AFI 100 Years...100 Laughs List

I recently did the Top 100 that AFI did in 1998. With that being such a big hit, they did a list on the top comedies. As I've stated before, comedies are really hard to hold well over time and some comedies don't even become funny for several years with multiple viewings. Some movies on this list I don't particularly like, for example...The Producers, Moonstruck, Private Benjamin and Harold and Maude. There's still a few on this list I haven't seen, but it opened my eyes to several I probably would've never watched like Young Frankenstein and Sons of the Desert, if not for this list. What comedies do you think are missing and which ones do you think should be scratched?

1. SOME LIKE IT HOT. 1959
2. TOOTSIE. 1982
3. DR. STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP
WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB. 1964
4. ANNIE HALL. 1977
5. DUCK SOUP. 1933
6. BLAZING SADDLES. 1974
7. M*A*S*H. 1970
8. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT. 1934
9. THE GRADUATE. 1967
10. AIRPLANE!. 1980
11. THE PRODUCERS. 1968
12. A NIGHT AT THE OPERA. 1935
13. YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN. 1974
14. BRINGING UP BABY. 1938
15. THE PHILADELPHIA STORY. 1940
16. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN. 1952
17. THE ODD COUPLE. 1968
18. THE GENERAL. 1927
19. HIS GIRL FRIDAY. 1940
20. THE APARTMENT. 1960
21. A FISH CALLED WANDA. 1988
22. ADAM'S RIB. 1949
23. WHEN HARRY MET SALLY…. 1989
24. BORN YESTERDAY. 1950
25. THE GOLD RUSH. 1925
26. BEING THERE. 1979
27. THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY. 1998
28. GHOSTBUSTERS. 1984
29. THIS IS SPINAL TAP. 1984
30. ARSENIC AND OLD LACE. 1944
31. RAISING ARIZONA. 1987
32. THE THIN MAN. 1934
33. MODERN TIMES. 1936
34. GROUNDHOG DAY. 1993
35. HARVEY. 1950
36. NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE. 1978
37. THE GREAT DICTATOR. 1940
38. CITY LIGHTS. 1931
39. SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS. 1941
40. IT'S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD. 1963
41. MOONSTRUCK. 1987
42. BIG. 1988
43. AMERICAN GRAFFITI. 1973
44. MY MAN GODFREY. 1936
45. HAROLD AND MAUDE. 1972
46. MANHATTAN. 1979
47. SHAMPOO. 1975
48. A SHOT IN THE DARK. 1964
49. TO BE OR NOT TO BE. 1942
50. CAT BALLOU. 1965
51. THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH. 1955
52. NINOTCHKA. 1939
53. ARTHUR. 1981
54. THE MIRACLE OF MORGAN'S CREEK. 1944
55. THE LADY EVE. 1941
56. ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN. 1948
57. DINER. 1982
58. IT'S A GIFT. 1934
59. A DAY AT THE RACES. 1937
60. TOPPER. 1937
61. WHAT'S UP, DOC?. 1972
62. SHERLOCK, JR. . 1924
63. BEVERLY HILLS COP. 1984
64. BROADCAST NEWS. 1987
65. HORSE FEATHERS. 1932
66. TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN. 1969
67. MRS. DOUBTFIRE. 1993
68. THE AWFUL TRUTH. 1937
69. BANANAS. 1971
70. MR. DEEDS GOES TO TOWN. 1936
71. CADDYSHACK. 1980
72. MR. BLANDINGS BUILDS HIS DREAM HOUSE. 1948
73. MONKEY BUSINESS. 1931
74. 9 TO 5. 1980
75. SHE DONE HIM WRONG. 1933
76. VICTOR/VICTORIA. 1982
77. THE PALM BEACH STORY. 1942
78. ROAD TO MOROCCO. 1942
79. THE FRESHMAN. 1925
80. SLEEPER. 1973
81. THE NAVIGATOR. 1924
82. PRIVATE BENJAMIN. 1980
83. FATHER OF THE BRIDE. 1950
84. LOST IN AMERICA. 1985
85. DINNER AT EIGHT. 1933
86. CITY SLICKERS. 1991
87. FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH. 1982
88. BEETLEJUICE. 1988
89. THE JERK. 1979
90. WOMAN OF THE YEAR. 1942
91. THE HEARTBREAK KID. 1972
92. BALL OF FIRE. 1941
93. FARGO. 1996
94. AUNTIE MAME. 1958
95. SILVER STREAK. 1976
96. SONS OF THE DESERT. 1933
97. BULL DURHAM. 1988
98. THE COURT JESTER. 1956
99. THE NUTTY PROFESSOR. 1963
100. GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM. 1987

This list is just fuckin stupid. I'm pretty sure I hate the AFI.

pac should have been here when I was doing the FMFI, eh?

What's FMFI?

geezer9687 wrote:This list is just fuckin stupid. I'm pretty sure I hate the AFI.

