The Funniest American Comedies


   

The laughDB database is dedicated to the funniest comedy movies, stand-up comedy and TV series.

This section is for comedies from the USA. By default they are presented starting with the ones ranking highest on the laugh-o-meter, but you can also sort them by year, title or IMDB rating.


Funniest American Comedies sorted by Laugh-o-meter (descending) / page 1 of 25


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Quick Change DVDQuick Change
      1990 | USA | Laughs: 9.8 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 6.8
      wikipedia | dmoz | who was involved?

I love it that this little-known movie, recommended by a reader of this page, made us laugh more than most of the big-name comedies that take up all the shelf space at the video stores. (That's what this page is all about!) What can you do, Bill Murray is a legend. The plot can have holes as large as a frozen pizza, there can be a dull minute of mindless action, but you don't care because you know you'll be laughing in just a moment. Oh, what's it about? Three friends pull off a genius bank robbery. Now they can't get out of New York. (Last viewed: December 2011)

More About Quick Change:
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      laughDB's full page for Quick Change


Groundhog Day DVDGroundhog Day
      1993 | USA | Laughs: 9.8 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 8.0
      wikipedia | dmoz | who was involved?

A weather newsman (Bill Murray) wakes up in a small town to find out that today is an exact repeat of yesterday—only no one else seems to notice. Soon, he realizes that no matter what he does, the next day he will wake up at the beginning of that same day. He dies a hundred times, but in the morning it's still Groundhog Day. Pure genius, a gift to mankind. (Last viewed: Dec 2008 August 2011)

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      laughDB's full page for Groundhog Day


Meet the Parents DVDMeet the Parents
      2000 | USA | Laughs: 9.7 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 7.0
      wikipedia | dmoz | who was involved?

A man plans to propose to his girlfriend, but first he must meet her parents. You cringe and laugh as Greg (Ben Stiller) does everything—wrong—to secure the approval of her tough dad (Robert De Niro), a former CIA agent. The movie has several laugh-out-loud moments, but it is also funny throughout even if you sometimes want to scream rather than laugh, as you watch in disbelief, horrified by how Greg's situation keeps worsening by the minute, fighting the impulse to cover your face as his plight reaches new levels of awful. All the minute psychological observations that build the story's tension and humor are right on target and make this movie a delightful little marvel.

If you've enjoyed it, don't miss the 1992 original.

(Last viewed: August 2010)

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Police Academy DVDPolice Academy (a.k.a What an Institution)
      1984 | USA | Laughs: 9.5 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 6.7
      wikipedia | dmoz | who was involved?

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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Step Brothers DVDStep Brothers
      2008 | USA | Laughs: 9.4 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 6.9
      wikipedia | dmoz | who was involved?

Warning: this film has some gross-out aspects as well as adult themes, sometimes graphic. That said, I hadn't laughed that much watching a comedy in a long time. It was a surprise too as I hadn't yet seen a Will Ferrell movie that really did it for me. Two childlike forty-year-olds who live at home—one with his mom, one with his dad—get thrown together when their parents get married. At first they resent having to share their parents' attention (and a bedroom). The dynamic between the actors is fantastic. If you can handle occasional crudeness, don't miss out on this very funny movie. (Last viewed: September 2012)

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Safety LastSafety Last
      1923 | USA | Laughs: 9.4 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 8.1
      wikipedia | who was involved?

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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      laughDB's full page for Safety Last


Trading Places DVDTrading Places
      1983 | USA | Laughs: 9.3 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 7.5
      wikipedia | dmoz | who was involved?

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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My BossMy Boss's Daughter
      2003 | USA | Laughs: 9.3 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 4.7
      wikipedia | dmoz | who was involved?

An aspiring grunt gets to house-sit at the house of his tyrannical boss, whose daughter he fancies. Of course, everything goes wrong. Don't expect intellectual fireworks: this is good clean fun (well, almost clean), with plenty to laugh at and not much to think about. On account of the laugh-a-minute, I rate this a 7.5. Yet the film probably has one of the lowest IMDB rating of all films on this site (4.3), so evidently lots of people don't find it as funny as I do. If you're in that category, you might enjoy this film's opposite (high IMDB ratings, low laughs for me): Death at a Funeral. Interestingly, the lead actor (Ashton Kutcher) features in Dude Where's My Car, which also rates high on my laugh-o-meter and low on IMDB.

Edit: upon second viewing eleven year later, I was still entertained but didn't laugh. (Last viewed: Oct 2011 August 2022)

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Libety Laurel HardyLiberty
      1929 | USA | Laughs: 9.2 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 7.6
      wikipedia | who was involved?

