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
Honorable Mention:
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.
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!)
Hey, I thought I was the only one. Most excellent submission.
mmm
I also remember Who’s Minding as HYSTERICAL - but haven’t seen in decades.
Nobody mentioned La Grande Vadrouille !
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.
Galaxy Quest.
Airplane.
Runner-ups: Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein. In the dark comedy subgenre, Harold and Maude and Fargo.
Being There
Big Lebowski
Caddy Shack
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
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.
#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.
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.
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.
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
If not restricted to movies:
Peep Show
Naked Gun
Spinal Tap
Too many candidates jockeying for 4th to bother listing.