15 Classic Comedies That Are Still Laugh Out Loud Funny Today
It feels like, at some point in the mid-2010s, studios collectively decided to stop making those kinds of comedies people couldn’t wait to tell their friends about. Amusing comedies still pop up here and there, but the era of the must-see-in-theaters comedy, like Superbad or The Hangover, has passed us by (until further notice).
Fortunately, we can still approach our comedy film rotation like our request to the wedding DJ: “Play the hits, Topher.” Classics never go out of style. Fans of a movie know the joke is coming; you’ve heard it literally 50 times before, but still can’t help but laugh when Leslie Nielsen drops, “And don’t call me Shirley.”
From relatively family-friendly films to raunchy, R-rated adult comedies, these 15 classic comedies have not lost their fastball despite the passage of time. As Netflix presents subscribers with a never-ending assembly line of depressing true crime series and reality television, toss in a curveball with one of these timeless gut-busters.
1. Caddyshack (1980)
Caddyshack is the film equivalent of Pick Your Comedic Poison. Choose between the bodacious, what-will-he-say-next antics of Rodney Dangerfield’s Al Czervik to the bizarre ramblings of Chevy Chase’s Ty Webb and the ball-washing, pitchfork-wielding unpredictability of Bill Murray’s Carl Spackler. Caddyshack was a talent show for comedic titans.
Harold Ramis served as a Tchaikovsky-level conductor overseeing a frenetic orchestra of virtuosic comedians, and the resulting film is darn near perfection. From the Dalai Lama granting Billy Murray full consciousness on his deathbed to the buffoonish Spaulding hacking away in the background of a golf scene, every detail of this timeless comedy deserves a chef’s kiss.
2. Spaceballs (1987)
Fans might argue that Blazing Saddles or any number of other Mel Brooks films belong on this list. Still, there’s something about John Candy as a humanoid dog named Barf and Rick Moranis in a comically oversized Darth Vader helmet that just hits the spot, comedically speaking.
Comedies with no qualms about directly caricaturing other films (as Spaceballs does with Star Wars) invite viewers to laugh at themselves. How could anyone take Star Wars so seriously, Brooks implies, if its second cousin is Spaceballs, the one that drank from the garden hose one time too many times?
3. National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978)
The inspiration for younger comedy classics like Old School, National Lampoon’s Animal House is one of the greatest comedic feats from a group of comedians that originated at Harvard University. Filmed at Dartmouth, Animal House helped establish John Belushi as a bona fide star, while its endorsement of fighting for your right to party resonates with college students of all generations.
The absurd, chaotic ending is a unique creative choice that is a hard break from most of the rest of the film, and it’s a rewarding conclusion to an all-around hilarious, sharp-witted film.
4. A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
John Cleese’s razor-sharp wit is all over A Fish Called Wanda, a film he co-directed, co-wrote, and starred in. That said, Kevin Kline, Michael Palin, and Jamie Lee Curtis are masterfully cast to bring Cleese’s (and Charles Chricton’s) script to rollicking fruition.
Few movies effectively combine the thrills of a heist film with the disarming rhythms of comedy, but that’s what A Fish Called Wanda does over its nearly two hours of enrapturing runtime. This comedy undoubtedly needs to get more mentions in discussions about the greatest humorous films ever made.
5. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
Call the English bad at dentistry, excessively concerned with the Royal Family, or even our nation’s eldest foe. Just don’t say the Brits are incompetent when it comes to comedy. For proof of the error of such a statement, see This Is Spinal Tap.
While American Rob Reiner directed this mocumentary, writer and actor Christopher Guest brings a teacup’s worth of British dry humor to the script, as well as his role as one of the fictional band members. Guest, along with fellow writers and actors Harry Shearer and Michael McKean, absolutely nailed the roles they wrote for themselves, which makes total sense.
6. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
Leslie Nielsen was America’s friend who could have viewers gasping for air during a laugh-induced asphyxia without even saying a word. One of the most physically gifted comedians of his time, Nielsen would have done just as well in the era of Charlie Chaplin. Thank goodness glad he flexed his comedic chops in films that were not silent, though, as The Naked Gun series delivers more rapid-fire one-liners than an auctioneer.
“Wilma, I promise you, whatever scum did this, not one man on this force will rest one minute until he’s behind bars. Now, let’s grab a bite to eat.” Forget your troubles for a few hours by queuing up the original Naked Gun, The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear, and Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult.
7. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
Culture clash is always a strong premise for a comedy. Such a clash occurs when Eddie Murphy plays Axel Foley, a Detroit-based detective drawn to sunny Los Angeles by way of investigation after his childhood friend becomes a homicide victim. A satisfying merger of comedy and action unfolds.
