From the 1930s to the 2010s, the picks on this list span several decades in Hollywood history, and they were made by the absolute biggest names the industry could offer at the time. Directors like Mel Brooks, The Marx Brothers, Joel and Ethan Coen, and even Stanley Kubrick were in charge of titles on this list, reaching widespread acclaim from critics and audiences alike every step of the way.
And even if you don’t know their respective directors, the names of these individual projects almost transcend the medium entirely. You’ll without a doubt recognize most of the entries. All that said, these are the funniest movies ever made, ranked.
25 Caddyshack
Kicking things off with one of the most popular films on the list, Caddyshack (1980) features Chevy Chase and Bill Murray, along with Rodney Dangerfield in his mainstream transition from stand-up comedy to Hollywood filmmaking. And the plot follows Chase’s character Ty Webb as one of the founders of Bushwood Country Club who feuds with one of his nouveau riche guests. And showing up as Ty’s caddie is Michael O’Keefe.
Then, there’s Bill Murray's character, the greenskeeper. He deals with a feud of his own, one against an elusive gofer that’s wreaking havoc on the golf course. And of course, Caddyshack is also noteworthy for marking the feature film debut of Harold Ramis, one of the greatest comedy directors to ever live. And this is undoubtedly among his funniest works.
24 There’s Something About Mary
Directed by Peter and Bobby Farrelly — one of Hollywood’s most famous filmmaking duos who also go down as masters of comedy — it’s worth noting off the bat the efforts given by the stars of There’s Something About Mary(1998), like Cameron Diaz in the titular role. This movie put her on the map, not necessarily of critical acclaim, but of up-and-coming actresses who could commit themselves to a role no matter the respective levels of absurdity.
Ben Stiller and Matt Dillon perform admirably as well as their characters vie for Mary’s heart, and Chris Elliot appears as another eligible bachelor. But to really sell you on the hilarity of its plot: There’s Something About Mary features a cameo from Brett Favre as one of Mary’s exes, still after her heart. And this laugh-out-loud stint as a whole features some truly memorable bits, resulting in a clear pick for the list of the funniest moves ever made.
23 Ghostbusters
Name value doesn’t go very far when accounting for sheer humor. But if it did, Ghostbusters (1984) would without a doubt be cited among the most popular films on the entire list. Starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis as parapsychologists, the plot kicks off when they start a ghost-catching business in New York City.
And the result is utter hilarity from start to finish, with other indelible performances from the likes of Sigourney Weaver, Ernie Hudson, and Rick Moranis. If you somehow missed out on Ghostbusters throughout the eighties and have only heard references to calling its titular team over the phone, you can rest assured that it belongs on a list of the funniest movies ever made.
22 Friday
Directed by F. Gary Gray, this hit ‘90s comedy follows a day-in-the-life (the titular day of the week, obviously) of two friends without jobs who enjoy spending their time smoking weed. But when one of the duo (Smokey, played by Chris Tucker) finds himself in debt to a local drug dealer, the other friend (Craig Jones, portrayed by Ice Cube) helps him out upon learning he’s been indulging in the dealer’s pot.
This is the role that put Chris Tucker on the Hollywood map, and it showed audiences across the globe that Ice Cube had a true penchant for comedy. Friday (1995) now boasts a strong cult following, and justifiably so. It without a doubt goes down among the funniest films ever made.
21 Shrek
An animated film from DreamWorks, this is one of the most famous films of the twenty-first century thanks to a rock-solid script, an engrossing style of animation, and some seriously solid efforts from its ensemble voice cast. Of course, Mike Myers provides his dulcet intonations as the titular character here in Shrek (2001), an ogre who must venture to rescue Princess Fiona from the clutches of a dragon in order to convince Lord Farquaad to return him control of his swamp.
And he’s joined by a devout companion in Donkey, who’s famously voiced by Eddie Murphy. Other performers include Cameron Diaz as Fiona, and John Lithgow as Farquaad, and of course, the film was so hilarious through and through that it spawned a massive film franchise full of sequels and spinoffs. There’s no denying its inclusion on the list.
20 Office Space
Satirizing what it was like to work at an average software company in the 1990s, Office Space (1999) follows Peter Gibbons as an uninspired programmer working at a company called Initech. Upon learning the company will soon be downsized, three of Peter’s coworkers hatch a revenge plan against the company by infecting their accounting system.
And the result is utter hilarity from beginning to end, showcasing a pure penchant for comedy from everyone involved. Brilliant performances and a heartfelt script combine to produce one of the funniest movies ever made, with Office Space landing here at number twenty.
