# Whats the best comedy movie ever made? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 30, 2001, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-comedy-movie-ever-made/78843 "2001-08-30T00:49:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2001, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-comedy-movie-ever-made/78843/41 "2001-08-30T17:21:48Z")
Airplane - “I picked the wrong day to give up amphetamines” Happy Gilmore - Shooter McGavin kissing Happy’s Gran while she is wearing a Gene Simmons Mask. genius. A funny thing Happened on the way to the forum. but, my favourite has to be Spinal Tap. A musicians choice, pure and simple. ---
**Author:** ![5-HT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/f19dbf/32.png) [@5-HT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5-HT)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2001, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-comedy-movie-ever-made/78843/42 "2001-08-30T17:36:12Z")
My Vote goes to Dr. Strangelove “Gentleman you can’t fight in here this is a war room!!” “Alright, I’ll get your money. But if you don’t get the president on the phone, you’re going to have to answer to the Coca Cola company!” ---
**Author:** ![Wumpus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8c91f0/32.png) [@Wumpus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wumpus)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2001, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-comedy-movie-ever-made/78843/43 "2001-08-30T17:46:31Z")
SAFETY LAST by Harold Lloyd. SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS (anyone who liked O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU? needs to see this one.) THE PRODUCERS (Broderick and Lane have nothing on Wilder and Mostel.) LOST IN AMERICA by Albert Brooks. I hated THE BIG LEBOWSKI the first time I saw it, but it’s grown on me during subsequent viewings. Rather like a fungus. It’s not as laugh-out-loud funny as some, but GROUNDHOG DAY is one of the underrated gems of the last 10 years. ---
**Author:** ![Gamelan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d07c76/32.png) [@Gamelan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gamelan)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2001, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-comedy-movie-ever-made/78843/44 "2001-08-30T17:50:59Z")
Spinal Tap Waiting for Guffman (5 out of 5 stars) Best in Show I guess I have a thing for improv comedy. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2001, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-comedy-movie-ever-made/78843/45 "2001-08-30T17:59:26Z")
Most of mine have been mentioned but I’d add some of the Ealing Comedies. The Lady Killers [http://us.imdb.com/Title?0048281](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0048281) :- Alec Guinness is a genius. The Lavender Hill Mob [http://us.imdb.com/Title?0044829](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0044829) :- Another classic with Mr. Guinness Kind Hearts and Coronets [http://us.imdb.com/Title?0041546](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0041546) :- What can I say I love Alec Guinness(he play 8 characters in this) 🙂 This is a true black comedy. ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2001, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-comedy-movie-ever-made/78843/46 "2001-08-30T18:02:06Z")
One more vote for “Monty Phyton and the Holy Grail” Ni! ---
**Author:** ![bdgr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@bdgr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bdgr)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2001, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-comedy-movie-ever-made/78843/47 "2001-08-30T18:08:02Z")
The blues brothers. A more perfect film was never made. Holy Grail Battlefied earth…WHat? It was supposed to be serious? Oh for the love of… ---
**Author:** ![Yossarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/9de0a6/32.png) [@Yossarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yossarian)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2001, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-comedy-movie-ever-made/78843/48 "2001-08-30T18:16:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lieu \* > \*\*Fandango - This is one of my favorite movies of all time. The Director relives adventures from college (Baylor) but sets it in UT and the Texas Big Bend during the VietNam conflict. \*\* A movie on the list of almost every Texas Geologist I know (myself included)–and it’s good to see another one at the SDMB! If you’re ever in the neighborhood, be sure and check out where DOM (actually, two "DOM"s are carved into the rock) is carved into the rock. The rock being some San Carlos Tuff, and the location being the top of the Big Hill along FM 170 overlooking the Rio Grande–right on the margin of the San Carlos caldera. ---
**Author:** ![WEW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8edcca/32.png) [@WEW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WEW)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2001, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-comedy-movie-ever-made/78843/49 "2001-08-30T18:22:45Z")
I agree with most of the stuff above, and I’m sure I’ll go it alone here, but one of the funniest movies I’ve seen recently is [sub]What Women Want[/sub]. Mrs. WEW and I laughed so hard that we woke up the kids several times. ---
**Author:** ![horhay\_achoa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@horhay\_achoa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/horhay_achoa)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2001, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-comedy-movie-ever-made/78843/50 "2001-08-30T18:23:09Z")
Tommy Boy Airplane Billy Madison What can I say? I like 'em nice and low-brow. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jellen92](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@jellen92](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jellen92)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2001, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-comedy-movie-ever-made/78843/51 "2001-08-30T18:26:16Z")
I stil think “Tootsie” is one of the funniest… ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2001, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-comedy-movie-ever-made/78843/52 "2001-08-30T19:38:48Z")
