CLASSIC CLIPS TOP 25 GREATEST COMEDY MOVIES OF ALL TIME

The Criteria for our top 100 list are as follows: 1) Ground Breaking Cinematography and Special Effects (excluding CGI, which we consider, mostly but not entirely, to be over used and a lazy form of Art), 2) Groundbreaking and/or Original Plot, 3) Superlative Screenplay (original or adaptation), 4) Great Acting, 5) Great Directing and Producing, 6) Great Film editing, including Sound, and, 7) Lasting, memorable and original Musical Score. Other criteria include character development, level of suspense, intrigue, tension and sustained interest. The list of movies below contain at least one or more of the above elements, beginning with our pic for the # 100 spot.

 

25. Ghost Busters (1984)
A Supernatural Comedy full of Ghoulish Laughs and Fun

Ghost Busters

Ghostbusters is a 1984 American supernatural comedy film directed and produced by Ivan Reitman, and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler, three eccentric parapsychologists who start a ghost-catching business in New York City. It also stars Sigourney Weaverand Rick Moranis, and features Annie Potts, William Atherton, and Ernie Hudson in supporting roles.

Based on his own fascination with spirituality, Aykroyd conceived Ghostbusters as a project starring himself and John Belushi, in which they would venture through time and space battling supernatural threats. Following Belushi's death in 1982, and with Aykroyd's concept deemed financially impractical, Ramis was hired to help rewrite the script to set it in New York City and make it more realistic. It was the first comedy film to employ expensive special effects, and Columbia Pictures, concerned about its relatively high $25–30 million budget, had little faith in its box office potential. Filming took place from October 1983 to January 1984, in New York City and Los Angeles. Due to competition for special effects studios among various films in development at the time, Richard Edlund used part of the budget to found Boss Film Studios, which employed a combination of practical effects, miniatures, and puppets to deliver the ghoulish visuals. - Source Wikipedia

Buy The Movie
Watch The Trailer

Watch How This Movie Was Made



Honorable Mentions

Ghost Busters 2
Ghost Busters II (1931)


 
 

24. Caddy Shack (1980)
ESPN said it is "Perhaps the Funniest Sports Movie Ever Made"

Caddy Shack

Caddyshack is a 1980 American sports comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, written by Brian Doyle-Murray, Ramis and Douglas Kenney, and starring Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, Michael O'Keefe and Bill Murray with supporting roles by Sarah Holcomb, Cindy Morgan, and Doyle-Murray.

Caddyshack was Ramis's directorial debut and boosted the career of Dangerfield, who was previously known mostly for his stand-up comedy. Grossing nearly $40 million at the domestic box office (the 17th-highest of the year), it was the first of a series of similar comedies.

The film has a cult following and was described by ESPN as "perhaps the funniest sports movie ever made."

A sequel, Caddyshack II (1988), followed, although only Chase reprised his role and the film was poorly received. - Source Wikipedia

Buy The Movie
Watch The Trailer
Watch How This Movie Was Made


Honorable Mentions

Ground Hog DayGround Hog Day (1993)



 
 

23. Ace Ventura - Pet Detectvie (1994)
Actor / Comedian Jim Carrey at His Zaney finest!

Ace Ventura Pet Detective

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is a 1994 American comedy film starring Jim Carrey as Ace Ventura, an animal detective who is tasked with finding the abducted dolphin mascot of the Miami Dolphins football team. The film was directed by Tom Shadyac, who wrote the screenplay with Jack Bernstein and Jim Carrey. The film co-stars Courteney Cox, Tone Loc, Sean Young, and then-Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino and features a cameo appearance from death metal band Cannibal Corpse.

