Variety came out with their list of the 100 best comedy movies of all time, and I'm going to state up front that while I agree with a lot of it, there are some glaring omissions. I'll even admit I haven't seen everything—maybe not even most of what's on the list—but I still think they missed the mark. Before I get to what I think is missing, or comment on what I think is a terrible pick, let me show you what they chose. I'll highlight the ones I've seen in red.
1. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
2. Some Like it Hot (1959)
3. Annie Hall (1977)
4. The Great Dictator (1940)
5. Waiting for Guffman (1996)6. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
7. Duck Soup (1933)
8. Fargo (1996)
9. Young Frankenstein (1974)
10. Groundhog Day (1993)
11. Sherlock Jr. (1924)
12. Tootsie (1982)
13. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
14. Sideways (2004)
15. Playtime (1967)
16. His Girl Friday (1940)
17. The Heartbreak Kid (1974)
18. This is Spinal Tap (1984)
19. It Happened One Night (1934)
20. Superbad (2007)
21. The Bank Dick (1940)
22. Caddyshack (1980)
23. Trouble in Paradise (1932)
24. Bridesmaids (2011)
25. M*A*S*H (1970)
26. Borat! Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)
27. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
28. Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979)
29. When Harry Met Sally (1989)
30. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
31. Pink Flamingos (1972)
32. Sullivan's Travels (1941)
33. Lost in America (1985)
34. Withnail and I (1987)
35. School of Rock (2003)
36. Ed Wood (1994)
37. The Princess Bride (1987)
38. The Nutty Proffesor (1963)
39. Clueless (1995)
40. Zoolander (2001)
41. A Hard Day's Night (1964)
42. Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
43. Team America: World Police (2004)
44. Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
45. Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
46. Coming to America (1988)
47. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
48. Bringing up Baby (1938)
49. Shampoo (1975)
50. The Waterboy (1998)
51. Being John Malkovich (1999)
52. The Tall Blond Man With One Black Shoe (1972)
53. Broadcast News (1987)
54. Elf (2003)
55. Safety Last! (1923)
56. The Odd Couple (1968)
57. My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)
58. House Party (1990)
59. Pillow Talk (1959)
60. Big (1988)
61. The Birdcage (1996)
62. Airplane! (1980)
63. Going Places (1974)
64. A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
65. Poor Things (2023)
66. Eddie Murphy Raw (1987)
67. Hellzapoppin' (1941)
68. In the Loop (2009)
69. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)
70. Legally Blonde (2001)
71. Miracle at Morgan's Creek (1944)
72. The Big Lebowski (1998)
73. Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
74. Private Benjamin (1980)
75. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
76. Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005)
77. Blazing Saddles (1974)
78. A Night at the Opera (1935)
79. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
80. Bamboozled (2000)
81. The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
82. The Awful Truth (1937)
83. Wet Hot American Summer (2001)
84. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)
85. To Be or Not to Be (1942)
86. Idiocracy (2006)
87. Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
88. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy (2004)
89. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
90. Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969)
91. She Done Him Wrong (1933)
92. The Jerk (1979)
93. Hairspray (1988)
94. Clerks (1994)
95. Brazil (1985)
96. I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988)
97. Born Yesterday (1950)
98. Pretty Woman (1990)
99. Wayne's World (1992)
100. Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)
I’ve been trying to decide where I want to start my commentary on this list, and I think I’ll start with what I love about it.
My sense of humor is definitely on the darker side—so much so that I laughed out loud when the guy slid down the deck and pinged off the propeller blade in Titanic (1997). So it was great to see Fargo in the top ten. It’s one of my favorite movies of all time and a terrific example of dark comedy at its best. I do think there was room for some others, though: Nurse Betty (2000), Very Bad Things (1998), Serial Mom (1994), Dogma (1999), Go (1999), Heathers (1988), American Psycho (2000), Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995), Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead (1991), Knives Out (2019), and Game Night (2018) are all strong contenders that I love. There are actually two others, but they’ll come up later.
I loved seeing horror-comedy make the list with Shaun of the Dead, since it’s my second-favorite subgenre after dark comedy. And while I’ve never seen that particular movie, I’m not sure it’s the best example of the genre at its best. I’d put forth Jennifer’s Body (2009), Ready or Not (2019), Trick ’r Treat (2007), Happy Death Day (2017), Krampus (2015), House (1985), Gremlins (1985), Little Shop of Horrors (1986), The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020), Ghostbusters (1984), Fright Night (1985), and The ’Burbs (1989) as either substitutions or additions.
