My 30 Favourite Comedies of All-Time

by justin_philpott | created - 14 Oct 2011 | updated - 03 Oct 2013 | Public

This list contains MY 25 FAVOURITE COMEDIES OF ALL TIME. I recommend checking out any one of these films if you haven't seen it yet.

Note - Movies I haven't seen: Animal House, Ghostbusters, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Jerk, Planes Trains and Automobiles, Raising Arizona, The Naked Gun

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1. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

PG | 91 min | Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy

91 Metascore

King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table embark on a surreal, low-budget search for the Holy Grail, encountering many, very silly obstacles.

Directors: Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones | Stars: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam

Votes: 570,418 | Gross: $1.23M

2. Dumb and Dumber (1994)

PG-13 | 107 min | Comedy

41 Metascore

After a woman leaves a briefcase at the airport terminal, a dumb limo driver and his dumber friend set out on a hilarious cross-country road trip to Aspen to return it.

Directors: Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly | Stars: Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Lauren Holly, Mike Starr

Votes: 412,400 | Gross: $127.18M

3. Life of Brian (1979)

R | 94 min | Comedy

77 Metascore

Born on the original Christmas in the stable next door to Jesus Christ, Brian of Nazareth spends his life being mistaken for a messiah.

Director: Terry Jones | Stars: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam

Votes: 421,904 | Gross: $20.05M

4. Happy Gilmore (1996)

PG-13 | 92 min | Comedy, Sport

31 Metascore

After his grandmothers house is repossessed by the IRS, bad tempered hockey player takes his talents to golf to earn the big bucks and get his grandmothers house back.

Director: Dennis Dugan | Stars: Adam Sandler, Christopher McDonald, Julie Bowen, Frances Bay

Votes: 248,680 | Gross: $38.62M

5. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)

PG-13 | 94 min | Comedy

63 Metascore

In the 1970s, an anchorman's stint as San Diego's top-rated newsreader is challenged when an ambitious newswoman becomes his co-anchor.

Director: Adam McKay | Stars: Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd

Votes: 378,665 | Gross: $85.29M

6. Harvey (1950)

Approved | 104 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

Due to his insistence that he has an invisible six foot-tall rabbit for a best friend, a whimsical middle-aged man is thought by his family to be insane - but he may be wiser than anyone knows.

Director: Henry Koster | Stars: James Stewart, Wallace Ford, William H. Lynn, Victoria Horne

Votes: 58,248

7. Duck Soup (1933)

Not Rated | 69 min | Comedy, Musical

93 Metascore

Rufus T. Firefly is named the dictator of bankrupt Freedonia and declares war on neighboring Sylvania over the love of his wealthy backer Mrs. Teasdale, contending with two inept spies who can't seem to keep straight which side they're on.

Director: Leo McCarey | Stars: Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx, Zeppo Marx

Votes: 62,748

8. Annie Hall (1977)

PG | 93 min | Comedy, Romance

92 Metascore

Alvy Singer, a divorced Jewish comedian, reflects on his relationship with ex-lover Annie Hall, an aspiring nightclub singer, which ended abruptly just like his previous marriages.

Director: Woody Allen | Stars: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts, Carol Kane

Votes: 278,487 | Gross: $39.20M

9. Airplane! (1980)

PG | 88 min | Comedy

78 Metascore

After the crew becomes sick with food poisoning, a neurotic ex-fighter pilot must safely land a commercial airplane full of passengers.

Directors: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker | Stars: Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Leslie Nielsen, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Votes: 261,212 | Gross: $83.40M

10. The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)

R | 116 min | Comedy, Romance

73 Metascore

Goaded by his buddies, a nerdy guy who's never "done the deed" only finds the pressure mounting when he meets a single mother.

Director: Judd Apatow | Stars: Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd, Romany Malco

Votes: 467,247 | Gross: $109.45M

11. Some Like It Hot (1959)

Passed | 121 min | Comedy, Music, Romance

98 Metascore

After two male musicians witness a mob hit, they flee the state in an all-female band disguised as women, but further complications set in.

Director: Billy Wilder | Stars: Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, George Raft

Votes: 283,610 | Gross: $25.00M

12. Hot Fuzz (2007)

R | 121 min | Action, Comedy, Mystery

81 Metascore

An overachieving London police sergeant is transferred to a village where the easygoing officers object to his fervor for regulations, all while a string of grisly murders strikes the town.