For fans of true crime, it’s worth checking out the documentary White Boy about Detroit’s fresh-faced dealer, White Boy Rick. Gil Hill, who appears in Beverly Hills Cop, plays a real-life role in a blatantly corrupt Detroit law enforcement scene, which might add to your intrigue as you watch Eddie Murphy do his thing.
8. Borat (2006)
Another movie that the passage of time now qualifies as a modern classic, Borat is less politically correct than your wacky uncle at Thanksgiving, and that’s not a bad thing. In an era where everyone seems scared to offend, the art of the comedy movie has undoubtedly suffered.
Anyone seeking that no-holds-barred, offend-as-many-as-possible brand of comedy needs to take it back to 2006. A time before your arthritis became a thing was also a time when Borat took the nation by storm. Wa-wa-wee-wa, vanilla face.
9. Airplane! (1980)
With all the hair-raising headlines about Boeing planes falling out of the sky, it wouldn’t hurt to lighten up about flying. Airplane!, one of Leslie Nielsen’s innumerable absurdist spoofs, ranks among the most quoted (and beloved) comedy films ever.
The film foreshadowed the escapades of Sully Sullenberger (who would get his own film) by having a daring pilot land a passenger plane under dire circumstances. I won’t spoil the ending if you’ve yet to see Airplane! just know there are appearances from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Robert Stack, a blowup doll, and countless other funny people. Even so, you had us at Leslie Nielsen.
10. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987)
No holiday season would be complete without an appearance from Planes, Trains & Automobiles. It’s a crime that Hollywood has largely abandoned the act of pairing two comedic actors together that make audiences smile just by the looks of them. No, The Rock and Kevin Hart don’t count.
We’re talking Chris Farley and David Spade, or Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger. We’re also talking about Steve Martin and John Candy, who played the uptight jerk and the irritating but well-meaning oaf to a T in this classic comedy.
11. Meet the Parents (2000)
Anyone inclined to say, “Hey! Meet the Parents isn’t a classic! What are you, a Millennial?”
Well, yes, I am, but I must also note that 2000 is now nearly a quarter century ago, and in most books, 25 years is enough to earn classic status.
Ben Stiller’s palpable discomfort among Robert DeNiro and the rest of the soon-to-be in-laws only becomes more cringe-worthy with time. The escape and replacement of Jinx the cat, the brush with Puff the Magic Dragon, and the question of whether DeNiro can, in fact, be milked remain standout elements of this uncomfortably hilarious comedy.
12. Life of Brian (1979)
The Monty Python crew left an indelible mark on the comedy scenes of the 1960s and 70s, and Life of Brian goes toe to toe with the troupe’s other premier comedy film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail. While many comedy fans prefer the latter, Life of Brian’s wholly original premise (a guy named Brian is born in the manger next to Jesus, and shenanigans ensue) is just as amusing more than four decades later.
If the man upstairs does not have a sense of humor, you might see the Monty Python crew in one of the circles Dante described in The Inferno. If God does have a sense of humor, though, he’s almost certainly seen Life of Brian an ungodly number of times.
13. Best in Show (2000)
We tried to limit most of this list to pre-21st-century films, but the clock continues to tick, and films like Best in Show only get older with each passing year. Somehow, the movie has gotten even funnier since its release in 2000.
Neurotic and eccentric dog owners will never not be funny. Director and writer Christopher Guest’s penchant for creating hilarious mockumentaries (including This Is Spinal Tap) is a talent no one should take for granted, nor should anyone wait a dog’s bark longer to see Best in Show.
14. Raising Arizona (1987)
The Coen Brothers’ comedic films are distinct from the genre most generally consider “comedy.” Always guaranteed to have a component of action and adventure, Coen comedies range drastically in tone, twists, and turns, but all include a healthy dose of sarcasm, staccato dialogue, and absurdism.
Raising Arizona leans hard into the absurd but has the big heart viewers find beating within most Coen films. Audiences will laugh at least seven times when watching Raising Arizona, or my name’s not Nathan Arizona.
15. Trading Places (1983)
Of all the oddball pairings in the history of cinematic comedy, Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy have to rank high up there. The pair could not appear to be more different, especially as they play the diametrically opposed Louis Winthorpe III and Billy Ray Valentine, who, through a real-world game of nature versus nurture, must swap places.
However, Aykroyd and Murphy have one important trait in common: They’re both friggin’ hilarious. That’s why Trading Places will never be absent from our regimen of bad-day antidotes.