Morgan Creek Productions produced the film on a budget of $15 million, and Warner Bros. released the film in February 1994. It grossed $72.2 million in the United States and Canada and $35 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $107.2 million. It received mixed reviews from critics. Carrey's performance led to the film having a cult following among male adolescents. In addition to launching Carrey's film career, it also started a franchise, spawning the sequel film Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995), the animated television series Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (three seasons, 1995–2000), and later, standalone made-for-television sequel Ace Ventura Jr.: Pet Detective (2009). Source Wikipedia

Buy The Movie
Watch The Trailer
Watch How This Movie Was Made


Honorable Mentions

Ace Ventura When Nature Calls
Ace Ventura - When Nature Calls (1995)


 
 

22. See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989)
Actors Gene Wilder's and Richard Pryor's Best Comedy Film together

See No Evil Hear No Evil

See No Evil, Hear No Evil, is a 1989 American comedy film directed by Arthur Hiller. The film stars Richard Pryor as a blind man and Gene Wilder as a deaf man who work together to thwart a trio of murderous thieves. This is the third film (in a series of four) featuring Wilder and Pryor, who had appeared previously in the 1976 film Silver Streak and the 1980 film Stir Crazy. The film was released in the United States on May 12, 1989.

Released to a mixed to negative critical reception, See No Evil... was the comic duo's last financially successful film as a screen couple. Their next film together, 1991's Another You, was a box office failure as well as a critical one, and it proved to be the last collaboration of Pryor and Wilder.

Buy The Movie
Watch The Trailer

Watch How This Movie Was Made




Honorable Mentions

Trading PlacesTrading Places (1983)



 
 

21. Airplane! (1980)
Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Comedy

Airplane!

Airplane! (alternatively titled Flying High!) is a 1980 American parody film written and directed by the brothers Davidand Jerry Zucker, and Jim Abrahams in their directorial debuts, and produced by Jon Davison. It stars Robert Hays and Julie Hagerty and features Leslie Nielsen, Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Lorna Patterson. It is a parody of the disaster film genre, particularly the 1957 Paramount film Zero Hour!, from which it borrows its plot, central characters, and some dialogue. It also draws many elements from Airport 1975 and other films in the Airport series. It is known for its use of surreal humor and fast-paced slapstick comedy, including visual and verbal puns, gags, running jokes, and obscure humor. - Source Rotten Tomatoes

Released by Paramount Pictures, it was a critical and commercial success, grossing $171 million worldwide against a budget of $3.5 million. Its creators received the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Comedy, and nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and for the BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay.

Since its release, its reputation has grown substantially. It ranked sixth on Bravo's 100 Funniest Movies. In a 2007 survey by Channel 4 in the United Kingdom, it was judged the second-greatest comedy of all time, behind Monty Python's Life of Brian. In 2008, it was selected by Empire magazine as one of 'The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time', and in 2012 was voted #1 on The 50 Funniest Comedies Ever poll. In 2010, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." - Source Wikipedia

Buy The Movie
Watch The Trailer

Watch How This Movie Was Made




 
 

20. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
The Library of Congress deemed the Film "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" in 2014

Ferris Beuller's Day Off

Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a 1986 American teen comedy film written, co-produced, and directed by John Hughes and co-produced by Tom Jacobson. The film stars Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara, and Alan Ruck with supporting roles by Jennifer Grey, Jeffrey Jones, Cindy Pickett, Edie McClurg, and Lyman Ward. It tells the story of a high school slacker who skips school with his best friend and his girlfriend for a day in Chicago and regularly breaks the fourth wall to explain his techniques and inner thoughts.

Hughes wrote the screenplay in less than a week. Filming began in September 1985 and finished in November, featuring many Chicago landmarks including the then Sears Tower, Wrigley Field and the Art Institute of Chicago. The film was Hughes's love letter to Chicago: "I really wanted to capture as much of Chicago as I could. Not just in the architecture and landscape, but the spirit."

Released by Paramount Pictures on June 11, 1986, the film became the tenth-highest-grossing film of 1986 in the United States, grossing $70 million over a $5 million budget. The movie received acclaim from critics and audiences who praised Broderick's performance, the humor, and the tone.

In 2014, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." The film was followed by a television series, starring Charlie Schlatter as title character. A spin-off film titled Sam & Victor's Day Off, focusing on the two valets who took Cameron's father's Ferrari on a joy ride, is in development for Paramount. - Source Wikipedia

Buy The Movie
Watch The Trailer

Watch How This Movie Was Made




Honorable Mentions

Trading PlacesThere's Something About Mary (19)



 
 

19. Raising Arizona (1987)
Ranked 31st on The American Film Institute's 100 Years...100 Laughs List

Raising Arizona

Raising Arizona is a 1987 American crime comedy film directed by Joel Coen, produced by Ethan Coen, and written by Joel and Ethan Coen. It stars Nicolas Cage as H.I. "Hi" McDunnough, an ex-convict, and Holly Hunter as Edwina "Ed" McDunnough, a former police officer and his wife. Other members of the cast include Trey Wilson, William Forsythe, John Goodman, Frances McDormand, Sam McMurray, and Randall "Tex" Cobb.

