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The Best Comedies of All Time

The comedy canon, measured: every comedy in our library ranked by composite score across 20+ authoritative lists, awards and polls.

Comedy is cinema's oldest continuous tradition — the first audiences paid to laugh, and Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton built film grammar itself out of the gag. The canon runs from their silent masterworks through Lubitsch's innuendo and Frank Capra's screwball populism to Billy Wilder's acid perfection in Some Like It Hot, then forks worldwide: Tati's engineered chaos, Fellini's carnivals, Woody Allen's neurotic New York, and the dark satirical line that leads to Parasite.

Apocalypse Now (1979) leads with a composite score of 6.84. Top 100 of 1447 films in our library.

By decade: 1980s · 1990s

Masters of the genre

  1. 1
    Apocalypse Now1979 · Francis Ford Coppola · United States · war, action, drama
    6.84

    Palme d'Or winner 1979 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #18 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #19

  2. 2
    All About Eve1950 · Joseph L. Mankiewicz · United States · drama, comedy
    5.87

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1950 · BAFTA Best Film winner 1951 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1951 #1

  3. 3
    Pulp Fiction1994 · Quentin Tarantino · United States · crime, drama, thriller
    5.76

    Palme d'Or winner 1994 · Empire 500 (2008) #9 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1994

  4. 4
    Parasite2019 · Bong Joon-ho · South Korea · comedy, drama, thriller
    5.72

    Palme d'Or winner 2019 · Oscar Best Picture winner 2019 · Film Comment year-end poll 2019 #1

  5. 5
    Annie Hall1977 · Woody Allen · United States · comedy, romance, drama
    5.55

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1977 · BAFTA Best Film winner 1978 · Siskel's annual top 10 1977 #1

  6. 6
    Dr. Strangelove1964 · Stanley Kubrick · United States / United Kingdom · comedy, war
    4.66

    BAFTA Best Film winner 1965 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #46 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1964

  7. 7
    One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest1975 · Miloš Forman · United States · comedy, drama
    4.63

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1975 · BAFTA Best Film winner 1977 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1976 #2

  8. 8
    8½1963 · Federico Fellini · Italy / France · comedy, drama, fantasy
    4.58

    Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #6 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1965 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #31

  9. 9
    Do the Right Thing1989 · Spike Lee · United States · comedy, drama
    4.39

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1989 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #24 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #29

  10. 10
    The Apartment1960 · Billy Wilder · United States · comedy, romance, drama
    4.38

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1960 · BAFTA Best Film winner 1961 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #54

  11. 11
    Singin' in the Rain1952 · Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen · United States · comedy, romance, musical
    4.30

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #10 · AFI 100 (2007) #5 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #52

  12. 12
    MASH1970 · Robert Altman · United States · comedy, drama, war
    4.25

    Palme d'Or winner 1970 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1970 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1970 #5

  13. 13
    La Dolce Vita1960 · Federico Fellini · France / Italy · comedy, drama
    4.24

    Palme d'Or winner 1960 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1960 #2 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #35

  14. 14
    Barry Lyndon1975 · Stanley Kubrick · United States / United Kingdom · drama, war, adventure
    3.95

    Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #12 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #45 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1975

  15. 15
    The Graduate1967 · Mike Nichols · United States · comedy, drama, romance
    3.92

    BAFTA Best Film winner 1969 · AFI 100 (1998) #7 · AFI 100 (2007) #17

  16. 16
    Shakespeare in Love1998 · John Madden · United Kingdom / United States · comedy, romance, drama
    3.77

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1998 · BAFTA Best Film winner 1999 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1999 #1

  17. 17
    Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives2010 · Apichatpong Weerasethakul · Thailand / France · comedy, drama, fantasy
    3.69

    Palme d'Or winner 2010 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2010 #1 · Film Comment year-end poll 2011 #2

  18. 18
    Viridiana1961 · Luis Buñuel · Mexico / Spain · comedy, drama
    3.59

    Palme d'Or winner 1961 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #52 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1962 #4

  19. 19
    It's a Wonderful Life1946 · Frank Capra · United States · comedy, romance, fantasy
    3.52

    AFI 100 (2007) #20 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1946 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #133

  20. 20
    One Battle After Another2025 · Paul Thomas Anderson · United States · drama, thriller, action
    3.50

    Oscar Best Picture winner 2025 · BAFTA Best Film winner 2026 · Film Comment year-end poll 2025 #1

  21. 21
    Some Like It Hot1959 · Billy Wilder · United States · comedy, romance, crime
    3.47

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #38 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #62 · AFI 100 (2007) #22

