# 100 Funniest Movies of All Time **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 26, 2007, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-funniest-movies-of-all-time/405575 "2007-05-26T03:22:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-funniest-movies-of-all-time/405575/1 "2007-05-26T03:22:47Z")
VH 1 is running a show called “The 100 Funniest Movies of All Time” Here’s their top ten: 1. National Lampoon’s Animal House 2. Caddyshack 3. Shrek 4. There’s Something About Mary 5. South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut 6. Airplane! 7. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective 8. The Wedding Singer 9. Blazing Saddles 10. Arthur I think the top ten should have included Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Young Frankenstein, but I agree Animal House should be Number One. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-funniest-movies-of-all-time/405575/2 "2007-05-26T03:26:21Z")
I think we’ve discussed this before and the consensus here was that Young Frankenstein was indeed funnier than Blazing Saddles. ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-funniest-movies-of-all-time/405575/3 "2007-05-26T03:31:51Z")
Top Secret! (The lesser known Abrahams & Zucker flick that followed the first two Airplane! movies) It may not be Airplane! but it was damn funny nonetheless. “Hillary. That’s an unusual name.” “It’s a German name. It means ‘She whose bosoms defy gravity.’” ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-funniest-movies-of-all-time/405575/4 "2007-05-26T03:31:53Z")
Here’s mine: 1. NL’s Animal House 2. NL’s Vacation 3. Old School 4. Friday 5. Dumb & Dumber 6. This is Spinal Tap 7. Office Space 8. There’s Something About Mary 9. The Jerk 10. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-funniest-movies-of-all-time/405575/5 "2007-05-26T03:35:49Z")
They missed a few: _Dr. Strangelove Office Space This is Spinal Tap Annie Hall_ …and maybe not in the top 10, but certainly funnier than _Ace Ventura: Pet Detective_ and _The Wedding Singer_: _Planes, Trains & Automobiles A Mighty Wind Sleeper Best in Show Little Miss Sunshine MST3K: The Movie_ ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-funniest-movies-of-all-time/405575/6 "2007-05-26T03:43:11Z")
_Animal House_ is #1 on my list. I don’t have a set-in-stone top ten, but _Young Frankenstein would be in there somewhere. Probably Duck Soup_, too. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-funniest-movies-of-all-time/405575/7 "2007-05-26T04:05:38Z")
I also think that _The Jerk_ is in the top ten funniest movies (as is _Young Frankenstein_). _Shrek_, while a nice movie, is decidedly not deserving of a spot in the top 10, let alone #3. As is usual, this is heavily weighted towards popular movies of the last 15 years. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-funniest-movies-of-all-time/405575/8 "2007-05-26T04:09:07Z")
I would always have \*NL’s Christmas Vacation \* on my list. ---
**Author:** ![Crawlspace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Crawlspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crawlspace)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-funniest-movies-of-all-time/405575/9 "2007-05-26T04:12:26Z")
Eh, the problem with comedy is that there is a visceral reaction. You either laugh or you don’t. You can’t feign appreciation like you would with Gone With The Wind. I suppose you could fill a theater with a thousand noob’s and see what movie gets the highest score on the laugh-o-meter, but – Dat Phan won the first season of Last Comic Standing, so clearly this type of sampling doesn’t work for comedy. For my money, any list like this that does not include . . . alright, well I began that sentence with a cogent list in mind, but really would you take the Wedding Singer over Duck Soup, Spinal Tap, Young Frankenstein, The Jerk, or A Fish Called Wanda. Hell, Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore were funnier. For what it’s worth, my #1 comedy is and always has been Trading Places (and yeah, I’m young enough for that to be true). ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-funniest-movies-of-all-time/405575/10 "2007-05-26T04:56:52Z")
I haven’t even seen most of those movies, but the ones I have seen wouldn’t be in my top 100, let alone top 10. I mean, _Shrek_??? It was pretty good ‘n’ all, but one of the ten funniest movies of all time? No way. My top 5: _A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum This Is Spinal Tap Monty Python and the Holy Grail Young Frankenstein Sleeper_ And _Who Framed Roger Rabbit_ should be in there somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-funniest-movies-of-all-time/405575/11 "2007-05-26T05:00:18Z")
