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BBC asked 253 critics to determine the best comedies ever made. The results are...

borghe

Loves the Greater Toronto Area
160 million of coming to America's 290 million box office was international

and Beverly Hills cop had an 80 million intl gross. People know Eddie overseas

trading places is on the list. Coming to America isn't as good as trading places, and I wouldn't call Beverly Hills Cop a comedy. Stocking it in the video store it would clearly go under Action.
 

kruis

Exposing the sinister cartel of retailers who allow companies to pay for advertising space.
Harold Lloyd is funnier and cleverer than both Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. Safety Last at 83 is ridiculous.

The list is solid though. You can't go wrong with just about any title in the top 50. If you've never watched any comedy older than 1980, this is a great place to start exploring the classic of the genre.
 

Alx

Member
160 million of coming to America's 290 million box office was international

and Beverly Hills cop had an 80 million intl gross. People know Eddie overseas

He's known, but he isn't considered as a top humorist in some countries. In France he's still "Axel Foley" for the few who remember Beverly Hill's cop, but his popularity went downhill after that (increasingly faster when he started making bad comedies where he plays all the characters).
 

Jarmel

Banned
OK? This isn't a single person's opinion, it's a list made by literally hundreds of different people. Maybe those comedies got votes but not enough to make it, maybe more people think Pulp Fiction is both a comedy (it is in a lot of ways) and a good film than you think. It doesn't make this list "crazy" just because it doesn't line up with your own opinion and, admittedly, omits more recent films that haven't had the time to become 'classics.' Maybe in fifty years you can make your own list and have 20 years olds on the internet call your opinion crazy for not including Minions meets The Hangover: Part 2.
Oh hey look at that hyperbole. I don't give a shit that they didn't include recent films. They ignored films from the same era, some of which are better and I have no clue how you can have Groundshog Day in the top 10 and Ghostbusters at 95.

If we're including a film like Pulp Fiction then they're going by really broad metrics in which case this list gets even worse.
 
Some people here going on about not wanting to watch comedies before their birth year are being more elitist and snooty than any of the critics here.
 

borghe

Loves the Greater Toronto Area
Strangelove is absolutely a comedy. It's an incredibly dark comedy dealing with a horrifying subject but it's undeniably a comedy.

agreed. every scene with Peter Sellers (all characters) and about 3/4 of the scenes with Geroge C Scott are all solid gold comedy.
 
I never cared for Some Like it Hot, but it is what it is. The performances are all stellar and holy moly Monroe is gorgeous in that film, but I just don't find it all that funny.

Wish The General was higher than 10, but glad its in the top 10.
 

pulsemyne

Member
To anyone who hasn't watched any of the films in the top ten,,,I pity you. Spinal tap, life of brian, Strangelove, Airplane, Groundhog day etc are not just some of the best comedies ever made, they are some of the best films ever made.
And most of them are on netflix so do yourself a favour and watch them.
 

Screaming Meat

Unconfirmed Member
Dr Strangelove was robbed.

Nice to see In The Loop and Withnail & I in there. I'd have placed them way higher.

Um... Where in fuck is Four Lions?!

"gentlemen, there will be no fighting in the war room!"

"The Bomb, Dimitri... The Hydrogen Bomb."

Best. Phone call. Ever.
 

kruis

Exposing the sinister cartel of retailers who allow companies to pay for advertising space.
How many of them AREN'T senior citizens?

I'd rather have senior citizens vote for the 100 best film comedies of all time than twenty year old GAFfers who have never seen a movie made before 1980 and have yet to see a movie in black and white.
 

Plum

Member
Oh hey look at that hyperbole. I don't give a shit that they didn't include recent films. They ignored films from the same era, some of which are better and I have no clue how you can have Groundshog Day in the top 10 and Ghostbusters at 95.

That's why I said "and." 253 people not lining up perfectly with your own opinion and maybe having a few generational biases doesn't excuse writing off the entire list as shit. It's just an excuse to not broaden your horizons; lists like these aren't meant as personal attacks on those who dare defy them, they're meant to highlight good things people should check out.

This list only makes me want to watch it again. Apparently, I completely forgot it.

Do it, seriously. Though, I must say, with who's in the White House right now it can hit a little close to home.
 
He's known, but he isn't considered as a top humorist in some countries. In France he's still "Axel Foley" for the few who remember Beverly Hill's cop, but his popularity went downhill after that (increasingly faster when he started making bad comedies where he plays all the characters).

