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CaB's 100 Greatest Comedy Films Of All Time - The Big Vote 2017

Started by Serge, August 25, 2017, 11:02:11 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

Icehaven

Drop Dead Fred
Four Lions
Grosse Point Blank
Groundhog Day
Harold and Maude
Life of Brian
Modern Times
The Rebel
Wayne's World
Withnail & I

Just under; Bedazzled, The Great Dictator, South Park Bigger Bigger Longer and Uncut.

Quote from: chocky909 on August 26, 2017, 12:42:28 AM

Will anyone put Four Lions in their top 10?

Yes me. I don't think I'm the first either.




notjosh

Quote from: icehaven on August 29, 2017, 04:03:51 PM
Drop Dead Fred

Great film, and probably the most unfairly underrated movie on Rotten Tomatoes. Atrocious. I mean c'mon guys.

Andy147

Two Way Stretch
Top Secret!
Groundhog Day
Hot Fuzz
The Happiest Days of Your Life
Annie Hall
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
Le Diner de Cons
Office Space
Dr Strangelove

thraxx


Here are mine:

This is Spinal Tap
Airplane
Withnail & I
Life of Brian
Best in Show
Ghostbusters
Team America
Raw
Borat
South Park




newbridge

**SERGE: Disregard my previous post**

Revising my list to copy zomgmouse and add Pink Flamingos, which didn't jump to mind but is undoubtedly a comedy.

Alphabetically:

After Hours (1985) - Secretly the best Scorsese movie.

The Bank Dick (1940) - How can you have a list like this without W.C. Fields? Greatest comedic actor ever.

Dr. Strangelove (1964) - What more need be said?

Love and Death (1975) - Woody Allen at his best.

The Naked Gun (1988) - The best of joke-a-minute, reference-heavy comedies that have continued from the 1980s through the present. Funnier than Airplane!

One, Two, Three (1961) - James Cagney in a screwball Billy Wilder movie. Perhaps the best satire of the Cold War.

Pink Flamingos (1972) - Visionary!

Some Like It Hot (1959) - The best movie ever, period. Lemmon/Curtis with all-time great performances.

This Is Spinal Tap (1984) - I was thinking the other day of the ways Spinal Tap has influenced popular culture when David Lynch had a hand-drawn audience volume sign on Twin Peaks that, yes, went to 11.

Waiting for Guffman (1996) - My favorite Christopher Guest movie, but it's very hard to choose. Best in Show could easily be here instead.

His Girl Friday
Bringing Up Baby
The Ruling Class
Groundhog Day
Bedazzled (67)
The Heartbreak Kid (72)
Real Life
The Palm Beach Story
Sir Henry at Rawlinson End
The Crazy Family

Sin Agog

Hey, I was gonna recommend The Crazy Family to the guy who put Miike's Katakuris on their list, but I completely forgot.

Psmith

A shot in the dark,Dr Strangelove,The life of Brian,Ask a policeman,oh mr Porter,The wrong box,his girl friday,The Green Man,school for scoundrels,young frankenstein.

dinsdalep

The Blues Brothers
Airplane!
This Is Spinal Tap
Life Of Brian
Young Frankenstein
South Park: Bigger and so forth
The Court Jester
Napoleon Dynamite
Animal House
Take The Money And Run

Brundle-Fly

Quote from: Serge on August 26, 2017, 09:31:42 PM
Well, like I said, I'm going to take the first ten from every list and ignore the rest.

Sorry Serge.If it's not too late,  I'll have my first eight from first post and from my second post add Carry On Screaming & Mr Saturday Night to make it up to ten.

Dusty Substance



1(1). This Is Spinal Tap

2. Annie Hall

3. Dr. Strangelove

4. Monty Python And The Holy Grail

5. A Shot In The Dark

6. The King Of Comedy

7. The Ladykillers

8. Ghostbusters

9. Zelig

10. Trading Places





Serge

OK, so here are mine.

1. Le Dîner de Cons Just amazing. The plot is very simple - Pierre and his friends have a monthy dinner where they bring an idiot along to show off to their friends, and this month, he thinks he's found the king of idiots in François Pignon, but to make sure, he invites him round to his apartment before the big day. Over the course of the evening, Pignon manages to ruin Pierre's entire life, whilst remaining completely oblivious to the damage he's causing. Unlike in the American remake (which I confess I haven't seen), they don't feel the need to show the actual dinner (and, in fact, it's hard to see how that would work, plotwise.)