19 The Hangover
A classic of modern Hollywood comedy, The Hangover (2009) saw direction by American filmmaker Todd Phillips, who picked up recent traction with critics thanks to his entry into the psychological thriller subgenre, Joker (2019). But before he helmed that project based on the DC Comics character, Todd Phillips was among the foremost comedy directors the industry had to offer.
Before the film at hand, Philips made hilarious romps such as Road Trip (2000), Old School (2003), and Starsky and Hutch (2004). But by far and away, The Hangover is the funniest of the bunch. Starring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis, its well-known plot follows their three protagonists as they wake up in Las Vegas without their fourth friend, Doug, who is soon to be married. This plot on paper would always facilitate a laugh-out-loud narrative, and that’s exactly what comes into fruition.
18 South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut
Of course, this entry is based on the long-running animated television show South Park, and its plot kicks off with the protagonists Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny sneaking into an R-rated movie. And from there, the friends pick up on the general prospect of swearing. An interesting inciting incident, to say the least. But it works wonderfully.
South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut (1999) received great acclaim from critics, and justifiably so. It’ll have your cheeks in pain from the film’s first frame, and its overt style of humor never once lets up. In the minds of some film fans, this could land even higher on the list.
17 Airplane!
American actor Leslie Nielson was once deemed by film critic Roger Ebert as “the Olivier of spoofs”, with hilarious performances in that regard under his belt in stints such as with The Naked Gun franchise. But with the project at hand, Airplane! (1980) by Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker (in their directorial debuts) pokes fun at the disaster film genre.
Its plot is rather famous as the crew of the titular vessel becomes sick, forcing an ex-fighter pilot to land the passengers to safety. And its replete with hilarious puns and running gags, with Nielson’s protagonist completely unaware of the absurdity taking place around him. There’s a reason it’s considered one of the funniest films ever made.
16 Hot Fuzz
Directed by Edgar Wright, this second entry in his Three Flavors Cornetto Trilogy is arguably the funniest of the bunch. Sure, Shaun of the Dead (2004) gives it a great run for its money in that regard. But the dynamic duo of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost show up under Wright’s direction in frankly funnier fashion here in Hot Fuzz (2007).
Its plot focuses on the two leads, police officers in a West Country village in England as they investigate the mysterious murders that have been taking place. And the result is a hilariously satiric take on the buddy cop genre, going down as a clear choice for the list on just about any day.
15 Bridesmaids
Director Paul Feig has worked in various genres since bursting onto the Hollywood scene with a drama called I Am David (2003). He’s also put out stints such as A Simple Favor (2018), a crime thriller, along with The School for Good and Evil (2022), a fantasy film. But without a doubt the funniest film of his career would have to be Bridesmaids (2011), written by Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig.
Of course, it stars Wiig as the protagonist Annie Walker who experiences a series of difficulties upon agreeing to be the maid of honor at her best friend Lillian’s wedding. The latter is played by Maya Rudolph, with other stars in Bridesmaids including Rose Byrne, Wendy McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper, and Melissa McCarthy. And they all performed just brilliantly.
14 22 Jump Street
Capitalizing on the success of 21 Jump Street (2012) just two years prior, 22 Jump Street (2014) stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum as undercover police officers Schmidt and Jenko (respectively). And as they upgrade the stakes from a high school drug operation to the collegiate level of the underworld, the two leads build an even funnier rapport than they achieved in the original.
They’re perfect foils of one another, with Jenko outshining Schmidt in the physical realms, and Schmidt being the smarter of the two. It allows for great development and tangible dynamics no matter how many times they run this formula back. And as the second film in the franchise, 22 Jump Street is perhaps the single funniest movie sequel ever made. That shows with this spot at number fourteen.
13 The Big Lebowski
Off the bat, it's worth noting the hilarious and convincing efforts from its star-studded cast: not just Jeff Bridges as Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski, but others such as John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore, John Turturro, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. They all take part in some of the most outrageous scenes you’re ever likely to see on screen. But their performances were also convincing through and through, with Joel and Ethan Coen behind the camera directing their actors every step of the way.
Replete with well-known one-liners, iconic character design, and a famous trip scene that depicts hallucinatory effects — The Big Lebowski (1998) has it all. The Coen Brothers have several funny features under their collective belt, but this cult classic tops the rest. Its devout following would have rioted if it weren’t included on the list.
12 Blazing Saddles
One of two Mel Brooks films on the list, Blazing Saddles (1974) tells the story of a frontier town called Rock Ridge, which is about to be demolished to make room for a new railroad. Cleavon Little stars as a railroad worker named Bart, who becomes the first black sheriff of the aforementioned town. But this of course also features Gene Wilder in his second of three total collaborations with director Mel Brooks.
