25 best American comedies: from silent classics to the 21st century.

Published 7 months ago

The first success of Tom Hanks, the legendary Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, the debut film of Kevin Smith and more.

1. Dr. Strangelove, or How I Stopped Being Afraid and Loved the Bomb

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

USA, UK, 1964.
Black comedy.
Duration: 95 minutes.
IMDb: 8.4.

Stanley Kubrick's satirical film, repeatedly named the funniest film of all time, tells the story of an American general who bypasses the US high command and organizes a nuclear attack . The government is trying to prevent the outbreak of war, but one of the planes loses contact with the base.

2. Singing in the rain

Singin' In The Rain

USA, 1952.
Musical, comedy, melodrama.
Duration: 103 minutes.
IMDb: 8.3.

Don Lockwood is a musician and silent film star. But a revolution is coming to cinema, and now actors need to learn how to work with microphones and sound. His new friend, dancer Katie Seldon, helps Don adapt to new times.

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3. Only girls in jazz

Some Like It Hot

USA, 1959.
Bizarre comedy.
Duration: 119 minutes.
IMDb: 8.2.

Billy Wilder's legendary film is dedicated to two musicians. Hiding from the mafia, they are forced to dress up as women and go on tour with a jazz ensemble. But one of the heroes falls in love with the singer.

4. Gold Rush

The Gold Rush

USA, 1925.
Comedy, adventure.
Duration: 95 minutes.
IMDb: 8.2.

The Little Tramp, played as always by Charlie Chaplin , travels to Alaska during the Gold Rush. Chance leads him to the hut of the criminal Black Larsen, where Big Jim, who recently found gold, also ends up. Then the heroes go their separate ways, but fate brings them together again in a small town.

Even those who haven't seen the film will have seen iconic scenes like the pies dancing, the shoe being eaten, and the moment where the Tramp braves the storm to escape the cabin.

5. General

The General

USA, 1926.
Comedy.
Duration: 75 minutes.
IMDb: 8.2.

And another silent comedy, only from another cinema legend - Buster Keaton. He plays a driver whose spies stole the General locomotive. Since the villains stole the hero’s girlfriend along with the locomotive, he sets off in pursuit.

6. Grand Budapest Hotel

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Germany, USA, 2014.
Comedy, drama.
Duration: 100 minutes.
IMDb: 8.1.

Wes Anderson's most famous film takes place in the fictional country of Zubrowka. The main characters - the senior concierge of the Grand Budapest Hotel, Monsieur Gustav and his assistant Zero Mustafa - get involved in a crazy adventure to prove their right to own the priceless painting "Boy with an Apple".

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7. Annie Hall

Annie Hall

USA, 1977.
Romantic comedy.
Duration: 94 minutes.
IMDb: 8.0.

The protagonist of this almost autobiographical story from Woody Allen is comedian Alvy Singer, who suffers from neuroses and looks for anti-Semitic conspiracies everywhere. There were several lovers in his life. But Annie Hall remained the main one among them. He himself recalls with humor the beginning and end of their relationship, as well as his constant failures.

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8. Graduate

The Graduate

USA, 1967.
Romantic comedy.
Duration: 105 minutes.
IMDb: 8.0.

College graduate Benjamin Braddock returns home. Soon he meets his parents' friend, the attractive Mrs. Robinson. The meeting leads to romance. But soon Benjamin falls in love with her daughter.

The irony is that the age difference between Dustin Hoffman, who played the main role, and Anne Bancroft, who played the role of Mrs. Robinson, is only six years.

9. Young Frankenstein

Young Frankenstein

USA, 1974.
Comedy.
Duration: 106 minutes.
IMDb: 8.0.

Famous comedy director Mel Brooks came up with the plot of this film together with his longtime friend, actor Gene Wilder, who played the main role. A parody of classic horror films, it follows the grandson of Dr. Frankenstein. He inherits the castle where the notorious grandfather conducted his experiments, and also revives the monster.

10. Philadelphia story

The Philadelphia Story

USA, 1940.
Romantic comedy, melodrama.
Duration: 112 minutes.
IMDb: 8.0.

Beautiful Tracy is divorced and plans to marry her father's business partner. She doesn't want any fuss, but tabloid newspaper reporters infiltrate the wedding. And it soon turns out that the bride does not love her future husband and became interested in one of the reporters. And on top of that, her ex-husband appears.

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11. Groundhog Day

Groundhog Day

USA, 1993.
Comedy, melodrama.
Duration: 101 minutes.
IMDb: 8.0.

Television commentator Phil Connors travels to the town of Punxsutawney to celebrate Groundhog Day. On February 2, he films a report, spends the day casually and goes to bed. And in the morning he discovers that the calendar shows February 2 again. This day will be repeated over and over again until Phil finds a way to get out of the time loop.

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12. Duck soup

Duck Soup

USA, 1933.
Comedy.
Duration: 68 minutes.
IMDb: 7.9.

The classic Marx Brothers slapstick introduces the viewer to the fictional poor country of Freedonia. To save the state from bankruptcy, wealthy widow Tisdale agrees to provide $20 million. But her boyfriend, Rufus Firefly, must lead the country. And he almost starts a war with neighboring Sylvania.

13. Airplane!

Airplane!

USA, 1980.
Black comedy.
Duration: 88 minutes.
IMDb: 7.8.

