10 Comedies That Are Considered Masterpieces

Comedy movies might not always get the same respect as dramas, but there are some which are generally considered masterpieces. These movies prove that comedy can be just as rewarding and important as any other genre, and they offer a counterpoint to lists of the best movies ever which only include hard-hitting genres. Comedies rarely enjoy the same critical prestige or awards success, but this isn’t because they are undeserving.

For a comedy movie to achieve masterpiece status, it usually has to stand out from the crowd by innovating in a particular area, whether this is a specific subgenre or a comedic style. It also helps if it represents the zenith of a filmmaker’s comedic efforts. Billy Wilder, Wes Anderson and Mel Brooks have all been praised for their comedy movies, for example, with the very best ones being described as masterpieces.

10

Shaun Of The Dead (2004)

Edgar Wright’s ZomCom Is Endlessly Rewatchable

Movie

My Favorite Movies
My Watchlist

Success!

Your Rating

close

10 stars

9 stars

8 stars

7 stars

6 stars

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Rate Now

0/10

Leave a Review

Your comment has not been saved

Shaun of the Dead

R

Horror

Comedy

ScreenRant logo

9/10

10/10

Release Date

September 24, 2004

Runtime

99 minutes

Director

Edgar Wright

Writers

Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright

Cast

See All

  • Headshot Of Kate Ashfield

    Kate Ashfield

  • Headshot Of Nick Frost

    Nick Frost

Powered by

Expand
Collapse

Each movie in Edgar Wright’s Cornetto trilogy parodies a different movie genre, and Shaun of the Dead kicks things off by taking a sideways look at horror movies. The title is a nod to Dawn of the Dead, but there are countless references to other horror classics throughout Shaun of the Dead for audiences to pick up on. This is just one reason why the horror-comedy has such great rewatch value.

Shaun of the Dead showcases Wright’s incredible attention to detail.

Shaun of the Dead showcases Wright’s incredible attention to detail. While his script is hilarious, he also tells a lot of jokes using the movement of his camera, his characters and their surroundings. There are subtle sight gags that could easily be missed on a first watch, as well as densely-layered callbacks and intelligent moments of foreshadowing. Some comedies lose their edge when they try to be too clever, but Shaun of the Dead is a rare exception to this rule.

9

Dr. Strangelove (1964)

Kubrick’s Cold War Satire Has Aged Beautifully

Movie

My Favorite Movies
My Watchlist

Success!

Your Rating

close

10 stars

9 stars

8 stars

7 stars

6 stars

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Rate Now

0/10

Leave a Review

Your comment has not been saved

Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb

PG

Comedy

ScreenRant logo

10/10

10/10

Release Date

January 29, 1964

Runtime

95 minutes

Director

Stanley Kubrick

Writers

Terry Southern, Stanley Kubrick, Peter George

Cast

See All

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    George C. Scott

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Slim Pickens

Powered by

Expand
Collapse

Stanley Kubrick’s career showed that he could master a variety of movie genres, even though he was never the most prolific director. 2001: A Space Odyssey is one of the best sci-fi movies ever, and The Shining is one of the best horror movies ever, so it’s no real surprise in this context that Kubrick created an enduring classic comedy before either of them. Dr. Strangelove may be divorced from its Cold War context these days, but its universal political satire is sadly just as relevant as ever.

Dr. Strangelove is filled with hilarious quotes, but, like most Kubrick movies, it also creates some indelible images.

Peter Sellers plays three characters of different nationalities in Dr. Strangelove. It’s a virtuoso performance that’s impossible to look away from, as his exaggerated mannerisms create a culture-clash comedy amidst a broader political satire about men accidentally bumbling into a nuclear war by mistake. Dr. Strangelove is filled with hilarious quotes, but, like most Kubrick movies, it also creates some indelible images.

8

Young Frankenstein (1974)

Mel Brooks Remains One Of The Funniest Comedy Filmmakers Ever

Movie

My Favorite Movies
My Watchlist

Success!

