The Funniest Comedies Ever

Muriel's Wedding
      1994 | Australia | Laughs: N/A (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 7.2
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Everybody tells Muriel she's "daggy" (Aussie for uncool). By the end of this underdog story, she's made a place for herself, at least in her own heart. Featuring Australian archetypes and classic shots of the Gold Coast: required viewing for serious students of Australiana. (Last viewed: April 2010)

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Lost in Translation
      2003 | USA | Laughs: 2.0 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 7.7
      wikipedia | dmoz | who was involved?

Five stars. Bill Murray shoots a whiskey ad in Tokyo. For the full review, skip over to my "Brush up your Japanese" page. (Last viewed: Mar 2003 March 2010)

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Block-Heads
      1938 | USA | Laughs: 8.1 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 7.6
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Brought back from the trenches twenty years after the war, Stan Laurel enters the apartment of his old friend Oliver Hardy on the day of his first wedding anniversary. Everything goes delightfully wrong. The funniest Laurel & Hardy movie I've watched, by far. I like that this film is not as violent as most others by Laurel & Hardy, films whose humor largely relies on Oliver getting hurt. (Last viewed: February 2010)

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Goodbye, Pork Pie
      1981 | New Zealand | Laughs: 5.2 (Watch Once) | imdb: 6.8
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If you can (i) get your hands on it and (ii) get over the accent, this classic New Zealand comedy is sure to give you a laugh and more than a few chuckles. Two petty crims make their way in a stolen yellow mini from Auckland (in NZ's North Island) to Invercargill, at the southern end of the South Island. (Last viewed: February 2010)

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National Lampoon's Vacation (a.k.a Vacation)
      1983 | USA | Laughs: 4.9 (Watch Once) | imdb: 7.4
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Clarke Griswald (Chevy Chase) drives his family across country from Chicago to Wally World. Part of the movie's charm is that it skirts the line between family movie and adult comedy. Definitely very cute, with a few great moments. If you're in a very forgiving mood, you can also watch Christmas Vacation, which I find flat but some people prefer. Do yourself a favor and skip European Vacation and Las Vegas vacation. (Last viewed: October 2009)

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Caddyshack
      1980 | USA | Laughs: 6.8 (Watch Once) | imdb: 7.3
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A slice in the crazy life of a golf club. Fun throughout, but real laughs are few. The funniest scene—surprise?—is the one time when Chevy Chase and Bill Murray come face to face. It used to puzzle me why some people (especially men born in the late 1960s) consider this the funniest comedy ever. When I watched it again, it all became clear: what these men probably enjoyed most, when they first watched Caddyshack in their teens, was the nudity. It's the same principle that earns "American Pie" the status of funniest movie ever with many men of the next generation. (Last viewed: Aug 1991 October 2009)

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Southpark: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
      1999 | USA | Laughs: 5.3 (Watch Once) | imdb: 7.7
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If you can stand a certain amount of obscenity and crassness, you'll probably find a laugh or two in this animation, which is delightfully counter-cultural and subversive. (Last viewed: October 2009)

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Police Academy (a.k.a What an Institution)
      1984 | USA | Laughs: 9.5 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 6.7
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To avoid being shut down, a Vermont highway patrol unit competes with the local police to impress the Governor. Many of the comic situations develop because these cops say and do things you never see cops say and do in movies. If you're looking for an intellectual brand of humor, Super Troopers may not be for you. The people I watched the movie with called it stupid, but who cares, I laughed hard, and they did too. (Last viewed: September 2009)

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Beverly Hills Cop
      1984 | USA | Laughs: 8.7 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 7.3
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Despite a brutal murder scene and lots of shootings, this movie packs lots of laughters. A Detroit cop (Eddie Murphy) elopes to Los Angeles to investigate the murder of a childhood friend. There, he must play a cat-and-mouse game with the local police. Bonus: It's 1984, and the clothing styles and theme music are just wonderful. Don't bother watching the sequel. (Last viewed: September 2009)

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The Spy who Shagged Me
      1999 | USA | Laughs: 8.3 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 6.6
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The first Austin Powers sequel. The jokes are starting to head in the direction of the bathroom, but still very funny. One wishes there weren't so many barely disguised ads in this movie. By the way, don't bother watching Goldmember, the third instalment in the series. (Last viewed: September 2009)