  22. 22
    Forrest Gump1994 · Robert Zemeckis · United States · comedy, drama, romance
    3.45

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1994 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1995 #4 · AFI 100 (2007) #76

  23. 23
    Nashville1975 · Robert Altman · United States · comedy, drama, musical
    3.41

    Ebert's annual top 10 1975 #1 · Siskel's annual top 10 1975 #1 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1975

  24. 24
    City Lights1931 · Charlie Chaplin · United States · comedy, romance, drama
    3.40

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #36 · AFI 100 (2007) #11 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #52

  25. 25
    Network1976 · Sidney Lumet · United States · comedy, drama, romance
    3.39

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1977 #2 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1976 · AFI 100 (2007) #64

  26. 26
    It Happened One Night1934 · Frank Capra · United States · comedy, romance
    3.27

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1934 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1934 #5 · AFI 100 (2007) #46

  27. 27
    Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid1969 · George Roy Hill · United States · comedy, drama, western
    3.27

    BAFTA Best Film winner 1971 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1969 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1970 #4

  28. 28
    Day for Night1973 · François Truffaut · France / Italy · drama, comedy
    3.25

    BAFTA Best Film winner 1974 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1974 #3 · Siskel's annual top 10 1974 #1

  29. 29
    Underground1995 · Emir Kusturica · France / Germany / Bulgaria · comedy, drama, war
    3.13

    Palme d'Or winner 1995 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1996 #3 · Kehr's annual top 10 1995 #2

  30. 30
    Anora2024 · Sean Baker · United States · comedy, drama
    3.08

    Palme d'Or winner 2024 · Oscar Best Picture winner 2024 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2025 #2

  31. 31
    Sense and Sensibility1995 · Ang Lee · United Kingdom / United States · drama, romance, comedy
    3.08

    BAFTA Best Film winner 1996 · Berlin Golden Bear winner 1996 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1995

  32. 32
    A Clockwork Orange1971 · Stanley Kubrick · United Kingdom / United States · drama, crime, thriller
    3.06

    Oscar Best Picture nominee 1971 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1972 #4 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #243

  33. 33
    Fargo1996 · Joel Coen, Ethan Coen · United States / United Kingdom · crime, drama, film-noir
    3.02

    Ebert's annual top 10 1996 #1 · Siskel's annual top 10 1996 #1 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1996

  34. 34
    Stranger Than Paradise1984 · Jim Jarmusch · United States / Germany · drama, comedy
    3.00

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1986 #1 · Locarno Golden Leopard winner 1984 · Hoberman's annual top 10 1984 #3

  35. 35
    Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri2017 · Martin McDonagh · United States / United Kingdom · drama, comedy, mystery
    3.00

    BAFTA Best Film winner 2018 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2018 #1 · TIFF People's Choice winner 2017

  36. 36
    Barton Fink1991 · Joel Coen, Ethan Coen · United States / United Kingdom · film-noir, comedy, drama
    2.98

    Palme d'Or winner 1991 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1991 #3 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1992 #5

  37. 37
    Modern Times1936 · Charlie Chaplin · United States · comedy, romance, drama
    2.97

    Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #72 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #78 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1938 #4

  38. 38
    Lost in Translation2003 · Sofia Coppola · United States / Japan · comedy, romance, drama
    2.95

    Film Comment year-end poll 2003 #1 · Sarris's annual top 10 2003 #1 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 2003

  39. 39
    Tom Jones1963 · Tony Richardson · United Kingdom · comedy, adventure, drama
    2.91

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1963 · BAFTA Best Film winner 1964 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1964 #8

  40. 40
    Going My Way1944 · Leo McCarey · United States · comedy, drama, romance
    2.89

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1944 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1946 #1 · National Film Registry (inducted 2004)

  41. 41
    A Room with a View1986 · James Ivory · United Kingdom · comedy, romance, drama
    2.81

    BAFTA Best Film winner 1987 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1986 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1987 #6

  42. 42
    Life Is Beautiful1997 · Roberto Benigni · Italy · comedy, drama
    2.80

    Cannes Grand Prix winner 1998 · TIFF People's Choice winner 1998 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1998

  43. 43
    Manhattan1979 · Woody Allen · United States · comedy, romance, drama
    2.77

    BAFTA Best Film winner 1980 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1980 #5 · Sarris's annual top 10 1979 #2

  44. 44
    Rain Man1988 · Barry Levinson · United States · drama, comedy
    2.77

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1988 · Berlin Golden Bear winner 1989 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1989 #4

  45. 45
    My Fair Lady1964 · George Cukor · United States · musical, romance, drama
    2.76

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1964 · BAFTA Best Film winner 1966 · AFI 100 (1998) #91