The Coen brothers set out to work on the film with the intention of making a film as different from their previous film, the dark thriller Blood Simple, as possible, with a lighter sense of humor and a faster pace. Raising Arizona received mixed reviews at the time of its release. Some criticized it as too self-conscious, manneristic, and unclear as to whether it was fantasy or realism. Other critics praised the film for its originality.

The film ranks 31st on the American Film Institute's 100 Years...100 Laughs list, and 45th on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies" list. Raising Arizona was released in the United States on March 13, 1987. - Source Wikipedia

Buy The Movie
Watch The Trailer
Watch How This Movie Was Made








 
 

18. Blazing Saddles (1974)
Nominated for 3 Academy Awards

Blazing Saddles

Blazing Saddles is a 1974 American satirical western black comedy film directed by Mel Brooks, who also wrote the screenplay with Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, Norman Steinberg, and Alan Uger. The film stars Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and audiences, was nominated for three Academy Awards and is ranked No. 6 on the American Film Institute's 100 Years...100 Laughs list.

Brooks appears in three supporting roles, Governor William J. Le Petomane, a Yiddish-speaking Native American chief and "a director" in line to help invade Rock Ridge (a nod to Hitchcock); he also dubs lines for one of Lili Von Shtupp's backing troupe. The supporting cast includes Slim Pickens, Alex Karras, and David Huddleston, as well as Brooks regulars Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn, and Harvey Korman. Bandleader Count Basie has a cameo as himself, appearing with his orchestra.

The film is full of deliberate anachronisms, from the Count Basie Orchestra playing "April in Paris" in the Wild West, to Slim Pickens referring to the Wide World of Sports.

In 2006, Blazing Saddles was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. - Source Wikipedia

Buy The Movie
Watch The Trailer
Watch How This Movie Was Made


 


 
 

17. Young Frankenstein (1974)
Rated No. 13 on The American Film Institue's List of the 100 Funniest American Movies

Young Frankenstein

Young Frankenstein is a 1974 American comedy horror film directed by Mel Brooks. The screenplay was co-written by Brooks and Gene Wilder. Wilder also starred in the lead role as the title character, a descendant of the infamous Dr. Victor Frankenstein. Peter Boyle portrayed the monster. The film co-stars Teri Garr, Cloris Leachman, Marty Feldman, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, Richard Haydn, and Gene Hackman.

The film is a parody of the classic horror film genre, in particular the various film adaptations of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus produced by Universal Pictures in the 1930s. Much of the lab equipment used as props was created by Kenneth Strickfaden for the 1931 film Frankenstein. To help evoke the atmosphere of the earlier films, Brooks shot the picture entirely in black and white, a rarity in the 1970s, and employed 1930s-style opening credits and scene transitions such as iris outs, wipes, and fades to black. The film also features a period score by Brooks' longtime composer John Morris.

A critical favorite and box-office hit, Young Frankenstein ranks No. 28 on Total Film magazine's readers' "List of the 50 Greatest Comedy Films of All Time", No. 56 on Bravo's list of the "100 Funniest Movies", and No. 13 on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 funniest American movies. In 2003, it was deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" by the United States National Film Preservation Board, and selected for preservation in the Library of CongressNational Film Registry. It was later adapted by Brooks and Thomas Meehan as a stage musical. The film received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Sound and Best Adapted Screenplay, the latter of which was a nomination shared with Wilder and Brooks.

On its 40th anniversary, Brooks considered it by far his finest (although not his funniest) film as a writer-director. - Source Wikipedia

Buy The Movie
Watch The Trailer
Watch How This Movie Was Made





 
 

16. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
Winner of 2 Academy Awards, Including Best Actor

The Philadelphia Story

The Philadelphia Story is a 1940 American romantic comedy film, directed by George Cukor, starring Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, James Stewart, and Ruth Hussey. Based on the 1939 Broadway play of the same name by Philip Barry, the film is about a socialite whose wedding plans are complicated by the simultaneous arrival of her ex-husband and a tabloid magazine journalist. The socialite character of the play—performed by Hepburn in the film—was inspired by Helen Hope Montgomery Scott (1904–1995), a Philadelphia socialite known for her hijinks, who married a friend of playwright Barry.

