Director: Jacques Rivette - Metascore: 100 - Runtime: 193 minutes

"Celine and Julie Go Boating," tells the magical, mind-bending story of two young French women who find themselves unwittingly thrust into an alternate reality. Dubbed "one of the all-time great hangout comedies" by The Criterion Collection , the topsy-turvy film is a perfect example of French New Wave cinema.

Additional writing by Keri Wiginton. Data reporting by Lucas Hicks. Story editing by Cynthia Rebolledo. Copy editing by Meg Shields. 

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Of all the cinematic genres, comedy is the hardest to truly master. Humor is so context-dependent, and changes so wildly from person to person (let alone between generations) that many comedies struggle to have a strong, immediate impact, and a lot of the ones that do soon become outdated and glaringly of their time. However, there have been plenty of comedy movies throughout cinematic history that have proven themselves to be timeless and stand among the best movies of all time.

In a sprawling range that spans from masterpieces of the silent era to striking satires and 70s spoofs, and even to some instant classics of the modern age, comedy cinema is littered with hilarious hits. United by runaway creativity and a universal embracing of the sheer, unbridled joy of a good laugh, these quintessential comedy classics are sure to leave audiences in stitches.

50 'Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery' (1997)

Directed by jay roach.

Offering emphatic proof that spoof movies didn’t completely die in the 80s, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery was the perfect parody of what was, at the time, a dwindling Bond franchise. It follows the titular spy, an agent from the 1960s awoken from cryogenic sleep to face off against his arch nemesis, Dr. Evil ( also played by Mike Myers ), when he returns to Earth and holds the planet to ransom.

The spy spoof is relentless in its pursuit of gags, taking direct aim at 007’s more anachronistic and chauvinistic tendencies with reckless abandon. The end result is so ridiculous that it works, hinging on its parody prowess and its central goofiness to stand among the most brilliantly ingenious dumb comedies ever made. The catchphrases alone are enough to leave fans in hysterics.

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

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49 'Arsenic and Old Lace' (1944)

Directed by frank capra.

A delightful pivot to the macabre from Frank Capra , Arsenic and Old Lace is a black comedy gem that has maintained its hilarious punch over the decades. It focuses on Mortimer Brewster ( Cary Grant ), a notorious marriage detractor who is amazed to find himself in love and eager to marry. When he travels home to tell his family the news, he is disturbed by a corpse hidden in the window seat, a discovery that forces Mortimer to take more notice of his aunts’ misdeeds.

Grant excels at the film’s particular blend of fast-paced, frenzied storytelling and the dark comic allure that bubbles to the surface as he learns his aunts are serial killers. While its shock factor has dissipated over the years, Arsenic and Old Lace still thrives as a brilliant comedy that does justice to the Joseph Kesselring play it was based on.

Rent on Apple TV

48 'The Mask' (1994)

Directed by russell chuck.

It is hard to observe modern cinematic comedy without addressing the seismic impact the physically outrageous genius Jim Carrey had on the genre through the 1990s, with his 1994 picture, The Mask , among the most iconic movies of all time. Presenting Carrey with ample opportunity to flaunt his zany hilarity, The Mask sees him star as a meek bank employee whose life is uprooted when he discovers a mask that contains the spirit of the Norse god Loki.

A wild adventure ensues when he succumbs to the mask’s allure, transforming into a confident playboy with a dangerous criminal urge to boot. Wild and exhilarating, the film displays Carrey at his bombastic, cartoonish best while also coasting on an excellent supporting performance from Cameron Diaz to be a true comedy classic and one of the defining movies of the 90s .

47 'In Bruges' (2008)

Directed by martin mcdonagh.

Martin McDonagh has risen to great heights with his ability to mesh black comedy with dramatic punch, notably doing so with the Oscar-nominated The Banshees of Inisherin , which also made exceptional use of stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson . However, the writer-director's funniest movie is still his debut feature, In Bruges , with the anxiety-inducing crime-dramedy following two Irish hitmen as they are sent to the picturesque Belgian city of Bruges after a job goes horribly wrong.

Embedded within the film's dark comedic allure, there is an unpredictable tale of morality and regret which was largely defining of the picture's brilliance. Also running with fabulous, profanity-laden dialogue, occasional strong violence, and an unforgettably erratic yet hilarious villainous performance from Ralph Fiennes , In Bruges is a laugh-a-minute comedy that thrives as a contemplative tale of crime and remorse as well .

46 'The 40-Year-Old Virgin' (2005)

Directed by judd apatow.

One of the most polarizing yet celebrated comedies of the 2000s that saw Steve Carell become a noteworthy leading man while also ushering in a new generation of Hollywood comedy stars, The 40-Year-Old Virgin is an outrageous gem that has only grown more hilarious (and more excruciatingly painful) with age. It focuses on an awkward though amiable store clerk whose co-workers learn has never had sex. While his colleagues try to help him lose his virginity, he begins to form a romance with a local shop owner.

While it isn’t shy when it comes to shock humor and contains hilariously juvenile moments like the famous waxing scene, the film finds its true quality in the tenderness with which Carell’s Andy is explored. Beneath the vulgarity and smut, The 40-Year-Old Virgin is one of the most surprisingly earnest rom-coms of the 2000s and a true highlight of 21st-century comedy cinema .

The 40-Year-Old Virgin

45 'the jerk' (1979), directed by carl reiner.

The movie which saw Steve Martin truly make the leap from a stand-up comic to a leading man in Hollywood comedies, The Jerk was the actor's first starring role in film. Serving primarily as a vehicle for Martin's effervescent and highly energetic brand of goofy comedy to take center stage , The Jerk follows Navin Johnson (Martin), the adopted son of a black family whose sheltered naivety explodes into a journey of self-discovery which takes him to St. Louis.

Embarking on one chaotic misadventure after another, Navin goes from rags to riches and back to rags again all while pursuing the love of cosmetologist, Marie Kimble ( Bernadette Peters ). Even finding an unlikely diehard fan in Stanley Kubrick , The Jerk displays Martin at his high-octane best and proves that, when it comes to being stupid, there is no greater genius than Steve Martin.

44 'Galaxy Quest' (1999)

Directed by dean parisot.

Lovingly referred to as one of the best, albeit unofficial, Star Trek movies ever made, Galaxy Quest is one of the more underrated spoof movies , winning admirers aplenty through the love and affection it shows its source material. Jason Nesmith ( Tim Allen ) is a washed-up star of the once-popular sci-fi series ‘Galaxy Quest,’ which has attracted a dedicated cult following. As he and his former co-stars get by appearing at conventions, they are approached by an alien race who has mistaken the series to be historical records and enlists the cast to help them fight an intergalactic tyrant.

Capitalizing on its sensational premise, Galaxy Quest dazzles as a fun-fueled sci-comedy that doesn’t skimp on elements of action and adventure either. Buoyed by an exceptional supporting cast that includes Sigourney Weaver , Alan Rickman , Sam Rockwell , and Tony Shalhoub among others, it transcends its comedy framework to simply be a stunning, pure-hearted spectacle of sci-fi adventure.

Galaxy Quest

43 'a night at the opera' (1935), directed by sam wood.

A successful vaudeville and Broadway comedy troupe through the early part of the 20th century before they made the transition to film with the advent of the talkies, the Marx Brothers were arguably Hollywood's greatest comedic talents through the 30s and 40s. The first film of the group's post-Zeppo era , A Night at the Opera sees the three brothers infiltrating the highbrow opera scene to help a young aspiring singer, Rosa ( Kitty Carlisle ), achieve her dreams while thwarting her enemies.

Featuring witty wordplay, physical comedy, and musical numbers, as well as elaborate set pieces like the famous stateroom scene , the film has become an all-time comedy classic. The feverishly upbeat movie is jam-packed with gags while allowing the brothers a rare chance to show off a more sympathetic side to their anarchic personas.

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42 'Heathers' (1989)

Directed by michael lehmann.

A critical counter-punch to the sunny optimism of many '80s teen comedies , Heathers offers a masterclass in cynical and subversive dark comedy. Tired of the elitist and cruel clique led by three girls, all of whom are named Heather, Veronica Sawyner ( Winona Ryder ) teams up with her rebellious new boyfriend, J.D. ( Christian Slater ), to devise a twisted plot that will rid the school of the rigid and oppressive social order. However, things spiral out of control when J.D.'s plan escalates to full-blown murder.

An astute deconstruction of high school tropes, Heathers takes plenty of potshots at teenage alienation and schoolyard hierarchies . Despite being a box office flop on release, it has become a cult film of significant acclaim. More than 35 years on from its release, it still feels pointed and modern, thanks in no small part to its inventive dialogue written by Daniel Waters .

41 'The Death of Stalin' (2017)

Directed by armando iannucci.

A criminally underrated satire that takes great delight in skewering politics and power plays in the historical setting of the Soviet Union immediately after Stalin’s death, The Death of Stalin is a modern masterpiece of comedy. Its focus resides on the tyrannical dictator’s underlings as each of them scrambles and schemes to succeed Stalin as the next Soviet leader all while having to put on a united front as the nation ceremoniously mourns Stalin.

Using its acidic wit and comedic prowess like a scalpel, The Death of Stalin excels as a dissection of political power and the people who most crave it. Featuring the likes of Steve Buscemi , Paddy Considine , Simon Russell Beale , Rupert Friend , and Jeffrey Tambor , the film capitalizes on its sharp script with its incredible cast, which also includes a now-famous supporting turn from Jason Isaacs as the medallion-speckled Georgy Zhukov .

The Death of Stalin

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40 'Superbad' (2007)

Directed by greg mottola.

Following three high school boys in their pursuit to gain access to a party and hook up with the girls they like, Superbad has become a modern teen comedy classic with its mix of awkward adolescent angst and vulgar hilarity. It focuses on Seth ( Jonah Hill ), Evan ( Michael Cera ), and Fogell ( Christopher Mintz-Plasse ), a trio of unpopular youths who try everything to illegally obtain alcohol in order to attend a student house party.

A wild adventure of chaotic, teenage exuberance that ranges from the absurd and audacious to the surprisingly heartfelt, Superbad excels as both a vibrant and vile comedy, and an earnest meditation on friendship . Writers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg loosely based the film on their own experiences as teens in Vancouver in the late 1990s. It is further enhanced by an incredible supporting cast including Rogen, Emma Stone , Joe Lo Truglio , and Bill Hader .

Rent on Amazon

39 'Shaun of the Dead' (2004)

Directed by edgar wright.

The first film in Edgar Wright ’s famous ‘Cornetto Trilogy’, Shaun of the Dead is a true modern classic of comedy cinema, as well as a brilliant nod to the history of zombie horror cinema. It follows an aimless sales assistant, Shaun ( Simon Pegg ), whose uneventful life is imbued with new meaning when the dead rise. Desperate to save his mother and his failing relationship, Shaun sets out with his lazy flatmate to face the zombie apocalypse.

With Wright utilizing his trademark style, Pegg and Nick Frost performing at their hilarious best, and plenty of comical yet shocking bloody effects, it has become one of the all-time great horror comedies . It also served as a significant big-screen success for Wright following his hit series Spaced , while Shaun of the Dead ’s toying with an established American film genre in zombie horror enabled it to reach an international audience .

Shaun of the Dead

38 'office space' (1999), directed by mike judge.

Office Space is Mike Judge 's send-up of corporate culture and the drudgery of the modern workplace. Starring Ron Livingstone , it follows software engineer Peter Gibbons who despises his mundane job at a soulless, life-sapping tech company. Further frustrated by his micromanaging boss, Bill Lumbergh ( Gary Cole ), and the mind-numbing routine of cubicle life, Peter finds clarity when a hypnosis session goes askew, inspiring him and his co-workers to take revenge on their boss.

Judge's story taps into the understated, maniacal rage that the monotonous boredom of such jobs can instill in many employees, an achievement complemented by hilarious performances from all involved. Its commentary on the modern workplace and its resonant ideas have made Office Space a cult classic comedy that has influenced pop culture through the memes that have spawned from it.

Office Space

37 'the naked gun: from the files of police squad' (1988), directed by david zucker.

As pure and potent as comedy cinema gets, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! hinges on Leslie Nielsen ’s spoof movie starring brilliance as it lampoons police movies while serving as a continuation of the short-lived 1982 series Police Squad! . It focuses on a bumbling and inept NYPD policeman whose rivalry with a notorious criminal grows urgent when he learns the crook is planning on assassinating the Queen of England.

Given that Nielsen and much of the creative team behind the film worked on Police Squad! as well, The Naked Gun presented a rare opportunity for the masters of mockery to not only poke fun but deepen their comedic understanding of a character. The end result is as precise as it is plentiful, offering a laugh-a-minute frenzy of crude humor and slapstick hilarity that perfects the comedic art of unbridled silliness and stands as one of the most outrageously funny movies ever made.

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!

36 'the producers' (1967), directed by mel brooks.

A Mel Brooks masterpiece that danced on society's sensitivities, The Producers followed washed-up Broadway producer Max Bialystock ( Zero Mostel ) and his timid accountant Leo Bloom ( played by Gene Wilder ) as they hatch a devious scheme to get rich quick. Realizing that if they can get people to invest in a play which flops that they'll be able to keep the leftover money, Max and Leo gather financiers for their surefire musical flop, "Springtime for Hitler."

The Producers received only mixed reviews upon release, with many critics finding its narrative detailing two Jews trying to profit off Hitler to be in poor taste (it is worth noting the film was released at a time when WWII was in living memory for most). However, it has come to be celebrated as a daring and divine success, with its searing mockery of the entertainment industry and its willingness to explore controversial topics making it a timeless classic.

The Producers (1967)

35 'hot fuzz' (2007).

The first and best entry of Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost's acclaimed 'Cornetto' Trilogy, Hot Fuzz saw the idiosyncratic filmmaker firing on all cylinders. When elite London police officer Nicholas Angel (Pegg) is transferred due to making everyone else in his station look bad, he lands in the sleepy country town of Sandford. When a series of violent murders hit the town, Angel and his partner Danny Butterman (Frost) begin investigating the malicious mystery.

Wright and Pegg's script is consistently hilarious, as is every single one of the performances, but what truly made Hot Fuzz distinct as a comedy masterstroke was its visual gags . Wright is peerless among his generation when it comes to visual humor, be it his smash cuts and dynamic camera moves or simple set pieces like Nick Frost running through a fence. He was at his very best with Hot Fuzz which is a masterpiece of modern comedy. All those who agree say "Yarp."

