My friends and I were having a bit of an argument over the top five comedy movies. Everytime I would be set on five...I would think of another...

My list in no particular order:

Dogma
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
The Big Lebowski
Ghostbusters
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls

What would your top five comedies be?

Office Space
South Park
Major League
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Happy Gilmore

Here are the first five of my favorites that I thought of (in chronological order).

Hot Water (1924)
Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)
Duck Soup (1933)
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

Mine are. . .

1. Animal House - IMO this IS one of the 5 "best" comedies of all-time, even though I hate that term. It's just a perfect light hearted comedy. It set's the benchmark for college movies.

2. Stripes - This would be my favorite comedy of all-time if it wasn't for the last 30 minutes of the movie dragging on.

3. Caddyshack - Again, another perfect comedy. I know what I said earlier, but how this is not on everyone's top 5 list is beyond me.

4. Ghostbusters - 3 of my 5 favorite comedies EVER have Bill Murray in them. It's why he is my all-time favorite comedic actor.

5. Real Genius - Not sure if this counts as a comedy. But it is damn funny & I just never get sick of watchinig this movie.

Monty Python and The Holy Grail
History of the World Part I
National Lampoon's Vacation
Raising Arizona
Friday

Tough to pick just 5...

1. The Producers
2. The Party
3. Blazing Saddles
4. The Jerk
5. The Big Lebowski

In alphabetical order:

Annie Hall
Duck Soup (surprised?)
Quick Change
Safety Last
A Shot in the Dark

It's very hard for me to only pick 5, so here's my honorable mention (also in alphabetical order):

City Lights
The Lavender Hill Mob
Monty Python's Life of Brian
Sullivan's Travels
Young Frankenstein

Special note: one of my rules when choosing my favorite comedies is "staying power." In other words, if I still like a comedy as much 10 years after I first saw it, it makes my list. Anything with less than 10 years to it doesn't qualify. Probably the next film to make the cut will be The Big Lebowski in 1998.

Big Lebowski

Office Space

LA Story

Caddyshack

and my personal favorite...Airplane!

My cousin Vinny
Office space
liar Liar
Mask
Austin powers -spy who shagged me

1 Raising Arizona
2 Midnight Run
3 Meet the Parents
4 Smokey and the Bandit
5 Christmas Vacation

I'm sorta bending the rules so as to favor variety and the FUNNIEST movies, rather than the best comedies...

Ghostbusters - I could easily fill the rest of the list with my other favorites starring Bill Murray - Groundhog Day, Scrooged, etc.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Planes, Trains & Automobiles - two great John Hughes comedies, with lots of heart.

Happy Gilmore - Adam's funniest.

Houseguest

Honorable Mention (in addition to those already mentioned):
Men at Work - Just plain hilarious.
Adventures in Babysitting
Midnight Run
Galaxy Quest
The Princess Bride

Sure, I've seen comedies from earlier than 1984, it's just that I find older comedies not particularly funny, as comedy seems to become dated in a hurry.

My faves...

1) Raising Arizona
2) Young Frankenstein
3) After Hours
4) Ghostbusters
5) Ferris Bueller's Day Off

1. Caddyshack
2. Big Lebowski
3. Old School
4. Office Space
5. Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Honorable Mention: South Park, Meet the Parents, The Jerk, Rushmore, Royal Tenenbaums

In no order:

O Brother Where Art Thou
UHF
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
This is Spinal Tap
Man on the Moon

Just a quick five in npo:

The Lady Eve
The Court Jester
Night at the Opera
Arsenic and Old Lace
His Girl Friday

Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Sleeper
Office Space
Dr. Strangelove
Bananas

Hmmm.... lets start with a little AFI perspective..., their top 5

1 Some Like it Hot 1959
2 Tootsie 1982
3 Dr. Strangelove 1964
4 Annie Hall 1977
5 Duck Soup 1933


To me, the most complete movies, as comedies, all around...

1. Ghostbusters(remarkably tight, well made movie)1
1a. Back to the Future(one of the best scripts ever, made better by across the board incredible performances, but not even on the AFI list)
3. Annie Hall(best comedy of the 70's)
4. Airplane
5. Monty Python's Life of Brian

And my personal favorite list, just for making me laugh and feel good...

