Although humor is subjective, some comedy movies are so great that everyone seems to agree they’re hilarious. Unlike other comedic artforms like standup comedy and satirical literature, film comedy has extra frills like camera movements and mise en scene to enhance the jokes. From Mel Brooks to Monty Python to the Zucker brothers, the best comedy filmmakers have mastered both the comedy side and the filmmaking side. Their movies are well-staged and well-shot in addition to having plenty of laughs. Brooks’ Young Frankenstein, for example, perfectly recreates the look of classic black-and-white Universal monster movies while making fun of their most iconic moments.
Comedy is one of the most hit-and-miss genres, but the ones that hit really hit. There are some comedies from more than 50 years ago that still hold up today, like Dr. Strangelove and Some Like It Hot. Some comedies from the 21st century, like Bridesmaids and Shaun of the Dead, are so great that they rank alongside the all-time greats. From the pitch-perfect structure of Back to the Future to the prescient self-awareness of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, there are a ton of hilarious comedies for fans to enjoy.
10 Raising Arizona (1987)
- Run Time: 94 minutes
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%
- Cast: Nicolas Cage (H.I. McDunnough), Holly Hunter (Ed McDunnough), John Goodman (Gale Snoats)
- Where to Watch: Hulu
After bursting onto the scene with their grisly neo-noir Blood Simple, the Coen brothers followed it up with a tonal 180-degree turn. Raising Arizona’s story sounds dark on paper – an ex-convict and his wife, desperate to start a family, kidnap one of a local businessman’s octuplets to raise as their own – but the Coens’ execution couldn’t be wackier. Most comedies use standard coverage to keep the audience’s focus on the performances and the dialogue, but Raising Arizona uses a fast-moving camera to enhance the humor.
9 Blazing Saddles (1974)
- Run Time: 93 minutes
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%
- Cast: Cleavon Little (Sheriff Bart), Gene Wilder (The Waco Kid), Slim Pickens (Taggart)
- Where to Watch: Apple TV
Mel Brooks has made many great parody movies throughout his career, but Blazing Saddles is arguably the greatest. Blazing Saddles doesn’t just poke fun at the western genre’s clichés; it also points out the inherent racism of glorifying that period of American history. It revolves around a corrupt politician who hires a Black sheriff in an attempt to destroy a town, and the sheriff turns out to be so good at his job that he saves the town and takes down the politician and his cronies. The fourth-wall-breaking finale is a meta masterpiece.
8 Shaun Of The Dead (2004)
- Run Time: 97 minutes
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%
- Cast: Simon Pegg (Shaun), Nick Frost (Ed), Kate Ashfield (Liz)
- Where to Watch: Apple TV
Edgar Wright kicked off his Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy with one of the greatest horror comedies ever made. Shaun of the Dead combines a George A. Romero zombie movie with a Richard Curtis romantic comedy as an immature slacker tries to grow up and win back his ex-girlfriend in the midst of the zombie apocalypse. As with all the best parodies, Shaun of the Dead has real affection for its chosen genre. Wright doesn’t look down his nose at zombie movies; he genuinely loves them.
7 Dr. Strangelove (1964)
- Run Time: 95 minutes
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%
- Cast: Peter Sellers (Dr. Strangelove/President Merkin Muffley/Group Captain Lionel Mandrake), George C. Scott (General Buck Turgidson), Sterling Hayden (General Jack D. Ripper)
- Where to Watch: Apple TV
Stanley Kubrick made his political satire Dr. Strangelove to reflect Cold War-era fears of nuclear war in the 1960s. But, since humanity is unfortunately still on the brink of nuclear annihilation, the movie is still just as timely and relevant today. Peter Sellers gives a trio of hysterical performances at the center of a star-studded cast. Dr. Strangelove has a wonderfully zany sense of humor, but its depiction of warfare and mutually assured destruction is startlingly accurate. Kubrick ends with the perfect punchline, using Vera Lynn’s “We’ll Meet Again” to show that World War II-era optimism is moot in the age of nuclear weapons.