34 'Life of Brian' (1979)

Directed by terry jones.

Throughout cinematic history, there is no comedic troupe that has become as notorious, nor as polarizing, as Monty Python . More so than any other film that they made, Life of Brian exhibits the comedy group's appetite to dismantle sacrosanct ideas and serious topics in attention-grabbing ways. It revolves around Brian of Nazareth ( Graham Chapman ), a man born on the same night as Jesus and who is often mistaken to be the Messiah, even as he inadvertently becomes the face of a revolutionary group's stance against the Romans.

The Monty Python movie is a fantastic satire of religious dogmatism, packed with hard-hitting references to Christianity , politics, history, and even classic literature. From gags like Biggus Dickus to "what did the Romans ever do for us?", and, of course, to the finale which sees Brian and his comrades in crucifixion looking on the bright side of life, Life of Brian is loaded with moments which are as gut-bustlingly hilarious as they are iconic.

Life of Brian

33 'the big lebowski' (1998), directed by joel & ethan coen.

One of the most beloved achievements of the Coen Brothers , The Big Lebowski blended elements of quirky comedy with film noir to be an intriguing yet absurd mystery as well as a uniquely hilarious modern classic. It centers on Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski ( Jeff Bridges ), an easygoing slacker and avid bowler who becomes embroiled in a criminal conspiracy when he is mistaken for a millionaire also named Jeffrey Lebowski. As the Dude seeks compensation for his soiled rug, he is sucked into the L.A. criminal underbelly and a bizarre kidnapping case.

Utterly surreal, joyously silly, and endlessly quotable, The Big Lebowski became an instant cult classic . Also featuring unforgettable supporting performances from the likes of John Goodman , Steve Buscemi , John Turturro , and Philip Seymour Hoffman , it is nothing short of a sublime comedy masterpiece, with many who abide regarding it among the best films ever made.

The Big Lebowski

32 'modern times' (1936), directed by charles chaplin.

The master of the silent era, Charles Chaplin made many of cinema's earliest masterpieces, with Modern Times viewed to be among the best silent films ever made. Serving as Chaplin's last performance as his iconic tramp character, the film follows a fired factory worker as he struggles to adjust to the industrial advancements of a rapidly evolving America. Befriending an orphaned and homeless young woman, he strives to find his place in the new-age world.

It shouldn't be lost on modern audiences that Chaplin's decision to make Modern Times a mostly silent picture when the film industry had embraced the talkies was met with some strong criticism. In hindsight, it's a perfect metaphor for what the film is about; a humble worker lost in a mechanical world where new is best and advancement is everything. A masterful blend of physical comedy and thoughtful themes, its social criticism has only grown more poignant over time .

Modern Times

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31 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles' (1987)

Directed by john hughes.

One of the greatest road comedies, Planes, Trains and Automobiles sees stars Steve Martin and John Candy at the peak of their powers, with their chemistry sublime as the friendly yet perpetually squabbling travel companions. With Thanksgiving fast approaching, advertising executive Neal Page (Martin) is desperate to get back to his family in Chicago, but when inclement weather grounds his flight home, he finds himself hitting the road with the overall joyous Del Griffith (Candy) in a bid to get home in time for the holiday.

Thriving with the odd-couple dynamic, the film excels at creating conflict between the two vastly different personalities . By the end of the film, though, most audiences have come to be charmed by the two men's complicated and hilarious, yet undeniably heartfelt friendship. The stellar performances by Martin and Candy have earned it a place among the most beloved road trip movies .

Planes, Trains & Automobiles

The 50 Best Comedy Movies

"The only honest art form is laughter", said the great Lenny Bruce. "You can't fake it." With that in mind, allow Empire to guide you through 50 of the most honest films ever made, by which we mean our list of the 50 best comedies of all time. Whether you're a clown or a curmudgeon, there's guaranteed to be something here to target your funny bone. From slapstick to sly satire, we've listed it all. We've dived back through cine-history and also rounded up some recent rib-ticklers too.

Yet if you're still craving more laughter, but perhaps with a little added love, we can recommend our list of The 20 Best Romantic Comedies . And if you want your comedy to come with some extra good feelings, then head straight for 30 Feelgood Movies To Make You Smile . Because, after all, don't we still need that in our lives?

50. The Man With Two Brains

Dr Hfuhruhurr ( Steve Martin ) pioneers a new procedure allowing him to transplant human brains into new bodies. It's an out-there premise, even coming from the man behind  The Jerk , and occasionally feels a bit uneven but it still yields plenty of laughs in what is Martin's early eighties high point. There are also a fair few jabs at male sexual vanity buried within as Hfuhruhurr agonises over whether or not he's lost his moral compass in pursuit of the perfect woman. Given that he attempts to poison Randi Brooks with window cleaner and throws  Kathleen Turner  into a bog, we're saying he probably has. "Into the mud, scum queen!"

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49. The Death Of Stalin

Armando Iannucci has long proven himself capable of wringing laughs out of the stodgiest, most solemn topics imaginable. The Death Of Stalin , however, is his most impressive feat yet. After taking on Whitehall and Washington with TV shows The Thick Of It and Veep , the master satirist’s follow-up film tackles not only a slice of real-life Russian history, but a ruthless dictator whose government was responsible for famine, labour camps and mass executions. Incredibly, the results are absolutely hilarious.

Read Empire's The Death Of Stalin review here

48. Zoolander

Ben Stiller co-wrote and directed this fashion world satire, which suffered lacklustre box office returns after being released in the direct aftermath of September 11, when no one was in the mood to be silly. Yet look beyond the financial troubles and it's a consistently hilarious dive into the world of really, really ridiculously good looking people and the weird universe in which they orbit. Stiller's great as the title character, but don't sleep on Owen Wilson's Hansel or the deep bench of supporting roles and cameos.

Read Empire's Zoolander review here

47. Four Lions

Chris Morris' satire of young Islamic men driven to jihad treads the line – like all his work – of comedy and pain. Omar (Riz Ahmed), a radicalised British Muslim, has formed a terrorist cell with his dim-witted brother Waj (Kayvan Novak), angry white convert Barry (Nigel Lindsay) and apprehensive bomb-maker Fessal (Adeel Akhtar). Guaranteed to offend people across the political and belief spectrum, Four Lions is consistently funny and horribly to the point. You'll never look at rubber dinghy rapids in quite the same way

Read Empire's Four Lions review here

46. When Harry Met Sally

Can men and women ever truly be friends without sex getting in the way? Such is the question at the heart of  Nora Ephron 's brilliant script, which  Rob Reiner perfectly immortalised on screen. Not a moment is wasted, the main cast is exemplary, and even as you dive down the supporting actor list, there are fantastic turns. Littered with classic scenes and quotable lines ("I'll have what she's having.") few films earn a schmaltzy ending quite as well as this one.

Read Empire's When Harry Met Sally review here

45. Galaxy Quest

Both a sharp spoof and a loving homage to the original Star Trek , Galaxy Quest reunites the ageing cast of an elderly TV show — none of whom much like each other anymore — and sends them off on an unlikely interstellar adventure. Tim Allen gives it some excellent Shatner , Sigourney Weaver is great as the smart woman playing the ditzy communications officer (complete with, later on, gratuitously exposed cleavage). But it’s Alan Rickman who steals the show as the Shakespearean thesp stuck with silly head make-up and a catchphrase he hates. Fans at a convention some years ago voted this a better Trek than Into Darkness . It's hard to disagree.

Read Empire's Galaxy Quest review here

44. South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut

Holding the record for the most obscenities in an animated feature (at a whopping 399!), Trey Parker and Matt Stone take vulgarity to new levels in the big-screen version of their infamous TV series. Incredibly, they also find a host of new ways to be offensive, grafting their usual ingredients (scatology, thinly-veiled satirical jabs, deliberately crude animation) onto a plot which involves a war between Canada and America, and a love affair between Satan and Saddam Hussein. And it’s all presented in the format of a classic musical, obviously. As always, just as many viewers will love it as hate it, yet there are moments of comic brilliance here (see the ER send-up featuring George Clooney 's voice) in amongst the digs at cinematic censorship, sweary movies and Jar-Jar Binks . Just like Cartman, this movie will warp your fragile little mind.

Read Empire's South Park: Bigger, Longer And Uncut review here

43. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

The jewel in the Vacation crown, this festive instalment in National Lampoon's holiday-centric franchise demonstrates just how funny Chevy Chase was in his prime. Clarke (Chase) does his best to orchestrate a traditional happy family Christmas, but is thwarted by odious relatives, uncooperative fairy lights and plain old bad luck. If this doesn't make you at least giggle, then you clearly don't understand the true meaning of Christmas - which is of course combustible toilets and electrified cats.

Read Empire's Christmas Vacation review here

42. Game Night

Annie (Rachel McAdams) and Max (Jason Bateman) are a married couple whose weekly game night acts as a welcome distraction from their ongoing debate about whether to start a family (she’s pro, he’s against). But their sacred tradition falls to pieces like a Jenga tower when Max’s irritatingly successful brother Brooks (Kyle Chandler) stages an elaborate murder mystery — only for it to be interrupted, forcing the pair and their pals to save him from actual criminals. But Game Night isn’t just after mindless laughs. Rather than resorting solely to slapstick, it boasts a witty, razor-sharp screenplay from Mark Perez, with a fully fleshed-out story. And, with Max and Annie’s discussions on both fertility and future at its centre, it has characters you really care about, not to mention one of the best delivered lines in cinema — "Oh no he died !"

Read Empire's Game Night review here

41. Kind Hearts And Coronets

Perhaps the apotheosis of the Ealing Comedy alongside the similarly marvellous The Ladykillers , Kind Hearts And Coronets is another blacker-than-black comedy about murder. It’s probably most famous for Alec Guinness brilliantly playing eight separate roles, both male and female. All are members of the D’Ascoyne family, one-by-one meeting with unfortunate accidents as Dennis Price pursues his destiny.

Read Empire's Kind Hearts And Coronets review here

40. Dumb & Dumber

Lloyd (Jim Carrey) is a nice-but-dim taxi driver, who tries to return a suitcase full of money to a beautiful woman passenger. He and his friend Harry (Jeff Daniels) journey cross-country to find her in Aspen, where they begin to fight for her affections. Peter and Bobby Farrelly and their cast romp through proceedings with real gusto and impeccable comic timing, meaning the next jaw-jamming surge of giggles is never more than a moment away. The normally staid Daniels displayed hitherto untapped comic talent here, almost stealing the show from under the nose of his habitually imbecilic co-star.

Read Empire's review of Dumb & Dumber here

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39. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

The life of superstar musician Conner4Real (Andy Samberg) appears to be a charmed one, filled with groupies, screaming crowds and sacks of cash. But trouble is on the horizon in the form of a scheming rapper (Chris Redd), a disastrous merchandise deal and a swarm of killer bees. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping squeezes laughs out of its tale like juice from a plum. If the music industry was silly back in the eighties, it’s really daft now, and Samberg, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer gleefully go to town sending up its absurdities.

Read Empire's Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping review here

38. Sons Of The Desert

Sneaking off for a weekend with their masonic lodge, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are, sadly, very quickly busted by their wives in what is easily the best of their longer films. Rather than a series of slapstick set-pieces haphazardly strung together (great as those are), this is the first L&H feature to structure itself through story and situation: Laurel working with new writers to help nail the formula. And unlike the almost-as-great Way Out West , this one doesn’t stop for songs - although there are still some cherished musical moments along the way.

Read Empire's S ons Of The Desert review here

37. Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Ferris Bueller's Day Off is John Hughes' unadulterated celebration of what it's like to be young, white, middle class and well-heeled in mid eighties America. So it should, on paper at least, be an unbearably smug celebration of crass consumerism. Consider: Ferris's (Matthew Broderick) idea of a good time is bombing around in a vintage Ferrari, a visit to the Chicago stock exchange followed by lunch in the city's swankiest restaurant – posh grub for which his method of payment goes undisclosed. It's also a hymn to capitalism and the advantages offered to a metropolitan teenager. Ken Loach this obviously ain't. Which makes the fact that it's an almost irresistibly likeable, defiantly sunny comedy all the more astounding.

Read Empire's Ferris Bueller's Day Of_f_ review here

36. His Girl Friday

If your romantic-comedy tastes lean more towards crackerjack repartee and flirty chemistry than body contact, you can’t really go wrong with this Howard Hawks classic. Cary Grant is the charismatic Walter Burns, dismayed (but trying his best to hide it) that his superstar reporter Hildy Johnson (Rosalind Russell) is getting married and might head off to pastures new. Oh, and she’s his ex-wife, to boot. Newsrooms may no longer sing with typewriter voices, but this one doesn’t age.

Read Empire's His Girl Friday review here

35. M. Hulot's Holiday

An almost silent film made in the 1950s as a pure slapstick farce with a blithely oblivious central buffoon, this film must have seemed anachronistic even before the prints were developed. Perhaps that's because it's a classic, with  Jacques Tati 's beautifully drawn M. Hulot innocently causing havoc and misery to all around him as he enjoys a welcome break at the seaside. Often imitated (cf.  Jerry Lewis ,  Rowan Atkinson ), this has never been bettered, a perfect comedy meandering along despite the lack of anything resembling a real plot.

Read Empire's M. Hulot's Holiday review here

34. Planes, Trains & Automobiles

John Hughes uses the mad dash back for the Thanksgiving holiday to squash Steve Martin's uptight family man, Neal Page, together with John Candy's schlubby, loveable salesman, Del Griffith. There is travel chaos, cramped motel beds and a classic swearing scene at an airport counter. Martin and Candy's duelling energies create magic and Hughes' big heart wins out in the end.

Read Empire's Planes, Trains & Automobiles review here

33. Shaun Of The Dead

A film so original that it formed the basis for a new genre, the rom-zom-com (see also: Zombieland ), Shaun saw the Spaced team of Simon Pegg , Nick Frost and Edgar Wright bring their talents for writing likeable losers and inventive genre spins to the big screen. The results are frankly hilarious, with Shaun and hetero-life-partner Ed trying to save those they love amidst a zombie apocalypse. Their plans are persistently rubbish, their weapons of choice bizarrely selective (only bad records should be used to behead the undead) and their leadership all messed up. It's a welcome change from the more gung-ho American responses to these outbreaks, and the sublimely effective contrast of twee tea-making and zombie mayhem makes it a slice of fried gold.

