Comedies are always subjective to a certain degree - what some find hilarious may be just a giggle for others, if at all. But “funny” is an universal language everybody loves, and all of us - regardless of your sense of humor - know a funny movie when we see one.
For this list we went for the ones the great majority can agree are funny movies, but as usual, feel free to let us know if we missed your favorite comedy and what you think about these ones!
“Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious.” - Peter Ustinov
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
- You’ve got no arms left!
-Yes I have.
- Look!
- Just a flesh wound.
Often considered Monty Python’s masterpiece (it’s a tough call), their search for the Holy Grail is a compilation of iconic scenes one right after the other, starting with the silly opening credits - before any actor even appears on screen, up until the nonsense final scene that makes you question the entire movie and your own sanity - while you laugh.
Most people don’t notice this joke, but during the opening credits, it is said that the people responsible for making them were fired - that’s why when the movie ends, all you see is music playing to a black screen for three minutes.
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Liar Liar Liar
“I can’t lie!”
Jim Carrey is guilty of overacting in his movies, but never has that worked to his advantage more than here. The role was literally written for him, and you feel like no one else could have done it better.
This same basic premise of a character who can only act a certain way was reused later in “Yes Man!”, where he is forced to say “yes” to any offer.
Modern Times
“Don't stop for lunch: be ahead of your competitor!”
Time for the classics. “Modern Times” is, like most great comedies, much more than just funny. It’s the document of an era, but it’s done so brilliantly that it’s core messages still apply to a lot of our own modern times.
Charles Chaplin kills as Carlitos, mocking big production pipelines, our need to automate everything, and finally, by shooting his first sketch with sound… where he sings in gibberish because Carlitos doesn’t know the lyrics. Unforgettable.
Airplane!
- Surely you can’t be serious!
- I am serious. And don't call me Shirley.
The quintessential parody of a real genre, “Airplane!” is short, fast, and dense in quotable laugh-out-loud lines. This parody of disaster movies from the 80’s is packed with nonsense humor, racial humor, dark humor, silly humor… at a rate of about 30 jokes a minute. Try to keep up.
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Shaun of the Dead
- You've got red on you.
The first of the Cornetto trilogy (complemented later by Hot Fuzz and World’s End), Shaun of the Dead introduced Edgar Wright’s brilliant visual comedy and Simon Pegg’s acid humor to the world.
There isn’t a single beat where an interesting joke isn’t presented, and a lot of them are exclusive to the medium - they would only ever work this well inside a movie. One more reason to watch it!
Annie Hall
- That sex was the most fun I've ever had without laughing.
Still considered by many to be Woody Allen’s greatest work, this delightful reflection on relationships won several Academy Awards and was considered the funniest screenplay in history. But don’t just take my word for it, see it for yourself!
Annie Hall was nominated to five Academy Awards and won four: Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress, and Best Picture.
The Party
- You!
- Me?
- Yes, you! Get off of my set, and out of my picture. Off, off! You're washed up, you're finished! I'll see to it that you never make another movie again!
- Does that include television, sir?
An often forgotten little gem starring Peter Sellers playing an Indian actor wrongly invited to a VIP party, where he effortlessly brings chaos to the contrived party almost entirely by accident.
If you liked Sellers in the Pink Panther movies (which weren’t always that great), this is the time to remember why he was considered one of the funniest and most talented actors of his generation.
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The Big Lebowski
- Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
The best comedy made by the Coen brothers to this day is densely packed with quotable lines, memorable moments, dream sequences, and one of the most likable characters of all time, the Dude. Some people can quote the entire movie, and if you’ve seen it, you know why that’s not weird at all.
Follow us on Facebook! Which of your favorite comedies did we miss? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for more awesome movie lists!
