Admit it! Comedy is the only genre in movies that we could watch day in and day out during happiness or sadness, irrespective of the fact whether we are active or lousy. Yeah, other genres such as horror thrillers, suspense drama, romance or action may excite us more that comedy. However, comedy movies are often the best get away to uplift someone’s bad mood or bring laughter in anybody’s life.
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And, as the experts say, “Laughter is the best medicine” and what could be better than comedy films bundled with full of laughter and fun. So, in order to lighten up your busy life and fill it with simple doses of laughter every day, I bring you a list of best comedy movies in the history of cinema.
Best Comedy Films of All Time:
The first on our list is Airplane! released in 1980. It’s a parody film based on the plot from a 1957 Paramount film Zero Hour! as well as a few elements are taken from another disaster film Airport 1975 released in 1974. Written and directed by David Zucker, Jerry Zucker, and Jim Abrahams, the film stars the greatest comedian of all time, Leslie Nielsen in one of the lead roles alongside Robert Hays and Julie Hagerty. Winning both critical acclaim from across the globe, the film went on to become one of the biggest hits of 1980. In 2000, AFI (American Film Institute) also listed Airplane! at No.10 on the list of 100 funniest American films.
The Hangover is a film about a bachelor party in Las Vegas that goes south. Four friends decided to spend the bachelor party of the soon to be married Doug, portrayed by Justin Bartha, in Las Vegas. However, the things go awry when after getting drunk at night, Doug goes missing and the other three have no clue about the previous night’s events. After getting over their hangover, the three friends, played by Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, and Ed Helms must find the missing groom before the wedding ceremony. The film was very well appreciated at the box office that there were two sequels released in 2011 and 2013 to add it to The Hangover franchise.
Another slapstick comedy starring Leslie Nielsen as police lieutenant Frank Drebin, Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad is third on our list of top ten comedy films of all time. The film was adapted from the critically acclaimed but short-lived television comedy series Police Squad! broadcast in 1982. The creative team behind the series were impressed by the strong cult following, which encouraged them to make a film in 1988 around the same theme with Leslie Nielsen reprising the role of Frank Drebin in the movie as well. After gaining both critical and commercial success, this film was followed by two more sequels: The Naked Gun 2 ½ : The Smell of Fear in 1991 and Naked Gun 33 ½ : The Final Insult in 1994.
Released in 2007, Superbad is an American comedy featuring the life of two virgin and unpopular teenage kids in the high school. Superbad tells the story of any random teenage kid out there, who wants to impress the gang with some cool antics but gets into even more deeper trouble. The film was originally scripted and drafted by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg between the age of 13 and 15 and hence, it was decided to name the central characters of the movie after them. Seth Rogen also plays a cop in the movie. Superbad is also among the successful run of movies produced by Judd Apatow.
Borat is a mockumentary comedy film directed by Larry Charles. This film features Sacha Baron Cohen in the titular role, who is also the writer and producer of this British-American comedy adventure. The film tells us the story of fictitious Kazakh journalist, Borat Sagdiyev, who explores the United States meeting new people and recording all the interactions with each one of them. Being a foreigner and unaware of the American customs, there are so many comic elements and fun interactions with the Americans regarding their lifestyle.
A humorous take on the American culture of the 70s, especially the new Action News format, Anchorman: the Legend of Ron Burgundy is one of the most spectacular comedy movies of all time. Directed by Adam McKay, the film features a San Diego TV station and displays the fierce competition between different news stations in a funny way. Will Ferrell, who has also co-written the film, play the titular character of Ron Burgundy in the film, an anchorman at the fictional Sand Diego news station. The film has been listed several times among the top collections of comedy movies and all time greatest movies in the history of cinema.
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The first film of the franchise, American Pie created a revolution at the time of its release in 1999, especially among the younger audience. The huge success of the first film turned the concept into a huge franchise series consisting of eight successful feature films. American Pie tells the story of five high school friends, among whom four are still virgins and they create a pact to lose their virginity before their high school graduation. The rest of the film guarantees a lot of laughter for the audience, while the boys set off on the quest of losing their virginity.
As the title suggests, Bridesmaids is the story about bridesmaids and features events around the life of Annie after she is asked to become the maid of honor at the wedding of her best friend Lillian. After taking up the role as the maid of honor, a series of unfortunate events begin in Annie’s life, resulting in spoiling Lillian’s bachelorette party and bridal shower. Now, Annie must deal with her demons on her own and take control of her life and as a true maid of honor must make sure her best friend has the most perfect wedding. Whether she gets success or not forms the rest of the story.
Shaun of the Dead is the first horror comedy on our list. The film is directed by Edgar Wright and stars Simon Pegg in the titular role as Shaun along with Nick Frost as Ed. Shaun of the Dead tells the story of a man called Shaun, who wants to take control of his life while dealing with his girl friend, his mother, and stepfather. However, things go awry when amidst all of these, he has to fight the apocalyptic zombie uprising. Released in 2004, the film pleased the critics as well as got its fare of commercial success at the box office.
Featuring the Monty Python’s group of comedians in the religious satirical comedy, Life of Brian is a film directed by Terry Jones, who is one of the members of the Monty Python group. Starring Graham Chapman in the titular role as Brian, who was born on the same day as Jesus Christ and is mistaken as the Messiah as he is born right next door as the Son of God. Taking funny aims at different religious themes and being released in 1979, the film did attract a lot of controversies including accusations of blasphemy and protests from various religious sects during that time. Yet, the film received huge success at the box office and became the fourth highest-grossing film in the United Kingdom of that year.
several of those could be dropped and “kung fu hustle”, “shaolin soccer”, “el dia de labestia”, “kickass”, “tucker and dale fight evil”, to name a few, should be added.