Comedies seem harder to sort than other varieties – there’s too many movies with so many funny moments. If I could only take one with me, it’d have to **Airplane!**. But I would like to say that **Real Genius** provided me with my best role model when I was growing up. I’m adding the following ones I don’t think have been mentioned yet. I’m not saying they’re my favorites, just that they would be on my list. In reverse alphabetical order : **Vacation Real Life The Philadelphia Story The Naked Gun East is East A Christmas Story Beverly Hills Cop** Best Parodies. I put these in separately because you need to be rather familiar with the originals to appreciate them (unlike, say, Airplane! [sup]\*[/sup]). Again, in addition to any already mentioned: \*\*Robin Hood : Men in Tights \*\*(Robin Hood films, most notably Kevin Costner’s) **Stiff Upper Lips** (Merchant-Ivory (esp. the E.M. Forster ones), released at least ten years too late). **Top Secret!** (Elvis films – while this one also came out long after the originals, it’s funny enough on its own rights to almost make into the upper list) [sup]\*[/sup] Of course knowing the originals makes it even funnier. I once saw a special on what was spoofed by it : Airport & Airport '77 (plane disasters, one I think had the singing nun) Zero Hour (another plane disaster, I think the sick girl, and the little boy asking questions in the cabin. I think he even had a dog. “Oh look, Scraps is a boy dog.”) The TV series _San Francisco International_ [sup] \*\*[/sup], which starred Lloyd Bridges as air traffic director. (“Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue”). [sup]\*\*[/sup]The pilot of which was a MST3k episode, or so I’ve heard. Haven’t seen it yet. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2001, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-comedy-movie-ever-made/78843/53 "2001-08-30T20:44:39Z")
Oooooh, lots of good choices, but I’m going to name a film that _nobody_ has mentioned yet! **BRAIN DONORS!** For those who don’t know (and that seems to be everybody in this thread), it was a modern-day remake of the Marx Brothers’ movie **A Night At The Opera.** It tries to recapture the manic Marx feel of the original, and succeeds in spades – there’s nonstop gag action, highbrow subtle wordplay, outrageous situations, lowbrow slapstick, men in drag, beautiful women, and a manic ending that leaves you breathless. If you like the Marx Brothers, or you just enjoy laughing so hard until your sides ache, this is the movie to see. Pity it bombed at the box office, as there’s no chance of any sort of sequels, and nobody else I know has ever heard of it… ---
**Author:** ![MacSpon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@MacSpon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacSpon)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2001, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-comedy-movie-ever-made/78843/54 "2001-08-30T21:08:20Z")
Three Amigos! ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2001, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-comedy-movie-ever-made/78843/55 "2001-08-30T21:24:45Z")
Three-way tie: Life of Brian Airplane South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut ---
**Author:** ![Lucifer12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b38774/32.png) [@Lucifer12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucifer12)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2001, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-comedy-movie-ever-made/78843/56 "2001-08-31T00:03:30Z")
What, no one mentioned _Forbidden Zone_? That’s some funny stuff, boy… The best comedy, obviously, is _The Producers_. But here’s some of the best, lesser-known comedies: _Drunken Master_ Jackie Chan _The Kid Brother_ Harold Loyd _To Be Or Not To Be_ Ernest Lubitsch (Note: I’ve never seen the Mel Brooks version, but it would be hard to top the original. Who knew Jack Benny was actually funny?) _Peewee’s Big Adventure_ Tim Burton (This isn’t so lesser-known, but it’s one of my faves) _Black Wednesday (or The Sin Of Harold Diddlebock)_ Preston Sturges Starring Harold Loyd (Or ‘Christmas In July’, ‘The Lady Eve’… just about anything by Preston Sturges) _The Bank Dick_ _It’s A Gift_ [Never Give A Sucker An Even Break\* Christ, is W.C. Fields funny! ---
**Author:** ![Semp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Semp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Semp)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2001, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-comedy-movie-ever-made/78843/57 "2001-08-31T00:04:49Z")
**Pee Wee’s Big Adventure** has always cracked me up. “Is this something you can share with the rest of us, Amazing Larry?!?!?!” Too bad the sequel sucked. **Bananas**. An almost forgotten Woody Allen movie based on a short story he wrote, it has always been my favorite of his. I love the Howard Cosell parts, and the trial scene makes you realize the **Airplane!** style of comedy did not originate with the ZAZ boys. And what 13 year old boy would not love the snakebite gag when he first sees it?😃 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2001, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-comedy-movie-ever-made/78843/58 "2001-08-31T00:15:54Z")
“I’m All Right, Jack” and “Being There,” two movies starring Peter Sellers. That man was a genius. ---
**Author:** ![flapcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@flapcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flapcats)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2001, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-comedy-movie-ever-made/78843/59 "2001-08-31T00:22:59Z")
Funniest films: Bowfinger was good, Obviously MP & the Holy Grail and I enjoyed Galaxy Quest a lot. Ooop, trekiness showed there. Retract! Retract! ---
**Author:** ![flapcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@flapcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flapcats)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2001, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-comedy-movie-ever-made/78843/60 "2001-08-31T00:25:40Z")
Peter Sellers was a drinking buddy of my Uncle Ronnie - a nomadic alcoholic with many children. They’d have competitions and drinking games. That is until Peter Sellers passed away… Ronnie disappeared too, oddly enough. (NOT BS BTW) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-comedy-movie-ever-made/78843.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-comedy-movie-ever-made/78843.md?page=4)