Entertainment
75 Best Comedy Movies of All Time, Ranked
Of all the cinematic genres, comedy is the hardest to truly master. Humor is so context-dependent and changes so wildly from person to person (let alone between generations) that many comedies struggle to have a strong, immediate impact, and a lot of the ones that do soon become outdated and glaringly of their time. However, there have been plenty of comedy movies throughout cinematic history that have proven themselves to be timeless and stand among the best movies of all time.
In a sprawling range that spans from masterpieces of the silent era to striking satires and ’70s spoofs, and even to some instant classics of the modern age, comedy cinema is littered with hilarious hits. United by runaway creativity and a universal embracing of the sheer, unbridled joy of a good laugh, these quintessential comedy classics are sure to leave audiences in stitches.
75
‘What We Do in the Shadows’ (2014)
Wonderfully irreverent and slyly clever, What We Do in the Shadows brings a sense of absurdist fun to the realm of Gothic horror as it follows a group of vampires living as flatmates in modern-day New Zealand. Presented as a documentary team’s insights into how vampires live, the acclaimed vampire movie soars with its deadpan sense of humor and its ability to juxtapose tropes surrounding the mythical beasts with a mundane normality that is beautifully understated.
It captures the idea of immortal and endlessly powerful beings navigating chore wheels, nightclub bouncers, and rental agreements with a tone that is as wickedly hilarious as it is endearingly goofy. A surprise hit on the global stage, What We Do in the Shadows was pivotal to making Taika Waititi an international star, while the concept itself has even spawned a spin-off television series.
74
‘The Lady Eve’ (1941)
Coasting on Barbara Stanwyck’s typically outstanding performance, The Lady Eve is a dazzling delight of screwball comedy. She co-stars as Jean Harrington, a con artist working with her father and his partner. Aboard an ocean liner, the trickster trio set their sights on Charles Pike (Henry Fonda), a shy and bumbling snake expert who is the heir to a family fortune, but when Jean and Pike fall in love, the situation quickly grows complicated.
Like so many gems of the screwball movies of its era, The Lady Eve offers a divine combination of biting, cynical wit, slapstick absurdity, and romantic tension, all of which unfurl as the propulsive and fast-paced story jets along at breakneck speed. Its subversive qualities make it incredibly easy to enjoy today, not only as an impeccably acted and written comedy, but as a sweet and sincere love story as well.
73
‘Toni Erdmann’ (2016)
Coming from Germany, Toni Erdmann is an absorbing black comedy imbued with a uniquely piercing ability to combine absurdist and cringe-worthy moments with profound meditations on the modern day’s demanding work-life balance. Sandra Hüller stars as Ines Conradi, a career-driven business executive who finds herself in a bind when her jovial prankster father begins posing as her boss’s life coach, a joke he hopes can amuse his daughter while allowing them to reconnect.
The line it walks is nothing short of astonishing, with director Maren Ade mastering both the awkward quirks of familial relationships while, more pointedly, emphasizing the corporate drive, emotional hollowness, and personal sacrifices many people have to embrace for their work. Grounded by beautifully nuanced performances and expertly finding pathos and tragedy in even the most humorous of moments, Toni Erdmann is a somber masterclass in heartbreaking, thought-provoking comedy, and it stands as one of the genre’s best films of the 2010s, even if it isn’t necessarily the most joyous.
72
‘Anora’ (2024)
The Best Picture winner of 2025, Anora is a curious beast that ultimately finds its heart as something between a chaotic black comedy and a propulsive character study. Anchored by Mikey Madison’s ensnaring lead performance, it unfolds as a hard-edged sex worker from Brooklyn whose life is upended when she begins a tumultuous romance with the son of a wealthy Russian oligarch. The situation fast becomes a frenzied, farcical mess for all involved when news of their marriage reaches Vanya’s (Mark Eydelshteyn) parents, who insist on the union being annulled.
Running a little like a manic screwball comedy with an unflappable penchant for proclivity and profanity, Anora is, at times, a hysterical descent into a scenario that only grows more outrageous the more it unravels. It interrupts its gritty details and confronting rawness with outbursts of obscene hilarity to be one of the funniest movies of the decade so far, even if it is its dramatic wrath, hopelessly flawed characters, and brilliant performances that tend to stay with the audience.
71
‘Scary Movie’ (2000)
Armed with a penchant for parody that is more bombastic than surgical, Scary Movie is a procession of sidesplitting sequences that poke fun at everything from defining gems of slasher cinema to masterpieces of psychological horror. Broadly modeled as a lampooning of Scream, it follows Cindy Campbell (Anna Faris) and her friends as they begin to suspect they are being stalked by a serial killer exactly one year after they accidentally killed a man and dumped his body in the lake.
