Comedy as an art form has changed and improved over the past century, which includes the way it’s used in cinema. The genre has steadily gained popularity from its earliest examples in classic black-and-white films to today’s international blockbusters that highlight how far it has come.
Users on Letterboxd – a social media platform for film buffs – have identified the best comedy movies of the century through their ratings. The top-scoring comedy movies of each decade are representative of not just the state of the genre at that time, but the subject matters and jokes that were entertaining audiences the most.
The 1920s
Sherlock Jr. (1924) – 4.3
Available to rent on Apple TV+.
Directed by and starring Buster Keaton in the titular role, Sherlock Jr. tells the story of an aspiring young detective who studies how to be one while working as a projectionist in the local movie theater. He is even more motivated to pursue his dream when he meets a beautiful woman whose father’s pocket watch serendipitously goes missing.
It’s one of the earliest and best iterations of Sherlock as a character on the big screen. The 45-minute black-and-white silent film makes every second count, with its director including a plethora of visual gags and flawlessly choreographed scenes, making it impossible for viewers to take their eyes off the screen.
The 1930s
City Lights (1931) – 4.3
Available to stream on HBO Max.
Directed by, produced, and starring the legendary comedian Charlie Chaplin, City Lights is a silent rom-com that revolves around his iconic character, the Tramp, who has fallen in love with a beautiful girl who sells flowers. Things get complicated when he realizes that she has mistaken him for a rich man, when he is in fact penniless and unemployed.
The gut-busting black-and-white film is chockfull of Chaplin’s signature gags, but it’s the heartwarming love story that is the true highlight of the movie. Fans who have seen the movie may not remember all the jokes, but they will certainly never forget its surprisingly moving ending.
The 1940s
The Shop Around The Corner (1940) – 4.1
Available to rent on Apple TV+.
The Shop Around the Corner is a critically-acclaimed black-and-white rom-com film that follows the amusing story of Klara Novak and Alfred Kralik, who are both employed in the same leather goods shop. They can’t stand each other at work and constantly get into fights, all the while not knowing that the pen pals they’re falling in love with behind closed doors are actually each other.
It’s a premise that’s as fun to watch as one would expect, especially thanks to the well-written script that often emphasizes the pair’s hilarious bickering. It’s also worth noting that supporting characters like the shop’s owner, other employees, and some customers all add to the comedic aspect of the film as well.
The 1950s
Singin’ In The Rain (1952) – 4.3
Available to stream on HBO Max.
Directed by and starring Gene Kelly, Singin’ in the Rain is widely recognized as one of the best movie musicals of all time. The romcom is centered on its protagonists' attempts at keeping up with trends in the movie industry by converting a silent film into the more groundbreaking “talkie” – Don Lockwood falls in love with Kathy Selden in the process.
The film is full of moments that will make fans laugh and smile, with one iconic scene being Don’s ridiculous idea to start singing in the rain after sharing a kiss with Kathy. The over-the-top nature of the perfectly choreographed sequence will wow and amuse audiences even today.
The 1960s
The Apartment (1960) – 4.3
Available to rent on Apple TV+.
Bud Baxter has found a seemingly ingenious way to quickly get promoted at work, as he has started lending his Upper West Side apartment to his managers who use it for their extramarital affairs. Directed by Billy Wilder, The Apartment explores how everything changes for Bud once he realizes one of the big bosses has taken the woman he’s in love with to his own home.
The romantic comedy film takes a few surprisingly dark turns at some points, but always manages to reel audiences back in with lighthearted banter and goofy encounters between Bud, his bosses, and even his neighbors.
The 1970s
Paper Moon (1973) – 4.2
Available to stream on Amazon Prime.
Paper Moon is often mentioned alongside the best black-and-white movies in the history of cinema. Set during the Great Depression, director Peter Bogdanovich introduces audiences to the odd pairing that is the 9-year-old Addie Loggins and the con man Moses Pray. Moze, as Addie likes to call him, has no choice but to travel with the young girl after she manages to persuade him that he owes her $200.
The pair develop an unusual bond, with Addie eventually showing that she has a talent for scamming others, too. Its dark humor may not be for everyone, but those who watch it will be able to appreciate how it captures the spirit of that period in cinema and society in general.
The 1980s
Tampopo (1985) – 4.2
Available to stream on HBO Max.
Anyone who has seen director Juzo Itami’s Tampopo knows that it’s a wild Japanese comedy film with hilarious scenes that often border on the absurd. Its main storyline follows the titular ramen shop owner who is struggling to improve her business. A fateful meeting with a pair of truck drivers leads to a wacky process as she attempts to perfect her recipe.
While the core narrative itself is already sidesplittingly entertaining, it’s the subplots that tell a variety of stories about people and food that truly steal the show. From a pair exploring erotic methods of using food to a dying housewife who gets up one last time to cook a meal for her family, these genuinely unique shorts are incredibly fascinating on their own.
The 1990s
Chungking Express (1994) – 4.3
Available to stream on The Criterion Channel.
Rarely have the genres of romance, crime, comedy, and drama been combined as well as director Wong Kar-wai does in his award-winning film, Chungking Express. The movie is separated into two seemingly different stories, with each featuring a policeman who falls in love.
It’s impossible not to feel invested in both romances, as the highly stylized movie does an astounding job at building an atmosphere and general vibe that invites the viewer to become fully immersed in the movie. While the comedic aspects don’t particularly become the highlight of the film, they’re obvious in the charming will-they-won’t-they dynamic that some of the characters are caught in.
The 2000s
A Dog’s Will (2000) – 4.5
Based on a play by Ariano Suassuna, A Dog’s Will is a well-known comedy movie in Brazil that chronicles the misadventures of João Grilo and Chicó. The two cowardly men are known for cheating and swindling the inhabitants of a quaint town in Northeast Brazil. They realize they eventually have to pay for their mistakes when they meet Christ, the Devil, and the Virgin Mary after their deaths.
The comical masterpiece is rightly one of the highest-scoring films on Letterboxd, and it’s easy to see why. With its creative use of magical realism and gut-busting gags, it’s a movie that can be appreciated by audiences from around the world.
The 2010s
Parasite (2019) – 4.6
Available to stream on Hulu.
Audiences can’t be blamed for forgetting that director Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite is a comedy film, as it certainly leans into the darker aspects of humor. The international hit needs no introduction at this point, as most viewers are likely already familiar with its deceptively simple premise. It tells the story of a poor family who con their way into a rich family’s home by pretending to be skilled workers.
For those who have never watched it, it’s a movie that’s best seen for the first time knowing as little as possible about its narrative and shocking twist. It uses dark humor to tackle important themes like class conflict, poverty, and social inequality.