I’ve always thought **What About Bob?** was quite funny, as well as **The 40 year old Virgin** , though the latter is very recent. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-funniest-movies-of-all-time/405575/12 "2007-05-26T05:02:01Z")
My coding is a bit funny too, though not in an amusing way. ---
**Author:** ![neorxnawange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f4b2a3/32.png) [@neorxnawange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neorxnawange)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-funniest-movies-of-all-time/405575/13 "2007-05-26T05:12:41Z")
\*The Wedding Singer \* - the Adam Sandler movie? Is there a different film entitled The Wedding Singer? Because it wouldn’t even be in the top 250 for me, much less the top 10. I think it’s harder to judge comedy for lists like these because it’s difficult to decide exactly where comedy ends and drama, action, satire, etc. begin. Films like _Rushmore_ and \*Ghostbusters \* would be in my top 10, but I don’t think there would be a universal consensus that they are comedies rather than drama and action respectively (they are both of course), and thus the tendency to overlook them in considering comedy. - and I have no respect for a list that doesn’t include _Groundhog Day_ in the top 10. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-funniest-movies-of-all-time/405575/14 "2007-05-26T06:42:27Z")
[QUOTE=Mangosteen] 1. National Lampoon’s Animal House 2. Caddyshack [/QUOTE] Makes you wish Sarah Holcomb had a longer career. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-funniest-movies-of-all-time/405575/15 "2007-05-26T08:24:47Z")
[QUOTE=Biffy the Elephant Shrew] \*A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Monty Python and the Holy Grail Young Frankenstein And _Who Framed Roger Rabbit_ should be in there somewhere. [/QUOTE] You have 3 of mine. I’d add National Lampoon’s Animal House (Super Secret Probation version) It’s a Mad, mad, mad, World. Groundhog Day. Marx Brothers movies- hard to pick the best Road films with Bob and Bing- again, hard to pcik the best. Not very funny to me: The Wedding Singer Annie Hall ---
**Author:** ![BACI](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ce73a5/32.png) [@BACI](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BACI)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-funniest-movies-of-all-time/405575/16 "2007-05-26T08:38:02Z")
Wow - there’s a preponderance of American films in these lists… Comedy is clearly subject to cultural filters, but there are any number of English (and Australian) comedies that may not have enjoyed the same box office, but certainly made me laugh more than most of these top tens. Particularly thinking of an Australian film called “The Castle” but there are many, many others. M ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-funniest-movies-of-all-time/405575/17 "2007-05-26T09:43:42Z")
I haven’t seen Wayne’s Eorld yet. this should be a top ten, no? ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-funniest-movies-of-all-time/405575/18 "2007-05-26T09:47:23Z")
What really ought to be done is have lists sorted by decade. Almost every movie I’ve seen mentioned here, with only three or four exceptions, was done within the last twenty years. I’ve watched a couple of _silent_ films that were funnier than 75% of any of these. Anyone else ever catch Buster Keaton’s _Seven Chances_? I hear you youngsters(I’m 52), saying “But it’s in black and white, and there’s no sound!” It’s still so funny I almost didn’t stop laughing through the whole thing. Now get off of my lawn, you kids! ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-funniest-movies-of-all-time/405575/19 "2007-05-26T09:57:20Z")
For me, any such list has to include Buster Keaton’s **The General** and a Laurel & Hardy feature called **The Music Box**. The latter is the one where they are trying to deliver a piano to a house at the top of a very steep hill. I regard it as the perfect metaphor for life in general. **Bringing Up Baby** should also be in there. I’d like to see anyone, in any of the so-called top ten movies listed by the OP, give a performance as good as either Hepburn or Grant in ‘Baby’. The Matthau / Lemmon remake of **Hold The Front Page** would also make a strong contender, as would **Some Like It Hot**. And finally, a vote for **Local Hero**. In more recent times, I’d go for **Team America** and **The 40 Year Old Virgin**. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-funniest-movies-of-all-time/405575/20 "2007-05-26T10:03:29Z")
[QUOTE=Baker] Now get off of my lawn, you kids! [/QUOTE] I’d vote for something by the Marx Brothers or maybe [Trouble in Paradise](http://imdb.com/title/tt0023622/). At least they had sound 😛 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/100-funniest-movies-of-all-time/405575.md?page=2)