  46. 46
    Tootsie1982 · Sydney Pollack · United States · comedy, romance, drama
    2.74

    Oscar Best Picture nominee 1982 · AFI 100 (2007) #69 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1983 #8

  47. 47
    American Beauty1999 · Sam Mendes · United States · comedy, drama
    2.74

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1999 · BAFTA Best Film winner 2000 · TIFF People's Choice winner 1999

  48. 48
    Terms of Endearment1983 · James L. Brooks · United States · comedy, romance, drama
    2.73

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1983 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1984 #4 · Ebert's annual top 10 1983 #2

  49. 49
    The Full Monty1997 · Peter Cattaneo · United Kingdom / United States · comedy, drama
    2.62

    BAFTA Best Film winner 1998 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1997 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1998 #5

  50. 50
    Amélie2001 · Jean-Pierre Jeunet · France / Germany · comedy, romance, drama
    2.58

    César Best Film winner 2002 · TIFF People's Choice winner 2001 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2001 #6

  51. 51
    Inside Llewyn Davis2013 · Ethan Coen, Joel Coen · United States / France · drama, musical, comedy
    2.58

    Film Comment year-end poll 2013 #1 · Cannes Grand Prix winner 2013 · Rolling Stone 100 Best of the 21st Century #18

  52. 52
    The Mother and the Whore1973 · Jean Eustache · France · comedy, drama
    2.58

    Cannes Grand Prix winner 1973 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #52 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #104

  53. 53
    Miracle in Milan1951 · Vittorio De Sica · Italy · fantasy, drama, comedy
    2.55

    Palme d'Or winner 1951 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1951 #3 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1952 #5

  54. 54
    The Gold Rush1925 · Charlie Chaplin · United States · silent, comedy, romance
    2.55

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1926 #1 · AFI 100 (2007) #58 · AFI 100 (1998) #74

  55. 55
    The Great Dictator1940 · Charlie Chaplin · United States · comedy, drama, war
    2.46

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1960 #1 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1940 · National Film Registry (inducted 1997)

  56. 56
    Amarcord1973 · Federico Fellini · France / Italy · comedy, drama
    2.45

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1974 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #157 · Siskel's annual top 10 1974 #3

  57. 57
    The Ballad of Narayama1983 · Shohei Imamura · Japan · comedy, drama
    2.39

    Palme d'Or winner 1983 · Japan Academy Prize winner 1984 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 1983 #5

  58. 58
    Green Book2018 · Peter Farrelly · United States · comedy, drama, biography
    2.39

    Oscar Best Picture winner 2018 · TIFF People's Choice winner 2018 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2019 #5

  59. 59
    The Sting1973 · George Roy Hill · United States · crime, comedy, drama
    2.37

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1973 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1974 #4 · National Film Registry (inducted 2005)

  60. 60
    Birdman2014 · Alejandro González Iñárritu · United States · comedy, drama
    2.36

    Oscar Best Picture winner 2014 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2015 #4 · Film Comment year-end poll 2014 #8

  61. 61
    Inglourious Basterds2009 · Quentin Tarantino · Germany / United States · war, drama, adventure
    2.36

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2009 #3 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 2009 · Film Comment year-end poll 2009 #7

  62. 62
    CODA2021 · Siân Héder · United States / France / Canada · comedy, drama, musical
    2.36

    Oscar Best Picture winner 2021 · Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner 2021 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2022 #6

  63. 63
    The Artist2011 · Michel Hazanavicius · France / Belgium · comedy, romance, drama
    2.35

    Oscar Best Picture winner 2011 · BAFTA Best Film winner 2012 · César Best Film winner 2012

  64. 64
    The Purple Rose of Cairo1985 · Woody Allen · United States · comedy, romance, fantasy
    2.32

    BAFTA Best Film winner 1986 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1986 #2 · TIME All-TIME 100

  65. 65
    The Story of Qiu Ju1992 · Zhang Yimou · China · comedy, drama
    2.30

    Venice Golden Lion winner 1992 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1993 #2 · Sarris's annual top 10 1993 #1

  66. 66
    La La Land2016 · Damien Chazelle · United States · romance, comedy, drama
    2.29

    BAFTA Best Film winner 2017 · TIFF People's Choice winner 2016 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 2016

  67. 67
    Playtime1967 · Jacques Tati · France / Italy · comedy, drama
    2.28

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #23 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #41 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1967 #5

  68. 68
    Sideways2004 · Alexander Payne · United States · comedy, romance, drama
    2.23

    Film Comment year-end poll 2004 #1 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 2004 · Sarris's annual top 10 2004 #2