1. Dazed and Confused
2. Caddyshack
3. Super Fuzz
4. Monkey Business
5. The Naked Gun
(and the honorable mentions: Fletch, The Holy Grail, There's Something About Mary, Clerks, )

And for shits and giggles, here's 6-100 on the AFI comedy list from a few years back. Some head scratchers for sure. Proof positive comedy is generational(Caddyshack #71???):

6) Blazing Saddles (1974)
7) M*A*S*H (1970)
8) It Happened One Night (1934)
9) The Graduate (1967)
10) Airplane! (1980)
11) The Producers (1968)
12) A Night at the Opera (1935)
13) Young Frankenstein (1974)
14) Bringing Up Baby (1938)
15) The Philadelphia Story (1940)
16) Singin' in the Rain (1952)
17) The Odd Couple (1968)
18) The General (1927)
19) His Girl Friday (1940)
20) The Apartment (1960)
21) A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
22) Adam's Rib (1949)
23) When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
24) Born Yesterday (1950)
25) The Gold Rush (1925)
26) Being There (1979)
27) There's Something About Mary (1998)
28) Ghostbusters (1984)
29) This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
30) Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
31) Raising Arizona (1987)
32) The Thin Man (1934)
33) Modern Times (1936)
34) Groundhog Day (1993)
35) Harvey (1950)
36) National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)
37) The Great Dictator (1940)
38) City Lights (1931)
39) Sullivan's Travels (1942)
40) It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)
41) Moonstruck (1987)
42) Big (1988)
43) American Graffiti (1973)
44) My Man Godfrey (1936)
45) Harold and Maude (1971)
46) Manhattan (1979)
47) Shampoo (1975)
48) A Shot in the Dark (1964)
49) To Be or Not to Be (1942)
50) Cat Ballou (1965)
51) The Seven Year Itch (1955)
52) Ninotchka (1939)
53) Arthur (1981)
54) The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944)
55) The Lady Eve (1941)
56) Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
57) Diner (1982)
58) It's a Gift (1934)
59) A Day at the Races (1937)
60) Topper (1937)
61) What's Up, Doc? (1972)
62) Sherlock Jr. (1923)
63) Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
64) Broadcast News (1987)
65) Horse Feathers (1932)
66) Take the Money and Run (1969)
67) Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
68) The Awful Truth (1937)
69) Bananas (1971)
70) Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
71) Caddyshack (1980)
72) Mr. Blanding Builds His Dream House (1948)
73) Monkey Business (1931)
74) 9 to 5 (1980)
75) She Done Him Wrong (1933)
76) Victor/Victoria (1982)
77) The Palm Beach Story (1942)
78) The Road to Morocco (1942)
79) The Freshman (1925)
80) Sleeper (1973)
81) The Navigator (1924)
82) Private Benjamin (1980)
83) Father of the Bride (1950)
84) Lost in America (1985)
85) Dinner at Eight (1933)
86) City Slickers (1991)
87) Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
88) Beetlejuice (1988)
89) The Jerk (1979)
90) Woman of the Year (1942)
91) The Heartbreak Kid (1972)
92) Ball of Fire (1941)
93) Fargo (1996)
94) Auntie Mame (1958)
95) Silver Streak (1976)
96) Sons of the Desert (1933)
97) Bull Durham (1988)
98) The Court Jester (1956)
99) The Nutty Professor (1963)
100) Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)

My all time personal top 5+5

1. Dr. Strangelove
2. The Big Liebowski
3. Sulivan's Travels
4. L.A. Story
5. Crimes and Missdameanors

6. Ghostbusters
7. Airplane
8. Blazing Saddles
9. Caddyshack
10.Waiting for Guffman

A hard one, as new comedies come out that make me forget about the old... and the ones i watch recently are more fresh in my mind. For me, i'll say...

The General
Dumb and Dumber
The Princess Bride
Jackass The Movie
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure

I think i'm the only one in the world who thinks Monty Python and the Holy Grail is the most overrated work ever

1. Blazing Saddles
2. Top Secret
3. National Lampoons Vacation
4. Road Trip
5. Mallrats

6. Meet the Parents
7. Kingpin
8. There's Something About Mary
9. American Pie 2
10. American Pie

Nothing better than a great comedy! I particularly love the comedic work by guys like Bill Murray, Gene Wilder, Woody Allen, Chaplin, Rowan Atkinson (just bought the mr. bean dvd set, hilarious!), and Mel Brooks (can't say I care for any of his 90's work though.. seems like he tried too hard),

* The Producers
* Annie Hall
* Modern Times
* M. Hulot's Holiday
* The Graduate
* Ghostbusters
* The Gold Rush
* Rushmore
* Love & Death
* Groundhog Day

in no order


American Pie
South Park movie
Happy Gilmore
Royal Tenenbaums
Election

Mine are, in no particular order:

-The Big Lebowski
-Amazon Women on the Moon
-Monty Python and the Holy Grail
-Annie Hall
-This is Spinal Tap

Dumb & Dumber
Austin Powers
Half Baked
Dont Be A Menace While Drinking Juice In The Hood
Airplane

1. Caddyshack
2. Animal House
3. Royal Tenenbaums
4. Austin Powers IMOM
5. This is Spinal Tap