Written for the screen by Donald Ogden Stewart and an uncredited Waldo Salt, it is considered one of the best examples of a comedy of remarriage, a genre popular in the 1930s and 1940s in which a couple divorce, flirt with outsiders, and then remarry—a useful story-telling device at a time when the depiction of extramarital affairs was blocked by the Production Code.

The film was Hepburn's first big hit following several flops, which had placed her on a 1938 list of actors considered to be "box office poison" compiled by Manhattan movie theater owner Harry Brandt. Hepburn acquired the film rights to the play, which she had also starred in, with the help of Howard Hughes in order to control it as a vehicle for her screen comeback. According to a Turner Broadcasting documentary MGM: When the Lion Roars, after Metro-Goldwyn-Mayerpurchased the film rights, they were skeptical about Hepburn's box office appeal, so MGM studio head Louis B. Mayer took an unusual precaution by engaging two A-list male stars (Grant and Stewart) to support Hepburn.

Nominated for six Academy Awards, the film won two: James Stewart for Best Actor, and Donald Ogden Stewart for Best Adapted Screenplay. MGM remade the film in 1956 as a musical, retitled High Society, starring Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, and Frank Sinatra.

The Philadelphia Story was produced by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1995.

Buy The Movie
Watch The Trailer

Watch How This Movie Was Made


Honorable Mentions

LA Story
L.A. Story (1991)


 
 

15. The Odd Couple (1969)
Nominated for 2 Academy Awards

The Odd Couple is a 1968 American comedy film directed by Gene Saks, produced by Howard W. Koch and written by Neil Simon, based on his 1965 play. It stars Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau as two divorced men, neurotic neat-freak Felix Ungar and fun-loving slob Oscar Madison, who decide to live together. The film was successful with critics and grossed over $44.5 million,[3] making it the third highest-grossing film of 1968 in the United States. The success of the film was the basis for the ABC television sitcom of the same name, starring Tony Randall and Jack Klugman as Felix and Oscar.

A sequel, The Odd Couple II, was released in 1998, almost three decades later, in which Lemmon and Matthau reprised their roles. However, it was a critical and commercial failure. - Source Wikipedia

Two friends try sharing an apartment, but their ideas of housekeeping and lifestyles are as different as night and day. It is the story of two divorced men - neurotic neat-freak Felix Ungar and fun-loving slob Oscar Madison - who decide to live together, even though their personalities clash. - Source Rotten Tomatoes

Buy The Movie
Watch The Trailer

Watch How This Movie Was Made



 




 
 

14. Bringing Up Baby (1938)
Ranked 88th on The American Film Institute's 100 Greatest American Films of all Time List

Bringing Up Baby

Bringing Up Baby is a 1938 American screwball comedy film directed by Howard Hawks, and starring Katharine Hepburnand Cary Grant. It was released by RKO Radio Pictures. The film tells the story of a paleontologist in a number of predicaments involving a scatterbrained heiress and a leopard named Baby. The screenplay was adapted by Dudley Nicholsand Hagar Wilde from a short story by Wilde which originally appeared in Collier's Weekly magazine on April 10, 1937.

The script was written specifically for Hepburn, and tailored to her personality. Filming began in September 1937 and wrapped in January 1938, over schedule and over budget. Production was frequently delayed by uncontrollable laughing fits between Hepburn and Grant. Hepburn struggled with her comedic performance and was coached by another cast member, vaudeville veteran Walter Catlett. A tame leopard was used during the shooting; its trainer stood off-screen with a whip for all of its scenes.

Bringing Up Baby was a commercial flop at release, although it eventually made a small profit after its re-release in the early 1940s. Shortly after the film's premiere, Hepburn was one of a group of actors labeled as "box office poison" by the Independent Theatre Owners of America. Her career would not recover until The Philadelphia Story two years later. The film's reputation began to grow during the 1950s when it was shown on television.

