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BBC asked 253 critics to determine the best comedies ever made. The results are...

Machine

Machine

Member
I worry about the future of comedy if people are seriously whining about the Marx Brothers being too high on the list and their favorite Will Farrell "comedy" being too low.
 
H

HawksWinStanley

Member
ShadowSoldier89 said:
I would absolutely shamelessly rank kung pow as one of the best comedies ever.

Also Hot Rod
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I like you.

While I don't think Kung Pow really holds up as well today (or maybe I've just seen it too many times) you can't help but appreciate the concept of just dubbing over an unintentionally funny movie like that.


And the walk to the event/riot scene in Hot Rod is still one of my favorite movie moments.
 
Y

Yiazmat

Member
'In Bruges' didn't make it? Also Purple Rose of Cairo >>> Annie Hall.

And Some Like It Hot is great but it isn't even the best Billy Wilder comedy.

p16s8mj.gif
 
G

gun_haver

Member
Comedy is more tied to the context of its production and release than any other genre I can think of. Really good stuff can remain funny forever and in most contexts, but making a 'best comedy in history' kind of list is even more impossible than the usually impossible best anything in history lists.
 
B

bishopcruz

Member
No Planes, Trains, and Automobiles? FUCK THIS LIST.

And Big Lebowski continues to be overrated, fucking 11 on the list? That's insane.
 
S

Steamlord

Member
Heshinsi said:
Only one film made after I was born and still in diapers in the top 10. I haven't watched a single movie in that group, and yet I don't think they're going to be funnier than some of the stuff I've enjoyed.
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So you admit you have no idea what you're talking about.
 
B

Bloodporne

Member
Thanks for reminded me of In Bruges, what a great film that was.

Regarding to Coming To America:

I remember seeing it when I was younger and had indeed just come to America and didn't really get it. Saw it again only a few years ago and it's really fucking funny.

Trading Places on the other hand, especially Dan Aykroyd's fate, used to crack me up.

bishopcruz said:
And Big Lebowski continues to be underrated, fucking 11 on the list? That's insane.
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Fixed that for you.
 
B

big ander

Member
Stinkles said:
The idea that someone would actually top Kek at Duck Soup or Jacque Tati stretches credulity. Seems like a cred measuring contest. Life of Brian and Some Like it Hot are genuinely deserved though. Pulp Fiction? Gtfo
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does it? Playtime is nonstop hysterical
Dreams-Visions said:
Raising Arizona was a classic. I watched it again recently...teh funny was definitely lacking.

edit: No Home Alone either? Whew.

edit: No Uncle Buck either? Yea I'm out. This is some bullshit.
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both of these movies suck, particularly compared to Raising Arizona which is an all-timer
Conkerkid11 said:
For every one of these lists, we need a version that isn't strictly movies made 50+ years ago.
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did a quick count: 41/101 are from 1980 or later. list seems to be pretty evenly distributed over decades.

Just because you guys (and you're in the vast majority) don't watch anything that didn't come out within the last 10 years doesn't mean there weren't good comedies. and when a list is being compiled from the rankings of people who literally spend their lives trying to absorb as much of film history as possible it's going to skew comprehensive. not towards the tastes you've formed on a strict diet of ferrell and murray and stiller and vince vaughn.
biggersmaller said:
Why do so few critics like Wet Hot American Summer?
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a handful of critics voted for it, looks like. I would hope in 10, 15 years when something like this is done it cracks the top 100.
kruis said:
Groundhog Day is by far the superior movie, there's no contest.
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This. Groundhog Day is a straight-up masterpiece. Ghostbusters is a blast when you're 10 years old.
 
kruis

kruis

Exposing the sinister cartel of retailers who allow companies to pay for advertising space.
jman2050 said:
Some Like It Hot is an amazing movie and Jack Lemmon is arguably at his best here. Also one of the best endings in movie history.

Definitely at least a defensible choice at number 1.
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I'd swap Annie Hall with The Appartment for more Billy Wilder/Jack Lemmon goodness in the top 10.
 
G

Ghostofst4rm4n

Neo Member
Wow this list is a bummer. No coming to america. And as much as I'm okay with some like it hot. The seven year itch was the better and funnier film....
 
D

DasPenguin

Member
WillyFive said:
The 2015 movie? The book was really funny, but the movie is more of a drama.
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It's no more drama than some of the other movies on the list. Which is why I keep screaming for Truman Show or Eternal Sunshine. Hell Eternal Sunshine is one of the better movies ever made.
 