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The Pink Panther
      1963 | USA | Laughs: 7.8 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 7.1
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A slow start at a ski resort in Italy where Sir Charles plans to steal the Princess's diamond under Inspector Clouseau's eyes. No hard laughter in this first Pink Panther movie (where Clouseau is not yet the main character), but a number of surreal scenes make it a 1960s art classic that you'll be glad to watch again. Clouseau is much more human—and endearing—than the caricature to come in the following installments. (Last viewed: September 2009)

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Return of the Pink Panther
      1975 | USA | Laughs: 7.7 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 7.1
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Twelve years later, a new Sir Charles, and an acrobatic theft of the famous diamond somewhere in a country that could be Iran. Clouseau's accent has thickened. Indeed, the character has become a caricature of the original. And the movie is funnier than the original, though not as classy. With his Clouseau-phobic fixation, Dreyfus is way over the top. (Last viewed: September 2009)

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A Shot in the Dark
      1964 | USA | Laughs: 7.7 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 7.5
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Jacques Clouseau in a movie without the Pink Panther diamond (or the Pink Panther theme music). Since his first film, Clouseau has acquired a silly accent, a servant (Kato), a superior (commissioner Dreyfus), while his erstwhile innocent charm has turned into mild idiocy. Clouseau is convinced that Maria Gambrelli, a cute maid at the Balland residence, is innocent of the murder of Miguel the driver, even though she was found with the murder weapon in her hand. This early Pink Panther may not make you laugh out loud, but it has an enduring charm, thanks in part to magnificent photography of Paris streets in the 1960s and of unlikely settings, in trademark Blake Edwards style. Unfortunately, so memorable it cannot be watched often. (Last viewed: September 2009)

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The Freshman
      1925 | USA | Laughs: 5.7 (Watch Once) | imdb: 7.5
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Harold Lloyd wants to be popular in college. Not as funny as Safety Last, but cute and innocent, with two funny scenes: football practice, and the big football game. (Last viewed: September 2009)

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Ghostbusters
      1984 | USA | Laughs: 5.4 (Watch Once) | imdb: 7.8
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If you're crazy about Bill Murray and you can still stand the theme music (can you believe they used to play this in night clubs?), watching this 80s classic once won't hurt you, and you'll laugh a few times. (Last viewed: September 2009)

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Beverly Hills Cop II & III
      1987 | USA | Laughs: 2.0 (Just Awful) | imdb: 6.5
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BHC2: A typical sequel. More money, less juice. Idiotic plot, you only watch because of the actors. BHC3: better than number two, but still weak, though Alex Fowler and Serge give you plenty reason to smile. Lots of blood, not many laughs. (Last viewed: September 2009)

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The Pink Panther Strikes Again
      1976 | USA | Laughs: 1.9 (Just Awful) | imdb: 7.2
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Clouseau is now Chief Inspector of the Sureté. Dreyfus escapes from the madhouse, kidnaps a brilliant scientist and blackmails the superpowers to kill Clouseau for him—or else he will destroy cities! This film goes overboard in the sinister trend to turn Clouseau into an incompetent imbecile. Where is the charm of the absent-minded early character? Crude and cruel. (Last viewed: September 2009)

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Revenge of the Pink Panther
      1978 | USA | Laughs: 1.8 (Just Awful) | imdb: 6.7
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In this very stupid script, the boss of the French connection sets out to eliminate Clouseau to impress an underworld partner. For this Peter Sellers finale in the Pink Panther series, the script writers continued their deliberate sabotage of the Clouseau character, completing his transformation into a complete moron. To watch out of nostalgia for Sellers, if at all. (Last viewed: September 2009)

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Safety Last
      1923 | USA | Laughs: 9.4 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 8.1
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You may not think you want to watch a silent black-and-white movie from 1923, but this classic starring Harold Lloyd may just be the right pill on a gloomy day. The movie is enjoyable throughout, but it really ramps up towards the end: don't miss the last ten minutes. Clean, innocent fun. (Last viewed: August 2009)

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Trading Places
      1983 | USA | Laughs: 9.3 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 7.5
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A social science experiment in which playful millionaires turn a beggar (Eddie Murphy) into a commodities trader. Great script, great cast, great acting. (Last viewed: August 2009)