6 Bridesmaids (2011)
- Run Time: 125 minutes
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%
- Cast: Kristen Wiig (Annie Walker), Maya Rudolph (Lillian Donovan), Rose Byrne (Helen Harris III)
- Where to Watch: Netflix
Judd Apatow’s comedies have dominated the box office by combining crowd-pleasing raunchy humor with heartstring-tugging sincerity, and the pinnacle of that style is Bridesmaids. Bridesmaids follows a down-on-her-luck single woman in the lead-up to her best friend’s wedding. There are plenty of big laughs throughout the movie – including the notorious dress fitting scene – but Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo’s Oscar-nominated script keeps its focus on the emotional cores of the story: friendship, arrested development, and burgeoning romance.
5 This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
- Run Time: 82 minutes
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
- Cast: Michael McKean (David St. Hubbins), Christopher Guest (Nigel Tufnel), Harry Shearer (Derek Smalls)
- Where to Watch: Apple TV
Rob Reiner pioneered the mockumentary format with his classic rock ‘n’ roll satire This is Spinal Tap. Parodying rock-docs like The Last Waltz and The Song Remains the Same, This is Spinal Tap follows one of England’s loudest bands as they attempt to stay relevant in a changing music industry. There are a few specific gags that stand out – like Nigel’s amp that goes up to 11 – but the movie as a whole is a spot-on spoof of rockstars and their erratic behavior. The cast’s improvised dialogue gives This is Spinal Tap the spontaneous energy of a real documentary.
4 Some Like It Hot (1959)
- Run Time: 121 minutes
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
- Cast: Marilyn Monroe (Sugar Kane), Tony Curtis (Joe/Josephine), Jack Lemmon (Jerry/Daphne)
- Where to Watch: Max
Set in Prohibition-era Chicago, Some Like It Hot revolves around two musicians who witness a crime and disguise themselves as women so they can join an all-female traveling band and escape from the gangsters pursuing them. Despite being made in the 1950s with a premise that might sound problematic, Some Like It Hot is a timeless movie with surprisingly progressive attitudes. Marilyn Monroe gives one of her most magnetic performances as ukelele-playing singer Sugar Kane, while Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon share terrific chemistry as musicians on the lam.
3 Back To The Future (1985)
- Run Time: 116 minutes
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%
- Cast: Michael J. Fox (Marty McFly), Christopher Lloyd (Doc Brown), Thomas F. Wilson (Biff Tannen)
- Where to Watch: Apple TV
When Marty McFly is flung 30 years into the past in his inventor friend’s time machine, he accidentally prevents his parents’ first meeting and has to make sure they get together so he won’t be erased from history. Back to the Future is as close to a perfect movie as there’s ever been, with a perfectly crafted script. Everything that gets set up in the present day in the opening act ends up having real significance when Marty goes back in time. What’s truly impressive is that Back to the Future manages to pack so many laughs into its airtight narrative.
2 Monty Python And The Holy Grail (1975)
- Run Time: 92 minutes
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
- Cast: Graham Chapman (King Arthur), John Cleese (Sir Lancelot the Brave), Eric Idle (Sir Robin the Not-Quite-So-Brave-As-Sir-Lancelot)
- Where to Watch: Netflix
After changing the comedy landscape with their iconic sketch show, the Pythons brought their blend of sharp satire and unbridled silliness to the big screen with Monty Python and the Holy Grail, a lampoon of the Arthurian legend. There’s a big laugh every few seconds, ranging from shameless slapstick to highbrow historical references. From the coconut-clattering horseback riding to the beautifully anticlimactic ending, this movie’s self-awareness was way ahead of its time. Monty Python and the Holy Grail shatters the fourth wall at every opportunity.
1 Airplane! (1980)
- Run Time: 87 minutes
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
- Cast: Robert Hays (Ted Striker), Julie Hagerty (Elaine Dickinson), Leslie Nielsen (Dr. Rumack)
- Where to Watch: Apple TV
In a spoof of Zero Hour! (and the disaster movie genre in general), Airplane! follows a traumatized ex-fighter pilot who reluctantly gets back in the cockpit to land a passenger plane when the entire crew falls ill. Airplane! introduced the moviegoing public to the Zucker brothers’ uniquely absurdist sense of humor. The movie is jam-packed with sight gags and one-liners, and they all land. Rather than casting comedic actors to play up every joke, the Zuckers cast dramatic actors to play it straight, which made the comedy even more effective (and launched Leslie Nielsen into a comedy career).