Read Empire's Shaun Of The Dead review here

32. Raising Arizona

A childless couple (Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter) decide it would be for the best if they kidnapped one of a set of quintuplets. Unfortunately, their unscrupulous friends have their own ideas about uses for the new baby. Following up a movie like Blood Simple was never going to be an easy task, but Joel and Ethan Coen succeed admirably, with Arizona setting a precedent for many of the quirky trademarks that have punctuated their subsequent efforts and giving John Goodman his first great Coen role. Best remembered for Cage's hysterical 'baby-chasing' sequence, and small bunnies being blown up by The Lone Biker Of The Apocalypse.

Read Empire's Raising Arizona review here

31. Duck Soup

The Marx Brothers' final film for Paramount is the apex of their career, a perfectly formed masterpiece before their move to the forced-romantic subplots and overblown musical interludes of the MGM years. Predictably, it was considered a disappointment on release in 1933. It sees Groucho as Rufus T. Firefly, installed by his frequent nemesis Margaret Dumont as leader of the bankrupt Freedonia, an arrangement that obviously takes the country into anarchic war with neighbouring Sylvania. A surprisingly excoriating war satire as well as a thoroughly ridiculous knockabout, Duck Soup is probably most famous for the "mirror sketch" between Groucho and Harpo, but there's far more to it than just that.

Read Empire's Duck Soup review here

30. The Princess Bride

The Princess Bride is many things. It's a fantasy, it's a comedy, it's a romance, it's an adventure, it's a swashbuckler. It's a fairy tale, primarily, a whirlwind yarn of princes and princesses, pirates and giants, villages and castles. It's also a wry take on fairy tales, with a sly satirical edge, and whimsically silly names like Prince Humperdinck, Fezzik and Buttercup. It is ultimately a simple and sweetly straightforward story-within-a-story, and fundamentally very old-fashioned. Languishing for years in the dungeons of development hell, it almost never made it to screen – a thought that now seems, well, inconceivable.

Read Empire's The Princess Bride review here

29. Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery

Mike Myers and director Jay Roach's spy spoof had a relatively quiet start at the box office, but grew into a quote-torrent behemoth by the third. Still, without this first wellspring and its high hit-rate of gags, none of that would be possible. Myers is back in multi-role mode, playing Austin and Dr. Evil this time (more would follow), and was ably supported by the likes of Seth Green, Michael York and Robert Wagner. The task at hand is a gleeful undermining of the staple clichés of spy culture — the cliffhanger escape sequences, the nutty global threat, the gadgets and gimmickry all brought down to size.

Read Empire's Austin Powers review here

28. Four Weddings And A Funeral

We all have that friend who, try as we might to set them up, remains single. In Mike Newell ’s classic of the genre, Hugh Grant ’s Charles is that friend. Over the course of four weddings, and – yes – a funeral, fate intervenes as he keeps bumping (or bumbling) into Andie MacDowell . This is Richard Curtis at his absolute best, perfectly managing a blend of sweet sentimentality and precision-targeted laughs, all brought together by a cast of brilliantly memorable characters. An awfully British conglomeration of laughter, love and tears, Four Weddings also taught us the importance of setting that crucial alarm clock.

Read Empire's Four Weddings And A Funeral review here

27. Trading Places

Few films tackle the go-go eighies with as much delicious wit as John Landis ' Trading Places . The decade of excess is riotously skewered in a Mark Twain-inspired fable that sees Eddie Murphy 's homeless hustler unwittingly swap lives with Dan Aykroyd 's snooty commodities trader — all in service to a far-fetched wager. It's a smart examination of rich and poor from a time when the gap was widening, and it's hilarious to boot. As a bonus, it also boasts one of the best looks-to-camera in cinema history.

Read Empire's Trading Places review here

26. The Producers

Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder collaborate for the first time and immediately prove themselves a classic pairing - although Zero Mostel is also key to this film’s success. It’s the story of unscrupulous theatricals who bet the house on a new musical being a disaster, only to unwittingly create an hilarious success. The set piece show tune 'Springtime For Hitler', complete with dancing Nazis, is justly famous. But scenes of Wilder losing his shit in that inimitable way are also amply represented. Never take away his blue blankie.

Read Empire's The Producers review here

25. Anchorman

It really shouldn't work. On paper, Adam McKay and Will Ferrell's rambling, surreal and dementedly illogical film doesn't sound like it should have such a consistently high hit rate for its gags, but astute work on both sides of the camera see to that. So much footage was shot that an entire (funny) bonus film was created from alternate scenes and discarded subplots, handily released as Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie , and what was winnowed to appear in the main film is barmily brilliant. Though it may not have made a huge impact at the box office, some films are destined to grow from humble beginnings into cult behemoths. Never seen it? Resisted watching it because you were worried it wouldn't live up to the hype? We invite you to the pants party. The party… with the pants.

Read Empire's Anchorman review here

24. Team America: World Police

One of the most deliberately offensive movies of the modern age, South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone simultaneously lampoon US foreign policy, Michael Bay action movies and liberal Hollywood stars in one combustible satire. Though it's hard to credit the movie with any form of subtlety, there are brilliant moments (such as the hammer suicide gag or the utter destruction of Paris) and the decision to use marionette puppets is a masterstroke which allows the filmmakers to get away with any amount of ludicrousness. From Alec Baldwin to Kim Jong Il to Michael Moore, nobody is safe from Parker and Stone's wrath, while all your cherished Thunderbirds memories will be soiled forever after seeing these puppets swear, puke and – yes, they went there – having sex. Despite not having any genitalia.

Read Empire's Team America review here

23. ¡Three Amigos!

The sound of inflated egos whistling as the air quickly escapes permeates this memorable comedy, which showcases Steve Martin , Chevy Chase and Martin Short . It might be set in 1916 during the reign of silent movies, but ¡Three Amigos! skewering actorly attitudes works perfectly in the star-driven eighties as three faux gunslingers are called upon to save a small Mexican village from bandits, but misunderstand it as a request for them to perform. Physical gags (that salute!) sit comfortably alongside verbal sparring, while the three leads mesh brilliantly. And earn ten trivia points from the Burning Bush if you knew that this film was co-written by composer Randy Newman.

Read Empire's ¡Three Amigos! review here

22. Modern Times

Prison riots, factory shenanigans and blindfold rollerskating pile up in Chaplin 's uproarious classic, in which he plays an assembly line worker left behind by progress. Part of his later period, when he was still doggedly ignoring the advent of sound, it was something of a comeback after a few years of relative inactivity, but showed he'd lost nothing. In fact, he'd gained some bite: critics have interpreted the film as a satire on industry in general and Hollywood specifically. But at its core it's still the tramp vs. the system. Twas ever thus.

Read Empire's Modern Times review here

21. Coming To America

Eddie Murphy's second collaboration with John Landis after Trading Places , Coming To America is a masterclass in well-executed laughs. The premise – African prince arrives in New York to look for a wife who wasn't chosen or subservient and deals with some big culture clashes – offered real promise, which the star ran with. Motormouth Murphy is, of course, perfectly cast as the prince (as well as hilariously-drawn minor roles), whilst Arsenio Hall does a superb job as his wing-man and James Earl Jones brings some meat to the jilted father role.

Read Empire's Coming To America review here

20. Withnail & I

Endlessly quotable, and the focus of many a drinking game, Withnail & I is both farcical and moving in its depiction of the end of the sixties, and of the friendship between its two leads. It's one of those films that's so good, it's almost an albatross around the necks of its cast and crew. Writer/director Bruce Robinson has struggled to repeat its scurrilous success and Richard E. Grant will be forever associated with demanding to have some booze, going on holiday by mistake, and wanting to fork things. Still, how better to be remembered than as part of one of the most intelligent, literate, and fundamentally funny British comedies of all time?

Read Empire's Withnail & I review here

19. Annie Hall

The dividing line between Woody Allen 's "early, funny™" films and whatever you want to call what came after, Annie Hall saw the nebbish auteur aiming for greater profundity than in the likes of Take The Money And Run and Bananas . That's not to say there aren't still abundant laughs, but there was now also wistful romance in the relationship between Diane Keaton 's Annie and Allen's Alvie, and the beginnings of the love affair with New York that Allen would expand into Manhattan . Allen's preferred title was Anhedonia , which is the inability to experience pleasure from things usually considered enjoyable. His co-writer Marshall Brickman's suggestions meanwhile, apparently included It Had To Be Jew and Me And My Goy .

Read Empire's Annie Hall review here

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18. Beverly Hills Cop

The film that turned Eddie Murphy from stand-up and Saturday Night Live regular to superstar. After his childhood buddy is murdered while visiting Detroit, rebellious cop Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) follows the leads to Beverly Hills, California, under the auspices of a vacation. He checks in with old friend Jenny Summers (Lisa Eilbacher) and starts to believe her boss, art dealer Victor Maitland (Steven Berkoff), might somehow be involved in the murder. Now if only he could get the authorities to A) believe in his task and B) back his unusual, wise-cracking, banana-in-tail-pipe attitude to police work. And let's not forget the instant classic theme Axel F by Harold Faltermeyer.

Read Empire's Beverly Hills Cop review here

17. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

Bringing the second of his three popular personalities from Da Ali G Show to the big screen, opinion-splitting comedian Sacha Baron Cohen scored a hugely-successful mega-hit with this lengthily-titled opus. Having learned a few lessons from Ali G InDaHouse , Cohen wisely returns to interacting with real people who are unaware they're talking to a film character, with the semi-improvised style both revealing the hidden side of the American mindset and yielding hilariously discomforting moments. The movie's instant impact was such that when it was first released you couldn't turn round without hearing "Niiice!" or "Hiiigh five!".

Read Empire's Borat review here

16. Bridesmaids

You know that best friend you’ve had since playschool who will never, ever leave your side? Bridesmaids deals with the fallout of what happens when your BFF finds the love of her life. Aside from girly fallouts (and excess body fluids), Paul Feig ’s film boasts a very sweet love story between Kristen Wiig 's failed baker and Chris O’Dowd ’s police officer. A relationship based on cake is one we can all invest in.

Read Empire's Bridesmaids review here

15. The Apartment

Billy Wilder at the height of his powers. He crams real heart and heavyweight topics into what could otherwise have been a fluffy, flirty, sometimes farcical comedy. Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine spar and yearn, and it boasts one of the best scripts of any on this list thanks to Wilder and regular collaborator I.A.L. Diamond, who between them rarely found a genre they couldn’t crack.

Read Empire's The Apartment review here

14. Blazing Saddles

It starts with the sight of a chain gang singing Cole Porter, and ends with its heroes watching themselves in the cinema. In between, Blazing Saddles manages to be both crazily scattershot and impressively focused, madly meta but also sweetly traditional. The sheer volume of jokes thrown out onto the prairie of Mel Brooks' comedy western is immense, but it never forgets its story – black sheriff helps white town defeat the railroad – and actually has thoughtful things to say about the genre's inherent racism, if you care to look beyond the farting. It also gets better and better the more Westerns you watch. Richard Pryor was one of the co-writers, choosing to get the train rather than fly from New York to LA for the production, since it allowed for more drinking time. Gotta have priorities.

Read Empire's Blazing Saddles review here

13. Hot Fuzz

The middle plank of Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost's Cornetto Trilogy has its eye on the outlandish set pieces of the action genre. Setting the movie in the quaint country town of Sanford (where the big finale takes place in a model village), Hot Fuzz spoofs but also celebrates the likes of Point Break and Bad Boys . Pegg and Frost remain a winning duo and the supporting cast boast a bunch of reliable character types and a few acting legends, including Paddy Considine, Olivia Colman, Jim Broadbent, Bill Nighy, Billie Whitelaw and Timothy "The Dalt" Dalton. Okay, no one calls him that, but we like it.

Read Empire's Hot Fuzz review here

12. The Blues Brothers

Whether you come for the jokes and stay for the music or vice versa, this offers the best of both worlds. John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd are the titular musical siblings (adoptive), on a mission from God to save an orphanage. The pair had an easy chemistry that drives this film, neither wasting a word, but still able to raise a laugh with little more than the twitch of an eyebrow. Never before (or since) in human history has the quest to pay a tax bill resulted in so much vehicular carnage, so much damage to the Illinois Nazi cause, and so much great music.

Read Empire's The Blues Brothers review here

11. Dr Strangelove

Stanley Kubrick 's jet black comedy famously stars Peter Sellers playing three separate roles and wildly improvising in all of them. He's the buttoned-down British Group Captain Lionel Mandrake; the ineffectual US President Merkin Muffley; and the mechanically-armed cartoon ex-Nazi Dr Strangelove (real name "Merkwürdigliebe") who can't quite get out of the habit of calling the president "Mein Fuhrer". Sellers was also supposed to play Texan Air Force Major TJ "King" Kong, but injured himself and couldn't work in the fighter plane's cockpit (he was replaced by Slim Pickens). Devastatingly deadpan, this has the darkest of all imaginable endings, which is all the more impressive given that it originally climaxed with a pie fight. Kubrick, wisely, thunk again.

Read Empire's Dr. Strangelove review here

10. Monty Python And The Holy Grail

The first real film from the surrealist superstars of the Pythons, Holy Grail contains some of the most inspired writing ever committed to celluloid, with the team playing King Arthur and his loyal(ish) knights on a ragtag quest for the titular cup. Sure, the budget appears to have been about 50p, but that spurs the team to greater heights of fancy, substituting coconut halves for horses' hooves and using excellent inanity instead of epic scale. The jokes have spawned a billion student imitators, from claims that "it's just a flesh wound" to Gallic insults to knights who say "ni" and demand shrubberies to elaborate discursions on the appropriate base for a system of government. Worth it for the Trojan rabbit gag alone.

Read Empire's Monty Python And The Holy Grail review here

9. Airplane!

Zucker, Abrams and Zucker were ruthless with their magnum opus, playing numerous rough cuts of the film to college audiences and excising anything that didn't get a big laugh. The streamlined disaster movie riff that is left, then, is pure quadruple-distilled comedy, with a gag rate of about three hilarious jokes per minute and a perfect mix of surrealism, wit, parody and inspired physical comedy. It has inspired approximately a billion quotes and homages in the 30 years since it first hit screens and still hasn't ever been equalled by its many, many imitators. Looks like it paid off for the ZAZ team to kill so many of their babies – comedy like this is a seriously tough business.

