# Your top 3 comedies? (you may cite more than 3, but please first list #1, #2, & #3) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [March 2, 2022, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-comedies-you-may-cite-more-than-3-but-please-first-list-1-2-3/960348 "2022-03-02T12:05:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2022, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-comedies-you-may-cite-more-than-3-but-please-first-list-1-2-3/960348/21 "2022-03-02T15:24:00Z")
**Young Frankenstein** : Brooks at his best, made even better by his absence. **Fargo** : As dark comedies go, this one is a classic. **Monty Python & The Holy Grail** **The Odd Couple** : If for nothing else than the “coo-coo Pigeon sisters” **Christmas Vacation** : The best of the movie series and still funny. **Groundhog Day** ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2022, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-comedies-you-may-cite-more-than-3-but-please-first-list-1-2-3/960348/22 "2022-03-02T15:57:07Z")
1. Airplane! 2. Duck Soup 3. Monty Python and the Holy Grail ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2022, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-comedies-you-may-cite-more-than-3-but-please-first-list-1-2-3/960348/23 "2022-03-02T16:26:28Z")
1. Life of Brian 2. The Producers (1967) 3. Best in Show ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2022, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-comedies-you-may-cite-more-than-3-but-please-first-list-1-2-3/960348/24 "2022-03-02T16:41:44Z")
1. Airplane! 2. Real Genius 3. Young Frankenstein Honorable Mention: - Strange Brew - Top Secret! - Blazing Saddles - Monty Python and the Holy Grail - Stripes - Ghostbusters - This Is Spinal Tap - A Night at the Opera - Clue - Galaxy Quest ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2022, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-comedies-you-may-cite-more-than-3-but-please-first-list-1-2-3/960348/25 "2022-03-02T16:50:43Z")
1. Airplane 2. Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad 3. Raising Arizona ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2022, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-comedies-you-may-cite-more-than-3-but-please-first-list-1-2-3/960348/26 "2022-03-02T17:18:54Z")
I’ll see if I can come up with my own top 3 - the list would likely include ones already listed above such as MP and the Holy Grail, Fargo, Young Frank/Blaz Saddles. Maybe Caddyshack is one I didn’t notice mentioned above. But my question for those who have voted is - how recently have you watched your choices? Because I have long noticed that among movie genres comedies seem to age the least well. I remember being excited to show my kids A Funny Thing Happened, and Its a Mad, Mad… I remember the kids saying, “Dad, tell me when the funny part comes along!” And thinking to myself - “I used to think this was funny?!” Another sorta corollary is overwatch syndrome. Some of the movies I have loved and watched the - I may have overdone it. I know all of the funny bits, and they don’t seem as funny as I remembered, and the “filler” parts in between seem to go on longer than I recalled. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2022, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-comedies-you-may-cite-more-than-3-but-please-first-list-1-2-3/960348/27 "2022-03-02T17:22:24Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > But my question for those who have voted is - how recently have you watched your choices? Because I have long noticed that among movie genres comedies seem to age the least well. For all of the movies on my list (including the honorable mentions), I’ve watched them at least once in the past five years. I agree that comedy often doesn’t age well, but my favorites generally have held up (at least for me), which, I suppose, is why they’re still my favorites. There are some films which I might have put on my list, ten or twenty years ago, which have now fallen off, for that very reason: _Animal House_, _Weird Science_, and _Sixteen Candles_ come to mind. (And, I now see that I neglected to list _Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure_ among my honorable mentions. Bogus!) ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2022, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-comedies-you-may-cite-more-than-3-but-please-first-list-1-2-3/960348/28 "2022-03-02T17:23:49Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > … **Who’s Minding the Mint** (1967) – ensemble comedy with a cast of comedians that is one hell of a lot better than _It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World_. And has some of the same people… Hey, I thought I was the only one. Most excellent submission. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2022, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-comedies-you-may-cite-more-than-3-but-please-first-list-1-2-3/960348/29 "2022-03-02T17:47:16Z")
