Comedy is hard to do and even harder to do well. But when it's done well as seen below, it can rank among the greatest movies ever made.
First off, some runners-up
The Princess Bride
Airplane
The Naked Gun
Beverly Hills Cop
Monty Python's Life Of Brian
A Fish Called Wanda
Clerks
Dogma
Flirting With Disaster
Get Shorty
South Park. Bigger Longer And Uncut
Clue
10: The Blues Brothers: Easily the best Saturday Night Live movie adaptation ever made (the again, the competition is minimal (that being Wayne's World)). Dan Akyroyd and John Belushi together offered up plenty of laughs and the great music and cameo appearances from the likes of Aretha, James Brown, Cab Calloway and Ray Charles help make this a musical comedy for the ages
9: Ghostbusters: Not directly based on an SNL sketch. But featuring SNL alumni writing and acting, this comedy makes up for its dated special effects by being loaded with intelligent humor.
8: Fast Times At Ridgemont High: Certain aspects of the film may have become dated (the fashions, some of the musical selections). But when one adds up all the elements, Fast Times is easily the best high school comedy of all time. Memorable characters and great dialogue.
7: Bull Durham: Easily the greatest sports comedy ever as well as my personal all-time favorite sports film. Kevin Costner's Crash Davis schools Tim Robbins' Nuke Laloosh. The romantic subplot works well, the baseball action is stage well yet the view of the game is realistic. Infinitely quotable too.
6: Groundhog Day: Easily Harold Ramis' finest moment behind the camera, this is the role that proved Bill Murray is a character actor. Unlike many comedies with a limited premise that fall into a rut, this one rises above it.
5: Blazing Saddles: Mel Brooks spoofs both the old west and American racism in general. Easily the most politically incorrect movie ever, this is also a comedy classic that's as fun as a gallon of Barq's Root Beer.
4: The Big Lebowski: The Coen Brothers funniest film has gained its status as a cult classic. Not plot-driven this is a mvoie about characters and attitude. The Dude Abides.
3: Dr. Strangelove: Easily the best satirical anti-war film of all-time, in much the same way as Catch 22 is the best satirical anti-war novel of all time. Superb performances, dialogue and great scenes. Not to mention even more relevant today in light of current events.
2: Young Frankenstein: Young Frankenstein is easily Brooks’s funniest movie as well as one that fused his trademark comedy with just the right amount of heart. Hilarious, moving and very quotable. Gene Wilder, Teri Garr, Cloris Leachman, Marty Feldman and Peter Boyle give superb performances.
1: Monty Python And The Holy Grail: When I first watched Monty Python And The Holy Grail in 1997 I was immediately convinced it was the funniest film ever. My opinion has not changed 16 years later. Definitely the definitive King Arthur movie ever made (barely edging out the serious Excalibur), as well as the one that exposed the inherent silliness prevalent in the Middle Ages. The Python gang takes satirical aim at the Arthurian legends and strike perfect hits. From the knights who say Ni to the troll bridge guard with his three questions not to mention the Black Knight, the dirty Frenchmen and the cowardly Sir Robin, this movie is pure comic perfection. Like all the other films on this list it’s eminently quotable. In essence, it stands as the most perfect comedy of all time.
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