The 10 Best Comedy Movies Of All Time
Picking a favorite comedy movie is always a highly subjective choice. If I asked ten people to name the funniest movie of all time, I’d probably get ten different answers and zero resolutions. What one person might find laugh-out-loud hilarious (you know, where they’re wheeze-laughing through the scenes?) might leave another disinterested and checking their phone. Regardless of your preference and taste in comedies, it’s a fact that they’re adored by audiences because they allow us to escape into the story and forget our troubles for that two-and-something hour runtime.
So, I know trying to compress decades worth of movies, all with wildly different comedic styles into a neat little “Top 10” is basically a fool’s errand, but guess what? We’re going to do it anyway. Though it’s likely that this list would miss a movie or two that you personally love, each movie here brings something unique to the table that’s worth giving it a try if you haven’t already. Available to stream now on Prime Video, Apple TV, and more, let’s get into the 10 best comedy movies of all time, because sometimes all we want is a good laugh, and these films deliver!
Airplane! absolutely refuses to take itself seriously, and that is its strength. Comedy films have come and gone, some being launched to cult status and some hitting the comic graveyard, but the vibe of this movie remains unmatched, which is why it was considered one of the best films of 1980. A former pilot with a fear of flying (don’t even ask) ends up having to land a flight after the crew is down with food poisoning.
Yes, that’s the actual plot, but Airplane! doesn’t just have jokes in it for the sake of elevating the script, but has it because it wants to see how it can make the next second even funnier than it was previously. This film not only has hilarious dialogues, but also background gags and wordplay (Roger, Roger!), all of which come together to deliver a relentlessly ridiculous (in the best way) movie you can’t stop laughing with (or at). Just note that not all jokes will be for everyone; however, if you’re someone who likes your comedies fast and joke-dense, then you’ll love the silly and loud nature of Airplane!.
Dumb and Dumber sticks to the bit with unflinching commitment and maybe that’s why it’s on the top of everyone’s mind when it comes to picking a popular comedy film. When two clueless friends embark on a road-trip to return a briefcase to its owner, they’re unaware of what they’re about to stumble into (namely, kidnappings, trouble with criminals, neon orange suits, amongst other things, because why not).
If you find characters who interpret situations incorrectly and have the confidence to double down on it enticing, then you’ve found the right film for your next movie night. While a road-trip also forms the major crux of We’re the Millers, Dumb and Dumber is, well, the name says it all. It doesn’t really have the emotional grounding the former does, but it’s unapologetically silly in its execution and that’s why it works so well. Some of the jokes may not land for you if you’re searching for witty and sophisticated humor, but if it clicks for you, it’ll really click, so how about giving it a whirl if you haven’t had the chance to? (And there’s an entire franchise to deep dive into!)
Despite having an interesting storyline, and two immensely talented actors at the helm of The Nice Guys, was the selling point of the movie Ryan Gosling screaming? Yes, and I have zero regrets. Fans of comedies with darker tinges will love this movie where a struggling detective teams up with a hired hitman while looking for a missing person.
What The Nice Guys does so well is the fact that it’s funny, yes, but it’s also a genuinely engaging neo-noir detective story. While it’s not a consistently laugh-out-loud film as such, it throws unexpected jokes and one-liners into otherwise serious moments, and this is accentuated by the incredible comic timing of Gosling and Russell Crowe. If slick, slightly grimy films with the buddy dynamic of Lethal Weapon are your cup of tea, then The Nice Guys is absolutely in your lane. After all, we’ve got two flawed characters who are slightly out of their depth stumbling through a mystery for 116 minutes. What’s not to love?
If you’re expecting a feel-good, warm wedding comedy in Bridesmaids, then you’d be confused, then immersed into the messy and funny turn this movie takes when you watch it. Bridesmaids is for the ones who like their comedy rooted with real human emotions like jealousy and insecurity. But make no mistake, the movie is just as unhinged as you’d expect when a woman becomes her best friend’s maid of honor, and then finds herself competing with her seemingly perfect new friend.
Bridesmaids hits hard when it comes to the theme of friendship but still manages to keep things funny. Of course, the stakes here aren’t monumental, but are constant enough to keep things moving. The only little flaw would be that it’s tonally a bit inconsistent; at times, it feels character-driven, and other times it feels slightly exaggerated and this contrast can be jarring, especially when you watch it for the first time. Nevertheless, the emotionally reactive characters manage to redeem themselves by the end leading to a happily-ever-after, so all's well that ends well, I guess!
On Wednesdays (and almost every other day), we quote Mean Girls. When Cady Heron moves to a new school, she gets sucked into a ruthless high school ecosystem—teenage cliques and the politics that comes with it. Mean Girls is the blueprint for sharp and socially aware teen comedies, with dialogues that still feel new today as it did when the movie was released in 2004.
