10) Stripes (Columbia Pictures)
1981 - You gotta wonder how many takes it took them to go through that routine and then nail it perfectly on camera. Bill Murray obviously shines in every scene he is in as the down on his luck John Winger who joins the Army as a last resort to do something fulfilling with his life. Harold Ramis (who co-wrote the screenplay) doesn't ever get enough credit for his work as a comic actor like he should here and it's one of those rare moments, next to Ghostbusters, where we see him in a role that's far more than just a cameo. Warren Oates is a perfect comic foil for Murray as Sergeant Hulka (Uncle Hulka?), and when isn't John Candy likeable? Murray, Ramis and Ivan Reitman together (star, writer and director respectively) showed they could make magic with the entertainingly low budget Meatballs back in 1979. Two years later, they only got better with Stripes. It's irreverent and sloppy, but a hell of a fun time and that's the fact, Jack!
9) Hot Fuzz (Rogue Pictures)
2007 - You'll be seeing the British land a spot on this list a couple more times later on. After seeing, Shaun of the Dead, a part of me wondered if Edgar Wright (director/co-writer), Simon Pegg (star/co-writer) and Nick Frost (star) could top the zombie satire. They did just that with their hilarious and spot on satire of the buddy cop genre. The dialogue is sharp and witty, the comedy perfectly balances itself between dry and slapstick and Wright's direction is superb, putting together some excellently choreographed action sequences that are generally difficult to balance out in a comedy. Academy Award winner Jim Broadbent and Timothy Dalton are fantastic in their supporting roles, Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett, Bill Nighy, Martin Freeman and Steve Coogan pop up in some nice cameos, and it's great to see legendary British performers such as Edward Woodward (best known as Robert McCall in TV's The Equalizer) and Paul Freeman (Rene Belloq in Raiders of the Lost Ark) have fun with this material.
8) Groundhog Day (Columbia Pictures)
1993 - You think I was kidding when I said Murray and Ramis could make magic together? Bill Murray is nothing short of amazing as Phil Connors, the self-centered TV meteorologist at the center of this film that is forced to repeat Groundhog Day again and again until he has a change of heart. He's a cynical son of a bitch at first but his transformation throughout the course of this film is no doubt what makes this movie so perfect. If it's not Murray's greatest performance then it's certainly his most versatile. Along with Murray, Harold Ramis delivers one of his strongest writing and directorial efforts and Andie MacDowell gives a terrific supporting turn. You could watch this film as many times as Connors has to repeat the same day over and over again, and it'll never get old.
7) National Lampoon's Vacation (Warner Bros.)
1983 - "Why aren't we flying? Because getting there is half the fun!" Based on a true account of an ill-fated trip to Disneyland when writer John Hughes was a kid (one, looking back on my first trip to Cedar Point, I can relate to), National Lampoon's Vacation gave job security to both writer John Hughes and a young kid named Anthony Michael Hall. One of the best road trip comedies to ever grace the screen, this film featured the zany improvisation of Chevy Chase at its best. Throwing in some cameo appearances by John Candy, Eddie Bracken, Brian Doyle-Murray, Eugene Levy and Christie Brinkley, and a family reunion from hell sure to keep you laughing non-stop through its entirety doesn't hurt either.
6) A Christmas Story (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
1983 - If there isn't at least one moment you can relate to in this Christmas classic, then your childhood was lost. For me, slipping out an F-bomb in front of a parent? Yep. Mouth washed out with soap? Yep (to be fair, mine was gargling vinegar, but same purpose). As a kid, dreaming about that "grown up" moment where you get back at your parents (the hilarious "It was... soap poisoning." scene)? Yep. Desperately wanting a toy for Christmas so bad you could somehow never get? Yep. For a Christmas film, the humor gets surprisingly dark at times, but between Bob Clark's direction, Jean Shepherd's writing and the pitch perfect cast of Peter Billingsley, Darren McGavin and Academy Award nominee Melinda Dillon balance the darkly funny moments with the more lighthearted ones. Whether it's watching it on Christmas day or on a random week in April, this film will never wear out its welcome with me and the scene where Ralphie finally gets his big moment to speak to the mall Santa alone is worth the watch. By the way, for those who may be wondering I did get that desired toy (not a Red Rider, but those spiral wire bead roller coaster type toys you see at the doctor's office)... Close to 20 years later as a gag gift.