Read Empire's Airplane! review here

8. Ghostbusters

Originally, the Peter Venkman role was written for John Belushi; the Rick Moranis part for John Candy. But having seen the greatest effects-comedy ever made, it's impossible to imagine anyone else doing such a good job as this cast – in particular Bill Murray's free-wheeling Venkman. And there are genuine scares in here to make the laughs all the louder by comparison (we defy you not to jump a little at the Library Ghost). The lead trio expertly mine every facet of the supernatural for possible laughs, from crooked researchers to gross-out slime ghosts and enormous inter-dimensional invasions. They even turned Sigourney Weaver into a terrifying beast, something even the Alien franchise never quite managed.

Read Empire's Ghostbusters review here

7. The General

Three steps to train-fight glory: first, witness the theft of your beloved train; next, give fanatical chase; finally, steal train back and steam home. Simple, right? Not so much. Put it this way: The Buster Keaton Train Timetable wouldn’t sell a single copy on this evidence. It’s pure narrow-gauge mayhem when Old Stone Face takes on a nefarious posse of Union spies who have stolen his locomotive. There are none of those traditional railway fistfights here, but there are sleepers on the line, a whopping great trench mortar and that climactic moment where an entire bridge collapses. It’s basically two trains rolling up their sleeves and beating lumps out of each other and it remains, 87 years later, utterly glorious cinema.

Read Empire's The General review here

6. The Big Lebowski

The Coen Brothers' version of a Raymond Chandler noir, The Big Lebowski sees Jeff Bridges as The Dude, drifting, Philip Marlowe-like, around and through the middle of a tortuous mystery with nebulous results. He stumbles onto kidnapping, embezzlement, nymphomaniacs and nihilists – And all he wanted was compensation for his rug. There's also, of course, plenty of time for bowling with crazed 'Nam vet John Goodman and simple Steve Buscemi , leading to some cherishable face-offs with John Turturro 's pink-clad, backwards-dancing, sex-offending Jesus Quintana. The bowling was important in suggesting an anachronistic time-period, Joel Coen explained. "It sent us back to a not-so-far-away era, but one that was nevertheless truly gone." The Big Lebowski is truly gone indeed.

Read Empire's The Big Lebowski review here

5. Life Of Brian

Hailed by many as the pinnacle of the Python troupe's work, Monty Python's Life Of Brian is a contender for the greatest comedy ever made. The film famously came into being when Eric Idle flippantly announced at a press conference that their next project would be called 'Jesus Christ: Lust For Glory'. Despite blasphemy allegations from the Catholic Church and funding issues (until Python fan George Harrison stumped up the cash simply because he wanted to see the movie), the Pythons pulled together an irreverent feast of clever allegory, sharp satire and in-depth discussions of Latin grammar as it applies to anti-Roman graffiti.

Read Empire's Life Of Brian review here

4. Some Like It Hot

Everybody knows that Marilyn Monroe was gorgeous, but people don't give her enough credit for her comedy chops – and they're brilliantly showcased here. Sure, she was a nightmare to work with on set, requiring scores of takes on the simplest lines, but director Billy Wilder persisted until he captured her unique lightning in a bottle. Not that this is a one-woman show. The male leads do the heavy lifting: Jack Lemmon was on top form, and Tony Curtis never funnier than here, playing two jazz musicians on the run from the mob and disguised as women in an all-girl band. Men in drag may be a cheap way to mine laughs, but this is the absolute pinnacle of the form, Wilder and his cast turning a cheap sex comedy into a fizzy, flawless farce.

Read Empire's Some Like It Hot review here

3. The Naked Gun

The sixth episode of Police Squad could have been the last we saw of Lieutenant Frank Drebin. Cancelled by ABC, reportedly over fears that it required the audience to pay too much attention, the show languished for six years before it was resurrected for this, the first of three films. As with Zucker-Abrams-Zucker's pervious Airplane! the biggest joke is the dead seriousness of Leslie Nielsen . Here, however, he's finally and gloriously centre stage, spouting ludicrous hard-boiled cop clichés as chaos reigns around him (much of it chaos of his own making). Props too, to George Kennedy and Priscilla Presley as, respectively, Drebin's long-suffering boss and newly put-upon love interest. These days though, it has to be said that the presence of O.J. Simpson as Nordberg feels distinctly awkward.

2. This Is Spinal Tap

If you're a fan of The Office (and, given that you're reading a feature about great comedy, chances are high), then you can thank Rob Reiner's inspirational mock-doc for the show. Based on Martin Scorsese 's The Last Waltz , Reiner's scarily plausible rockumentary is both a brilliant depiction of the music business and one of the best comedies ever to strut onto the big screen in tight leather pants and improbable hair. The fruit of hundreds of hours of footage with a large amount of improv, the authenticity on show is quite staggering, while the hit rate of the gags goes all the way up to eleven.

Read Empire's This Is Spinal Tap review here

1. Groundhog Day

A decade after Ghostbusters , Groundhog Day saw Harold Ramis and Bill Murray in more thoughtful form. Murray's cynical weatherman Phil Connors makes a Scrooge-like emotional journey from recluse to romantic, via a karmic time loop that sees him endlessly revisiting the same day until he gets it right. Murray's hangdog exasperation is a joy as always, but he's also revealed here as a surprisingly credible romantic lead. The specifics of what happens to him are never explained (some guff about a voodoo curse was thankfully dropped), and his time in limbo is up to individual interpretation: Ramis said it's anything from ten years to 10,000. Coincidentally, that's also the number of times you can watch the film without it getting old.

Read Empire's Groundhog Day review here

29 of the most hilarious comedies streaming right now

We could all use a good laugh—give these a try.

Updated June 1, 2021

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Here, you’ll find a curated selection of 29 of our favorite comedies streaming right now—on Netflix, HBO Max, Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, and Showtime. Whether you’re in the mood for slapstick, a feel-good romcom, or a bit of dark satire, we’ve got your back.

‘10 Things I Hate About You’ (1999)

‘10 Things’ turned Aussie actor Heath Ledger into a star.

‘50/50’ (2011)

This one’s based on the real-life experiences of screenwriter Will Reiser.

Come for Seth Rogen as the hilarious and supportive best friend; stay for Anna Kendrick in the role of Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s lovely therapist, whom he starts seeing after a cancer diagnosis. Screenwriter Will Reiser, Rogen’s real-life buddy, wrote this film after his own experience with cancer, and that lends a raw honesty to the subject. All this without losing the levity you’d expect from the two leads. And it’s got some great needle drops from the likes of Radiohead, the Bee Gees, and Pearl Jam.

‘Adventureland’ (2009)

James falls hard for Emily in Greg Mottola’s ‘Adventureland.’

‘American Graffiti’ (1973)

Before ‘Star Wars,’ director George Lucas found success with a teen comedy set in 1962.

‘Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery’ (1997)

Mike Myers and Elizabeth Hurley work for the Ministry of Defense in ‘Austin Powers.’

“But Scott, who’s gonna take over the world when I die?” Dr. Evil, Mike Myers’s Ernst Blofeld send-up, asks his son in group therapy. Scott (Seth Green) suggests he might prefer to work at a petting zoo. “An evil petting zoo?” his father asks. The therapist, by the way, is played by a radiant Carrie Fisher—and that’s just one scene you’ve probably forgotten from this 1997 spoof of classic Bond and In Like Flint . If you can get past a dated joke or two, there’s a lot of heart in this goofy love letter to sixties spy flicks.

‘Beavis and Butt-Head Do America’ (1996)

They’re certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, ladies.

These two airheads from animator Mike Judge were a defining presence on MTV in the nineties, haplessly pursuing “chicks” and poking fun at pop culture and music videos. In their feature-length movie, the pair boards a plane to Vegas after a mix-up involving a stolen television and an unsavory fellow voiced by Bruce Willis. It ain’t Shakespeare, but the wordplay, high-stakes shenanigans, and sheer stupidity ought to win you over.

‘Black Dynamite’ (2009)

Don’t call when he’s in the middle of his kung fu.

This 2009 Blaxploitation flick’s easily one of the funniest films ever made. Martial-arts expert Michael Jai White plays Black Dynamite, a kung-fu master as well as “the best CIA agent that the CIA ever had.” When his police-informant brother gets killed, Dynamite sets off on a mission to clean up the streets and get his revenge. Watch it immediately.

‘Bo Burnham: Make Happy’ (2016)

On a scale from one to zero…

This one-of-a-kind special feels like a virtuoso giving his best, and possibly final , big-stage performance. The film opens with the comedian getting out of bed wearing a clown nose, and a robotic voice-over remarks on the various ways the world “is not funny,” alternating between horrifying facts and humorous counterpoints. Burnham discusses body image and mental health, pokes fun at country music and Pringles cans, and concludes with a confession: he can no longer handle a relationship with live audiences. At least for the time being. As with much of his best work, he delivers this climactic bit in the form of a song, his voice soaked in Auto-Tune and echo effects. It’s magnificent. After the song, he waves farewell to his fans and takes a bow. “I hope you’re happy,” he says.

‘Booksmart’ (2019)

Molly and Amy mourn the end of their high-school years in ‘Booksmart.’

Olivia Wilde made her directorial debut with this terrific comedy about two BFFs who realize they’ve put too much time into getting ready for college at the expense of their social lives. Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever are perfectly cast as Molly and Amy, while Billie Lourd’s free-spirited Gigi is a revelation. If you haven’t seen it yet, this might just be your new comfort movie.

‘Caddyshack’ (1980)

Bill Murray confronts his nemesis in 1980’s ‘Caddyshack.’

If you’re a fan of comedy, you should see the legendary Caddyshack at least once. From the dancing gopher puppet to the Kenny Loggins theme song, this is a perfect snapshot of mainstream comedy in 1980. The cast features Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, and a 29-year-old Bill Murray, and there are some pretty sublime moments throughout.

‘Dave Chappelle: Killin’ Them Softly’ (2000)

‘Killin’ Them Softly’ was recorded live in 2000.

‘Dazed and Confused’ (1993)

Linklater’s ‘Dazed and Confused’ recalls the youth of the 1970s.

‘Eighth Grade’ (2018)

‘Eighth Grade’ is the feature debut of writer-director Bo Burnham.

‘The Five-Year Engagement’ (2012)

Blunt and Segel make an adorable couple in this underappreciated film.

All you really need to know about The Five-Year Engagement is that it features a heated argument between Emily Blunt—doing her finest Cookie Monster impression—and Alison Brie as Elmo. But it’s also got Randall Park, Mindy Kaling, Brian Posehn as a sandwich shop’s self-proclaimed “pickle nerd,” Dakota Johnson, and a top-shelf performance by Jason Segel. This romcom’s criminally underrated.

‘Good Burger’ (1997)

Kenan and Kel ruled Nickelodeon in the nineties.

Before Kenan Thompson spent two decades on SNL , he and Kel Mitchell were an unstoppable duo on Nickelodeon. Chief among their early achievements was Good Burger —first a recurring sketch on the TV show All That and later adapted into this 1997 feature. The so-called “nineties kids” among us will be delighted at just how entertaining this movie still is. Mitchell’s character in particular is about as animated and silly as Jim Carrey’s earliest big-screen work; it’s easy to mourn the Hollywood career he never really had. Another surprise from the opening credits: the score was composed by Stewart Copeland, drummer for the Police.

‘The Graduate’ (1967)

Anne Bancroft portrays the iconic Mrs. Robinson.

‘Hail, Caesar!’ (2016)

This is bad. Bad for movie stars ever’where.

Hail, Caesar! is one of the funnier Coen Brothers films, and that’s saying something. It’s got the goods: Clooney stumbling into the secret communist underworld of 1950s Hollywood; Solo ’s Alden Ehrenreich struggling to make the shift from westerns to prestige pictures; memorable appearances by the likes of Jonah Hill, Tilda Swinton, Channing Tatum. There’s also some beautiful photography here, but that’s hardly a surprise when Roger Deakins is behind the camera.

‘Happy Gilmore’ (1996)

Chubbs Peterson (Carl Weathers) is one of the most memorable characters of the 1990s.

‘Hot Fuzz’ (2007)

‘Hot Fuzz’ is the second entry in Edgar Wright’s ‘Cornetto trilogy.’

A hotshot policeman gets reassigned to the small English village of Sandford, where strange things are afoot. Cloaked figures are racking up a body count all over town, and there’s something super fishy about Timothy Dalton’s character. The Shaun of the Dead trio of Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost knocks its sophomore effort out of the park. It’s got the funniest decapitation scene since Monty Python and the Holy Grail , too.

‘Lady Bird’ (2017)

Saoirse Ronan landed the titular role in ‘Lady Bird.’

Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut follows a Catholic-school senior navigating her first love, the school musical, fears of an uncertain future, and a rocky relationship with her mother. It’s hilarious, chock-full of great performances, and it’s got the most beautifully cathartic ending. May Tracy Letts go down in history as the greatest of the movie dads.

‘The Lost Boys’ (1987)

‘Lost Boys’ has one of all the all-time great gross-out scenes.

‘The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!’ (1988)

By the way, O. J. Simpson’s in this movie.

“Wilma, I promise you—whatever scum did this—not one man on this force will rest for one minute until he’s behind bars,” Lieutenant Frank Drebin tells Mrs. Nordberg, whose husband clings to life in a hospital bed. Then, to his partner: “Now, let’s grab a bite to eat.” Leslie Nielsen was the king of deadpan, and this ridiculous spoof of old cop movies stands as the best showcase of his talents.

‘Not Another Teen Movie’ (2001)

Oh, it’s not a sundae.

This 2001 spoof skewers teen films such as Varsity Blues , She’s All That , and American Pie without unraveling into a total-nonsense plot, as these kinds of parodies often do. A young Chris Evans stars as the handsome jock—part Freddie Prinze Jr., part James Van Der Beek—alongside Supergirl ’s Chyler Leigh, who plays the rebellious art nerd he eventually falls for. They’re both superb.

‘Pee-wee’s Big Adventure’ (1985)

‘Pee-wee’s Big Adventure’ was Tim Burton’s first feature-length movie.

‘Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip’ (1982)

Pryor’s legendary return was filmed at the Hollywood Palladium.

‘Sorry to Bother You’ (2018)

LaKeith Stanfield plays Cash Green in the bonkers sci-fi comedy ‘Sorry to Bother You.’

‘This Is Spinal Tap’ (1984)

‘Spinal Tap’ stars Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer.

‘Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story’ (2007)

John C. Reilly and Jenna Fischer duet in 2007’s ‘Walk Hard.’

John C. Reilly kills it in this parody of musical biopics (particularly James Mangold’s Walk the Line ). Tim Meadows, Kristen Wiig, and Jenna Fischer costar; it’s also got cameo appearances like Jack White as Elvis Presley, Jack Black as Paul McCartney, and Paul Rudd as John Lennon. It was a box-office failure in 2007, but few comedies from the aughts have aged as well as this one.

