The Funniest Movies Ever Made

Inspired by David Misch's Funny: The Book, I asked people on Facebook and Twitter to name their favorite funny movies. I wanted to know which movies made them laugh the most, and I was hoping to get some interesting responses. What I ended up with was a list of some 70 films - almost enough for a book on the subject! - that covered a wide range of decades and comedy styles, although some real winners stood out in the final tally. Here are the top ten replies, in order of popularity.

1-2 Tied: BLAZING SADDLES (1974) and RAISING ARIZONA (1987)

These are both extremely funny movies, although the Nicholas Cage comedy, written and directed by the Coen brothers, is the less outrageous of the two. I expected Mel Brooks to end up in a high position on the list, so BLAZING SADDLES came as no surprise, but RAISING ARIZONA was not one that I would have bet on as a top contender. The Mel Brooks movie falls into the broader definition of a "classic," but I'm not so sure about the Coen brothers comedy, even though at this point it is more than 25 years old. It is, however, memorably funny, especially because of Holly Hunter's performance and the Coens' hilarious writing.

3-6 Tied: BRINGING UP BABY (1938), YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (1974), THE PALM BEACH STORY (1942), and IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD (1963)

Yes, it's a four way tie for the rest of the top half, with some surprisingly retro choices from the Facebook crowd (maybe I have been a good influence on them!). BRINGING UP BABY is one of my all-time favorite movies, so I was glad to see it make the cut, and YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN continues to prove the popularity of Mel Brooks as a comedy king. Both of those would be on my own top ten list. I didn't expect to see THE PALM BEACH STORY make such a strong showing; it's chaotically funny, but my personal pick from the Preston Sturges canon would be THE MIRACLE OF MORGAN'S CREEK (1944). I was shocked that so many people would not only sit through but enjoy all 192 minutes of IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD, but people who responded said that they loved the huge cast of classic stars.

7-10/11 Tied: DUCK SOUP (1933), NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION (1989), ANIMAL HOUSE (1978), THE BIRDCAGE (1996), THE BIG LEBOWSKI (1998)

The bottom third really gets into different territory, with only DUCK SOUP making my personal list of top comedies (several people generalized by saying "any Marx Brothers movie" as their choice). Here the generational bias of the responders shows through the most clearly, with more recent movies getting a lot of support. THE BIRDCAGE is the surprise finisher of this group, but it is very funny, and I love Hank Azaria's performance in particular. While I wasn't that shocked to see cult favorite THE BIG LEBOWSKI get votes, I personally can't stand it.

Honorable Mentions: MY FELLOW AMERICANS (1996), THE NAKED GUN (1988), O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? (2000), DUMB AND DUMBER (1994), L.A. STORY (1991), GROUNDHOG DAY (1993), THE PRODUCERS (1967), DR. STRANGELOVE (1964), AIRPLANE! (1980), MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (1975), THE APARTMENT (1960)

Honorable mentions are movies that at least two people chose, and this set shows the breadth of selections really opening up. Most of these are more recent films, with THE APARTMENT sneaking in as a surprise pick. Almost all of these movies pass my personal comedy test, except for DUMB AND DUMBER (its name pretty much sums up what I don't like about it). My favorites of this group would have to be O BROTHER and GROUNDHOG DAY, both of which make me laugh every time I watch them. I like a good story as the backdrop for the laughs, so I'm giving those two the edge over HOLY GRAIL and AIRPLANE!, even though I can recite most of the gags from both of them.

This, of course, is by no means a scientific survey. Technically, I asked over 2000 people between my Facebook and Twitter accounts. The Facebook crowd, ironically, responded more enthusiastically, even though on Facebook I am mostly connected to people I know in real life who may or may not be that into movies. On Twitter, where most of my active connections actually are movie bloggers and classic film fans, I got a lot fewer replies. Too much noise in the system there, I guess, compared to the 400+ people on Facebook.

Have you seen every movie that made the top ten list? What is your favorite funny movie? Let me know in the comments! If you're interested in learning more about David Misch's book, you can read my review of it here.

Classic Films in Focus: YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (1974)

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and parody is, at its best, imitation with a wink and a nudge. That affectionate sense of parody permeates Young Frankenstein (1974), with Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder demonstrating their great appreciation for James Whale's classic movies, Frankenstein (1931) and The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), throughout their brilliantly funny treatment of Mary Shelley's Gothic tale. Often ranked as one of the funniest movies ever made, Young Frankenstein offers plenty of laughs that anyone can enjoy, but the best gags unfold only for those who recognize the playful subversion of the original films.

Gene Wilder stars as Frederick Frankenstein, the reluctant heir to the family estate and the family business of resurrecting the dead. Leaving his intended bride, Elizabeth (Madeline Kahn), behind, Frederick returns to the ancestral home to claim his inheritance, where he finds new companions in bizarre henchman Igor (Marty Feldman), buxom assistant Inga (Teri Garr), and dour housekeeper Frau Blücher (Cloris Leachman). Together they build a new creature (Peter Boyle), which inevitably gets loose to wreak havoc on the countryside, much to the disgruntlement of the villagers, who have suffered harassment of this type all too often before.

Brooks and Wilder wrote the screenplay together, and they were lucky enough to get Whale's original laboratory sets for the film, a detail that shows how much the comedy respects and appreciates its source material. In fact, Whale's Bride of Frankenstein comes shockingly close to being parodic already, so wicked is the sense of humor that pervades the film, and Brooks and Wilder have only to push here and pull there to make the comic possibilities inherent in the Whale films come bounding out. The scene with the monster and the blind man (Gene Hackman) is just whiskers away from the incident seen in Bride, yet it makes the whole exchange hilariously bizarre.

A superbly funny cast helps to keep the jokes moving. Wilder plays Frankenstein like a cross between Colin Clive and William Powell, and Teri Garr is delightfully nubile as Inga. The impossibly bug-eyed Marty Feldman seems born to play Igor, and his constant breaking of the fourth wall makes the audience part of the fun. As the creature, Peter Boyle has a round, baby-faced quality that evokes the idea of a temperamental toddler, which goes a long way toward making him a sympathetic character, even when he starts smashing things. Madeline Kahn has some wonderful scenes, especially when she is busy keeping Wilder's eager hero at arm's length, and Cloris Leachman's stony-faced housekeeper recalls Una O'Connor's screeching Minnie in The Bride of Frankenstein while also evoking all the stereotypes of the Gothic stock character.

Young Frankenstein is much funnier when the film’s rich source material is familiar, but it offers enough sight gags, physical comedy, and sexual humor to keep almost any adult viewer thoroughly entertained. Fans of the original films, however, will particularly appreciate the care and detail in this comic homage. For more of the same, see Blazing Saddles (1974), in which Brooks and company take on the conventions of the classic Western, and High Anxiety (1977), which gives the same treatment to the films of Alfred Hitchcock. If you really enjoy parodies of classic movies and genres, move on to Murder by Death (1976) and Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982). For more of Dr. Frankenstein and his monster, see Son of Frankenstein (1939), The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), and Tim Burton’s new horror comedy, Frankenweenie (2012).

An earlier version of this review originally appeared on Examiner.com. The author retains all rights to this content.