Other than a handful of scenes, the film is set wholly in Pierre's apartment (a clue that this was originally a play.) Jacques Villeret is fantastic as Pignon, managing to remain completely sympathetic throughout, despite the trail of havoc he wreaks - his face is absolutely perfect for the part. Thierry Lhermitte is also great as Pierre, also granting a largely unlikeable character a measure of sympathy. Along with Francis Huster, he presents a series of reaction shots to what's happening that might be the funniest thing in the film. The excellent Daniel Prévost turns up late in the film to make things worse for Pierre.

There isn't another film that has made me laugh as much as I did the first (and second, etc) time I saw this. I know farce isn't for everyone, but everyone should give this one a go.

2. Dr Strangelove, Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb Yeah, another vote for this. Peter Sellers' finest hour. Although everyone remembers his portrayal of Strangelove (and that does provide some of the biggest laughs in the film, including one from Peter Bull that remains in the film because Kubrick thought that Sellers' performance in the scene was so good), Captain Mandrake is equally as good, almost a straight role within the escalating madness of the film, and President Muffley is entertainingly ineffectual. The imminent death of everyone on the planet has never been so funny.

3. Three Colours White That rarity among Krzysztof Kieślowski's films, a dark comedy about divorce, impotence, revenge and mortality. Zbigniew Zamachowski is absolutely bloody fantastic as Karol Karol, whose marriage and life fall apart in Paris, necessitating a perilous undercover return to his home country of Poland ("home at last!" he cries, on being dumped unceremoniously in the middle of a rubbish dump), where he plots his revenge against his ex-wife (Julie Delpy, completely luminous, as always) with the help of his new friend Mikołaj (the excellent Janusz Gajos, looking uncannily like a Polish Bryan Ferry.) I've mentioned on here before that this film contains my favourite movie scene of all time - no spoilers, but it involves a frozen lake.

4. The Big Lebowski The first of two movies featuring bowling in my top ten - and I hate bowling. When I first saw this at the cinema, I loved the dialogue so much that, in the absence of it being immediately available to watch again at home, I went out and bought the screenplay the next day, just so I could read those lines again. "I'm a brother shamus!" "Careful man, there's a beverage here!" "I've had a rough day, and I really hate the fucking Eagles." etc etc. Jeff Bridges was born to play this role. As was Sam Elliott. John Goodman steals every scene he's in.  And all of the little details - the fact that Jon Polito's detective is driving a VW Beetle! - that the Coen Brothers manage to fill their films with. Fantastic.

5. Block-heads Although the scene with the tin bath in 'Sons Of The Desert' is in my top five things that have made me laugh of all time, the most consistently funny Laurel and Hardy film for me is this one, with more gags crammed into its 57 minutes than most people manage to get into films twice as long. I think the funniest bit is the section where Ollie thinks that Stan has lost a leg and carries him everywhere, even after Stan has helped him up, and which ends with Ollie sitting in a car being buried in sand. I'm laughing just typing that out. But it just continues knocking them out of the park all the way through. There was never anybody on Earth funnier than Laurel and Hardy.

6. Kingpin The second bowling-related film in my top ten (I still hate bowling), and also a film that contains another scene that's in my top five things that have made me laugh of all time, when Bill Murray's combover starts to unravel during the climactic bowling match. I was watching it with my best friend Jim, and we were both gasping for air, we were laughing so much. For the hair alone, this film belongs in my top ten, but it has a better gag rate than any other Farrelly film (including 'Dumb And Dumber') and Harrelson and Quaid have never been better. Also: "You didn't have to rub tabasco sauce in his eyes!"

7. Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy I remember going to see this at the cinema, and I've never sat in a screening where people were laughing so much. And this was not long after 'Dodgeball' came out, which isn't exactly a slouch in the laughs department. Will Ferrell is at his best here, and it was the first thing I'd ever seen Steve Carell in, though far from the last. Even the sequel is pretty damn good.

8. Good Bye, Lenin! Not many films can get laughs out of a woman with a fatal heart condition being kept in the dark about the fall of her beloved East Germany, but bloody hell, this one manages it. Daniel Brühl is great as the son trying to stop his mother from finding out the information that may kill her, going to ever increasing lengths to keep the charade up, despite the mounting evidence all around that proves otherwise. You wouldn't believe that a scene simply showing the distant unfurling of a banner glimpsed through a window could be so funny.