I would strongly disagree with that assessment. Most modern US comedians are either unknown in France (like Will Ferrell) or disliked (Sandler) but Eddie Murphy was a gigantic star here. Not so much anymore since he isn't really making movies these days but I'd argue most people here would still consider him one of the most popular comedians of all time. His french voice actor was a big part of his success, his movies from the 80s are well-known and very fondly remembered. They're on tv all the time.
 

borghe

Loves the Greater Toronto Area
people complaining get outta here with your pleb tastes. sorry they don't have time for fart jokes and poop.

truth
I'd rather have senior citizens vote for the 100 best film comedies of all time than twenty year old GAFfers who have never seen a movie made before 1980 and have yet to see a movie in black and white.

double truth

I think the ordering of the list is largely irrelevant. What is relevant is that you can throw a dart at the list and virtually any title it lands on will be a solid 90-120 minutes of tremendous entertainment.
 
Funny how nothing on that list is less than 20something years old. These is an old people comedy list.

Full 100 list has a bunch of recent movies.

Did you even read the article?

Or do you care only about top 10? Then you're being kind of silly.

Have to ask... what was the average age of the critics?

Not sure, they have an individual list here: http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20170821-the-100-greatest-comedies-of-all-time-who-voted

You're free to inspect each one but going by where they're from the list is pretty diverse.
 

kruis

Exposing the sinister cartel of retailers who allow companies to pay for advertising space.
Oh hey look at that hyperbole. I don't give a shit that they didn't include recent films. They ignored films from the same era, some of which are better and I have no clue how you can have Groundshog Day in the top 10 and Ghostbusters at 95.

Groundhog Day is by far the superior movie, there's no contest.
 

MrS

Banned
Nice to see In The Loop and Withnail & I in there. I'd have placed them way higher.

Um... Where in fuck is Four Lions?!

Best. Phone call. Ever.
In The Loop doesn't reach the greatness of The Thick of It and doesn't deserve to be there. Four Lions is arguably Morris' worst work too.

Edit: I take that all back as somebody genuinely put fucking Bridesmaids on their list.
 

Screaming Meat

Unconfirmed Member
Im surprised!!!, Being There is not on the list, mmm??

Ooooo. That's a damn good shout.

In The Loop doesn't reach the greatness of The Thick of It and doesn't deserve to be there. Four Lions is arguably Morris' worst work too.

giphy.gif
 

borghe

Loves the Greater Toronto Area
Funny how nothing on that list is less than 20something years old. This is an old people comedy list.

the top 100? did you even look? There are at least a half dozen to dozen movies post-2000 on there.

top 10? I mean.... are you actually serious? do you really believe that one of the 10 greatest comedies of all time has come out within the last 20 years?

Some of these people are clearly taking the piss.

One guy has American Psycho.

American Psycho is largely referred to as a comedy in fact. Most of the streaming services have it categorized under dark comedy. Not at all surprising. It won't have you busting your gut.. but dark comedy is pretty damn accurate.. dark comedy/critique at least.
 

Firemind

Member
Oh hey look at that hyperbole. I don't give a shit that they didn't include recent films. They ignored films from the same era, some of which are better and I have no clue how you can have Groundshog Day in the top 10 and Ghostbusters at 95.

If we're including a film like Pulp Fiction then they're going by really broad metrics in which case this list gets even worse.
Pulp Fiction is funnier than Ghostbusters brah
 

borghe

Loves the Greater Toronto Area
for those not bothering to even look at the full article, 15% of the list is from 2000 or later, and 25% of the list is from the last 25 years.
 

Bronx-Man

Banned
Some of these people are clearly taking the piss.

One guy has American Psycho.
American Psycho is funny as hell and it's a fantastic satire of 80s materialism and corporate culture.

"That subtle off-white coloring....it even has a watermark!"
 

The_Super_Inframan

"the journey to a thousand games ends with bad rats. ~Lao Tzu" ~Gabe Newell
People here who haven't seen Life of Brian should really fix that, one of the most genuine funny movies even to this day, its kinda mind blowing watching it that the movie is from 1979, the humor is still fresh... Monthy Python was way ahead of its time

also Life of Brian > Holy Grail.... I adore both tho
 
HOW THE FUCK IS GHOSTBUSTERS #95?

How many of them AREN'T senior citizens?

I've seen a number of them and this list is fucking crazy. For starters I wouldn't put Groundshog Day over Ghostbusters. Then you have asinine shit like Pulp Fiction over amazing comedies that didn't make it.

Oh hey look at that hyperbole. I don't give a shit that they didn't include recent films. They ignored films from the same era, some of which are better and I have no clue how you can have Groundshog Day in the top 10 and Ghostbusters at 95.

If we're including a film like Pulp Fiction then they're going by really broad metrics in which case this list gets even worse.

Some of these people are clearly taking the piss.

One guy has American Psycho.

The more I look at this list, the angrier I get.

Jarmel, take a chill pill. You're the only person in this thread getting so worked up over this list of comedies 😂

American Psycho is absolutely a dark comedy and is full of memorable hilarious scenes.
 
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