  69. 69
    Get Out2017 · Jordan Peele · United States / Japan · horror, mystery, comedy
    2.21

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #95 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 2017 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2017 #4

  70. 70
    Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore1974 · Martin Scorsese · United States · romance, drama, comedy
    2.19

    BAFTA Best Film winner 1976 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1975 #3 · Ebert's annual top 10 1975 #3

  71. 71
    Black Orpheus1959 · Marcel Camus · France / Brazil / Italy · fantasy, musical, romance
    2.18

    Palme d'Or winner 1959 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1960 #6 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies

  72. 72
    Poor Things2023 · Yorgos Lanthimos · United States / United Kingdom / Ireland · thriller, fantasy, sci-fi
    2.18

    Venice Golden Lion winner 2023 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 2023 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2024 #4

  73. 73
    All About My Mother1999 · Pedro Almodóvar · France / Spain · comedy, drama
    2.16

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2000 #2 · Kehr's annual top 10 1999 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #157

  74. 74
    Short Cuts1993 · Robert Altman · United States · comedy, drama
    2.16

    Venice Golden Lion winner 1993 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1994 #3 · Siskel's annual top 10 1993 #2

  75. 75
    Claire's Knee1970 · Éric Rohmer · France · drama, romance, comedy
    2.14

    San Sebastián Golden Shell winner 1971 · Siskel's annual top 10 1971 #1 · Sarris's annual top 10 1971 #2

  76. 76
    Miller's Crossing1990 · Ethan Coen, Joel Coen · United States · film-noir, crime, drama
    2.13

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1991 #2 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1991 #3 · TIME All-TIME 100

  77. 77
    Driving Miss Daisy1989 · Bruce Beresford · United States · comedy, drama
    2.13

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1989 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1990 #8 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies

  78. 78
    Pierrot le Fou1965 · Jean-Luc Godard · France / Italy · romance, drama, comedy
    2.13

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1965 #1 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #85 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1967 #5

  79. 79
    Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind2004 · Michel Gondry · United States · comedy, romance, drama
    2.13

    Film Comment year-end poll 2004 #2 · Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #93 · Rolling Stone 100 Best of the 21st Century #17

  80. 80
    Triangle of Sadness2022 · Ruben Östlund · Sweden / Germany / United Kingdom · drama, comedy
    2.11

    Palme d'Or winner 2022 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 2022 · Criterion Collection spine #1178

  81. 81
    Hannah and Her Sisters1986 · Woody Allen · United States · comedy, romance, drama
    2.11

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1987 #3 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1986 · Sarris's annual top 10 1986 #2

  82. 82
    Four Weddings and a Funeral1994 · Mike Newell · United Kingdom · comedy, romance, drama
    2.10

    BAFTA Best Film winner 1995 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1994 · BFI Top 100 British films #23

  83. 83
    Everything Everywhere All at Once2022 · Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert · United States · sci-fi, action, comedy
    2.10

    Oscar Best Picture winner 2022 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2023 #9 · Letterboxd Top 250 #244

  84. 84
    Shall We Dance?1996 · Masayuki Suo · Japan · comedy, drama
    2.07

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 1996 #1 · Japan Academy Prize winner 1997 · Sarris's annual top 10 1997 #2

  85. 85
    When Father Was Away on Business1985 · Emir Kusturica · Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia · comedy, drama
    2.06

    Palme d'Or winner 1985 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1986 #5 · Kurosawa's 100 favorite films

  86. 86
    Once Upon a Time in Hollywood2019 · Quentin Tarantino · United States / United Kingdom · comedy, drama, crime
    2.06

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2019 #2 · Film Comment year-end poll 2019 #3 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 2019

  87. 87
    Bande à part1964 · Jean-Luc Godard · France · crime, romance, drama
    2.05

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1964 #1 · TIME All-TIME 100 · Scorsese's 39 essential foreign films

  88. 88
    Dog Day Afternoon1975 · Sidney Lumet · United States · crime, action, drama
    2.04

    Oscar Best Picture nominee 1975 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1976 #5 · National Film Registry (inducted 2009)

  89. 89
    American Graffiti1973 · George Lucas · United States · comedy, romance, drama
    2.03

    Oscar Best Picture nominee 1973 · AFI 100 (2007) #62 · AFI 100 (1998) #77

  90. 90
    The Funeral1984 · Jūzō Itami · Japan · comedy
    2.02

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (Japanese) 1984 #1 · Japan Academy Prize winner 1985 · Criterion Collection spine #1125

  91. 91
    Gigi1958 · Vincente Minnelli, Charles Walters · United States · comedy, romance, musical
    2.00