This acclaimed comedy from the trio of the Zucker brothers and Jim Abrahams parodies classic disaster films. The plot centers on a former military pilot who is constantly depressed, but must save a falling plane.

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14. Blazing Saddles

Blazing Saddles

USA, 1974.
Comedy, Western.
Duration: 93 minutes.
IMDb: 7.8.

The film parodies classic westerns , most notably the film High Noon. Greedy villains want to run a railroad through a small town. But to do this they need to expel all the residents. To make everything look legal, they send a gang of thugs to the city and appoint a new sheriff who barely knows how to shoot, and is also dark-skinned.

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15. Ghostbusters

Ghostbusters

USA, 1984.
Comedy, fantasy.
Duration: 105 minutes.
IMDb: 7.8.

The first ever true “summer blockbuster” is set in New York. People are increasingly encountering ghosts, and only scientists who have assembled a team of ghost hunters can resist the supernatural threat.

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16. Office space

Office Space

USA, 1999.
Comedy, crime.
Duration: 89 minutes.
IMDb: 7.8.

The author of " King of the Hill " and "Beavis and Butt-head" Mike Judge released one of the best films about office workers in the late nineties. The main character is clerk Peter Gibbons. After an unfinished hypnosis session, he lost all interest in his work. But, oddly enough, this helps him move up the career ladder. And then Peter decides to steal some of the company’s money, but everything doesn’t go according to plan.

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17. Clerks

Clerks

USA, 1994.
Comedy.
Duration: 92 minutes.
IMDb: 7.8.

The debut film of the future creator of “Dogma” and “Jay and Silent Bob” Kevin Smith is dedicated to one day in the life of the workers of a small store. The heroes sort out friendships and love relationships, play hockey and even go to a funeral.

By the way, the same Jay and Silent Bob appear briefly in this film.

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18. Producers

The Producers

USA, 1968.
Comedy.
Duration: 88 minutes.
IMDb: 7.7.

An unsuccessful Broadway producer puts on one disastrous production after another, each time declaring himself bankrupt. But suddenly he has a chance to make money: the accountant offers him not the most honest, but very profitable scheme. To do this, they must stage a deliberately unsuccessful musical. For example, about Hitler.

19. The Odd Couple

The Odd Couple

USA, 1968.
Comedy.
Duration: 105 minutes.
IMDb: 7.7.

The pedant and neat Felix Anger was kicked out of the house by his wife. And soon he settled with his friend Oscar Madison. There is only one problem: Felix cannot stand any dirt or disruption of the routine, and Oscar loves bachelor parties and a riotous lifestyle.

After the success of the first film, this story was repeatedly continued, restarted and even filmed female versions. But still, the original remained inimitable.

20. Military field hospital M.E.Sh.

MASH

USA, 1970.
Black comedy.
Duration: 116 minutes.
IMDb: 7.6.

The action of the legendary film, which launched an entire franchise, takes place in the American military field hospital No. 4077, located near the front line of the Korean War. This is where new surgeons arrive. In order to somehow distract themselves from the hardships of service and the horrors of battles, they constantly play pranks on each other.

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21. Tootsie

Tootsie

USA, 1982.
Comedy.
Duration: 116 minutes.
IMDb: 7.4.

Actor Michael Dorsey has a difficult character, which is why he constantly loses work. One day, for an audition, the hero dresses up as a woman and suddenly realizes that people like her better. But soon problems arise with his beloved.

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22. Raising Arizona

Raising Arizona

USA, 1987.
Comedy, crime.
Duration: 94 minutes.
IMDb: 7.4.

Nicolas Cage plays a petty criminal named Hai. Together with his wife, who works as a police officer, he decides to kidnap the child. After all, they just can’t have one of their own, and the owner of the chain of stores, Nathan Arizona, gave birth to five at once. Hai decided that no one would notice the loss anyway. But a whole host of problems are added to this already stupid plan when Huy's former cellmates come to see him and a bounty hunter goes in search of the baby.

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23. Big

Big

USA, 1988.
Comedy, drama, family.
Duration: 104 minutes.
IMDb: 7.3.

Little boy Josh Baskin really wants to become an adult. He makes a wish and the next morning he wakes up thirty years old. After running away from home, Josh finds himself a job. Of course, this is a toy business. It was this film that became the first major success of the beloved Tom Hanks .

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24. Borat: exploring American culture for the benefit of the glorious people of Kazakhstan

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

USA, UK, 2006.
Comedy, mockumentary.
Duration: 84 minutes.
IMDb: 7.3.

The pseudo-documentary film is dedicated to the adventures of another alter ego of comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, Kazakh journalist Borat Sagdiev, who went to the United States to shoot a documentary.

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25. Everyone is crazy about Mary

There's Something About Mary

USA, 1998.
Comedy, melodrama.
Duration: 119 minutes.
IMDb: 7.1.

The once clumsy Ted disgraced himself on a date with the beautiful Mary. After 13 years, he still wants his first love back and even hires a private investigator to track her down. He fulfills the order, but he himself begins to develop feelings for the girl. In addition, she is being courted by a pizza delivery guy and her ex-fiancé. But Ted doesn't want to give up.

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Of course, the world's largest cinema has produced many more excellent comedies over the course of a century and a half. The list shows only a small part that was loved by many critics and viewers. And in the comments you can add your favorite funny Hollywood films and please other readers.