Your Rating

close

10 stars

9 stars

8 stars

7 stars

6 stars

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Rate Now

0/10

Leave a Review

Your comment has not been saved

Young Frankenstein

PG

Comedy

Release Date

December 15, 1974

Runtime

106 minutes

Director

Mel Brooks

Writers

Gene Wilder, Mel Brooks

Cast

See All

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Marty Feldman

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Cloris Leachman

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Madeline Kahn

  • Headshot Of Peter Boyle

    Peter Boyle

Powered by

Expand
Collapse

Mel Brooks’ movies are still among the funniest comedies ever, with Blazing Saddles, Spaceballs and The Producers all considered masterpieces. Young Frankenstein continues Brooks’ fruitful collaboration with Gene Wilder, casting him as Victor Frankenstein’s grandson, who is initially keen to distance himself from his grandfather’s legacy of mad science. Ultimately, he resumes his grandfather’s work.

Imagery-from-Tropic-Thunder-and-22-Jump-Street

Related

10 Great Comedy Movies That Save The Best Joke Until Last

While most comedy movies end with a brief moment of sincerity, there are also those that keep the audience laughing until the very end.

Posts

Young Frankenstein is a brilliant horror pastiche. It doesn’t take inspiration from Mary Shelley’s novel as much as it takes inspiration from other adaptations of Frankenstein. Its stark black-and-white appearance is just one way that it refers back to the dawn of horror movies, but it frequently subverts the most popular tropes of the genre. Young Frankenstein is also rife with the kind of sharp wordplay and quick wit that Brooks is known for.

7

The Apartment (1960)

Billy Wilder’s Oscar-Winner Still Strikes A Chord

Movie

My Favorite Movies
My Watchlist

Success!

The Apartment (1960) - Poster

Your Rating

close

10 stars

9 stars

8 stars

7 stars

6 stars

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Rate Now

0/10

Leave a Review

Your comment has not been saved

The Apartment

Approved

Comedy

Drama

Romance

Release Date

June 15, 1960

Runtime

125 minutes

Director

Billy Wilder

Writers

Billy Wilder, I.A.L. Diamond

Cast

See All

  • Jack Lemmon

    Jack Lemmon

  • Headshot Of Shirley MacLaine

    Shirley MacLaine

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Fred MacMurray

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Ray Walston

Powered by

Expand
Collapse

The Apartment starts out much like many other lighthearted Billy Wilder comedies, but it eventually reveals a surprising darkness that aligns it more with Sunset Boulevard than Some Like It Hot. Jack Lemmon stars as a dissatisfied office worker who finds that he can get a leg up in the company by allowing his coworkers to use his New York City apartment as a safe zone for their extramarital affairs.

While Jack Lemmon is his usual superb self, The Apartment only works thanks to an outstanding performance from Shirley MacLaine as his love interest. She is most often responsible for carrying the movie through its sharp tonal shifts, and she manages to make the audience laugh while tapping into a deep sorrow the next moment. Wilder’s chatty, erudite characters are a joy to watch, but The Apartment is also emotionally intelligent to sustain multiple watches.

6

Office Space (1999)

Office Space Represents A Generation Of Jaded Workers

Movie

My Favorite Movies
My Watchlist

Success!

Your Rating

close

10 stars

9 stars

8 stars

7 stars

6 stars

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Rate Now

0/10

Leave a Review

Your comment has not been saved

Office Space

R

Comedy

7.5/10

Release Date

February 19, 1999

Runtime

89 minutes

Director

Mike Judge

Writers

Mike Judge

Cast

See All

  • Headshot Of Stephen Root In The 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards

    Stephen Root

  • Headshot Of Ron Livingston In The New York premiere of HBO Max's 'The Staircase'

    Ron Livingston

Powered by

Expand
Collapse

Office Space is one of a handful of movies released in the 1990s that took aim at modern corporate culture, and it has become a symbol for dissatisfied office workers ever since. The story follows a jaded programmer in a dead-end job who is hypnotized into abandoning his stress over work. The corporate satire that runs throughout Office Space takes many forms, but it’s always about deconstructing the phony personalities that most jobs require people to put on.

Office Space has proven to be a lasting rebuttal to corporate culture.

