The Top Comedies Of All Time

“Variety” dropped a new list of The 100 Best Comedy Movies of All Time, and they immediately raised eyebrows by putting “Airplane!” at #62 . . . which, for many fans, instantly invalidates the entire experiment. Still, once you get past that comedic injustice, the Top 20 is a pretty fascinating snapshot of what they consider the funniest films ever made.

Here’s how their Top 20 shakes out:

1. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
2. Some Like It Hot (1959)
3. Annie Hall (1977)
4. The Great Dictator (1940)
5. Waiting for Guffman (1996)
6. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
7. Duck Soup (1933)
8. Fargo (1996)
9. Young Frankenstein (1974)
10. Groundhog Day (1993)
11. Sherlock Jr. (1924)
12. Tootsie (1982)
13. Dr. Strangelove (1964)
14. Sideways (2004)
15. Playtime (1967)
16. His Girl Friday (1940)
17. The Heartbreak Kid (1972)
18. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
19. It Happened One Night (1934)
20. Superbad (2007)

It’s a list that stretches from silent-era classics to modern teen chaos, with slapstick, satire, mockumentaries, and deadpan nonsense all sharing the spotlight. There’s Mel Brooks, Monty Python, Chaplin, Coen Brothers, Christopher Guest, and even Jonah Hill navigating high school disaster.

Whether you agree with the rankings or not, the list is guaranteed to spark debates, movie marathons, and at least one heated conversation about how in the world “Airplane!” didn’t crack the Top 10 . . . or even the Top 50.

Doug O’Brien