I also remember Who’s Minding as HYSTERICAL - but haven’t seen in decades. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2022, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-comedies-you-may-cite-more-than-3-but-please-first-list-1-2-3/960348/30 "2022-03-02T18:55:11Z")
Nobody mentioned _La Grande Vadrouille_ ! ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2022, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-comedies-you-may-cite-more-than-3-but-please-first-list-1-2-3/960348/31 "2022-03-02T19:01:06Z")
1. **This is Spinal Tap.** I am sure I have never laughed so hard in my life as I did the first time I saw that 6" Stonehenge descend onto the stage. 2. **Galaxy Quest.** 3. **Airplane.** Runner-ups: **Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein.** In the dark comedy subgenre, **Harold and Maude** and **Fargo.** ---
**Author:** ![thdudescar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thdudescar/32/4638_2.png) [@thdudescar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thdudescar)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2022, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-comedies-you-may-cite-more-than-3-but-please-first-list-1-2-3/960348/32 "2022-03-02T19:18:58Z")
Being There Big Lebowski Caddy Shack ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2022, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-comedies-you-may-cite-more-than-3-but-please-first-list-1-2-3/960348/33 "2022-03-02T19:43:43Z")
1. Blazing Saddles 2. Monty Python and the Holy Grail 3. Arsenic and Old Lace ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2022, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-comedies-you-may-cite-more-than-3-but-please-first-list-1-2-3/960348/34 "2022-03-02T19:52:27Z")
1. Clue 2. What We Do in the Shadows 3. In Bruges ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2022, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-comedies-you-may-cite-more-than-3-but-please-first-list-1-2-3/960348/35 "2022-03-02T20:02:20Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > I also remember Who’s Minding as HYSTERICAL - but haven’t seen in decades. Yeah, neither have I. I fear I may have the same reaction you did while showing your kids “Forum” and “Mad, Mad…” By the way, have you (or anyone else) seen “A Big Hand for the Little Lady”? Henry Fonda, Joanne Woodward, Jason Robards, Burgess Meredith. Another one I love(d?) but have not seen in decades. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2022, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-comedies-you-may-cite-more-than-3-but-please-first-list-1-2-3/960348/36 "2022-03-02T20:22:50Z")
For me, the comedies that never seem dated or go out of style are those from Big 3 silent-era comedians, Chaplin, Keaton, and my personal favorite, Harold Lloyd. I’ll list **Safety Last** as my first runner-up. My second runner-up, from recent times, has got to be **Deadpool**. Sure, it’s more of an action/adventure movie, but Ryan Reynolds has great comedy chops and he cracks me up. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2022, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-comedies-you-may-cite-more-than-3-but-please-first-list-1-2-3/960348/37 "2022-03-02T20:25:26Z")
#1. Young Frankenstein #2. Monty Python and the Holy Grail #3. What’s Up, Doc? _Big Hand for the Little Lady_ is a much underappreciated gem. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2022, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-comedies-you-may-cite-more-than-3-but-please-first-list-1-2-3/960348/38 "2022-03-02T20:29:31Z")
Galaxy Quest, which is kind of a perfect movie of its kind. The Big Lebowski Some Like It Hot I don’t find most comedy very comedic somehow, but I watched Shrek 2 last night and it was pretty funny. Shrek was also funny. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2022, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-comedies-you-may-cite-more-than-3-but-please-first-list-1-2-3/960348/39 "2022-03-02T20:31:27Z")
As always in these sorts of threads, I reserve the right to change my mind an unreasonable number of times, either because I forgot one (or some) or…other reasons. 1. The Hudsucker Proxy 2. M\*A\*S\*H 3. Life of Brian Near Miss: Batman (Adam West version) Excluded because, although they are hilarious at times, I don’t really consider them comedies: Harold and Maude, Fargo (and a few other Coen brothers films). j ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2022, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-comedies-you-may-cite-more-than-3-but-please-first-list-1-2-3/960348/40 "2022-03-02T20:59:06Z")
If not restricted to movies: 1. Peep Show 2. Naked Gun 3. Spinal Tap Too many candidates jockeying for 4th to bother listing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-comedies-you-may-cite-more-than-3-but-please-first-list-1-2-3/960348.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-3-comedies-you-may-cite-more-than-3-but-please-first-list-1-2-3/960348.md?page=3)