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Fletch
      1985 | USA | Laughs: 8.7 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 6.9
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A reporter goes undercover to break a story about drug dealing on the beach. To do so, he pretends to agree to kill a rich man who says he is dying of cancer, and he adopts a series of disguises and personas, each more successful than the last. A home run role for Chevy Chase. (Last viewed: August 2009)

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Austin Powers, International Man of Mystery
      1997 | USA | Laughs: 8.5 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 7.0
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Frozen in 1967, A British spy and his nemesis meet again in 1997. Not really funny, but really really fun, with one or two LOL moments. This movie is so incredibly fresh and original. Whoever is responsible for it (his name is Mike Myers) is a creative genius. (Last viewed: Jun 1997 August 2009)

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Bananas
      1971 | USA | Laughs: 7.5 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 7.0
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Three stars. Even if you're allergic to Woody Allen's output of the last few decades (which I am), I suggest you overcome your reluctance and watch this movie, Allen's best. A New Yorker finds himself embroiled in the power struggles of a South American dictatorship. No mistake about it, in Bananas, Allen emulates the style of New Wave film master Jean-Luc Godard in movies such as Breathless and Pierrot Le Fou. The sad conclusion: Allen was a whole lot better when he was imitating Godard than when he started imitating himself. (Last viewed: August 2009)

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Sleeper
      1973 | USA | Laughs: 6.2 (Watch Once) | imdb: 7.2
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As a kid, I loved some of Woody Allen's movies. Later, I developed an allergy to him. This film is the one exception I've found. Frozen in 1973, Woody Allen comes back to life 200 years later and becomes involved in the revolution against the Great Leader. Fun and cute. A few cringe lines from Woody at the beginning, but he gets into the role as soon as Diane Keaton comes on the scene. (Last viewed: August 2009)

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Ace Ventura, Pet Detective
      1994 | USA | Laughs: 6.0 (Watch Once) | imdb: 6.9
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I used not to be able to stand Jim Carey's facial contortions. Since then, I've recognized the man's genius, and I've gotten to a place where I can enjoy watching him and not ignore the faces, which still do nothing for me. I waited a long time to watch this movie because I assumed that it was for children, but I was wrong. In fact, there are several adult scenes in there. Nice photography (a Miami art deco look throughout), a good smile throughout and several good laughs. (Last viewed: August 2009)

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Dumb and Dumber
      1994 | USA | Laughs: 5.9 (Watch Once) | imdb: 7.3
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After losing their jobs, two buddies travel to Aspen to return a briefcase which, unbeknownst to them, contains the ransom money for a beautiful woman's husband. A bit slow in the beginning, but the second half, after the duo arrives in Aspen, is very funny. In this movie, Jim Carey doesn't make faces. (Last viewed: August 2009)

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Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
      1988 | USA | Laughs: 5.9 (Watch Once) | imdb: 7.4
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Two stars. A scam artist (Michael Caine) passes himself off as a monarch to extract funds from naive wealthy women on the French riviera. He sees his turf invaded by an American scam artist of smaller caliber (Steve Martin). Sweet and fun, with perhaps one or two LOL moments, but the terribly weak ending ruins the overall rating. Without spoiling the end, I'll just say that we can't buy the situation reversal at the end because it contradicts the emotions on the face of one of the lead characters throughout the rest of the movie. (Last viewed: August 2009)

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Raising Arizona
      1987 | USA | Laughs: N/A (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 7.3
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Two stars. An ex-con and his cop wife abduct a baby. Cute but not relaxing—you worry about what will happen to these poor people. (Last viewed: August 2009)

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48 Hours
      1982 | USA | Laughs: N/A (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 6.9
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Three stars. A cop (Nick Nolte) pulls a con (Eddie Murphy) out of jail for two days to crack a case. Endearing characters, beautiful performance by Murphy, a few good laughs. (Last viewed: August 2009)

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Heaven Can Wait
      1978 | USA | Laughs: N/A (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 6.9
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Three stars. A heaven bureaucrat makes a mistake and Joe (Warren Beatty) dies before he's had a chance to win the superbowl. Very sweet, with many funny moments. (Last viewed: August 2009)

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