Office Space seems rooted in the 1990s in some ways, but it has proven to be a lasting rebuttal to corporate culture. The image of the characters cathartically smashing a faulty printer to pieces probably sums up the movie’s philosophy better than anything else. It also has a lot to say about different kinds of work, as Joanna is required to suffer just as many minor humiliations in her job as a waitress.

5

Monty Python’s Life Of Brian (1979)

Monty Python’s Controversial Religious Satire Is Razor-Sharp

Movie

My Favorite Movies
My Watchlist

Success!

Lifeofbrianfilmposter

Your Rating

close

10 stars

9 stars

8 stars

7 stars

6 stars

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Rate Now

0/10

Leave a Review

Your comment has not been saved

Monty Python’s Life of Brian

R

Comedy

10/10

Release Date

August 17, 1979

Runtime

94 Minutes

Director

Terry Jones

Writers

Terry Jones, Eric Idle, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin

Cast

See All

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Graham Chapman

  • headshot Of John Cleese

    John Cleese

Powered by

Expand
Collapse

Monty Python’s movies are known for their irreverent, absurd humor, and Life of Brian is no exception. The narrative strings together countless hilarious sketches. Many are grounded in the Roman-era historical comedy, like the impromptu Latin lesson and the “What have the Romans done for us?” argument, but some are completely untethered slices of the surreal, with the alien spaceship being just one example.

Imagery-from-BlacKkKlansman-and-Jojo-Rabbit

Related

10 Hilarious Period Comedy Movies That Bring Historical Eras To Life

Comedy movies don’t have to pass the same standards of historical fidelity, meaning some period comedies are intentionally inaccurate and flawed.

Posts

Although Life of Brian is just as proudly silly as The Meaning of Life or Monty Python and the Holy Grail, it’s also deceptively smart when it comes to religious satire. Broadly, the story follows an average nobody who is mistaken for the messiah. The resulting fervor, overly confident sectarian debates and authoritarian backlash all suggest that religion is merely a blank canvas for people to visualize their own fears and desires. As Brian is crucified with a catchy show tune accompaniment, the joke is ultimately on the rest of humanity. He’s the only normal person in the story, and he’s relentlessly punished.

4

Fargo (1996)

The Coens Are Masters Of Crime Comedy

Movie

My Favorite Movies
My Watchlist

Success!

Your Rating

close

10 stars

9 stars

8 stars

7 stars

6 stars

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Rate Now

0/10

Leave a Review

Your comment has not been saved

Fargo

R

Crime

Thriller

Release Date

April 5, 1996

Runtime

98 Minutes

Director

Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Writers

Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

Cast

See All

  • Headshot Of William H. Macy

    William H. Macy

  • Headshot Of Frances McDormand In The Los Angeles Premiere Of `Women Talking`

    Frances McDormand

  • Headshot Of Steve Buscemi In The Vertical’s 'She Came To Me' New York special screening

    Steve Buscemi

  • Headshot Of Peter Stormare

    Peter Stormare

Powered by

Expand
Collapse

Fargo is one of the best Coen brothers movies, and it’s a perfect example of their flair for crime comedies. The story of a man arranging to kidnap his own wife to extort a ransom from his wealthy father-in-law often reads like a noirish moral struggle, with Frances McDormand’s small-town detective representing the one ray of hope in a desperately selfish world. As a comedy, Fargo is as dark as they come.

The Fargo TV spinoff has run for five seasons so far.

Fargo follows a simple, kind woman into a grimy criminal underworld, and the ultimate joke is that her Midwestern charms win the day. While other characters are busy colluding against one another and waiting for an opportunity to stab each other in the back, Marge Gunderson quietly goes about her business, saving time for lunch breaks with her mild-mannered husband. Fargo‘s striking cinematography is another huge bonus.

3

The Graduate (1967)

The Graduate Is Still Relevant To People Struggling For Direction

Movie

My Favorite Movies
My Watchlist

Success!