Since then, the film has gained acclaim from both critics and audiences for its zany antics and pratfalls, absurd situations and misunderstandings, perfect sense of comic timing, completely screwball cast, series of lunatic and hare-brained misadventures, disasters, light-hearted surprises and romantic comedy.

In 1990, Bringing Up Baby was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant," and it has appeared on a number of greatest-films lists, ranking 88th on the American Film Institute's 100 greatest American films of all time list. - Source Rotten Tomatoes

Buy The Movie
Watch The Trailer

Watch How This Movie Was Made





 
 

13. Manhattan (1979)
Nominated for 2 Academy Awards

Manhattan

Yes, we know, WE KNOW! Annie Hall won 4 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, so why have we relegated it to 'Honorable Mentions Status? Well, simply put, we thought Manhattan was a better movie. Most will disagree, perhaps, but I've watched both movies several times and have grown quite fond of this enchanting, heart engaging, black and white comedy/drama. I don't know, maybe its the use of shadows, the effect of deliberate space to alienate the characters (did you notice that?), the strange, nostalgic, sentimental way you feel about them; the disappointments, heartaches, uncertainties and the pure insanity of love and devastation it causes, you choose. I have, and I just gots-a-call-em-as-I sees-em. But hey, even the best critics and fans of Woody Allen Movies are torn between the two. - Source ClassicClips.ca

Director Woody Allen's love letter to New York City stars Allen as frustrated television writer Isaac Davis, a twice-divorced malcontent facing middle age alone after his wife, Jill (Meryl Streep), leaves him for a woman. Isaac is dating fresh-faced Tracy (Mariel Hemingway), a high school girl he knows is wrong for him, and begins to wonder if he and brainy writer Mary (Diane Keaton), the mistress of his best friend, Yale (Michael Murphy), might make a better couple. - Source Unnown Critic Review

The film received critical acclaim and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Hemingway and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen for Allen and Brickman. Often considered one of his best films, it ranks 46th on AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs list and number 63 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies".  In 2001 the United States Library of Congress deemed the film "culturally significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry. - Source Wikipedia

Buy The Movie
Watch The Trailer

Watch How This Movie Was Made



Honorable Mentions

Annie Hall (1977)


Hannah And Her Sisters (1986)

 
 

12. Sullivan's Travels (1941)
Historian Hal Erickson classified it as a "Classic" and a 'Masterpiece"

Sullivan's Travels

Sullivan's Travels is a 1941 American comedy film written and directed by Preston Sturges. A satire on the film industry, it follows a famous Hollywood comedy director (Joel McCrea) who, longing to make a socially relevant drama, sets out to live as a tramp to gain life experience for his forthcoming film. Along the way he unites with a poor aspiring actress (Veronica Lake) who accompanies him. The title is a reference to Gulliver's Travels, the 1726 novel by satirist Jonathan Swift about another journey of self-discovery.

Sullivan's Travels received disparate critical reception: The New York Times described it as "the most brilliant picture yet this year", praising Sturges's mix of escapist fun with underlying significance, and ranked it as one of the ten best films of 1941. But The Hollywood Reporter said that it lacked the "down to earth quality and sincerity which made [Sturges's] other three pictures of 1941 – The Great McGinty, The Lady Eve, and Christmas in July – "a joy to behold".

Over time, the film's reputation has improved tremendously. Media historian Hal Erickson classified it as a "classic", "one of the finest movies about movies ever made" and a "masterpiece". In 1990, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." - SourceWikipedia

Buy The Movie
Watch The Trailer

Watch How This Movie Was Made





 
 

11. The Lady Eve (1941)
Made many 'Top 100 Movies of all Time' Lists

The Lady Eve

The Lady Eve is a 1941 American screwball comedy film written and directed by Preston Sturges and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda.