‘Young Adult’ (2011)

‘Young Adult’ was written by ‘Jennifer’s Body’ scribe Diablo Cody.

This gloomy character study reunites Juno director Jason Reitman with writer Diablo Cody, and lightning strikes a second time. Charlize Theron plays a young-adult novelist named Mavis, who suffers from alcoholism and mental illness; Patton Oswalt costars as a charming nerd who makes bourbon in his garage. Mavis becomes obsessed with winning back her old high-school flame (Patrick Wilson), who just had a baby with his wife (Elizabeth Reaser). It all makes for a big inevitable train wreck, but this is a beautiful film brimming with empathy.

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The 25 best comedy movies of all time.

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Four friends at cinema together.

Writing a definitive list of the best comedy films ever made is hard. Not only has the genre been around since the late 1800s, but there are many types of comedy movies : rom-coms , screwballs, slapsticks. But sometimes, you just need a good laugh. So, what makes something a “best comedy movie?” The easy answer is that it has to be funny. However, it’s more than that. Great comedy movies stand the test of time. Comedy, as a genre, has a reputation for aging poorly to the point that many critics ask, can comedy age well? Many comedies pull off this feat and become classics. These classics come with endlessly quotable lines, iconic scenes, and jokes that we want to watch again and again.

Funniest Movies (25-11)

Comedy is subjective, but some movies are just funny … full stop. A great comedy can be rewatched, quoted and revisited. While you won’t find the highest-grossing comedy movie on this list (it’s 2023’s Barbie , if you are wondering,) you will find box office titans and even a couple of commercial flops that achieved cult status after the fact.

This full list includes films from the 1930s to 2010s, and directors such as Mel Brooks, Adam McKay, John Huges and Stanely Kubrick. While complying a best comedies list, it is essential to look at subgenres. Comedies on this list include satires, mockumentaries, dark humor, rom-coms, teen comedies and even a musical comedy. There are so many types of comedy; all can be done well in the right hands.

25. My Cousin Vinny (1992)

Ralph Macchio sits with Mitchell Whitfield and Joe Pesci in a scene from the film "My Cousin Vinny."

This film taught an entire generation about the features of the Chevy Bel Air. The whole movie is exceptionally quotable and has a devoted fan base, partially thanks to the powerhouse performances of Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei. Tomei’s performance even earned her an Oscar nom for Best Supporting Actress.

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While the film only garnered 2.5 stars from Roger Eber t in 1992, the movie now boasts an 87% on Rotten Tomatoes from both fans and critics. The story follows an inexperienced lawyer, the titular Vinny, as he tries to free two Brooklyn college students falsely accused of murder in Alabama. The film became a classic through DVD and VHS rentals, which almost adds to the perfect 1990s nature of this now classic comedy. Currently, My Cousin Vinny is available to rent on Amazon Prime, Youtube, Apple TV and Google Play… if you can’t find a Blockbuster.

24. Step Brothers (2008)

The bro-comedy dominated the 2000s. While Judd Apatow and Adam Sandler flicks grounded this subgenre in the mid-2000s, buddy comedies are nothing new and have been popular with audiences since names like Laurel and Hardy were on marquees. Step Brothers feels like a classic buddy comedy.

In the film, directed by Adam McKay, Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly play adult step-brothers forced to live together as their aging parents remarry. The wackiness of the premise is part of what makes Step Brothers a laugh-out-loud comedy. The film received mixed reviews on its initial run but has garnered a cult classic status in subsequent years. A lot of that status has to do with the powerhouse performances that this movie boasts, not only from the leads but also Richard Jenkins, who plays Reilly’s father. It is currently streaming for free on the Roku Channel.

23. The Big Sick (2017)

The Big Sick is a rom-com, a com-com and a profoundly human film. The BFI credited the movie for refreshing the rom-com genre. The film stars Kumail Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan and was directed by Michael Showalter.

The semi-autobiographical film follows the early romance between Nanjiani and his wife, Emily V. Gordon, as she battles adult-onset Still’s Disease. Gordon and Nanjiani wrote the screenplay together. While the movie received good reviews , it also drew criticism for its depiction of Desi women. Something that Nanjiani has since apologized for. The film is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime.

22. The Addams Family (1991)

Anjelica Huston is kissed by Raul Julia in a scene from the film "The Addams Family."

Many family comedies are created based on existing intellectual property, and many fail to capture the feeling of the source material while still standing on their own as a film. The Addams Family impressively does both. Based on the comics and TV show of the same name, The Addams Family does cartoonish well.

This film is remembered for its powerhouse performances from the late Raul Julia, Anjelica Huston, Christina Ricci and Christopher Lloyd. The story follows the Addams Family as a conman infiltrates their house, posing as patriarch Gomez Addams’ long-lost brother Fester. The film walks the line between dark, sexy, goofy and silly. The New York Times said of the movie in 1991, “Making his directorial debut, the excellent cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld … gives the film a visual wit to match its screenplay's ghoulish gags.” The film is currently streaming on Netflix, AMC+ and Paramount+.

21. Best In Show ( 2000 )

There aren’t many true auteur comedy filmmakers, but Christopher Guest is one of them. His movies have a definite style with their often mockumentary approach, purposeful awkwardness, familiar casts, and notably improvisational style. Improv is hard to pull off, but Best In Show does it well.

Best In Show follows five dogs and their people competing in a Philadelphia dog show. The ensemble cast includes Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Parker Posey, Fred Willard, Jane Lynch, Jennifer Coolidge and many others. Best In Show is currently available for purchase to stream on Amazon Prime, Google Play, Apple TV and YouTube.

20. Singing In The Rain (1952)

Musical comedies sometimes aren’t regarded as “real comedies” as they have to walk the line between two genres. However, Gene Kelly and Stanely Donen’s Singing In The Rain excels at both. The movie stars Kelly, Donald O’Connor and Debbie Reynolds and follows actors as Hollywood moved from silent films to “talkies.”

The AFI ranked the movie highly on its list of best films. O’Connor received a Golden Globe for his work on the film, and the film received a WGA award as well. The movie fulfills on the promise to “make ‘em laugh” but also features breathtaking dance sequences from Kelley and Cyd Charisse. It is currently streaming on Max.

19. The Birdcage (1996)

Robin Williams and Nathan Lane sitting under an umbrella in a scene from the film "The Birdcage."

The Birdcage both feels dated and extremely timely. Based on the French film and play, La Cage Aux Folles, The Birdcage stars Robin Williams and Nathan Lane as gay parents who own a South Beach Drag club. They are forced to play it straight when William’s son brings home the daughter of a far-right senator.

The film broke boundaries when it came to gay representation but, unfortunately, features a prominent character in brownface. Hank Azaria plays a gay Guatemalan housemaid. While Azaria has apologized for other instances of brownface, including voicing Apu on The Simpsons after the release of the documentary The Problem with Apu, he has not reflected on his role in The Birdcage . While the film isn’t perfect, The Birdcage shows not only queer parenting but the importance of standing up to right-wing politics to the queer community, making it important in the history of queer cinema. It is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.

18. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is more than just quotable; it has been part of several generations’ teen experiences. And that makes sense because "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." Director John Hughes captures something magic in the idealized day off.

The film follows the titular Ferris (Matthew Brodrick), his best friend Cameron (Alan Ruck) and his girlfriend, Sloane (Mia Sara), as they skip school to explore Chicago. The film sits at a 92% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and is currently available for streaming through a subscription to Paramount+ or on Pluto TV.

17. Polyester (1981)

There are dirty comedies, and then there are John Waters movies. While some of his more well-known films have a weight to them, Polyester is lighter and more comedic. Longtime collaborator Divine shines as a housewife with a great sense of smell and an unfaithful husband. She is then wooed by Tab Hunter’s Todd Tomorrow.

Polyester oscillates between goofy, melodramatic and disgusting. The film was released in “ Odorama ,” a scratch-and-sniff card that encouraged moviegoers to smell ten odors from the movie. It was intentionally ridiculous and fed into the pulp nature of the film. While reminiscent of the 1960s Smell-O-Vision and AromaRama, Odorama encouraged moviegoers to smell things like dirty shoes and skunk. The film is currently on Amazon Prime, though you will have to find a special screening to get your hands on an Odorama card.

16. Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

Actor Jon Heder rides a horse in the movie "Napoleon Dynamite."

Napoleon Dynamite is hard to describe, but it took America by storm upon its release. While it garnered mixed to even poor reviews, such as 1.5 stars from Ebert, it persisted as a cultural phenomenon . It has even been chosen to be rescreened at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

The film, directed by Jared Hess and starring John Heder, tells a coming-of-age story of an awkward teenager in small-town Idaho. The film was made on a shoestring budget and without many established actors, but that is part of the charm of Napoleon Dynamite . The film has almost a cinema verité quality as it captures the realness of teenage life. Napoleon Dynamite is currently streaming on Max.

15. How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)

This screwball comedy stars Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe and Lauren Bacall as O.G. gold diggers. The performances in How to Marry a Millionaire are what really cement it as a classic. Monroe shows off the sharpness in her comedy and persona, while Bacall balances raw sex appeal and comic timing.

While How to Marry a Millionaire is late for a screwball comedy as a genre, it still isn’t afraid to relish in some of its zanier moments, like how Monroe blindly stumbles as she refuses to wear her glasses because “men are not attentive to girls who wear glasses.” It is available to rent through YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon Prime and Google Play.

14. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

While many movies attempt the difficult “tragicomedy” genre, Little Miss Sunshine excels in it. The film follows an impoverished, dysfunctional family as they road trip to a children’s beauty pageant with their young daughter.

Little Miss Sunshine features iconic performances from all of its principal cast: Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Paul Dano, Abigail Breslin and Alan Arkin. The film premiered at Sundance and started a small distribution bidding war. It went on to be nominated for 4 Academy Awards (and won 2.) The film holds a 91% amongst audiences and critics on Rotten Tomatoes and is currently streaming on Hulu.

13. Clueless (1995)

Teen comedies sometimes get a bad rap. However, some names stand out in the genre of teen comedies based on classic literature: 10 Things I Hate About You, She’s the Man and, of course, Clueless .

Loosely based on Jane Austen’s Emma, Clueless is endlessly quotable from “As if.” to “You’re a virgin who can’t drive.” to “Oh my god. I am totally bugging.” The movie, directed by Amy Heckerling, stars Alicia Silverstone, Brittany Murphy and Paul Rudd. In 1995, The Washington Post praised the film for the “precision of its observations and sharpness of its one-liners.” And over 20 years later, it still packs the same punch. It is currently available to stream on Paramount+ or on Pluto TV.

12. It Happened One Night (1934)

Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert in a scene from "It Happened One Night."

Few comedies have won Best Picture, and It Happened One Night did much more than that. The film was the first to win Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Directed by Frank Capra and starring Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable, It Happened One Night is a pure old Hollywood classic.

The story follows a newspaperman as he tries to help a young heiress connect with her scheming fiance. Yes, the plot feels very 1930s at times, but the influence of this film on the modern rom-com is undeniable . You can almost see tropes develop in real time watching it. While the enemies-to-lovers trope can be seen everywhere, from Pride and Prejudice to a Hallmark Christmas movie, It Happened One Night gets it right and pairs it with snappy writing that holds up 90 years later. The film is currently available for free on YouTube and is a must-watch for any rom-com lover. It is currently streaming for free on YouTube and Tubi.

11. This is Spinal Tap (1984)

Rob Reiner’s directorial debut, This is Spinal Tap , really goes up to 11. This rock mockumentary has a huge cult following and for a good reason. The Criterion Collection has called it in “the ranks of the greatest comedies ever made.” The film stars Christopher Guest and Michael McKean as aging rockers on their American comeback tour.

Part of what makes This is Spinal Tap great is the music. The parody songs in this movie are both funny and earworms. The New York Times said, “There's an in-joke quality to the film, one that will make it all the more hilarious to anyone at all knowledgeable about either the esthetic or the business aspects of pop music. However, you need not have heard a band like Spinal Tap to find its story highly amusing.” It is available to rent on Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play and Apple TV.

10 Best Comedies Of All Time

The top ten movies on this list aren’t only great comedies. They are films that have influenced the genre. Even people who have never seen these films know a joke from them or have seen a movie that takes direct inspiration from them.

Ranking these movies comes down to splitting hairs. They all deliver laughs, contain iconic lines and scenes, and, maybe more importantly, are endlessly rewatchable. These films feel not only witty but often inventive. While later movies have ripped off these films, they still feel fresh, often many years later (the oldest in this section is from 1941.)

10. Bridesmaids (2011)

It’s rare that self-professed chick flicks get nominated for the Oscars. Bridesmaids earned two nominations for Best Supporting Actress Melissa McCarthy and Best Original Screenplay for Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo. Directed by Paul Feig, Bridesmaids boasts several comedy powerhouse performances from Wiig, McCarthy, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Jon Hamm and Wendi McLendon-Covey.

The film follows Wiig’s Annie as she becomes the maid of honor for Rudolph’s Lillian. Bridesmaids certainly wasn’t the first all-female lead comedy. Still, it has been noted as an important film in the genre of female-lead mainstream comedies, which some have called “the Bridesmaids effect.” Outside of its influence, it's just a hilarious movie from “Help me, I’m poor” to “I did slightly overcommit to the whole dog thing.” The movie is currently streaming on Peacock.

9. Office Space (1999)

Jennifer Aniston and Mike Judge in "Office Space."

Before The Office became a millennial favorite, there was Office Space . Directed by Mike Judge and starring Ron Livingston and Jennifer Aniston, Office Space walks the line between cult comedy and cultural juggernaut.

The film captures the humdrum of 90s office life while still being hilariously wacky as a group of underappreciated office workers try to take down their greedy boss. Ebert said of the film, "’Office Space’ is a comic cry of rage against the nightmare of modern office life. It has many of the same complaints as ‘Dilbert’ and the movie ‘ Clockwatchers ’ and, for that matter, the works of Kafka and the Book of Job.” Office Space is currently available to stream on Max.

8. Airplane! (1980)

Airplane! is one of those movies that everyone has surely heard a quote from … “and don't call me Shirley.” Starring Leslie Nielson, this farce parodies the disaster film, specifically Zero Hour ( 1953).

The film earned the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Comedy and nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and for the BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay. While not all parts of the movie have aged well , especially regarding race, it’s still remembered as a comedy classic for its goofy approach to parody. It is currently streaming on Showtime.