Director: Edgar Wright | Stars: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Bill Nighy

Votes: 535,426 | Gross: $23.64M

13. Old School (2003)

R | 88 min | Comedy

54 Metascore

Three friends attempt to recapture their glory days by opening up a fraternity near their alma mater.

Director: Todd Phillips | Stars: Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Will Ferrell, Jeremy Piven

Votes: 243,420 | Gross: $75.59M

14. There's Something About Mary (1998)

R | 119 min | Comedy, Romance

69 Metascore

A man gets a chance to meet up with his dream girl from high school, even though his date with her back then was a complete disaster.

Directors: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly | Stars: Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon, Ben Stiller, Lee Evans

Votes: 328,960 | Gross: $176.48M

15. Billy Madison (1995)

PG-13 | 89 min | Comedy

16 Metascore

In order to inherit his fed up father's hotel empire, an immature and lazy man must repeat grades 1-12 all over again.

Director: Tamra Davis | Stars: Adam Sandler, Darren McGavin, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, Bradley Whitford

Votes: 156,649 | Gross: $25.59M

16. Zoolander (2001)

PG-13 | 90 min | Comedy

61 Metascore

At the end of his career, a clueless fashion model is brainwashed to kill the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Director: Ben Stiller | Stars: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Christine Taylor, Will Ferrell

Votes: 291,993 | Gross: $45.17M

17. The Hangover (2009)

R | 100 min | Comedy

73 Metascore

Three buddies wake up from a bachelor party in Las Vegas, with no memory of the previous night and the bachelor missing. They make their way around the city in order to find their friend before his wedding.

Director: Todd Phillips | Stars: Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, Justin Bartha, Ed Helms

Votes: 846,686 | Gross: $277.32M

18. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)

PG-13 | 86 min | Comedy

37 Metascore

A goofy detective specializing in animals goes in search of the missing mascot of the Miami Dolphins.

Director: Tom Shadyac | Stars: Jim Carrey, Courteney Cox, Sean Young, Tone Loc

Votes: 325,234 | Gross: $72.22M

19. Superbad (2007)

R | 113 min | Comedy

76 Metascore

Two co-dependent high school seniors are forced to deal with separation anxiety after their plan to stage a booze-soaked party goes awry.

Director: Greg Mottola | Stars: Michael Cera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Bill Hader

Votes: 632,969 | Gross: $121.46M

20. The Big Lebowski (1998)

R | 117 min | Comedy, Crime

71 Metascore

Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire of the same name, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it.

Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen | Stars: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi

Votes: 860,605 | Gross: $17.50M

21. Take the Money and Run (1969)

PG | 85 min | Comedy, Crime

67 Metascore

The life and times of Virgil Starkwell, inept bank robber.

Director: Woody Allen | Stars: Woody Allen, Janet Margolin, Marcel Hillaire, Jacquelyn Hyde

Votes: 31,467 | Gross: $0.72M

22. Home Alone (1990)

PG | 103 min | Comedy, Family

63 Metascore

An eight-year-old troublemaker, mistakenly left home alone, must defend his home against a pair of burglars on Christmas Eve.

Director: Chris Columbus | Stars: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard

Votes: 652,976 | Gross: $285.76M

23. Shaun of the Dead (2004)

R | 99 min | Comedy, Horror

76 Metascore

The uneventful, aimless lives of a London electronics salesman and his layabout roommate are disrupted by the zombie apocalypse.

Director: Edgar Wright | Stars: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis

Votes: 594,155 | Gross: $13.54M

24. Wedding Crashers (2005)

R | 119 min | Comedy, Romance

64 Metascore

John Beckwith and Jeremy Grey, a pair of committed womanizers who sneak into weddings to take advantage of the romantic tinge in the air, find themselves at odds with one another when John meets and falls for Claire Cleary.

Director: David Dobkin | Stars: Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Rachel McAdams, Christopher Walken

Votes: 375,873 | Gross: $209.22M

25. So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993)

PG-13 | 93 min | Comedy, Romance

54 Metascore

A San Francisco poet who fears commitment suspects his girlfriend may have a knack for killing off her significant others.