The film is based on a story by Monckton Hoffe about a mismatched couple who meet on board an ocean liner. In 1994, The Lady Eve, which is included on many "Top 100" films of all-time lists, was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. - Source Wikipedia

Buy The Movie
Watch The Trailer
Watch How This Movie Was Made


 


 
 

10. Porky's (1981)
Winner of The Golden Reel Award

Porky's



Honorable Mentions

Porky's RevengePorky's Revenge (1985)

Animal House
Animal House (1978)


 

9. American Graffiti (1973)
Nominated for 5 Academy Awards

On the last day of summer vacation in 1962, friends Curt (Richard Dreyfuss), Steve (Ronny Howard), Terry (Charles Martin Smith) and John (Paul Le Mat) cruise the streets of small-town California while a mysterious disc jockey (Wolfman Jack) spins classic rock'n'roll tunes. It's the last night before their grown-up lives begin, and Steve's high-school sweetheart, a hot-to-trot blonde, a bratty adolescent and a disappearing angel in a Thunderbird provide all the excitement they can handle. - Source Rotten Tomatoes

Young George Lucas' influential hallmark film American Graffiti (1973) recreates the feel, landscape, and sounds of early 60s, small-town America - an historical time period (of JFK's Presidency and the New Frontier before the jarring assassination of late 1963 and the rest of an unpredictable era) that has since been irretrievably lost. Advertising posters and theatrical trailers for the film asked a nostalgic question to get viewers to reflect back to the pre-Beatles era. - Source Filmsite


Buy The Movie
Watch The Trailer
Watch How This Movie Was Made






 
 

8. The Pink Panther (1963)
Peter Sellers became a Household Name after this one

The Pink Panther

The Pink Panther is a 1963 American comedy film directed by Blake Edwards and distributed by United Artists. It was written by Maurice Richlin and Blake Edwards. It is the first installment in The Pink Panther franchise. Its story follows inspector Jacques Clouseau as he travels from Rome to Cortina d'Ampezzo to catch a notorious jewel thief known as "The Phantom" before he is able to steal a priceless diamond known as "The Pink Panther". The film stars David Niven, Peter Sellers, Robert Wagner, Capucine and Claudia Cardinale.

The film was produced by Martin Jurow and was initially released on December 18, 1963 in Italy followed by the United States release on March 18, 1964. It grossed $10.9 million in the United States and Canada. It was positively reviewed and has an 88% approval rating based on 34 votes on Rotten Tomatoes.

In 2010, the film was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry, as being "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant. - Source Wikipedia

Buy The Movie
Watch The Trailer
Watch How This Movie Was Made



Honorable Mentions

A Shot In The DarkA Shot in the Dark (1964)

The Pink Panther Strikes Again
The Pink Panther Strikes Agian (1976)

 
 

7. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
Writers Guild of America Nomination for Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium

Fat Times At Ridgemont High

Stacy Hamilton (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is a pretty, but inexperienced, teen interested in dating. Given advice by her uninhibited friend, Linda Barrett (Phoebe Cates), Stacy gets trapped in a love triangle with nice guy Mark Ratner (Brian Backer) and his more assured buddy Mike Damone (Robert Romanus). Meanwhile, Stacy's classmate Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn), who lives for surfing and being stoned, faces off against Mr. Hand (Ray Walston), a strict teacher who has no time for the slacker's antics.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a 1982 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Amy Heckerling (in her feature directorial debut), from a screenplay by Cameron Crowe, based on his 1981 book Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A True Story. Crowe went undercover at Clairemont High School in San Diego and wrote about his experiences. - Source Rotten Tomatoes

The film chronicles a school year in the lives of sophomores Stacy Hamilton (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and Mark Ratner (Brian Backer) and their older friends Linda Barrett (Phoebe Cates) and Mike Damone (Robert Romanus), both of whom believe themselves wiser in the ways of romance than their younger counterparts. The ensemble cast of characters form two subplots with Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn), a perpetually stoned surfer, facing off against history teacher Mr. Hand (Ray Walston), and Stacy's older brother, Brad (Judge Reinhold), a senior who works in entry-level jobs to pay for his car and ponders ending his two-year relationship with his girlfriend, Lisa (Amanda Wyss).

In addition to Penn, Reinhold, Cates, and Leigh, the film marks early appearances by several actors who later became stars, including Nicolas Cage, Eric Stoltz, Forest Whitaker, and Anthony Edwards (the first two in their feature film debuts).