Its story may not be overly complex, but it does serve as a platform for all the movie’s jabs at genre tropes, satire of the relationship between audiences and art, and, of course, as a solid foundation for all the absurdity on display, which almost earned it an NC-17 censorship rating. It is by far the best and most inspired of the influx of spoof movies that became commonplace through the 2000s, and its impact on horror fans and comedy lovers alike continues to be felt to this day.
70
‘Windy City Heat’ (2003)
Cold-hearted and callous, Windy City Heat has become a true cult classic of early 2000s comedy with its intriguing blend of high-energy momentum and documentary intensity that flaunts a wickedly sadistic glee at the premise of puerile pranks. The movie is itself one big hoax, following American comic Perry Caravello as he believes he has landed a lead role in a crime film called “Windy City Heat.” In actual fact, his journey through the filmmaking process is an elaborate con.
While many critics dismissed it as a shallow and even cruel spectacle, general audiences were more accepting of its jovial tone. The dedication to the long-running prank creates many moments of obscene hilarity, while its sense of hustle imbues it with a relentless energy that is utterly transfixing. It is a propulsive, profane spectacle of unpredictable hysteria where absolutely anything can, and often does, happen.
69
‘American Pie’ (1999)
A cunning evolution of the sex comedy movies of the 1980s, American Pie imbues the subgenre’s set formula of gross-out gags and raunchy humor with genuine heart, making for a coming-of-age classic that is both obscenely hilarious and surprisingly tender. Nearing the end of their time in high school, four teenage friends make a pact to lose their virginity by prom night. Their efforts to make good on their promise lead to plenty of absurd misadventures, moments of soul-shattering humiliation, but, for some, the discovery of love as well.
More than just a painfully relatable crude comedy to many, American Pie has become a gem of warm nostalgia as well, with its high school setting serving as a time capsule of the late-90s and the early-internet youth culture of pop-punk and irreverence. Whether it’s making viewers laugh-out-loud with its vulgarity or presenting unexpectedly wholesome scenes between Jim (Jason Biggs) and his father (Eugene Levy), American Pie is a treat of yesteryear comedy that has held up surprisingly well over the years.
68
‘Punch-Drunk Love’ (2002)
While it may be something of a hidden gem compared to other noteworthy titles in Paul Thomas Anderson’s incredible filmography, Punch-Drunk Love is still a masterpiece in its own right. An understated and dramatic subversion of the flowery wonder many rom-coms exude, it coasts on the back of Adam Sandler’s against-type performance as Barry Egan, a lonely and reserved small business owner who finds love in the form of his sister’s co-worker, Lena (Emily Watson). However, he finds his explosive temperament tested when his budding romance is jeopardized by an extortion scheme tied to a phone-sex line.
Its comedic tastes aren’t necessarily prone to outbursts of uproarious laughter, but they do present a quirky and offbeat sincerity that is both clever and endearing. Complemented by its dreamlike atmosphere, appetite for eruptions of chaos, the heartfelt chemistry between Watson and Sandler, and its quiet meditation on Barry’s struggles with anxiety and anger management, Punch-Drunk Love is a unique treat of cinematic comedy.
67
‘Shrek’ (2001)
A stunning subversion of the integral elements of animated family fantasy that stands not only as one of the best examples of the genre, but as a universally adored comedy as well, Shrek is one of the defining movies of the early part of the 21st-century cinema. Skewering the fairytale fables Disney animation became famous for, it follows the most unlikely hero in Shrek (Mike Myers), a feared ogre who reluctantly agrees to rescue a princess for a fairytale-hating lord in exchange for peace in his swamp. However, Shrek’s journey takes an unexpected turn when he finds himself falling in love with Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz).
Its parody of the form makes it an outstanding example of fantasy animation set to modern sensitivities. It isn’t just a hilarious lampooning of fairytales, but a heartfelt story of friendship, love, and the beauty of self-acceptance and authenticity that finds new depth in the genre. Bolstered by a litany of incredible voice acting performances, wonderful character dynamics, and a delightfully energized jukebox soundtrack, Shrek is animated comedy at its best and most accessible.
66
‘M*A*S*H’ (1970)
A razor-sharp and wickedly divine combination of piercing black comedy and anti-war sentiment, M*A*S*H is a true triumph of comedy cinema from Robert Altman that cleverly marries the absurdly hilarious with the considered and contemplative. It follows the American staff in a field hospital during the Korean War as they try to stomach the horrors of what they see by indulging in darkly humorous antics.
Imbued with the scathing, realistic bite that defined 1970s cinema, yet excelling as a timeless commentary on war and how the human condition responds to trauma, M*A*S*H manages to be both hysterically funny and poignant. It received five Academy Award nominations and won for its screenplay. It also effectively launched the hit comedy series of the same name that ran for 11 seasons from 1972 to 1983.
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