Your Rating

close

10 stars

9 stars

8 stars

7 stars

6 stars

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Rate Now

0/10

Leave a Review

Your comment has not been saved

The Graduate

PG

Romance

Comedy

Drama

7/10

Release Date

December 21, 1967

Runtime

106 minutes

Director

Mike Nichols

Writers

Calder Willingham, Buck Henry

Cast

See All

  • Headshot Of Dustin Hoffman In The Los Angeles Premiere Of 'Kung Fu Panda 4'

    Dustin Hoffman

  • Headshot Of Katharine Ross

    Katharine Ross

Powered by

Expand
Collapse

The Graduate is well over 50 years old, but it’s a timeless comedy about the awkward phase of life between college and work. More broadly, it’s relatable to anyone struggling to find their place in the world, as Benjamin is caught between what he wants to do, what he thinks he should do, and what his parents forcefully suggest he should do. Dustin Hoffman’s hilarious comedic performance makes the most out of a script filled with great jokes.

Dustin Hoffman’s hilarious comedic performance makes the most out of a script filled with great jokes.

As Benjamin ponders his future, he tries to busy himself with a needlessly complex love life as a distraction. His affair with his neighbor’s mother shows his real immaturity, but it’s also a minor act of rebellion, even if it’s only a statement he makes for his own admiration. The Graduate‘s ending perfectly wraps up a chapter in Benjamin’s life, but there’s just as much uncertainty hanging over his future as ever.

2

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Wes Anderson’s Style Coats A Disarmingly Dark Tale

Movie

My Favorite Movies
My Watchlist

Success!

Your Rating

close

10 stars

9 stars

8 stars

7 stars

6 stars

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Rate Now

0/10

Leave a Review

Your comment has not been saved

The Grand Budapest Hotel

R

Adventure

Comedy

Drama

ScreenRant logo

9/10

9/10

Release Date

March 28, 2014

Runtime

100 Minutes

Director

Wes Anderson

Writers

Wes Anderson, Hugo Guinness

Cast

See All

  • Headshot Of Willem Dafoe

    Willem Dafoe

  • Headshot Of Jude Law

    Jude Law

Powered by

Expand
Collapse

Wes Anderson’s movies can all be easily recognized, due to the director’s idiosyncratic aesthetic tendencies. His manicured compositions often appear as if they have sprung to life from the pages of a picture book, but this whimsical style is incongruous with some of his dark themes. The Grand Budapest Hotel is the perfect example of this idea, since it looks gorgeous and inviting until the point that a psychopathic assassin is on the loose and a fascist regime is quietly rising to power in the background.

The Grand Budapest Hotel rattles along at breakneck speed.

The Grand Budapest Hotel is arguably Anderson’s masterpiece. It features many of his hallmarks as a director, like a large ensemble cast, a strange sort of father-son relationship and some neatly choreographed bursts of action. Of course, Anderson’s deadpan wit is also in full flow. The Grand Budapest Hotel rattles along at breakneck speed, checking in with a large cast of eccentric characters, each with their own insecurities.

1

Playtime (1967)

Jacques Tati Adds A Splash Of Color To A Gray World

Movie

My Favorite Movies
My Watchlist

Success!

312588

Your Rating

close

10 stars

9 stars

8 stars

7 stars

6 stars

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Rate Now

0/10

Leave a Review

Your comment has not been saved

Playtime

Not Rated

Comedy

ScreenRant logo

10/10

Runtime

124 Minutes

Director

Jacques Tati

Cast

See All

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Jacques Tati

Powered by

Expand
Collapse

Playtime is a French movie that can be enjoyed without subtitles by anyone, since the only snippets of dialogue are heard among crowd noise or at levels that make it hard to discern. Stylistically, Jacques Tati borrows from the long tradition of silent film stars. He has the added luxury of sound, but he merely uses this as another avenue for slapstick comedy. Playtime often looks as though Harold Lloyd somehow stumbled into a color movie in the 1960s, as Tati bumbles around a bewildering urban landscape.

Playtime is an ingenious satire of modern life, and stripping away all the dialogue means that there’s no chance for anyone to defend the ridiculous state of society with empty platitudes. Here it is on full display, the way that people posture for one another without ever paying attention, how people shuffle to trendy restaurants as if they’re attending work functions, and how people so rarely see the possibility of beauty when they are so consumed by the drudgery of getting by.