And for some fans, this is their most iconic work together. Blazing Saddles received three Academy Award nominations upon release, and it's since been selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry. Those are some high honors for a comedy, and well-earned with regard to Blazing Saddles.
11 Duck Soup
The oldest film on the list, Duck Soup (1933) by Leo McCarey of course stars the Marx Brothers: first up is Groucho, who plays the recently initiated president of Freedonia, a fictional country. Then there’s Zeppo as his secretary, along with Harpo and Chico who portray spies for Sylvania, a country adjacent to Freedonia. And the grand finale follows the two warring nations finally going to battle.
A black comedy musical, Duck Soup didn’t actually receive praise from critics until well after release. But nowadays, this is considered a masterwork of humor, going down as the most important release of the fourteen feature films from the Marx Brothers. On any given day, it could come out even higher on the list.
10 His Girl Friday
American film director Howard Hawks worked in a wide variety of genres throughout his vast, critically acclaimed career: Scarface (1932) is a gangster film. The Big Sleep (1946) is a film noir, The Thing From Another World (1951) is both science fiction and horror, while Rio Bravo (1959) is of course a western. Then, there’s His Girl Friday (1940), a screwball comedy.
It follows Walter Burns, a newspaper editor whose ex-wife Hildy Johnson is also his most talented reporter. But when she finds a new suitor, she tells Walter her plans to leave the newspaper and become a housewife. Plotting to get her back, Walter convinces her to help him with one more story: in this case, a murderer named Earl Williams. And His Girl Friday itself is hilarious from start to finish, with numerous achievements to its name. It should without a doubt be remembered among the funniest movies ever made.
9 Dr. Strangelove
Directed by one of the most legendary filmmakers to ever live in Stanley Kubrick, this entry isn’t just considered among the funniest films ever made — it’s also widely known as one of the greatest films of all time, regardless of genre, region, or director. It was nominated for four Academy Awards upon release, and has since been selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry. Pretty impressive stats.
For those unaware: its plot follows a United States Air Force general in a somewhat deranged mental state as he pre-emptively orders a nuclear attack on the Soviet Union. And while you may not expect a plot of that kind to facilitate the most laugh-out-loud style of comedy, rest assured that Dr. Strangelove deserves this spot on the list.
8 Superbad
A seminal release of millennial humor, Superbad (2007) proved that jokes revolving around male genitalia could actually be rendered cerebral, to a degree. It takes full-fledged creativity to concoct jokes like Seth’s artwork in his elementary-school notebook. But the humor in Superbad is truly revealed in the performances of its lead characters: Seth, played by Jonah Hill; Evan, played by Michael Cera; and of course, McLovin, portrayed by Christopher Mintz-Plasse.
Seth Rogen and Bill Hader show up as a couple of cool cops, while Emma Stone has an early role as Seth’s love interest Jules. And of course, the script of Superbad was written by Rogen and Evan Goldberg, who also lent their first names to the film’s primary characters. And these comedic forces of Hollywood shined from start to finish, with their delivery of these absurd one-liners defining the humor of Superbad until its final, fitting frame.
7 Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
If you’d like an example a single scene that solidifies this placement for Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), one might point to the bit about Sex Panther, the cologne of Paul Rudd’s character Brian Fantana. If that doesn’t do it for you, perhaps the sequence of Ron (played by Will Ferrell) throwing a burrito out of his speeding car and hitting Jack Black’s motorcyclist in the face will pique your comedic interest.
But there’s also the rendition of “Afternoon Delight” by the Channel 4 News Team, the sequence where Ron can’t stop reading the words put onto the teleprompter, and of course the famous news-team showdown with dozens of famous Hollywood actors showing up to fight. Nearly every scene in Anchorman hits home to one comedic degree or another, rendering this an undeniable choice for the list.
6 Young Frankenstein
Directed by Mel Brooks in the exact same year he released Blazing Saddles, this entry is of course a comedic spin on the literary character created by Mary Shelley. And like the last Brooks entry on the list, Young Frankenstein (1974) defines the category of comedy like few pieces of cinema that have come before or after, taking genre tropes and turning them into some of the funniest jokes you’ll ever hear.
And thanks to some surprisingly solid efforts from its cast in tandem with ongoing, well-timed jokes — like with the mispronunciation of the titular character’s famous last name — Young Frankenstein stands out as a career-defining project from everyone involved. On any given day, it could end up even higher on the list.
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