In 2005, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." - Source

Buy The Movie
Watch The Trailer
Watch How This Movie Was Made

 


 
 

6. His Girl Friday (1940)
Ranked 19th on The American Film Institute's 100 Years...100 Laughs List

His gIRL friday

His Girl Friday is a 1940 American screwball comedy directed by Howard Hawks, starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russelland featuring Ralph Bellamy and Gene Lockhart. It was released by Columbia Pictures. The plot centers on a newspaper editor named Walter Burns who is about to lose his ace reporter and ex-wife Hildy Johnson, newly engaged to another man. Burns suggests they cover one more story together, getting themselves entangled in the case of murderer Earl Williams as Burns desperately tries to win back his wife. The screenplay was adapted from the 1928 play The Front Page by Ben Hechtand Charles MacArthur. This was the second time the play had been adapted for the screen, the first occasion being the 1931 film which kept the original title The Front Page.

The script was written by Charles Lederer and Ben Hecht, who is not credited for his contributions. The major change in this version, introduced by Hawks, is that the role of Hildy Johnson is a woman. Filming began in September 1939 and finished in November, seven days behind schedule. Production was delayed because the frequent improvisation and numerous ensemble scenes required many retakes. Hawks encouraged his actors to be aggressive and spontaneous, creating several moments in which the characters break the fourth wall. His Girl Friday has been noted for its surprises, comedy, and rapid, overlapping dialogue. Hawks was determined to break the record for the fastest film dialogue, at the time held by The Front Page. He used a sound mixer on the set to increase the speed of dialogue and held a showing of the two films next to each other to prove how fast his film was.

His Girl Friday was #19 on American Film Institute's 100 Years ... 100 Laughs and was selected in 1993 for preservation in the United States National Film Registry of the Library of Congress as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The film is in the public domain because the copyright was not renewed, though the play it was based on is still under copyright. - Source Wikipedia

Buy The Movie
Watch The Trailer

Watch How This Movie Was Made






 
 

5. The Out-Of-Towners (1970)
Best Actor and Best Actress Golden Globes Nominees

The Out-of-Towners is a 1970 American comedy film written by Neil Simon, directed by Arthur Hiller, and starring Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis. It was released by Paramount Pictures on May 28, 1970. The film centers on the many troubles George and Gwen Kellerman encounter as they travel from their home in suburban Ohio to New York City, where George, a sales executive, has a job interview. - Source Wikipedia

Buy The Movie
Watch The Trailer

Watch How This Movie Was Made



Honorable Mentions


The Prisoner Of Second Avenue (1975)

 


TheApartment (1960)


 
 

4. It Happened One Night (1934)
Winner of 5 Academy Awards, Including Best Picture

It Happened One Night Won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and  Best Adapted Screenplay. The only other Films to win all five major Academy Awards were One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991). Intrinsically provocative for its time (made 87 years ago!), the film was a work of genius at every level. - Source Classic Clips

It Happened One Night is a 1934 pre-Code American romantic comedy film with elements of screwball comedy directed and co-produced by Frank Capra, in collaboration with Harry Cohn, in which a pampered socialite (Claudette Colbert) tries to get out from under her father's thumb and falls in love with a roguish reporter (Clark Gable). 

It has garnered critical acclaim and is widely hailed one of the greatest films ever made it was selected for preservation in the US National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. - Source Wikipedia

Spoiled heiress, Ellie Andrews (Claudette Colbert), impetuously marries the scheming King Westley, leading her tycoon father (Walter Connolly) to spirit her away on his yacht. After jumping ship, Ellie falls in with cynical newspaper reporter Peter Warne (Clark Gable), who offers to help her reunite with her new husband in exchange for an exclusive story. But during their travels, the reporter finds himself falling for the feisty young heiress. - Source Rotten Tomatoe

Buy The Movie
Watch The Trailer
Watch How This Movie Was Made






 
 

3. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
A Must See - Sardonic, dark and Laughs galore!

Arsenic And Old Lace

Writer and notorious marriage detractor Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant) falls for girl-next-door Elaine Harper (Priscilla Lane), and they tie the knot on Halloween. When the newlyweds return to their respective family homes to deliver the news, Brewster finds a corpse hidden in a window seat. With his eccentric aunts (Josephine Hull, Jean Adair), disturbed uncle (John Alexander), and homicidal brother (Raymond Massey), he starts to realize that his family is even crazier than he thought. - Source Rotten Tomatoes

Arsenic and Old Lace is a 1944 American black comedy film directed by Frank Capra and starring Cary Grant. It was based on Joseph Kesselring's 1941 play of the same name. The script adaptation was written by Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein. The contract with the play's producers stipulated that the film would not be released until the Broadway run ended. The original planned release date was September 30, 1942. The play was a tremendous hit, running for three and a half years, so the film was not released until 1944.