I loved seeing Cary Grant all over the list, especially with His Girl Friday, which is my absolute favorite romantic comedy of all time. The chemistry between him and Rosalind Russell is off the charts. But I was really surprised that Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) wasn’t one of his selected movies. Three of my favorites were also skipped over: Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948), Houseboat (1958), and My Favorite Wife (1940).
I have to admit, given I haven’t seen a lot of these movies, that this isn’t a bad list overall—I’m just 1000% sure it’s not a list I would ever put together. So here are my proposals to fix it.
The inclusion of a Christmas movie would normally be something I’d celebrate, but I really don’t like Will Ferrell, so seeing Elf—when there are far better choices—felt like a stab in the back. These are the movies I’d propose instead: Christmas in Connecticut (1945), The Ref (1994), Christmas with the Kranks (2004), or The Holiday (2006). And while I may not necessarily like the next three movies, I’m still surprised they were passed over for Elf: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989), A Christmas Story (1983), and Home Alone (1990).
This may be wildly unpopular, but I’m not a fan of Jim Carrey, Vince Vaughn (as a comedic actor), Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler, Mike Myers, or the aforementioned Will Ferrell, so I’d like to see all of their movies off this list. I’d replace them with any combination of the following: Lucille Ball in The Long, Long Trailer (1953); Lily Tomlin in Big Business (1988) and 9 to 5 (1980); Michael J. Fox in The Secret of My Success (1987); Diane Keaton in Baby Boom (1987); Melanie Griffith in Working Girl (1988); Mary Gross in Feds (1988); Jeremy Renner in Tag (2018); Goldie Hawn in Overboard (1987); and Elisabeth Shue in Adventures in Babysitting (1987).
Speaking of movies I’d like to get rid of, I’m annoyed that there are so many films on this list where cisgender male characters dress as women for laughs, deception, or both. Instead, I’d like to replace two of them with The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995). And speaking of bad stereotypes played for laughs, I’d replace The Birdcage with any of the following: Edge of Seventeen (1998), In & Out (1997), But I’m a Cheerleader (1999), Jeffrey (1995), Trick (1999), or Red, White & Royal Blue (2023).
While I may not like every movie I’m about to list, I’m still flabbergasted that not a single John Hughes movie—directed or written by him—is included. The Breakfast Club (1985), Pretty in Pink (1986), Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), Uncle Buck (1989), Sixteen Candles (1984), Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987), The Great Outdoors (1988), She’s Having a Baby (1988), Mr. Mom (1983), and Weird Science (1985) are all missing in action. It’s shocking and needs to be corrected.
Before I list the movies whose absence feels like pieces of my soul are missing, I wanted to mention a few others I was surprised not to see, even if they aren’t favorites of mine: Beetlejuice (1988), 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), Friday (1995), Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), and Grumpy Old Men (1993).
Now we’re down to the four movies left off this list that not only shocked me but left me judging every single person who put it together.
Auntie Mame (1958) is just about my favorite movie of all time. Rosalind Russell is so damn funny here, as is the entire cast. I first watched this in high school on A&E, when those two letters actually stood for something, and it’s been my favorite movie ever since. I would do anything to have an Auntie Mame in my life.
Speaking of Rosalind Russell, she’s comedy gold in The Women (1939), which has an all-female cast including Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer. I watch it at least once a year and will probably be doing so for decades to come.
How Death Becomes Her (1992) was passed over is beyond me. Goldie Hawn, Meryl Streep, and Bruce Willis act the hell out of these roles, delivering some delightful one-liners.
That leaves the biggest snub, in my opinion: Clue (1985). This movie shouldn’t just be on the list—it should be number one. I wouldn’t be surprised if flames appeared on many faces after not seeing this movie listed. The cast is full of comedy legends who know how to deliver a line. Rejecting them like this should be illegal.
What do y’all think of the list? What do you think shouldn’t be on it, and what do you think got brutally snubbed? No matter what, whether the movies are on the list or among the ones I mentioned, I hope you decide to give a few you’ve never seen a watch—and maybe even revisit an old favorite you haven’t thought of in a while. Happy watching!
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