7. Sullivan’s Travels (1941)

Actress Veronica Lakeand Joel McCrea in a scene from the movie "Sullivan's Travels."

This 1941 Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake comedy is often called a “ masterpiece .” It has been added to the Library of Congress , with the review, “Preston Sturges’s ‘ Sullivan’s Travels ’ remains one of the great American film satires of Hollywood.”

The titular Sullivan is a Hollywood director known for light comedies. He decides it's time to make something more important and ventures out into the real world, looking for inspiration for his film, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” a film about suffering. While the film has a definite heart and message, dialogue and jokes come fast in this movie. Sullivan’s Travels is a must-watch for classic movie and comedy fans alike. It is available to rent on Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play and Apple TV.

6. Coming to America (1988)

“But where in New York can one find a woman with grace, elegance, taste and culture? A woman suitable for a king … Queens.” Coming to America is full of iconic lines. Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall and James Earl Jones shine in this classic directed by John Landis.

Coming To America captures something real about the 1980s , Queens and the immigrant experience while still being a wacky comedy about an African prince coming to New York to find a wife. While many reviews weren’t glowing in 1988, Coming To America has remained popular, even prompting a sequel, Coming 2 America , in 2021. It is available to rent on Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play and Apple TV.

5. The Jerk (1979)

Steve Martin talks with Bill Macy in a scene from the film "The Jerk."

The Jerk is directed by Carl Reiner and is Steve Martin’s first starring role. While not every joke has stood the test of time, The Jerk still delivers solid laughs over 40 years later, often thanks to Martin’s impeccable comedic timing.

The Jerk follows Martin’s character Navin through his rise to riches, and his subsequent fall. While the film is often crass and possibly even dumb on purpose, many jokes have a wit and elevation that balances the comedy. The film is often found on lists of best comedies and was even a favorite of director Stanley Kubrick . It is currently available to stream on Netflix.

4. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

Monty Python and the Holy Grail is the second film by the iconic British comedy troupe Monty Python. This movie is so quotable that it has almost transcended the original script to seep into the collective consciousness. Who doesn’t say to themselves, “Tis but a scratch” occasionally?

This movie stars Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin and is a parody of Arthurian times. The film follows Chappan’s King Arthur as he and his squire search for the Holy Grail. While it received mixed reviews on its initial release, its cult following and memory are impressive. A musical based on the film, Spamalot , was adapted for the stage in 2005 and was revived for Broadway in 2023. Currently, the movie is available to stream on Netflix.

3. Friday (1995)

Not much happens in the movie Friday , but it doesn’t matter. The film still packs in the laughs. F. Gary Gray directs with iconic performances from Ice Cube and Chris Tucker. This movie is endlessly quotable from “Damnnnn!” to “Bye Felicia.” and has reached almost a meme status through reaction gifs.

Friday inspired two sequels: Next Friday and Friday After Next . All three movies have garnered cult status . However, Friday was both commercially successful and praised in 1995. The film had a modest budget, a music video director, one lead who had never done a comedy and only 20 days to shoot, but against it all, the film is remembered as a comedy classic. It is currently available on Max and Tubi.

2. Dr Strangelove (1964)

Among his several roles, Peter Sellers (right) portrayed a NATO representative and Sterling Hayden, ... [+] a mad general, in Stanley Kubrick's satire on nuclear brinksmanship, "Dr. Strangelove."

Dr Strangelove is maybe the darkest comedy on this list, but when you are making a satire featuring nazi scientists and nuclear annihilation, that tends to happen. This film was directed by Stanely Kubrick and stars Peter Sellers in three roles: a British officer, the American President, and the titular doctor, a former nazi and nuclear war expert.

The film follows a situation where an American general plans to drop a nuclear bomb on the Soviet Union. We promise it’s funnier than it sounds. The film is a frequent addition not only to best comedy lists but also to film lists in general, including AFI’s Best American Films list. It is currently free to watch on YouTube.

1. Young Frankenstein (1974)

Actors Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Marty Feldman and Teri Garr in a scene from the movie 'Young ... [+] Frankenstein', 1974. (Photo by Stanley Bielecki Movie Collection/Getty Images)

No list of best comedies is complete without Mel Brooks. If this list had more space, it could have easily included several Brooks films, including Blazing Saddles, History of the World Part 1., and The Producers. There is a reason why so many of his movies have become comedy classics.

Young Frankenstein mixes comedy, horror and parody perfectly. The film features iconic performances, especially from Gene Wilder, who co-wrote the screenplay with Brooks. The movie parodies the story of Frankenstein but does it with both zaniness and wit. Young Frankenstein currently boasts a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes . It is currently available to stream through a DirecTV subscription.

Bottom Line

Comedy is subjective, but genuinely great comedies can connect to broad audiences and remain funny watch after watch, year after year. From modern classics to familiar faves, you can’t go wrong with the comedies on this list.

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41 One-Star Movie Reviews That Are Equal Parts Hilarious And Baffling

There exists on Twitter an incredible account dedicated to finding, and sharing, funny movie reviews from Amazon Prime. Most of the reviews posted by Amazon Movie Reviews are one-star reviews, and they often have very little to do with the film itself. They gripe about misleading titles, lack of “realism,” and, maybe not-so-surprisingly, foreign language and black and white films. 

Here are the best, most funny movie reviews of the year, courtesy of Amazon Movie Reviews Twitter.

1. home alone 2.

4. Toy Story

5. Toy Story, again

6. Hotel Transylvania 3

8. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

10. Avengers: Endgame

Masha Fante

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The 20 best comedies on Amazon Prime Video

The streamer's funniest offerings include sci-fi musicals, hilarious whodunits, and much more.

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Amazon Prime Video really delivers (get it?) the goods here, curating a collection of comedy movies that range from classic to experimental, acerbic to heartwarming, family-friendly to R-rated fare. And since the titles on this list are all available with your Prime subscription, you won't have to spend a dime.

Here are the 20 best comedies on Amazon Prime Video right now.

21 Jump Street (2012)

This ballsy remake of the '80s TV show of the same name remains one of the funnier buddy comedies of the 21st century. Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill play police officers who are tasked with going undercover at a local high school to stop the outbreak of a new drug and find the supplier. During their stint, the pair relive the highs and lows of high school — which sometimes overshadows the task at hand. With its fun blending of action, comedy, and undercover thrills, 21 Jump Street exceeded expectations upon its 2012 release. EW's critic writes , "What this fast, cheeky, and very funny interpretation of the original premise sacrifices in teachable moments, it makes up for in intelligent giddiness." — Kevin Jacobsen Where to watch 21 Jump Street : Amazon Prime Video

EW grade: A ( read the review )

Directors: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller

Cast: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Brie Larson , Dave Franco , Rob Riggle , Ice Cube

American Graffiti (1973)

George Lucas ' nostalgic coming-of-age dramedy is an earnest ode to his formative years growing up in Modesto, Calif., in the early 1960s. Centering on a group of friends hanging out on the last day of summer vacation, American Graffiti is a slice-of-life film that follows their exploits over the course of the night. Some deal with relationship problems, while others are more concerned with celebrating their last night in their hometown before the rest of their lives begin. Told in a series of dreamy vignettes (aided by a killer soundtrack), the film transports the viewer back to a specific time and place, a snapshot of life before it got messy and complicated. — K.J. Where to watch American Graffiti : Amazon Prime Video Director: George Lucas Cast: Richard Dreyfuss , Ron Howard , Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Phillips, Cindy Williams, Wolfman Jack, Harrison Ford

Asteroid City (2023)

Wes Anderson uses his trademark dollhouse-like style to raise questions about the nature of storytelling in this comedic puzzle box of a film. Making use of multiple layers, the film centers largely on a play about a group of parents and their stargazing children who have come to the desert town of Asteroid City. Additionally, we follow a playwright's struggle to write the play, as well as a TV documentary about the making of the play. Got that? While these metatextual elements provide a thought-provoking commentary on myths and humans' search for meaning, it also has plenty of Anderson's quirky sense of humor. — K.J.

Where to watch Asteroid City : Amazon Prime Video

EW grade: B ( read the review )

Director: Wes Anderson

Cast:   Jason Schwartzman ,  Scarlett Johansson ,  Tom Hanks ,  Jeffrey Wright ,  Tilda Swinton ,  Bryan Cranston ,  Edward Norton ,  Adrien Brody ,  Liev Schreiber

The Big Sick (2017)

Sarah Shatz/Lionsgate

If you like your comedy with a side of tragedy, The Big Sick has got you covered. This is truly a unique, one-of-a-kind production: stomach-achingly hilarious, mega-touching, and…all true? Yep, written by the couple who went through it IRL ( Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon) and acted by one (Nanjiani, with Gordon played by Zoe Kazan ), the pair deftly turned her shocking diagnosis/near-death experience into true laughs. The best medicine? We think so.  —Debby Wolfinsohn

Where to watch The Big Sick : Amazon Prime Video

Director: Michael Showalter

Cast: Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Ray Romano , Holly Hunter

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020)

Amazon Studios

Exposing the worst of America in a fearless, laugh-while-you-cringe style is Sacha Baron Cohen ’s specialty. Disguising himself as a mustachioed, overly-confident Kazakh allowed Cohen a kind of magic access: the ability to travel into the dark corners of the U.S. as an "innocent." This ruse encouraged others to open up in ways they might not have otherwise, creating jaw-dropping moments of comedy (veering into tragedy) you can't look away from. The setup is simple — Cohen's character Borat returns to the West with his daughter, Tutar (the excellent Maria Bakalova), to win the favor of its leader, "a magnificent new Premier named McDonald Trump." In a kind of bizarro buddy comedy, the two visit synagogues, debutante balls, and freedom rallies, creating moments so indelible they will go down in cinematic history. It's hard to choose just one, so we'll pick two: Rudy Giuliani, and the horrifying father-daughter OB-GYN visit. As EW’s critic writes , "his outrageous, uncountable isms — the confident screeds against women and Jew[ish people], the casual endorsements of incest or indentured servitude — are of course satirical, and entirely the point." —D.W.

Where to watch Borat Subsequent Moviefilm : Amazon Prime Video

EW grade: A– ( read the review )

Director: Jason Woliner

Cast: Sacha Baron Cohen, Maria Bakalova

Bottoms (2023)

Few films nowadays feel destined to become cult classics, but this satirical teen comedy has the makings of one. The logline is already enough to sell you — Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri play outcast high schoolers who devise a plan to create an all-girls fight club in the hope of hooking up with their cheerleader crushes — but writer-director Emma Seligman brings a giddy surrealism to the film and a very millennial sense of humor that feels gloriously true to life. Come for the richly talented cast of young comedic talent (particularly Edebiri), stay for the wildly unpredictable conclusion. — K.J.

Where to watch Bottoms : Amazon Prime Video

Director: Emma Seligman

Cast: Rachel Sennott, Ayo Edebiri, Ruby Cruz, Havana Rose Liu, Kaia Gerber, Nicholas Galitzine, Miles Fowler, Dagmara Domińczyk , Marshawn Lynch

Bowfinger (1999)

This silly showbiz satire pairs two comedy greats to explore the absurdities of what it takes to make a movie. B-movie producer Bobby Bowfinger ( Steve Martin , doing double duty as the film's screenwriter) is finally ready to direct his first feature, but he can only secure the funding to distribute it if he hires difficult actor Kit Ramsey ( Eddie Murphy ) to star. Unable to convince Kit to do the movie, Bowfinger resolves to secretly film him, using his other actors to act out the plot in real life to capture Kit's authentic response. EW's critic praises Martin's script , calling it "bitingly funny but tolerant, bemused rather than bitter." — K.J.

Where to watch Bowfinger : Amazon Prime Video

EW grade: N/A ( read the review )

Director: Frank Oz

Cast: Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Heather Graham , Christine Baranski , Terence Stamp

Brittany Runs a Marathon (2019)

Jillian Bell stars as Brittany, a New York party girl who decides to change her life the old-fashioned way: jogging! EW's critic says Bell brings a "real, messy humanity to Brittany that comedies hardly ever allow a lead character — let alone a non-impossibly-bodied female — to have." Kept afloat by her running buddies — Michaela Watkins ' divorcée with issues and Micah Stock’s sardonic gay dad — the movie avoids a simple happy ending but does provide a satisfying, uplifting one. It’s perfect for watching on the treadmill or stationary bike (or lying in bed eating ice cream). —D.W.

Where to watch Brittany Runs a Marathon : Amazon Prime Video

Director: Paul Downs Colaizzo

Cast: Jillian Bell, Michaela Watkins, Utkarsh Ambudkar

The Cheap Detective (1978)

 Mary Evans/Ronald Grant/Everett Collection

This light-as-air film noir satire showcases Peter Falk spoofing Humphrey Bogart and the classic films that made him famous. The large ensemble cast (looking a bit like a lost '70s Friars Club roast) is a major treat, featuring Ann-Margret, Sid Caesar, Stockard Channing , Dom DeLuise, and the always brilliant Madeline Kahn. And while you might think Mel Brooks is responsible, guess again; the screenplay credit goes to one Neil Simon . A quirky gem best appreciated by fans who've seen (and can quote) The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca, The Cheap Detective is a silly, enjoyable diversion the whole family can enjoy. —D.W.

Where to watch The Cheap Detective : Amazon Prime Video

Director: Robert Moore

Cast: Peter Falk, Ann-Margret, Sid Caesar, Stockard Channing, Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn

Death Becomes Her (1992)

This hysterical black comedy satirizes the impossible beauty standards women deal with as they age. Meryl Streep plays Madeline Ashton, an actress on a career decline, while Goldie Hawn is Helen Sharp, Madeline's writer friend whose happy life with her doctor fiancé ( Bruce Willis ) is shaken to the core when he breaks it off to be with Madeline. Years later, both women, unhappy with the direction of their lives, take an experimental potion that reverses their age and gives them a more youthful appearance, leading to chaotic consequences. Cartoonishly fun yet rooted in real vulnerability, Death Becomes Her is a campy delight with fully committed performances from Streep and Hawn. — K.J.