P

Plum

Member
Jarmel said:
It's a horror satire that while having bits of dark comedy isn't comedic in nature. The ending and message throughout the film are fairly serious.
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Satire is comedy. Even if American Psycho wasn't a comedy, it had a tiny minority of the votes, it says nothing about the overall list and doesn't justify your dismissal of it.
 
S

ShadowSoldier89

Member
HawksWinStanley said:
I like you.

While I don't think Kung Pow really holds up as well today (or maybe I've just seen it too many times) you can't help but appreciate the concept of just dubbing over an unintentionally funny movie like that.


And the walk to the event/riot scene in Hot Rod is still one of my favorite movie moments.
Click to expand...
X9kFS5.gif

Rod: “What the hell? Was that because of us?”
Dave: “I dunno, man. It started off super positive, then it just got crazy.”
Kevin: “I did not like that at all.”
Rod: “No, Kev, none of us did.”
Rico: “Yeah, it was totally messed up. It’s disgusting how people will just, you know, take something good and just take advantage of a situation.”
Rod: “Yeah.”
Rico: “There was no time to do anything, except just leave and just hope that you’re not hurt.”


I quote this movie more than any other
 
dsp

dsp

Member
bishopcruz said:
No Planes, Trains, and Automobiles? FUCK THIS LIST.

And Big Lebowski continues to be overrated, fucking 11 on the list? That's insane.
Click to expand...

No Trains, no Uncle Buck, no Hughes at all.

Ghostofst4rm4n said:
Wow this list is a bummer. No coming to america. And as much as I'm okay with some like it hot. The seven year itch was the better and funnier film....
Click to expand...

Trading Places, which is on the list, is good, but Coming To America is a better comedy.
 
T

Thornton Reed

Member
My top 10 in no order

Borat
Team America
Withnail and I
Naked gun
Airplane
Scrooged
Trains planes and automobiles
Ghostbusters
Uncle buck
Groundhog Day

I like bill Murray
 
D

daviyoung

Banned
Bry0 said:
Well deserved for dr.strangelove. The movie is hilarious. Amazing characters all around.
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this is the real victory of the list

oh and fucking "Borat"...that character was much better suited to the 10 minute scenes he had as part of the Ali G Show
 
G

goodfella

Member
If this was a topic about games, the reaction in this thread would be the same as "Where is COD Black Ops 3?... and no Battlefield 1!? FUCK THIS LIST. Who voted for Half Life, some fucking 80yr old?"
 
F

Fancyarcher

Member
All of the comedies on this are list are pretty critically acclaimed, of course there's the odd choices (Pulp Fiction), but you're never gonna see something like say Hot Rod on this list because it wasn't very well-received critically when it first came out.

If people have an issue with this list, they should probably post their favorite comedy films. I know I once made a list of sorts, with some obvious choices & a few out of left field choices as well.

Stinkles said:
The idea that someone would actually top Kek at Duck Soup or Jacque Tati stretches credulity. Seems like a cred measuring contest. Life of Brian and Some Like it Hot are genuinely deserved though. Pulp Fiction? Gtfo
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Duck Soup is heavily acclaimed though, and fantastic.
 
F

Freeza Under The Shower

Member
nachum00 said:
Christ at these replies. It's like some of you think everything before you were born is shitty and antiquated.
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The arrogance of youth combined with a well-nurtured ignorance is pretty common in Western countries. It's a deadly combo to civilization, but it's great for profits.


I'm actually fine with this list, especially keeping the modern things limited to the lower ends. We all think that the things we grow up with are the greatest things ever, but in reality most of it intensely mediocre. Unless you think that all those 80s and 90s movies are actually all that great. Or god forbid, the 00s.
 
B

Bronx-Man

Banned
A couple of people are saying otherwise, but the main problem with this list isn't "Old shit suxx", it's that there's really good comedies from this era that deserve high spots too.
 
O

Onivulk

Banned
Airplane up where it should be.

Groundhog Day is a good movie but I wouldn't consider it a comedy even.

Zoolander is way too low.
 
Z..

Z..

Member
Bronx-Man said:
A couple of people are saying otherwise, but the main problem with this list isn't "Old shit suxx", it's that there's really good comedies from this era that deserve high spots too.
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I would agree with this post sans the "high". Alot of contemporary comedies do deserve spots, but high spots is stretching it.
 
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