Borat
Being John Malkovich
Bananas
Without heaving read the thread, off the top of my head:
Ladykillers (the original, though the Coen brothers’ was also quite good)
*A Fish Called Wanda
*
This Is Spinal Tap
In no particular order:
Airplane!
Arsenic and Old Lace
Dr. Strangelove
Here’s my three choices.
Simón del desierto, 1965, IMHO the funniest movie ever made.
La voie lactée, 1969
Le fantôme de la liberté, 1974
All by Bunuel, in my opinion one of the three greatest directors of the 20th century. And no one can make you laugh as much as a surrealist!
Yes.
It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World.
UHF.
I love The Big Lebowski, but I dont find it all that funny.
Brain Donors
Airport '79-Concorde
A Fistful Of Yen-Twice as funny if you have already seen Enter The Dragon.
#1 All Time is The Dinner Game aka Le Dîner de Cons
Yes, it is in French and subtitled, but it is the funniest movie I have ever seen. It absolutely didn’t deserve the terrible adaptation it received in the US as Dinner For Schmucks.
#2 Stripes
#3 In Bruges
If I really want to laugh, I will watch
Krippendorf’s Tribe (I don’t think anyone has mentioned this yet)
Fierce Creatures (Again, many have mentioned A Fish Called Wanda but I like Fierce Creatures…), or
What’s Up Doc
Yes, I didn’t include it because it’s been so long I’d forgotten about it.
“I don’t think you’re really my great aunt. You look more like my great great great great great great…greatgreat aunt.”
There are others that I can’t think of right now, but Mel Brooks has gotten me right in the funnybone more than a few times.
Blazing Saddles
History of the World Part One
High Anxiety
Young Frankenstein
Oh wait. You said three. Oh well.
I don’t roar with laughter at movies, but I wish I did. The three movies that I think I would laugh at the most, the ones I find funniest, have all been mentioned.
Young Frankenstein
Blazing Saddles
Galaxy Quest
I pleased that you liked my all-time favorite,* To Be or Not to Be.
*I’ll venture three more that have not been mentioned (lots of really good ones have been mentioned, but I don’t want to be repetitive):
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
My Favorite Wife
Victor/Victoria
What About Bob?
Booty Call
Austin Powers (original)
I thought of another one. This is seasonal of course, but “A Christmas Story” makes me laugh out loud every time I watch it.
Good one. I’m also glad that someone mentioned “All of Me,” which reminds me of “Liar Liar” (think of the parallel demented-lawyer-in-courtroom-about-to-get-fired physical comedy scenes) – another good one.
The Louis de Funès version of Oscar – which I’m sure would be even funnier if I actually understood what they are saying.
Noises Off.
A Fish Called Wanda.
I had this nice little list of three, as requested, and then saw this post:
I may have to trade Wanda for that one…
I forgot about that one. I make my kids watch it every holiday season. They like it too but it is mainly for me. I still laugh even though I have seen it well over 100 times.
Another one is Heathers. It isn’t for everyone because it is very dark and dated but it has got some great lines and is one of the most quotable movies there is.
Naked Gun 1
Blazing Saddles
Salt and Pepper 1
Actually, I thought the Brendan Fraser remake was hilarious, but the Moore/Cook original was not. To each his own.
As someone forced to attend children’s movies on a regular basis (by dint of having a small child) I can tell you that occasionally you find one that is funnier for adults than for the kids. With that I recommend:
-
Flushed Away. The entire Aardman back catalogue (including the Wallace and Grommit films, Chicken Run and Shaun the Sheep) is excellent but Flushed Away made me laugh a ridiculous amount, far more than any of the under-tens in the cinema (although they did like all the slapstick). Probably funnier if you’re familiar with British culture but it’s not a requirement to get the jokes.
-
The Lego Movie. I can only assume that this didn’t get a nomination for best Animated Film because it has a short live-action section, because not only was this one of the best recent animated films I’ve seen it’s was one of the best comedy films of the year as well. Fast-paced, littered liberally with lampshades and other in-jokes and generally brilliant. Brought down slightly by the aforementioned live-action bit, but it picks up again at the end. The last joke had the wife and I roaring with laughter, and neither of us are normally big roarers. [N.B. Don’t bother with the recently released “Lego Batman Movie” - it is a massive disappointment by comparison with The Lego Movie.]
Apart from kids’ films, I would normally recommend UHF but it’s well-covered here so let me throw in a sleeper called Undercover Blues. A goofy spy(-ish) comedy that doesn’t remotely take itself seriously.
(Actually, that reminds me - and I know this makes four - but Spy with Melissa McCarthy really surprised me with how funny it was. McCarthy is, well, McCarthy and Jude Law is amusing but Jason Statham sends himself up beautifully well. )