AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs

Part of the AFI 100 Years... series, AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs is a list of the top 100 funny movies in American cinema. A wide variety of comedies, totalling 500 films, were nominated for the distinction; genres included slapstick, action comedy, screwball comedy, romantic comedy, satire, black comedy, musical comedy, comedy of manners, and comedy of errors. The list was unveiled by the American Film Institute on June 13, 2000.[1][2]

AFI 100 Years... series
1998100 Movies
1999100 Stars
2000100 Laughs
2001100 Thrills
2002100 Passions
2003100 Heroes & Villains
2004100 Songs
2005100 Movie Quotes
200525 Scores
2006100 Cheers
200625 Musicals
2007100 Movies (Updated)
2008AFI's 10 Top 10

Cary Grant has the most appearances on the list, with eight films.

Criteria edit

According to the AFI, the criteria for nomination are:[3]

  • Feature-Length Fiction Film: The film must be in narrative format typically over 60 minutes in length;
  • American Film: The film must be in the English language with significant creative and/or financial production elements from the United States;
  • Funny: Regardless of genre, the total comedic impact of a film's elements that creates an experience greater than the sum of the smiles;
  • Legacy: Laughs that echo across time, enriching America's film heritage and inspiring artists and audiences today.

List of films edit

# Movie Director(s) Year
1 Some Like It Hot Billy Wilder 1959
2 Tootsie Sydney Pollack 1982
3 Dr. Strangelove Stanley Kubrick 1964
4 Annie Hall Woody Allen 1977
5 Duck Soup Leo McCarey 1933
6 Blazing Saddles Mel Brooks 1974
7 M*A*S*H Robert Altman 1970
8 It Happened One Night Frank Capra 1934
9 The Graduate Mike Nichols 1967
10 Airplane! Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker 1980
11 The Producers Mel Brooks 1967
12 A Night at the Opera Sam Wood 1935
13 Young Frankenstein Mel Brooks 1974
14 Bringing Up Baby Howard Hawks 1938
15 The Philadelphia Story George Cukor 1940
16 Singin' in the Rain Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen 1952
17 The Odd Couple Gene Saks 1968
18 The General Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton 1927
19 His Girl Friday Howard Hawks 1940
20 The Apartment Billy Wilder 1960
21 A Fish Called Wanda Charles Crichton 1988
22 Adam's Rib George Cukor 1949
23 When Harry Met Sally... Rob Reiner 1989
24 Born Yesterday George Cukor 1950
25 The Gold Rush Charlie Chaplin 1925
26 Being There Hal Ashby 1979
27 There's Something About Mary Peter Farrelly, Robert Farrelly 1998
28 Ghostbusters Ivan Reitman 1984
29 This Is Spinal Tap Rob Reiner 1984
30 Arsenic and Old Lace Frank Capra 1944
31 Raising Arizona Joel Coen 1987
32 The Thin Man W. S. Van Dyke 1934
33 Modern Times Charlie Chaplin 1936
34 Groundhog Day Harold Ramis 1993
35 Harvey Henry Koster 1950
36 Animal House John Landis 1978
37 The Great Dictator Charlie Chaplin 1940
38 City Lights Charlie Chaplin 1931
39 Sullivan's Travels Preston Sturges 1941
40 It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World Stanley Kramer 1963
41 Moonstruck Norman Jewison 1987
42 Big Penny Marshall 1988
43 American Graffiti George Lucas 1973
44 My Man Godfrey Gregory La Cava 1936
45 Harold and Maude Hal Ashby 1971
46 Manhattan Woody Allen 1979
47 Shampoo Hal Ashby 1975
48 A Shot in the Dark Blake Edwards 1964
49 To Be or Not to Be Ernst Lubitsch 1942
50 Cat Ballou Elliot Silverstein 1965
51 The Seven Year Itch Billy Wilder 1955
52 Ninotchka Ernst Lubitsch 1939
53 Arthur Steve Gordon 1981
54 The Miracle of Morgan's Creek Preston Sturges 1944
55 The Lady Eve Preston Sturges 1941
56 Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein Charles Barton 1948
57 Diner Barry Levinson 1982
58 It's a Gift Norman Z. McLeod 1934
59 A Day at the Races Sam Wood 1937
60 Topper Norman Z. McLeod 1937
61 What's Up, Doc? Peter Bogdanovich 1972
62 Sherlock Jr. Buster Keaton 1924
63 Beverly Hills Cop Martin Brest 1984
64 Broadcast News James L. Brooks 1987
65 Horse Feathers Norman Z. McLeod 1932
66 Take the Money and Run Woody Allen 1969
67 Mrs. Doubtfire Chris Columbus 1993
68 The Awful Truth Leo McCarey 1937
69 Bananas Woody Allen 1971
70 Mr. Deeds Goes to Town Frank Capra 1936
71 Caddyshack Harold Ramis 1980
72 Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House H. C. Potter 1948
73 Monkey Business Norman Z. McLeod 1931
74 9 to 5 Colin Higgins 1980
75 She Done Him Wrong Lowell Sherman 1933
76 Victor/Victoria Blake Edwards 1982
77 The Palm Beach Story Preston Sturges 1942
78 Road to Morocco David Butler 1942
79 The Freshman Fred C. Newmeyer, Sam Taylor 1925
80 Sleeper Woody Allen 1973
81 The Navigator Buster Keaton, Donald Crisp 1924
82 Private Benjamin Howard Zieff 1980
83 Father of the Bride Vincente Minnelli 1950
84 Lost in America Albert Brooks 1985
85 Dinner at Eight George Cukor 1933
86 City Slickers Ron Underwood 1991
87 Fast Times at Ridgemont High Amy Heckerling 1982
88 Beetlejuice Tim Burton 1988
89 The Jerk Carl Reiner 1979
90 Woman of the Year George Stevens 1942
91 The Heartbreak Kid Elaine May 1972
92 Ball of Fire Howard Hawks 1941
93 Fargo Joel Coen 1996
94 Auntie Mame Morton DaCosta 1958
95 Silver Streak Arthur Hiller 1976
96 Sons of the Desert William A. Seiter 1933
97 Bull Durham Ron Shelton 1988
98 The Court Jester Melvin Frank, Norman Panama 1956
99 The Nutty Professor Jerry Lewis 1963
100 Good Morning, Vietnam Barry Levinson 1987

References edit

  1. ^ "List of 500 Movies Nominated for the Top 100 Funniest American Movies" (PDF). American Film Institute. September 26, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 11, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  2. ^ "List of America's 100 Funniest Movies" (PDF). American Film Institute. September 26, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 16, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  3. ^ "AFI's 100 YEARS…100 LAUGHS". American Film Institute. p. Learn More. Retrieved December 28, 2019.