9. Welcome To Collinwood I've still not managed to see the Italian film upon which this was based, and I almost daren't, as I don't think it could live up to this. An amazing cast - Sam Rockwell, William H Macy, Michael Jeter, Isaiah Washington and Luis Guzmán (George Clooney essentially has an extended cameo despite taking prime position on the poster) - manage to stumble their way through an attempted robbery, where everything that can go wrong does go wrong. If you haven't seen it, check it out, it's an absolute gem.

10. Monty Python And The Holy Grail For my money, this is the best of their films. I know that compared to Brian it does feel more like a bunch of sketches lashed together, but I don't have a problem with that when the sketches are this bloody good. The highpoint for me is the scene between the drippy Prince Herbert and his father at Swamp Castle, and the following exchange between the king and the guards. John Cleese can't even speak on the commentary at this point, he's laughing so much.





Small Man Big Horse

Quote from: Serge on August 31, 2017, 02:32:35 PM
OK, so here are mine...

Interesting list Serge, I've somehow never seen Le Diner de Cons but am obtaining it as we speak. And I thought about including Three Colours White in my 'bubbling under' list as I enjoyed it a lot when I saw it at the cinema, but I haven't viewed it since so wasn't sure how well it aged, but I really must watch the whole trilogy again sometime soon. And I had no idea Welcome To Collinwood was any good, so am obtaining that too, and will report back once I've seen it.

More bubbling under films I forgot to add at the time (so not in my official top 10, but definitely worth watching): Look Who's Back, Better Off Dead, Sam Raimi's Crimewave, Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl, Sleeping Dogs Lie, World's Greatest Dad, They Came Together, The Muppets (2011).

Serge

Hope you enjoy 'Le Dîner de Cons'! Otherwise we could have a reverse 'Harold And Maude' situation on our hands.

The Three Colours trilogy are my favourite films of all time, and as one of them is a comedy, it had to make my top ten.

'Welcome To Collinwood' didn't really get the push it needed, I think. I seem to remember when I went to see it at the cinema, it was just my friend and myself and one other person at the screening (and this was when I was living in London.) It's completely underrated, and seems to be one that everyone I recommend it to enjoys. Think along the lines of 'Palookaville'.

You've reminded me that I still have to check out 'Look Who's Back'....


hewantstolurkatad

this thread is producing a ton of films to add to my watchlist guys, congrats!

Mildly surprised no one  has mentioned Toni Erdmann, I didn't like it so much but considering the overwhelming acclaim it got earlier this year I'd've thought someone would mention it.

Autopsy Turvey

Oo er, perhaps I shouldn't be surprised that there don't seem to be many takers for the Carry Ons round here. But even if you don't love outrageous smutty innuendo, even just watching Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey at full pelt is some of the most joy in comedy cinema.

The bit in Matron where they're fighting for Hattie's honour and then discover they're both Newts, one of them belongs to the Wapping and Old Stairs Pond, the other's a Grand Salamander Newt of the Watford Pond ("Glub glub!"), and Patsy Rowlands backing out of the room, terrified...

That Ella Taylor knows her onions.

Shoulders?-Stomach!

#76
Going for straight out laugh frequency/volume performance here off the top of my head

Coming to America
Trading Places
Holy Grail
Naked Gun
Superbad
Ace Ventura
Anchorman
Withnail & I
Airplane
Napoleon Dynamite

Honourable mentions:

Home Alone 2: Lost In New York
Uncle Buck
Austin Powers
The Parole Officer
Shaun of the Dead
Four Lions
South Park
Groundhog Day
Planes, Trains & Automobiles
Life of Brian
Porkys
Stakeout
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Hot Shots
Take the Money and Run
Everything you wanted to know about sex but were afraid to ask
The 40 Year Old Virgin
Sideways
Ferris Buellers Day Off
Revenge of the Nerds
Clerks
The Big Lebowski
The Man With Two Brains
Weird Science
A Fish Called Wanda
Alpha Papa
In The Loop

her?