The lead role of Mortimer Brewster was originally intended for Bob Hope, but he could not be released from his contract with Paramount Pictures. Capra had also approached Jack Benny and Richard Travis before learning that Grant would accept the role. On the Broadway stage, Boris Karloff played Jonathan Brewster, who is said to "look like Boris Karloff". According to TCM, Karloff, who gave permission for the use of his name in the film, remained in the play to appease the producers, who were afraid of what stripping the play of all its primary cast would do to ticket sales. Raymond Massey took Karloff's place on screen. The film's supporting cast also features Priscilla Lane, Jack Carson, Edward Everett Horton, and Peter Lorre.

Josephine Hull and Jean Adair portray the Brewster sisters, Abby and Martha, respectively. Hull and Adair, as well as John Alexander (who played Teddy Brewster), were reprising their roles from the 1941 stage production. Hull and Adair both received an eight-week leave of absence from the stage production, which was still running, but Karloff did not, as he was an investor in the stage production and its main draw. The entire film was shot within those eight weeks. The film cost just over $1.2 million of a $2 million budget to produce. - Source Wikipedia

Buy The Movie
Watch The Trailer
Watch How This Movie Was Made





 
 

2. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
Chevy Chase is Brilliant, Intense and Hillarious

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is a 1989 American Christmas comedy film and the third installment in National Lampoon magazine's Vacation film series. Christmas Vacation was directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik, written and co-produced by John Hughes, and starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, and Randy Quaid with supporting roles by Miriam Flynn, William Hickey, Mae Questel, Diane Ladd, John Randolph, E.G. Marshall, Doris Roberts, Juliette Lewis, and Johnny Galecki, and special appearances by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Nicholas Guest, Ellen Hamilton Latzen, Brian Doyle-Murray, and Natalia Nogulich.

Based on Hughes' short story "Christmas '59" that was published in National Lampoon, it tells the story of the Griswold family spending Christmas vacation at home with their relatives and the ensuing mayhem. - Source Wikipedia

An absolute Gem to find in your Christmas stocking!- Source Claasic Clips

Buy The Movie
Watch The Trailer
Watch How This Movie Was Made



Honorable Mentions

Natinal Lampoon's VacationNational Lampoon's Vacation (1992)

National Lampoon's European VacationNational Lampoon's European Vacation (1985)

 
 

1. Home Alone (1990)
Nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture

Home Alone

Home Alone is a 1990 American Christmas comedy film directed by Chris Columbus and written and produced by John Hughes. The first film in the Home Alone franchise, the film stars Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard, and Catherine O'Hara. Culkin plays Kevin McCallister, a boy who defends his suburban Chicago home from burglars after his family accidentally leaves him behind on their Christmas vacation to Paris.

Hughes conceived Home Alone while on vacation, with Warner Bros. being originally intended to finance and distribute the film. However, Warner Bros. shut down production after it exceeded its assigned budget. 20th Century Fox assumed responsibilities following secret meetings with Hughes. Columbus and Culkin were hired soon afterwards. Filming took place between February and May 1990 on location across Illinois.

Home Alone premiered in Chicago on November 10, 1990, and was theatrically released in the United States on November 16, and it received positive reviews, with praise for its cast, humor, and music. Home Alone grossed $476.7 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing live-action comedy until the release of The Hangover Part II (2011), and made Culkin a child star. Moreover, it was the second-highest-grossing film of 1990, behind Ghost. It was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, and Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedyfor Culkin, and for the Academy Award for Best Original Score for John Williams, and Best Original Song for "Somewhere in My Memory". Home Alone has since been considered one of the best Christmas films. A sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, was released in 1992. - Source Wikipedia

A truly great comedy-action film, a genuine Classic! - Source Classic Clips

Buy The Movie
Watch The Trailer

Watch How This Movie Was Made



Honorable Mentions

Home Alone 2: Lost In New YorkHome Alone II: Lost in New York (1992)


Mouse HuntMouse Hunt (1997)