5) A Fish Called Wanda (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
1988 - I gotta learn Italian. Kevin Kline earned every bit of his Best Supporting Actor Oscar win. Monty Python veteran Michael Palin gives an equally Oscar worthy supporting performance next to Kline that never comes off as caricature. John Cleese, another Monty Python veteran, kills two birds with one stone to perfection, giving a great lead performance and writing the film's intelligently funny script, which complements Charles Crichton's direction extremely well. When it comes to comic timing, John Cleese is an absolute master of it, and the scene involving Cleese and his wife where he's trying to explain himself out of a jam is the only proof you need. Plus, I don't know of any other movie in the history of film where witnessing dogs die is as funny as it is here.
4) The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (Paramount Pictures)
1988 - Younger audiences probably remember Leslie Nielsen from horrible films like Superhero Movie and Stan Helsing, which he did just before his passing in 2010. That's a damn shame 'cause no one - and I mean no one - could deliver the most ludicrous dialogue with such a deadpan straight face better than Leslie Nielsen, and to me he'll always be remembered as Lt. Frank Drebin. His film Airplane! made my list of the top 50 movies of all-time and without that film's success, you wonder if Zucker and Co. would've made The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! Every joke written by the Zucker brothers, Jim Abrahams and Pat Proft hits the spot dead on. Nielsen and Priscilla Presley are perfect onscreen together, the supporting cast featuring Academy Award winner George Kennedy and a pre-murderous O. J. Simpson are great, and - hey, isn't that KAAAAAAHHHHN!!!! ? Also, trust me when I say that you'll never be able to watch a sex scene the same again after watching this film.
1) Monty Python and the Holy Grail (EMI Films)
3) Planes, Trains and Automobies (Paramount Pictures)
1987 - The late greats John Hughes and John Candy have both achieved much deserved critical and financial success prior to this film, but there's no question that Planes, Trains and Automobiles showcases Hughes's best turn as a writer/director and Candy's best performance. As Del Griffith, Candy proved once again, like he's done before, that he can be gut busting funny and the laughs are certainly never-ending. Never before has a played a character with as much heart as he does here though, and however annoying he is it first is gradually erased the more the story reveals to us about him. Pair him up with another comic icon in Steve Martin and you have the greatest road trip comedy in film. It's unfortunate that Candy finished his career with such a horrible film in Wagon's East. Thankfully, we have movies such as this one, among others, that remind us just how great of an actor he really was.
2) This Is Spinal Tap (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
1984 - First time I saw this I in no way saw that line at the end of the scene coming. One of director Rob Reiner's greatest films ever, This Is Spinal Tap set the standard for all mockumentary films to follow. Sharply written by the film's four stars, Christopher Guest (who's know stranger to great mockumentary films himself having filmed Waiting for Guffman, A Mighty Wind and Best in Show), Michael McKean, Rob Reiner and Harry Shearer, This Is Spinal Tap greatest achievement was that people actually believed Spinal Tap was an actual band when the film first came out. The fact that this film makes the idea of Spinal Tap that believable shows the genius of it and the filmmakers behind it. Every satirical take on all things rock music, whether it's the band getting lost backstage on their way to the show, stage props going horribly wrong (if the Stonehenge bit doesn't get you to at least crack a smile, you have no pulse), no one showing up to an autograph signing or the infamous Jazz Odyssey show is nailed to perfection. Do you have to be a musician to get the humor? Absolutely not. In fact, you may end up enjoying it more. If you're a musician like me there's a good chance you end up taking everything that happens here to heart so much you just wind up crying.
And here we are, the number one spot for this list. Drum roll, please...
1975 - "Tis but a flesh wound!" John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, the late Graham Chapman, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam: behold the six headed monster that is Monty Python. This film is as ridiculous as it gets, but what makes this such a classic from easily the greatest comedy troupe of all-time is that everyone involved is fully aware of just how ridiculous it is. From the moment we see the opening scene, hearing a horse's feet clopping only to realize it's coconuts being clapped while the knights pretend to ride their horses, it's full throttle with no intention from the gang to ever let their feet off the pedal. It's comical farce at its best and despite it's overwhelming ridiculousness, like all things Monty Python, there's a subtle brilliance to it. You'll quite possibly be wary of any nearby rabbits too after watching this.
There you have it, the top 10 comedies of all-time. Feel free to let me know what some of your favorite comedies are. Agree or disagree. Movies are subjective and that's what makes them so much fun. Until next time, here's to great films!
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