1. Groundhog Day (My favourite film of all time. Perfection)
2. South Park: Bigger, Longer And Uncut (The only time I've ever cried uncontrollably with laughter in the cinema)
3. The Jerk (I've watched this so many times and it's still hilarious. I quote this film too much)
4. Withnail And I (Another film I quote too much)
5. This Is Spinal Tap (And again)
6. A Mighty Wind (It's a sweet film but it also makes me laugh more than any of the other Christopher Guest movies)
7. Ghostbusters (One of the first films I ever watched. I've not seen it in years but I presume I would still find it funny)
8. Anchorman (Saw this at the cinema with a couple of friends and we all laughed like idiots whilst the rest of the audience were silent. Now everyone loves it)
9. Airplane (Gags gags gags)
10. Rushmore (Couldn't decide what to put for number 10 so went with one of my favorite films, even if it's not as laugh out loud funny as the other stuff on my list)


her?

Quote from: Serge on August 31, 2017, 02:32:35 PM
7. Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy I remember going to see this at the cinema, and I've never sat in a screening where people were laughing so much. And this was not long after 'Dodgeball' came out, which isn't exactly a slouch in the laughs department. Will Ferrell is at his best here, and it was the first thing I'd ever seen Steve Carell in, though far from the last. Even the sequel is pretty damn good.

Interesting. As mentioned in my list, when I went to see it at the cinema everyone except me and my friends were deadly silent.

The sequel is unspeakably awful. Hard to put into words just how much I hated it.

Garam

can't be fucked doing a full list but i will nominate Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans as a major oversight in this thread, definitely a classic, and its status as a remake of the Ferrara/Keitel version makes it even funnier.


Best has to be Big Lebowski i guess. Which is interesting as the entire cast is made up straight actors...I guess John Goodman being the exception, making his bones in sitcom work. Not just the best comedy for me but also the best LA noir too. Different aspects of it make me laugh every time. Just the world it's in is amazing, it's like the extended universe of a Simpsons or South Park or something but in one standalone 100 minute movie...

Small Man Big Horse

Quote from: Serge on August 31, 2017, 09:42:41 PM
Hope you enjoy 'Le Dîner de Cons'! Otherwise we could have a reverse 'Harold And Maude' situation on our hands.

It's okay, our lives, and of those around us, are safe for the time being. I didn't like it quite as much as your good self, possibly because whilst I enjoy farce it's not my favourite genre of comedy, but it'd definitely make my 'bubbling under' list.

biggytitbo

Damn, I forgot about Kingpin. That would be on my list.



Serge

Quote from: Small Man Big Horse on September 01, 2017, 09:46:34 PM
It's okay, our lives, and of those around us, are safe for the time being. I didn't like it quite as much as your good self, possibly because whilst I enjoy farce it's not my favourite genre of comedy, but it'd definitely make my 'bubbling under' list.

To be fair, I don't think many people like it as much as I do! I was a bit obsessed with it when I first saw it.....

lankyguy95

I like Le Dîner de Cons a lot. Not sure if I like enough for it to be in my top ten (which I still need to arrange) but it is a really well-played film.

Serge


Norton Canes

Hang on - this is CaB's attempt at a definitive list of the 100 Greatest Comedy Films Of All Time... and there's no mention of a single Mike Leigh film?

Sake.

Rated for sheer comedy value rather than overall quality:

1. Nuts In May
2. Happy-Go-Lucky
3. Grown-Ups
4. Life Is Sweet
5. Abigail's Party
6. Secrets & Lies
7. Bleak Moments
8. Meantime
9. Another Year
10. Hard Labour

Dr Rock

Yeah good point. Reminds me I could've quite easily put Rita, Sue and Bob Too in my top ten.

Norton Canes


Andy147

Quote from: Serge on August 31, 2017, 02:32:35 PM
10. Monty Python And The Holy Grail For my money, this is the best of their films. I know that compared to Brian it does feel more like a bunch of sketches lashed together, but I don't have a problem with that when the sketches are this bloody good.

FWIW I've always thought Life of Brian also feels like a bunch of sketches lashed together, in that nearly all the highlights (for me) consist of "Brian encounters (or we see) someone in ancient Judea, hilarity ensues in a scene that isn't really vital to the plot, the person Brian met (or we saw) doesn't appear again in the film."

derek stitt

Right....

Rita Sue and Bob Too
Jabberwocky
Life of Brian
Up the Chastity Belt
Blockheads
My Learned friend (Will Hay)
The Producers
Dr Strangelove
Blazing Saddles
Love and Death