Paste's The 100 Best Comedies of All Time

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For some, slapstick and farce hit the spot while more cerebral fare falls flat. For others, deft character studies that find the humor in our all-too-human foibles are the only comedies worth watching. In considering the top comedies ever made, there are as many flavors of culturally specific comedy as there are cultural sensibilities (and, of course, there are plenty of folks capable of enjoying more than one type). Faced with this challenge, we’ve decided to approach this particular list in a manner that seeks to guarantee laughter and amusement for the people most likely to look to it when seeking something that will bring some joy to the daily grind. These films have been chosen (and ranked) based on how many laughs we think they are likely to generate for the modern audience.

Ultimately, when creating a list of the best comedies ever it’s all about the laughs. Every film on this list should be a dependable source of grins, chuckles and guffaws. After all, life is hard, people can suck, misfortune may indeed lurk around every corner, and we all know how it ends. Let the films on this list of best comedies ever made—and the laughter they elicit—help balance the scales.

Note: Because so much of the impact of comedies often relies on language, we’ve only included English language films on this list.

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  1. 1 new

    Raising Arizona

    1987, in 9 top lists Check
  2. 2 new

    Annie Hall

    1977, in 34 top lists Check
  3. 3 new

    Duck Soup

    1933, in 24 top lists Check
  4. 4 new

    The Philadelphia Story

    1940, in 22 top lists Check
  5. 5 new

    Young Frankenstein

    1974, in 14 top lists Check
  6. 6 new

    The Princess Bride

    1987, in 19 top lists Check
  7. 7 new

    Life of Brian

    1979 — a.k.a. Monty Python's Life of Brian, in 18 top lists Check
  8. 8 new

    Airplane!

    1980, in 14 top lists Check
  9. 9 new

    It Happened One Night

    1934, in 29 top lists Check
  10. 10 new

    A Fish Called Wanda

    1988, in 8 top lists Check
  11. 11 new

    Blazing Saddles

    1974, in 14 top lists Check
  12. 12 new

    Modern Times

    1936, in 30 top lists Check
  13. 13 new

    His Girl Friday

    1940, in 22 top lists Check
  14. 14 new

    The General

    1926, in 33 top lists Check
  15. 15 new

    This Is Spinal Tap

    1984, in 22 top lists Check
  16. 16 new

    Some Like It Hot

    1959, in 35 top lists Check
  17. 17 new

    Monty Python and the Holy Grail

    1975, in 23 top lists Check
  18. 18 new

    Groundhog Day

    1993, in 22 top lists Check
  19. 19 new

    Bringing Up Baby

    1938, in 23 top lists Check
  20. 20 new

    Shaun of the Dead

    2004, in 13 top lists Check
  21. 21 new

    When Harry Met Sally...

    1989, in 16 top lists Check
  22. 22 new

    The Great Dictator

    1940, in 25 top lists Check
  23. 23 new

    Best in Show

    2000, in 3 top lists Check
  24. 24 new

    M*A*S*H

    1970, in 21 top lists Check
  25. 25 new

    The Lady Eve

    1941, in 20 top lists Check
  26. 26 new

    Love and Death

    1975, in 5 top lists Check
  27. 27 new

    National Lampoon's Vacation

    1983, in 1 top list Check
  28. 28 new

    The Big Lebowski

    1998, in 26 top lists Check
  29. 29 new

    Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

    2004, in 6 top lists Check
  30. 30 new

    The Odd Couple

    1968, in 3 top lists Check
  31. 31 new

    Bull Durham

    1988, in 8 top lists Check
  32. 32 new

    Sullivan's Travels

    1941, in 24 top lists Check
  33. 33 new

    The Kid

    1921, in 17 top lists Check
  34. 34 new

    Caddyshack

    1980, in 5 top lists Check
  35. 35 new

    Horse Feathers

    1932, in 6 top lists Check
  36. 36 new

    Wet Hot American Summer

    2001, in 2 top lists Check
  37. 37 new

    Singin' in the Rain

    1952, in 37 top lists Check
  38. 38 new

    Rushmore

    1998, in 11 top lists Check
  39. 39 new

    Friday

    1995, in 2 top lists Check
  40. 40 new

    Safety Last!

    1923, in 16 top lists Check
  41. 41 new

    Ferris Bueller's Day Off

    1986, in 11 top lists Check
  42. 42 new

    Four Lions

    2010, in 0 top lists Check
  43. 43 new

    Office Space

    1999, in 7 top lists Check
  44. 44 new

    There's Something About Mary

    1998, in 11 top lists Check
  45. 45 new

    Being There

    1979, in 15 top lists Check
  46. 46 new

    Arsenic and Old Lace

    1944, in 9 top lists Check
  47. 47 new

    The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!

    1988, in 7 top lists Check
  48. 48 new

    L.A. Story

    1991, in 1 top list Check
  49. 49 new

    Ghostbusters

    1984, in 13 top lists Check
  50. 50 new

    Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make...

    2006, in 8 top lists Check
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Last updated on Jun 27, 2023; source