Could you give us a little insight?

Of the movies that I have seen on here, which aren't many, they gave me the occasional laugh and were good, solid movies. I haven't even heard of quite a few. And they don't even have The Blues Brothers. I guess I just don't have the same sense of humor as those grumpy old men. To me, films like Anchorman, Office Space, South Park Bigger Longer and Uncut, and The Big Lebowski are the hallmarks or comedic excellence.

For Example, I recently watched Dr. Strangelove. It was funny, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. But I wouldn't put it anywhere close to a top comedies list. I judge comedies by three things: How often I laughed, how hard I laughed and quotability. There are some that absolutely belong there, like Animal House, but so many of the films I've seen on there I wouldn't even qualify as comedies. Like the Graduate. I don't see how its a comedy. I don't know when the list was made, but like people were saying of the other list, they put way too much value on the older films and really value one type of humor. But that is why it is their list and not mine.

I just rewatched Take the Money and Run (Woody Allen). This movie is so funny, maybe it lands 3rd on my Allen list.

Geez, I understand where your coming from. You've listed some cult classics above that you would like to see on the list. I think this list was put together in 2000 so Anchorman would've have been available, not sure on Office Space or South park.

Not to come off always defending the AFI, but their list IMO was trying to reach several different types of movie goes and likers. For example, I think There's Something About Mary is on there for the younger crowd. When I first saw this list, back in 2000, I thought WTF about Mary. I know own the movie and watch it once a year, as it's one of my favorite comedies. I think they do a good job spreading out the love to several different types of movies.

Harold and Maude is a complete Cult movie, Love it or Hate it. Of the movies you've listed it could go to that they were too new and not yet accomplished enough to go on the list.

IMO
I turned Anchorman off towards the end due to eating cat poop. Not funny, just gross.
Office Space is funny, more funny to quote than to watch, especially that I work in an office now, but I wouldn't put this movie much higher than, say Tommy Boy.
South Park, wasn't nominated for this list but was a nominee for their top 25 musicals. Didn't make the final cut, but was on there. My thoughts on South Park. I never go into it, so I might be biased. But, I think putting such a movie on the greatest comedies would make is lose creditability on both sides, young and old.

P.S. First time I watched The Graduate I didn't laugh much, only 1 scene to be exact, but after multiple views, and maybe because I'm more familiar with the characters but it's so much funnier now than then.

packpal, i agree with you about the Thrills--that's a pretty solid list.. but, this one screams "old cranky bastards" once again.. sure, some comedy is simply generational--but a lot of these movies are just DATED.. there are some horribly unfunny movies that somehow made the cut.. here are a few, more recent, movies that i think got neglected:

National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)
Fletch (1985)
Clue (1985)
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985)
The Three Amigos (1986)
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
Four Rooms (1995)
Billy Madison (1995)
Swingers (1996)
Bottle Rocket (1996)
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Rushmore (1998)
Office Space (1999)

I suppose the last one might've been too recent.. but the rest of these should've been acknowledged

I definitely agree about Vacation, that is in my top 10 best comedies ever.

I've always felt that Ghostbusters was the biggest omission.

The Big Lebowski is another glaring omission.

28. GHOSTBUSTERS. 1984

Crap. Must have missed that.

packpaljs wrote:What's FMFI?

Stands for the Fantasy Moguls (can I say that?) Film Institute, something I created. We went through and made our own lists. I think we only got through 50 Movies, 50 States. You can check it out. I moved the results to the Poll section when we moved over here.

Yes, I would've enjoyed that.

Nspan wrote:

National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)
Fletch (1985)
Clue (1985)
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985)
The Three Amigos (1986)
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
Four Rooms (1995)
Billy Madison (1995)
Swingers (1996)
Bottle Rocket (1996)
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Rushmore (1998)
Office Space (1999)

I just rewatched Swingers last night....IMO, wasn't that funny. The Babies and Money got to be too much.

Okay so when posting this and the top thrills I thought I should put together my top 10 in each category as well. So here it is, but this is just from the movies I own so I could be missing something.

10. Back to the Future
9. Christmas Vacation
8. Cable Guy
7. Duck Soup
6. As Good as it Gets
5. Sleeper
4. My Cousin Vinny
3. Vacation
2. Raising Arizona
1. There's Something About Mary

Other nominees in no certain order
Take the Money and Run
Sideways
Play it Again Sam
A Shot in the Dark
Major League
Kung Fu Panda
Steamboat Bill, Jr.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Home Alone
Clue
Caddyshack
Dr. Strangelove
Dave
Annie Hall
Airplane
Big
Breakfast Club
Tootsie

packpaljs wrote:I just rewatched Swingers last night....IMO, wasn't that funny. The Babies and Money got to be too much.

i was sure that i wrote some long-winded response to this in defense of Swingers... but now i don't see it... maybe it was all a dream

I think it was in the what are you watching now thread.

so i'm not crazy!

I wouldn't go that far