Where to watch Death Becomes Her : Amazon Prime Video

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Cast: Goldie Hawn, Meryl Streep, Bruce Willis, Isabella Rossellini , Mary Ellen Trainor

Earth Girls Are Easy (1988)

Vestron Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

As the over-the-top, neon-soaked trailer proclaims: " She's a brunette from Southern California, and he's …not!" (The "he" in question is Jeff Goldblum playing a fuzzy alien.) This spacey, goofy "science-fiction musical comedy" is so ‘80s it should be put into a time capsule. Julien Temple ( The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle, Juno 's dad) directed this cartoony tale while living legend Nile Rodgers created the soundtrack. And we haven't even gotten to the best part: the cast. Goldblum and Geena Davis play upon their sparky real-life chemistry, meanwhile Damon Wayans and Jim Carrey star as aliens Zeebo and Wiploc, respectively. —D.W.

Where to watch Earth Girls Are Easy : Amazon Prime Video

Director: Julien Temple

Cast: Julie Brown, Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, Damon Wayans, Jim Carrey

Fargo (1996)

Gramercy Pictures/Getty

This raucous crime comedy is one of the definitive Coen brothers movies, don'tcha know? A series of unfortunate events begins with a hapless car salesman, Jerry ( William H. Macy ) who concocts a scheme to have his wife kidnapped to extort ransom money from his wealthy father-in-law. Jerry hires a pair of criminals, and, three dead bodies later, pregnant police chief Marge Gunderson ( Frances McDormand ) enters the picture and doggedly investigates the source of the crime. Fargo is a Midwestern masterpiece full of folksy witticisms and delirious violence, winning two Oscars for the Coens' screenplay and for McDormand's performance. "The joy of  Fargo  — the reason the movie has won such enthusiastic critical praise," writes EW's critic , "is that everything that goes wrong does so in a perfectly realized universe of icebound Minnesotan understatement." — K.J.

Where to watch Fargo : Amazon Prime Video

Director: Joel Coen

Cast: Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi , Harve Presnell, Peter Stormare

Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985)

New World Pictures/Getty

Calling all parental units of the pre-teen variety! Girls Just Want to Have Fun is here to save the day — whether it's a rainy Saturday or a restless sleepover, this little gem can turn it around. Not only is it funny, sweet, and just grown up enough, but you also won't hear "we sawwww that one already" because for some reason, this comedy — featuring ‘80s power trio Sarah Jessica Parker , Helen Hunt , and Shannen Doherty — has always flown under the radar. Which is, quite honestly, a mystery, seeing as how it pulls off so much so well. With dancing, boys, and a fast pace, this is a film that understands its audience (girls between the ages of 10 and 13) and remains a perfect PG delight with a little extra cheese. —D.W.

Where to watch Girls Just Want to Have Fun : Amazon Prime Video

Director: Alan Metter

Cast: Sarah Jessica Parker, Helen Hunt, Shannen Doherty

Heathers (1989)

New World Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection

Veronica ( Winona Ryder ) is a teen girl who gets involved with the popular mean-girl clique at her high school known as the Heathers. She also befriends the mysterious new student J.D. ( Christian Slater ), a loner whose idea of revenge involves murder staged as a suicide and orchestrating a disturbing plan to get back at the Heathers for their cruelty. On paper, a plot description for this seminal cult classic sounds far from funny. But the film's heightened tone and memorable one-liners ("Dear diary, my teen angst bulls--- has a body count") make for a darkly entertaining answer to the formulaic '80s teen comedies that came before it while still holding up today —K.J.

Where to watch Heathers : Amazon Prime Video

Director: Michael Lehmann

Cast:  Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty

The People We Hate at the Wedding (2022)

Amazon Prime Video

Question: How are wedding comedies like wedding cakes? Answer: The dysfunction's baked right in! Based on the 2016 Grant Ginder novel and directed by Claire Scanlon (of Netflix's Set It Up ), the film follows relatably flawed, baggage-laden siblings Ben Platt and Kristen Bell to England where they must join their mother (the always stellar Allison Janney ) at the wedding of their wealthy half-sister (Cynthia Addai-Robinson). The comedic antics flow like champagne in this bride-com with an edge. —D.W.

Where to watch The People We Hate at the Wedding: Amazon Prime Video

Director: Claire Scanlon

Cast: Ben Platt, Allison Janney, Kristen Bell 

Red, White & Royal Blue (2023)

Based on Casey McQuiston's best-selling novel of the same name, Red, White & Royal Blue is a charming romantic comedy that charts the unlikely romance between a British prince and the son of the President of the United States. In a classic tale of enemies-to-lovers, American Alex (Taylor Zakhar Perez) has a feud with Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine), which escalates to a rather unfortunate cake accident (pictured above). Following the subsequent tabloid scandal, the pair eventually make amends and come to realize their feelings for each other, which blossoms into an affair. It's a frothy good time with two star-making performances at its center; it also happens to feature Uma Thurman in what may be her campiest performance since 1997's Batman & Robin . — K.J.

Where to watch Red, White & Royal Blue : Amazon Prime Video

Director: Matthew López

Cast: Taylor Zakhar Perez, Nicholas Galitzine, Clifton Collins Jr. , Sarah Shahi , Rachel Hilson, Stephen Fry , Uma Thurman

Renfield (2023)

Michele K. Short/Universal Pictures

It should surprise no one that Nicolas Cage makes a great vampire. As demonstrated in 1988's truly deranged Vampire's Kiss , Cage has inherent bloodsucker traits: stiffness and swagger, weird intensity, a dark sense of humor, and that wonderful awkwardness no amount of makeup can cover. And with the equally creepy (in a totally different way) Nicholas Hoult as his costar, how can you not give this one a chance? —D.W.

Where to watch Renfield : Amazon Prime Video

Director: Chris McKay

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Nicholas Hoult, Ben Schwartz

Some Like It Hot (1959)

Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty 

Hailed by EW as one of the greatest movies of all time , Some Like It Hot is the gold standard for farcical comedy. Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon star as jazz musicians who witness Mob violence and are forced to flee. Out of options, they devise a plan to disguise themselves as women to sneak onto a bus on which an all-women band is traveling to Miami. En route, they meet Sugar ( Marilyn Monroe ), an enchanting singer with whom both men fall in love. Naturally, their situation becomes increasingly complicated as the men try to keep up the ruse, leading to a hilarious final act and one of the best punchlines in film history . — K.J.

Where to watch Some Like It Hot : Amazon Prime Video

Director: Billy Wilder

Cast: Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, George Raft, Joe E. Brown, Pat O'Brien

Totally Killer (2023)

James Dittiger/Courtesy of Prime Video

Totally Killer boasts four major cinematic selling points guaranteed to make a horror fan happy: a 1980s setting, serial killers, a Halloween night theme, and time travel. Not to say Totally Killer doesn't take a fresh approach, because it totally does. Here, we meet teenage girl Jamie ( Kiernan Shipka ), who goes back to 1987 to save her mom's friends from being murdered (as you do). Smartly referencing the Best Movies of All Time ( Back to the Future , Scream , etc.), Totally Killer joins a long line of genre flicks led by kick-ass heroines. —D.W.

Where to watch Totally Killer : Amazon Prime Video

Director: Nahnatchka Khan

Cast: Kiernan Shipka, Julie Bowen , Olivia Holt , Randall Park

Vibes (1988)

Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

Worth it for the cheese factor alone, we love everything about this late-'80s quirk-fest, including the oddball pairing of Jeff Goldblum and Cyndi Lauper , Peter Falk in a white suit, and the senseless plot. Yes, this aggressively wacky throwback movie is a hot mess, but that's part of the fun. Billed as "the psychic comedy that's out of its mind," Goldblum and Lauper play, yes, psychics looking for treasure in a lost Incan city while falling in love (quite unconvincingly) along the way. Part adventure, part buddy movie, part romance, part caper, it does exactly none of these things very well but remains undeniably charming in its own clunky way.  —D.W.

Where to watch Vibes : Amazon Prime Video

Director: Ken Kwapis

Cast: Jeff Goldblum, Cyndi Lauper, Peter Falk

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The Most Scathing (But Also Kinda Funny) Movie Reviews From Critics

Whether they specialize in summarizing and rating the latest Hollywood flicks or older classic films, moviegoers value the assessments critics provide online and in print. Good critics often spend years studying the film industry and journalism to contribute fair and unbiased evaluations for their readers, and audiences rely on their opinions when deciding to commit time and money to a film.

As honest and reliable sources in the entertainment industry, reviewers often expose the flaws and shortcomings of the movies they rate. While readers expect to get honest and sometimes unflattering film reviews from their trusted sources, they often assume critics will remain professional and courteous with their words. However, now and then, a critic will hate a particular film so much that they feel obligated to voice their unfiltered opinion. Although their most likely intent is to provide a seriously harsh analysis, the scathing reviews from these critics often come off to readers as quite comical. 

This list features 22 such instances of funny movie reviews from critics who despised the films they critiqued. Some aren't that surprising, as the movies did not go over so well with general audiences, either. (Yet they are still, ultimately, hilarious.) However, some of the featured films won numerous awards , becoming instant classics in the hearts of fans and seemingly every other critic who watched them. 

Vote up the most brutally insulting reviews from film critics that also made you laugh. 

Roger Ebert Likened Watching ‘Battlefield Earth’ To Taking A Bus With Someone Who Doesn’t Bathe

Giving the 2000 film only half a star, Roger Ebert thought sitting through Battlefield Earth was about as enjoyable as sitting next to someone who stinks for a few hours in a tight, enclosed space: 

Battlefield Earth is like taking a bus trip with someone who has needed a bath for a long time. It's not merely bad; it's unpleasant in a hostile way. The visuals are grubby and drab. The characters are unkempt and have rotten teeth. Breathing tubes hang from their noses like ropes of snot. The soundtrack sounds like the boom mike is being slammed against the inside of a 55-gallon drum… Hiring Travolta and Whitaker was a waste of money, since we can't recognize them behind pounds of matted hair and gnarly makeup. Their costumes look like they were purchased from the Goodwill store on the planet Tatooine… The Psychlos can fly between galaxies, but look at their nails: Their civilization has mastered the hyperdrive but not the manicure… Some movies run off the rails. This one is like the train crash in The Fugitive . I watched it in mounting gloom, realizing I was witnessing something historic, a film that for decades to come will be the punch line of jokes about bad movies. There is a moment here when the Psychlos' entire planet (home office and all) is blown to smithereens, without the slightest impact on any member of the audience (or, for that matter, the cast). If the film had been destroyed in a similar cataclysm, there might have been a standing ovation.

• Vertical Entertainment

'New York Post' Reviewer Johnny Oleksinski Would Rather Wake Up Beside A Severed Horse Head Than Watch ‘Gotti’ Again

In a reference to The Godfather, the film that spawned the modern mob movie, reviewer Johnny Oleksinski claimed he would choose being threatened with an animal carcass in his bed over sitting through Gotti for a second time:

I’d rather wake up next to a severed horse head than ever watch Gotti again. The worst movie of the year so far, the long-awaited biopic about the Gambino crime boss’ rise from made man to top dog took four directors, 44 producers and eight years to make.  It shows. The finished product belongs in a cement bucket at the bottom of the river… Travolta, who’s made a career out of Italian stereotypes, obviously thought the Dapper Don would be his Don Corleone. It’s his Chef Boy­ardee. His performance is a leather-faced freak show. And the plot is nonsensical… [It] is an excuse for ­Travolta to shmact and for his wife, Kelly Preston - playing Gotti’s wife, Victoria - to howl like Medea… It’s the worst mob movie ever, but I see a bright future in midnight showings. “The Gotti Horror Picture Show.”

• Universal Pictures

Gene Siskel Wanted The Lead To Get Eaten In ‘Jaws: The Revenge’

Chicago Tribune critic Gene Siskel thought Lorraine Gary's performance tanked 1987's Jaws: The Revenge : 

So, we need a good villain that everyone is afraid of [to carry a storyline]. Right, a great white shark. That solves the problem with the recent Jaws films in that lately the big fish has been eating nobodies. Remember Robert Shaw's old fisherman in the original Jaws ? Remember the police chief Scheider and the ichthyologist played by Richard Dreyfuss? Now those were three somebodies. We didn't want them to die. But in the just-released Jaws: The Revenge the shark's main course is intended to be Roy Scheider's widow, Ellen Brody, a frumpy middle-aged woman played by boring actress Lorraine Gary, who happens to be married to the president of MCA Universal, which finances the Jaws films and which explains her lead role. Let's put it this way: when you see and hear the nasal Lorraine Gary on screen you want the shark to eat her…

The film critic also commended a previous actor for refusing to act in the picture:

Roy Scheider wisely departed the Jaws films, having cashed enough paychecks without losing his self-respect.

• Columbia Pictures

Roger Ebert ‘Hated Hated Hated Hated Hated’ Rob Reiner’s ‘North’

One descriptive “hate” just wouldn't suffice for Roger Ebert as he voiced his distaste for the 1994 film, North :

I have no idea why Rob Reiner, or anyone else, wanted to make this story into a movie, and close examination of the film itself is no help. North is one of the most unpleasant, contrived, artificial, cloying experiences I've had at the movies. To call it manipulative would be inaccurate; it has an ambition to manipulate, but fails. The film stars Elijah Wood, who is a wonderful young actor… Here he is stuck in a story that no actor, however wonderful, however young, should be punished with….. What is the point of the scenes with the auditioning parents? (The victimized actors range from Dan Aykroyd as a Texan to Kathy Bates as an Eskimo). They are all seen as broad, desperate comic caricatures. They are not funny. They are not touching. There is no truth in them. They don't even work as parodies. There is an idiocy here that seems almost intentional, as if the filmmakers plotted to leave anything of interest or entertainment value out of these episodes… I hated this movie. Hated hated hated hated hated this movie. Hated it. Hated every simpering stupid vacant audience-insulting moment of it. Hated the sensibility that thought anyone would like it. Hated the implied insult to the audience by its belief that anyone would be entertained by it.

The hate-heavy line from the review became so famous, Ebert's book collection of bad reviews is titled after it.

• Sony Pictures Releasing

According To Christy Lemire, Even Bennifer Couldn’t Save ‘Gigli’ From Its Terrible Dialogue

Film reviewer Christy Lemire argued that Gigli was “unwatchable,” despite featuring Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck in the leading roles: 

Gigli - which spawned the phenomenon the gossip pages and celebrity magazines so lovingly refer to as “Bennifer” - is every bit as unwatchable as the deafening negative chatter would suggest… Even making a little game of it, and trying to pinpoint the exact moment when Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez fell in love, stops being fun after a while… Perhaps it's when he says, in an attempt to seduce her, "I'm the bull, you're the cow." Or when she beckons him into foreplay by lying back in bed and purring, “Gobble, gobble” - which could forever change the way you view your Thanksgiving turkey… If this were a movie starring two B-list actors, or two complete unknowns, it probably would have gone straight to video. After curious masochists and J.Lo fans check it out the first weekend, Gigli probably will have a drop-off in audience that rivals The Hulk - 70 percent - then go to video…  Cameos from Pacino, Christopher Walken as a detective and Lainie Kazan as Gigli's mother don't help, either. Did they owe someone a favor? What are they doing here? Pacino won his one and only Oscar with Brest, [the director and producer of the film], for 1992's Scent of a Woman , but couldn't he have just thanked the director instead?