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1958 · National Film Registry (inducted 1991) · NYT Best 1,000 Movies

  92. 92
    Where is the Friend's Home?1987 · Abbas Kiarostami · Iran · comedy, drama
    2.00

    Sight & Sound 2022 directors' poll #72 · Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #157 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1993 #8

  93. 93
    A Matter of Life and Death1946 · Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger · United Kingdom · fantasy, drama, comedy
    1.99

    Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll #78 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1950 #6 · BFI Top 100 British films #20

  94. 94
    Y tu mamá también2001 · Alfonso Cuarón · Mexico · drama, comedy, romance
    1.99

    Rolling Stone 100 Best of the 21st Century #5 · Film Comment year-end poll 2002 #3 · Ebert's annual top 10 2002 #6

  95. 95
    Chicago2002 · Rob Marshall · United States / Canada / Germany · musical, comedy, drama
    1.98

    Oscar Best Picture winner 2002 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2003 #8 · NYT Best 1,000 Movies

  96. 96
    Weekend1967 · Jean-Luc Godard · France / Italy · comedy, drama
    1.96

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 1967 #3 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1969 #4 · Ebert's annual top 10 1969 #3

  97. 97
    The Grand Budapest Hotel2014 · Wes Anderson · United States / Germany · comedy, drama, adventure
    1.96

    Film Comment year-end poll 2014 #3 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 2014 · Rolling Stone 100 Best of the 21st Century #25

  98. 98
    Licorice Pizza2021 · Paul Thomas Anderson · United States · drama, comedy
    1.95

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2022 #1 · Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2022 #2 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 2021

  99. 99
    An Unmarried Woman1978 · Paul Mazursky · United States · comedy, drama
    1.94

    Ebert's annual top 10 1978 #1 · Sarris's annual top 10 1978 #1 · Oscar Best Picture nominee 1978

  100. 100
    You Can't Take It With You1938 · Frank Capra · United States · comedy, romance
    1.93

    Oscar Best Picture winner 1938 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 1939 #4

Comedy is cinema's oldest continuous tradition — the movies were practically born laughing. L'Arroseur Arrosé (1895), Louis Lumière's one-joke film of a boy pranking a gardener, is generally counted the first comedy ever put on screen, which means any serious ranking of the best comedy movies spans the entire history of the medium. It also collides with the genre's oldest grievance: the institutions that build canons have never quite taken laughter seriously.

From the gag to the grammar

The silent era was comedy's laboratory, dominated by three performer-filmmakers — Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd — who built much of film grammar itself out of the engineering of the gag. Sound split the form: laughter could now come from dialogue as well as pratfall, and the line of witty repartee ran through Ernst Lubitsch's innuendo and Frank Capra's screwball populism — It Happened One Night (1934) — to Billy Wilder, whose Some Like It Hot (1959) and The Apartment (1960) are the studio system's acid perfection. After that the tradition forks worldwide: Jacques Tati's engineered chaos, Federico Fellini's carnivals — La Dolce Vita (1960) sits at #48 in our library — Woody Allen's neurotic New York in Annie Hall (1977), and the dark satirical line that runs from Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove (1964) to Bong Joon-ho's Parasite (2019).

The genre the prizes forgot

Historians of the form have long noted a standing bias against giving comedy close, serious consideration when the major prizes are handed out, and the effect compounds: critics' polls skew solemn, so a comedy usually enters the canon by smuggling something else in — romance, melodrama, apocalypse. That is worth holding in mind on this page. A composite score built from lists, awards and polls inherits the solemnity of its sources, which means the purest comedies — the ones that are only funny — are systematically underweighted everywhere, including here.

How to read our list

Membership is carried by data, not by our taste: a film enters this page when the genre labels our pipeline inherits from Wikidata file it under comedy, and the order is our composite score across 20+ authoritative lists, awards and polls — never any single critic's ranking. The tag casts a wide net. Apocalypse Now (1979) and All About Eve (1950) sit at the very top — comedies mostly in the sense that wit and absurdity are among their registers — with Parasite (2019), the genre's most-garlanded recent entry, close behind. Meanwhile the men who invented the form cluster far lower: of Chaplin's entries, City Lights (1931) is the highest at #105 library-wide, with Modern Times (1936), The Gold Rush (1925) and The Great Dictator (1940) behind it — no Keaton or Lloyd film surfaces in the current top 100 at all, and Tati makes it only once, with Playtime (1967). Read that inversion as the prize deficit made visible, not as a verdict that Parasite is funnier than The Gold Rush, and treat the list as a floor for the genre, not its ceiling.