Director: Thomas Schlamme | Stars: Mike Myers, Nancy Travis, Anthony LaPaglia, Amanda Plummer

Votes: 42,864 | Gross: $11.59M

26. Pineapple Express (2008)

R | 111 min | Action, Comedy, Crime

64 Metascore

A process server and his marijuana dealer wind up on the run from hitmen and a corrupt police officer after he witnesses his dealer's boss murder a competitor while trying to serve papers on him.

Director: David Gordon Green | Stars: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Gary Cole, Danny McBride

Votes: 357,599 | Gross: $87.34M

27. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

PG | 95 min | Comedy, War

97 Metascore

An unhinged American general orders a bombing attack on the Soviet Union, triggering a path to nuclear holocaust that a war room full of politicians and generals frantically tries to stop.

Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Keenan Wynn

Votes: 518,414 | Gross: $0.28M

28. Bridesmaids (I) (2011)

R | 125 min | Comedy

75 Metascore

Competition between the maid of honor and a bridesmaid, over who is the bride's best friend, threatens to upend the life of an out-of-work pastry chef.

Director: Paul Feig | Stars: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Terry Crews

Votes: 309,290 | Gross: $169.11M

29. The Princess Bride (1987)

PG | 98 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family

78 Metascore

A bedridden boy's grandfather reads him the story of a farmboy-turned-pirate who encounters numerous obstacles, enemies and allies in his quest to be reunited with his true love.

Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Robin Wright, Chris Sarandon

Votes: 451,056 | Gross: $30.86M

30. Kingpin (1996)

PG-13 | 114 min | Comedy, Sport

43 Metascore

A star bowler whose career was prematurely "cut off" hopes to ride a new prodigy to success and riches.

Directors: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly | Stars: Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid, Bill Murray, Vanessa Angel

Votes: 91,090 | Gross: $24.94M

31. Sleeper (1973)

PG | 89 min | Comedy, Sci-Fi

77 Metascore

A nerdish store owner is revived out of cryostasis into a future world to fight an oppressive government.

Director: Woody Allen | Stars: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, John Beck, Mary Gregory

Votes: 44,830 | Gross: $2.91M

32. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

PG-13 | 103 min | Comedy

61 Metascore

A popular high school student, admired by his peers, decides to take a day off from school and goes to extreme lengths to pull it off, to the chagrin of his Dean, who'll do anything to stop him.

Director: John Hughes | Stars: Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Jeffrey Jones

Votes: 386,593 | Gross: $70.14M

33. Tropic Thunder (2008)

R | 107 min | Action, Comedy, War

71 Metascore

Through a series of freak occurrences, a group of actors shooting a big-budget war movie are forced to become the soldiers they are portraying.

Director: Ben Stiller | Stars: Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Jeff Kahn

Votes: 448,239 | Gross: $110.52M

34. Caddyshack (1980)

R | 98 min | Comedy, Sport

48 Metascore

An exclusive golf course has to deal with a flatulent new member and a destructive dancing gopher.

Director: Harold Ramis | Stars: Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Murray, Ted Knight

Votes: 127,209 | Gross: $39.85M

35. The Cable Guy (1996)

PG-13 | 96 min | Comedy, Drama, Thriller

56 Metascore

A designer makes a grievious mistake when he rejects the friendship of a borderline cable guy.

Director: Ben Stiller | Stars: Jim Carrey, Matthew Broderick, Leslie Mann, Jack Black

Votes: 178,143 | Gross: $60.24M

36. Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

PG | 96 min | Comedy

64 Metascore

A listless and alienated teenager decides to help his new friend win the class presidency in their small western high school, while he must deal with his bizarre family life back home.

Director: Jared Hess | Stars: Jon Heder, Efren Ramirez, Jon Gries, Aaron Ruell

Votes: 237,847 | Gross: $44.54M

37. Knocked Up (2007)

R | 129 min | Comedy, Romance

85 Metascore

For fun-loving party animal Ben Stone, the last thing he ever expected was for his one-night stand to show up on his doorstep eight weeks later to tell him she's pregnant with his child.

Director: Judd Apatow | Stars: Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann

Votes: 384,722 | Gross: $148.73M



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