No matter who you ask, Rotten Tomatoes is the ultimate source for film and TV recommendations and reviews. They’re even self-described as “the world’s most trusted recommendation resources for quality entertainment.” Sounds legit.
With that said, while everyone has their own opinions on what’s funny and what’s not, the fine folks at Rotten Tomatoes put together a massive list of what they feel are 150 of the most essential comedy movies of all time (yes, including films from yesteryear), based not on ascending Tomatometer ratings or on best reviews, but on which ones broke the Laugh-O-Meter.
And so, since 150 is a big number, we narrowed it down to a more digestible integer to present to you the top 20 essential comedy movies you absolutely need to see, according to Rotten Tomatoes.
20. Monty Python’s Life of Brian
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 95%
19. The Jerk
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 81%
18. The General
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 93%
17. The Thin Man
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 97%
16. This is Spinal Tap
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 95%
15. National Lampoon’s Animal House
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 90%
14. Blazing Saddles
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 89%
13. Bringing Up Baby
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 93%
12. Modern Times
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 100%
11. The Apartment
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 93%
10. Groundhog Day
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 96%
9. The Princess Bride
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 97%
8. Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 98%
7. Duck Soup
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 92%
6. The Big Lebowski
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 83%
5. It Happened One Night
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 98%
4. Some Like it Hot
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 95%
3. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 97%
2. Airplane!
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 97%
1. City Lights
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 98%
Want more? You can check out the full list of 150 movies right here.