While Mean Girls had one sequel, Mean Girls 2, and a musical version of Mean Girls, personally for me, nothing comes close to the Rachel McAdams and Lindsay Lohan starrer. It’s easy to watch, and doesn’t really demand too much from you. The entire premise is about Cady trying to bring down the reigning mean girl Regina George, and with it comes a lot of passive-aggression that reflects real social dynamics in a funny way. If you enjoyed the social satire of Heathers, then Mean Girls is perfect for fans of teen-centered stories in high school settings. And, we all wanted that Burn Book didn’t we? Only me?
Now comes a movie that truly fascinated me to the point where I want to congratulate the person who pitched this fabulous idea. What We Do in the Shadows follows an unironically funny group of vampires sharing an apartment in New Zealand. Here, the biggest issue they have to deal with is who’s doing the dishes and how to use the internet. Imagine sharing space with someone for centuries—honestly, I’d be pretty peeved eventually as well.
Dry humor and mockumentary enthusiasts will have a blast with What We Do in the Shadows. The film doesn’t use slapstick humor, so if that’s what you’re looking for, then this movie might be underwhelming. However, if watching immortal, blood-sucking creatures of the night fight over chores secretly thrills you, then you’re in the right place. What We Do in the Shadows is fresh and clever, without trying too hard, which is why it’s low-key one of the most rewatchable comedies here. If the vampires roommates hooked you with their deadpan nature, then you can watch the 2019 series of the same name which brings the everyday conflicts to an apartment in Staten Island.
Imagine waking up with zero memory of what happened the previous night and realizing that the hotel room suggests your evening went less than spectacularly, so now you have to reconstruct the aftermath piece by piece. Add to that a tiger in the bathroom and a missing groom, and you’ve got chaos incarnate in The Hangover. (How aptly titled!)
The Hangover should be a staple on your ‘comedy films to watch’ list, because it offers humor that thrives in escalation. There’s always a new discovery, and it’s almost always making things worse than clearer. Fans of situational humor and “one disastrous night” format will feel right at home with the Wolfpack (and Mike Tyson) in The Hangover. The movie doesn’t really prioritize emotional depth, but the friendship between the characters is kind of sweet. For first time watchers, the film is a treat, but the rewatch value, at least for me, has been low. If you found the part mystery, part disaster film entertaining, then you’ll enjoy the rest of the trilogy just as much!
Monty Python and the Holy Grail might be the oldest film on this list, but let’s give this satirical film the due it deserves! King Arthur gathers a group of knights in search of the Holy Grail, only to be constantly derailed by the most absurd encounters like killer rabbits, for some reason. I’m not complaining though because this movie presents itself as a medieval adventure, but is far from it.
Tonally, it’s closest in spirit to Airplane! but Monty Python feels looser, as if it isn’t really interested in keeping things realistic (like, at all). The movie won’t win any awards for its historical accuracy as there isn’t any, but maybe that’s overrated anyways. Monty Python is iconic for a reason; I mean, it may be completely unhinged, but we can’t deny that it has influenced comedies even decades later, the vibe of which you can feel in properties like Deadpool and The Simpsons. While it doesn’t have the structure of more modern comedies, it has a unique flair of its own (that fourth-wall breaking scene?), making this movie very British and very deserving of a spot on this list.
If repeating the same day over and over sounds exhausting, then our weatherman protagonist goes through that exact same thing in Groundhog Day. Sent to cover the titular day in a small town leads to him reliving the events repeatedly. And if the film sounds like a simple “guy stuck in a time loop” premise, then Groundhog Day will surprise you with its comedy, even with its philosophical undertones.
Groundhog Day is ideal for those who like their humor layered; not really in-your-face, based on shock value, or punchlines like conventional comedies, but more so how repetition becomes the joke and the vehicle for character growth. Although it might sound a bit too heavy to be on this list, Groundhog Day is definitely worth the watch for its payoff and for the way it tackles the plot without fully abandoning its humor. And correct me if I’m wrong, but there’s no rule that states that comedies can’t also be thoughtful, is there? For both humor and reflection in one neat package, you can’t have a better film than Groundhog Day.
The first time I heard of We’re the Millers, I was sold on the story. I mean, a small-time drug dealer puts together a fake family consisting of a stripper, a runaway, and a socially awkward neighbor, so that he can smuggle a shipment across the US border. What could possibly go wrong? Turns out, quite a bit, and that’s what the entire R-rated crime-comedy is about.
People who love ensemble humor and forced-proximity tropes will like We’re the Millers, where the humor largely comes from four mismatched individuals going on this strange journey with increasingly bad situations. The chemistry between Jennifer Aniston, Emma Roberts, Will Poulter, and Jason Sudeikis is definitely the highlight, as they sell the kind-of absurd scenarios well enough that we go along with it without batting an eye. That said, the film isn’t really for young audiences as it contains quite a few mature scenes and dialogues, but if Due Date’s road-trip chaos was fun, then We’re the Millers is also a similarly entertaining ride.
