I started to do a top 10 list of my favorite comedy movies, but I was having a lot of trouble narrowing it to 10 so I ended up with 17 on the list. Most of these movies are from the late 70s, 80’s, or early 90’s. That’s not to say there are no funny movies nowadays, but they are few and far between and, in my opinion, the movies of today don’t hold a candle to these classics. Ranked from number 17 to number one.
17. Stripes (1981)
You can’t go wrong with Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, John Larroquette, and John Candy in the same movie. Stripes has a lot of great moments, and the “lighten up, Francis” scene is still used in memes and Gifs to this day.
16. Airplane (1980)
Airplane is one of the greatest satires of all time. There are so many funny moments in this movie that it’s hard to choose the best one. I guess I’ll choose a line I still use all the time whenever someone uses the word “surely” in conversation around me.
15. Vacation (1983)
I can relate to a lot in this movie. My family used to pack up all of our stuff into a station wagon like the “family truckster” and go on cross-country trips just like the Griswolds did in the movie. My favorite scene, other than the Aunt Edna corpse on the hood of the car, was John Candy as the Wally World security guard.
14. Groundhog Day (1993)
Another Bill Murray classic. There are a lot of good moments in this movie, but I always laugh when Phil punches Ned Ryerson.
13. Uncle Buck (1989)
Uncle Buck is one of my favorite John Candy movies. There are so many great scenes in this movie that it’s hard to pick my favorite. I guess I’ll go with the scene with Buck in the Assistant Principal’s office.
12. Animal House (1978)
Whenever I’m bored and scrolling through the guide on the TV and I see that Animal House is on, I stop and watch. This movie is great from beginning to end. My favorite scene? See below!
11. The Blues Brothers (1980)
John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd took their Saturday Night Live act to the big screen. The comedy in this movie was great and the music added a special touch. It’s kind of stupid, unrealistic comedy, but it works. Almost anyone can repeat the line below from memory…
10. Police Academy (1984)
I used to have large segments of this movie memorized because I watched it so much. It was a great cast of characters, especially the casting of Bubba Smith as Hightower. Here is the scene where Mahoney teaches Hightower to drive….
9. Back To School (1986)
Rodney Dangerfield was at his prime in this 80’s classic as a millionaire businessman who goes back to college to get his degree with his son. My favorite scene? Easy.
This movie was on recently and I jumped on Twitter and the millennials were all making fun of The Triple Lindy. I guess they don’t recognize a classic when they see it!
8. The 40-Year Old Virgin (2005)
Hey, at least I got one on the list from this century! Steve Carell was great in this movie and there are laughs throughout. The waxing scene is uproariously funny.
7. Revenge of the Nerds (1984)
This movie is hilarious throughout and it also has Julia Montgomery, aka Betty Childs, in it. That should be enough right there to watch it over and over again. And any movie with a belching contest in it has to make the list, right?
6. Office Space (1999)
This is a great movie making fun of cubicle life in a corporate office. A friend of mine and I recite the entire scene between Peter and “the Bobs” quite often!
5. Spaceballs (1987)
Star Wars fans probably appreciate this satire of this movie more than others, but it is a classic. One of the local movie theaters showed Spaceballs during the height of Covid when there weren’t many movies to show. I walked in and there were two other guys that I didn’t know that bought tickets and we had the whole theater to ourselves. When I walked in one of the guys said “I bet the three of us can recite every line in this movie.” Yep! You are correct, sir!
4. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987)
Steve Martin and John Candy were brilliant in this comedy about a man trying to get home to his family for Thanksgiving dinner. This is another movie that I turn on whenever I see it in the TV guide hoping that one of my favorite movie scenes is on….
3. Christmas Vacation (1989)
Christmas Vacation is not only the best Christmas movie ever, but one of the best comedies ever. I’ve seen this movie too many times to count and will watch it again this December to help get me in the Christmas spirit.
2) Ghostbusters (1984)
Ghostbusters is one of my favorite movies. It has comedy throughout, along with science fiction, the paranormal, and ghosts! There are some movie reviewers that I follow on YouTube and they compare many of the movies they review to Ghostbusters because they believe that it is one of the best comedies ever made. I happen to agree with them.
1. The Jerk (1979)
Steve Martin has done a lot of great things in his career, but I think “The Jerk” is probably the best. The entire movie is hilarious. Back when phone books were a “thing,” I always recited this famous line from the movie…
So what do you think? Should I go ahead and name this list “the best comedies of all-time?” What are some of your favorites?