For me, this short film (all of twenty minutes) is the funniest by Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy by far. Like Harold Lloyd's Safety Last (only six years later), it's humor in high places… and I have a severe fear of heights! One of the few Laurel & Hardy films that doesn't rely on violence for comic effect. Intoxicating: I'm still laughing as I watch this. From reading other reviews, it seems the film has the same effect on others. (Last viewed: July 2010)

More About Liberty:
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      laughDB's full page for Liberty


EuroTrip DVDEuroTrip
      2004 | USA | Laughs: 9.0 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 6.6
      wikipedia | dmoz | who was involved?

Joined by three friends, a young man travels through Europe in search of a young woman from Germany he's fallen in love with over email. I know this is not a movie to remember, but it managed to make me laugh many times, which is all that matters in this section—and very rare. There are adult themes and some nudity, but none (or little) of the crassness so common in contemporary comedies. I was reluctant to watch it as I thought it was a college comedy, a genre that doesn't particularly excite me. But it worked. I was in my forties when I watched it, so even if you're way past the years when some people go to college, consider giving Eurotrip a chance. (Last viewed: October 2012)

More About EuroTrip:
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      laughDB's full page for EuroTrip


Ferris Bueller DVDFerris Bueller's Day Off
      1986 | USA | Laughs: 9.0 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 7.8
      wikipedia | dmoz | who was involved?

Ferris decides to take a day off from high school and look at life outside. I love this movie: several endearing characters (Ferris is a treasure), a tale of rule-breaking without guns and cuss words, lots of grins and a few good laughs. (Last viewed: October 2010)

More About Ferris Bueller's Day Off:
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      laughDB's full page for Ferris Bueller's Day Off


Just Go With It DVDJust Go With It
      2011 | USA | Laughs: 8.9 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 6.4
      wikipedia | who was involved?

When a plastic surgeon's new girlfriend finds a wedding ring in his pocket (a ring he uses as a "pick-up instrument"), he panics and tells her he's about to divorce. To convince her, he asks his assistant to play the role of his ex-wife. As the web of lies grows, the surgeon acquires "fake children", and the whole party finds itself on a "get to know one another" trip to Hawaii. The movie starts slow, but the comic power steadily builds up, so that by the halfway point you're really laughing. It's great to see Adam Sandler back in Hawaii (hello 50 First Dates). Sandler does not have a writing credit on this film, but it contains many sandlerisms, so he must have contributed his share of material. Some critics say that the movie is a weak remake of Cactus Flower (1969), but these are snobs in search of ways to flaunt their cinematographic knowledge. Don't believe them: Just Go with It is marvelously funny, Cactus Flower is not. (Last viewed: February 2012)

More About Just Go With It:
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      laughDB's full page for Just Go With It


Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle DVDHarold & Kumar Go to White Castle
      2004 | USA | Laughs: 8.9 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 7.1
      wikipedia | dmoz | who was involved?

Two freshly-minted ivy-league grads roam the New Jersey suburbs one night in search of a White Castle restaurant to satisfy their cannabis munchies. It doesn't sound like much of a plot, but it delivers the laughters, right on the edge, with just about as much coarse language as I can handle in a movie. Sadly, the first sequel (Harold and Kumar escape from Guantanamo Bay) is a mess, and the second sequel (A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas) is a dud. (Last viewed: Jul 2010 June 2011)

More About Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle:
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      laughDB's full page for Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle


The Party DVDThe Party
      1968 | USA | Laughs: 8.8 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 7.5
      wikipedia | dmoz | who was involved?

A clumsy actor from India causes one disaster after another at a Hollywood big wig's party where he has been invited by mistake. This is close to being a perfect movie. You may grin and chuckle more than you laugh, but you'll probably remember laughing more than you actually did because the movie is just so good. I have watched it every few years for a long long time, and it refuses to age, which is remarkable when you consider that other famous comedies from the 1960s (such as One, Two, Three and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World) are now unwatchable. (Last viewed: Nov 2008 October 2012)

More About The Party:
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      laughDB's full page for The Party


Bridesmaids DVDBridesmaids
      2011 | USA | Laughs: 8.8 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 6.8
      wikipedia | who was involved?

Now well past thirty, Annie has been struggling to find a footing in love, business and life at large. Chosen to be the maid of honor at her best friend's wedding, she now has a hard time dealing with the plans for an expensive event that symbolizes success for her woman friends. Most of all, she struggles with another bridesmaid who seems to have it all. This movie made me laugh a lot. Despite the laughs, I can't say that I loved Bridesmaids. Why? Many of the situations reminded me of one of the things I dislike in the States—the horrendous fakeness of social interactions in certain contexts. The least real part of the movie was the young policeman with an Irish accent, played by the same actor as Roy from The IT Crowd, whom it was a pleasure to see again. (Last viewed: Oct 2011 February 2012)

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