• 20th Century Fox

Roger Ebert Had A Lot To Say About The ‘Vomitorium’ That Was ‘Freddy Got Fingered’

Esteemed Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert thought Tom Green should consider bringing rocks into the theater to throw at the audience in case they assaulted him for making such a horrible film:

This movie doesn't scrape the bottom of the barrel. This movie isn't the bottom of the barrel. This movie isn't below the bottom of the barrel. This movie doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence with barrels. Many years ago, when surrealism was new, Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali made Un Chien Andalou, a film so shocking that Bunuel filled his pockets with stones to throw at the audience if it attacked him. Green, whose film is in the surrealist tradition, may want to consider the same tactic. The day may come when Freddy Got Fingered is seen as a milestone of neo-surrealism. The day may never come when it is seen as funny. The film is a vomitorium consisting of 93 minutes of Tom Green doing things that a geek in a carnival sideshow would turn down.

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‘Jackpot!’ Review: Dystopia, Hollywood Style

Awkwafina and John Cena star in a fitfully funny near-future comedy with strangely mixed metaphors.

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By Alissa Wilkinson

In the near future, things are not very different. People wear the same clothes as we do, ride the bus to work, call each other on cellphones and stay in terrible Airbnbs run by hosts from hell. In the near future, everything is still expensive. And if you want to be an actor, you move to Los Angeles.

Yet a few things have changed. Following the Great Depression of 2026, the government of California — as desperate for money as its people are — instituted a Grand Lottery in which one citizen of Los Angeles wins some huge sum. Sounds great, but unfortunately whoever wrote the law seems to be a fan of “The Purge.” Until sundown on Lottery Day, anyone who successfully kills the lottery winner (all weapons allowed except guns) gets the winnings. After sundown, murder becomes illegal again, until next year.

Somehow the Michigander Katie (Awkwafina) missed this news, and thus had the bad fortune to arrive in Los Angeles to pursue her dream of acting the night before Lottery Day 2030. She, of course, accidentally wins the $3.6 billion jackpot while at an audition. Suddenly, everyone is after her, and the only person she can maybe trust is a “freelance protector” named Noel (John Cena, who may be Hollywood’s most dependably funny actor). He’ll get her safely to sundown. Probably.

This is quite the dystopian view of the future, though other movies have proposed that within a few decades, we’ll resort to state-sanctioned violence to secure our daily bread. In the world of Boots Riley’s comedy “ Sorry to Bother You ,” for instance, game show contestants beat themselves to a pulp to collect money and pay off their debts. Or, of course, there’s “ Squid Game .”

More dystopian, though, is the sense that in this version of the near future, nobody is capable of relating to anyone except through money. Only hours into her new L.A. life, Katie tells off a man (Adam Ray) who’s complaining loudly about his young daughter’s failure to get acting jobs that will line his pockets — as his daughter sits right next to him. Moments later, Katie meets a kind older woman (Becky Ann Baker) who wishes her luck, and then, quietly, swipes Katie’s watch.

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Alien: Romulus director Fede Alvarez explains title's hidden meaning

It's not just the name of a ship.

As expected, Romulus does refer to the name of a location in the movie, although it's not a ship as such. Romulus is one of the two modules on the decommissioned station Renaissance, where the movie takes place.

That's similar to Prometheus and Alien: Covenant . But like with those two previous movies, Alien: Romulus also has a hidden meaning that ties into the themes of the movie.

"All the main relationships in the story are sibling relationships from surrogate, from biological siblings, so there's different angles on that," director and co-writer Fede Alvarez told Digital Spy .

Related: Alien: Romulus runtime confirmed

"There's many themes in the movie, but one of them is what it means to be someone's sibling, what it truly means. What are your responsibilities for that? Do you have any or not? They should take care of you; you should take care of them. How do you see it?

"Romulus and Remus obviously are a story of siblinghood that didn't end well. Romulus murdered Remus, so there's many, many elements that are connected with that creational myth of Rome."

And if you're wondering why the movie isn't called Alien: Remus , then there's an Easter egg hidden in the title too behind that choice.

"[Romulus] has seven letters, and this is part seven," Alvarez revealed.

Related: The complete Alien timeline

Unlike Prometheus and Alien: Covenant which were set before Alien , the new movie takes place between Alien and Aliens .

Alvarez previously confirmed it's roughly 20 years after Alien , but the movie still features nods to Aliens : "I see it more as it takes place after 1, which means the same... It's kind of the child of both movies combined visually, aesthetically and story-wise."

Fans don't have to worry about Alien: Romulus breaking canon either as Alvarez made sure to use Xenopedia , including the wider non-movie canon, to ensure he didn't.

Alien: Romulus is out now in cinemas.

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Movies Editor, Digital Spy  Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor.  Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies , attending genre festivals around the world.   After moving to Digital Spy , initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.  

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Screen Rant

Running on empty review: absurd romantic comedy is out of touch with the audience & itself.

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Lucy Hale's New Movie Proves She's The Perfect Replacement For This Iconic '90s Star

"i say this respectfully": saving private ryan's ending gets called out for 1 hollywood detail by ww2 historian, alien: romulus ending's connection to resurrection & prometheus' engineers addressed by director.

• Lucy Hale's performance shines in the film.
• Keir Gilchrist and Hale have great chemistry.
• The cast struggles with a lack of direction and odd acting choices.

Running on Empty is a movie that clearly tries to deliver an impactful message about living life to the fullest, but it falters behind bizarre and lackluster comedy and writing. The movie stars Keir Gilchrist ( It's Kind of a Funny Story , It Follows ), and Lucy Hale ( Pretty Little Liars , Scream 4 ), as young adults searching for meaning in their lives. This is made exponentially more important for Mort (Gilchrist), when he is told he has less than a year left to live.

Running on Empty

Mort is a mortician who is happily engaged and planning to purchase a house with his beautiful partner. However, when the couple decide to take an official scientific test, which is now common place, to determine how long they have left, Mort is stunned to discover he has less than a year. From that point on, his life begins to spiral out of control, and he finds himself getting into increasingly dangerous and disastrous situations. The one bright ray of hope is Kate (Hale), who Mort meets at a matchmaking agency for people who have their life expectancy results.

Lucy Hale's new romantic comedy film, Which Brings Me To You, proves that she's the perfect replacement for one iconic 90s rom-com star.

Running On Empty Forgets The Basics Of Comedy Stories: Being Funny

From the beginning, Running on Empty 's comedy is abrasive and belligerent. Rather than attempting to pull us in with the usual gentle comedy stylings of a classic rom-com , it pushes the boundaries harder and faster. While this isn't inherently a negative on its own, and there is a place for that type of comedy, Running on Empty fails to assert any reason or sense for why it belongs in that category.

Hale does the majority of the heavy lifting as the only character who's believable and charming.

The problem is the movie wants to be sweet and thoughtful, with a heartfelt message about grabbing life with both hands. But the resulting feature is rife with odd innuendo, creepy characters, and bizarre twists. There are some moments where I believe a viewer may be compelled to laugh, but it's much more likely to be out of an awkward obligation rather than a genuine sense of entertainment.

Ultimately, the movie could have chosen one or the other of these directions, or found a smoother way to bring them together, but in chasing both, it lost sight of its goals. Fortunately, Gilchrist and Hale manage to remain engaging enough throughout that it's not a complete waste of time, but even then, Hale does the majority of the heavy lifting as the only character who's believable and charming. Everyone else is assigned a quirk to make them stand out, but it just results in dozens of one-note characters that add nothing to the film.

Running On Empty Doesn't Seize The Day

As a result of Mort receiving his death date, he tries to resolve how he should spend the final year of his life. However, it appears he has no real desire or motivation to chase anything — until others directly tell him what to do. Everything in his life is the result of others pushing him to act, and the only thing he actually has a passion for is decorating dead bodies in the family morgue.

The idea was solid... Hale delivered, and chemistry between the leads was there... but without... a clear focus for the film, it's hard to offer much in terms of praise.

The idea is a positive one, and the premise has a great deal of promise, but it does not deliver. Running on Empty is dissonant and aimless, much like the leading man. The supporting cast also struggles to bring their characters to life. Whether it was a lack of direction, a lack of development in the script, or a lack of effort from the actors, it simply feels like this movie was a less than ideal feature debut from writer-director Daniel André.

Hopefully, André can take what he has learned with this project and make something great in the future. The rom-com idea was solid, strong actors like Hale delivered, and chemistry between the leads was there. This can go a decent part of the way, but without more character development, direction, and a clear focus for the film, it's hard to offer much in terms of praise.

Running on Empty is now playing in select theaters and will be available on VOD August 27.

After learning he has less than a year to live, Mortimer’s life spirals when his fiancée leaves him. Joining a dating service that pairs people by their death dates, he meets Kate, sparking an unexpected romance. As a deranged pimp stalks him, Mort embarks on a quirky journey to embrace life before it’s too late.

• Lucy Hale is the standout performance of the film
• Gilchrist and Hale appear to have some genuine chemistry that works well
• Most of the cast seem to struggle with a lack of direction and bizarre acting choices
• The comedy fails to land throughout the film
• The entire film feels disconnected from the message it's clearly trying to espouse

'Alien' movies ranked definitively (yes, including 'Romulus')

“In space, no one can hear you scream” was the tagline for 1979’s " Alien ," though over the course of 45 years, audiences have encountered plenty of sounds, including blood-curdling yells, tearful cries and the yucky noises of creatures hugging faces and bursting from human chests.

The sci-fi horror franchise has given us a great action hero in Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley , who fought monsters in four films but hasn't been seen in an "Alien" project since the 1990s. There's also been a string of androids, from Michael Fassbender in "Prometheus" to David Jonsson in the new film  "Alien: Romulus," plus the pesky Weyland-Yutani Corporation, which seems to care more about cosmic beasts more than its employees. And of course the impressively fanged Xenomorph that’s become the iconic villain of the movie series.

That slavering, snarling extraterrestrial is unleashed yet again in "Romulus" (in theaters Friday),  which harks back to director Ridley Scott's original outing – and like other past installments is streaming on Hulu. But how does the latest film stack up to the old-school scares from decades past? Here’s the definitive ranking of all the "Alien" movies so far. (We’re not including the "Alien vs. Predator" films because they’re kind of their own franchise and honestly pretty terrible.)

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7. 'Alien: Resurrection' (1997)

The fourth installment focuses on science experiments run amok and the military's decision to clone Ripley 200 years after she sacrificed herself (see: "Alien 3") as a hybrid that gives "birth" to a new alien queen. While not big on actual plot, "Resurrection" features a bevy of creatures that a crew of mercenaries (including Ron Perlman and Winona Ryder) has to face, and a really strange humanoid monstrosity that shares a surprisingly touching moment before getting sucked out of a spaceship.

6. 'Alien 3' (1992)

Ripley gets stranded on a planet with an all-male penal colony and not much else. Unfortunately for everybody, an alien stowed away on her space vessel. Director David Fincher explores gender issues and creates really interesting visuals, plus Ripley shaves her head to fit in with the abundance of dudes. It’s a bit of a disappointment when it comes to alien escapades: There aren’t many Xenomorphs and the CGI is definitely lacking.

5. 'Alien: Covenant' (2017)

This installment mashes up the headiness of "Prometheus" with the chaotic terror of the earlier movies. A ship carrying the future of the human race makes an ill-fated stop on a paradise planet and all hell breaks loose when a couple of guys get infected with the alien parasite. The creatures are cool but Michael Fassbender is a standout in the dual android roles of David and new model Walter.

4. 'Prometheus' (2012)

The most divisive movie among fans, the prequel was a surprise "Alien" movie of sorts, gradually revealing its ties to the franchise amid a story of human archaeologists trying to map out the connection between mankind and an ancient race of Engineers. "Prometheus" leans way more thought-provoking than action-packed − though there is plenty of horror, including Noomi Rapace giving herself the gnarliest C-section of all time.

3. 'Alien: Romulus' (2024)

Director Fede Alvarez ("Don't Breathe") puts an emphasis on the human characters before placing them in the worst scenario possible . Rain Carradine (Cailee Spaeny) and her friends just want a better life when they happen upon a decrepit space station that quickly turns into a house of horrors. "Romulus" mixes what worked in the first two franchise movies – action and isolation – plus adds an intriguing new element to the mythos.

2. 'Aliens' (1986)

Dripping with action-movie machismo,  James Cameron’s sequel  wakes up Ripley after 50 years of hypersleep and takes her back to LV-426, the world where her crew first encountered alien life. Now, it’s a terraforming colony where Ripley teams with space marines − including  a memorable Bill Paxton − to take on extraterrestrial antagonists. Worth it just for Ripley becoming a feminist folk hero and surrogate mother, plus taking on the alien queen for all the galactic marbles.

1. 'Alien' (1979)

Director Ridley Scott’s original is not only the best "Alien" but one of the top sci-fi films ever in the way it creates an atmosphere of non-stop dread. A team of space truckers are trying to get minerals back to Earth, answer a distress call, and have to fight for their lives while a Xenomorph hunts them down one by one. Even after decades of visual-effects spectacle, the sight of the alien  blasting out of John Hurt’s chest  is still completely terrifying, absolutely cringe-inducing and totally awesome.

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A Real Pain

Mismatched cousins David and Benji reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the odd-couple's old tensions resurface against the b... Read all Mismatched cousins David and Benji reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the odd-couple's old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history. Mismatched cousins David and Benji reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the odd-couple's old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history.

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• 1 User review
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• 84 Metascore
• 1 win & 1 nomination

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• Trivia Jesse Eisenberg 's sophomore directorial effort after When You Finish Saving the World (2022) , both of which were produced by Emma Stone 's production company Fruit Tree and had their world premieres at the Sundance Film Festival.

Benji Kaplan : This, people, is what fucking film making is about.

• Connections Referenced in Amanda the Jedi Show: The BEST and Weirdest Movies you (mostly) Haven't Seen Yet | Love Lies Bleeding (2024)

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• November 1, 2024 (United States)
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