Throughout the eighties and even beyond, it was tough to find a hit comedy that Harold Ramis didn't have a credit somewhere on. The Second City alumni was an actor, director, but most notably a screenwriter. He wrote a number of films, almost always working with a team of other successful comedians of the time, working with the likes of Dan Akroyd, Bill Murray, John Belushi, and a plethora of talented comedy writers like Doug Kenney, Danny Rubin, and Dan Goldberg, just to name a few.
By surrounding himself with talent, studying comedy relentlessly, and possessing a natural writing talent, Ramis helped craft some of the most iconic comedies of all-time. Here are the ten best films he wrote, based on IMDB ratings.
Bedazzled (2000) - 6
One of the later Ramis films to make the list, this Brendan Frasier star vehicle follows a nerdy IT worker as he is given seven wishes from Satan, which he uses to try to woo the girl of his dreams. The movie is a remake of a 1967 film with the same title.
The subject matter is strange, supernatural, even dark, but the movie still manages to be a quirky funny comedy. It's a nice mixture of tones that is well worth a watch, especially for all those Brendan fans out there.
Meatballs (1979) - 6.2
The first of what would be a fantastic run for the team of Ramis and comedian-actor Bill Murray. The film is a wacky summer camp movie, mostly driven by Murray's eccentric counselor character causing chaos and hijinks all over camp.
It was cowritten, of course, by Len Blum and Dan Goldberg, the other two of a trio that would continue to partner well into the mid-eighties.
Back To School (1986) 6.6
Ramis wildly wrote three produced films in 1986, the best of which was the collaborative effort of him, Rodney Dangerfield, Dennis Snee, Greg Fields, and Will Porter. The raucous comedy follows Dangerfield as he returns to college to get his degree and cause mischief and mayhem along the way.
It was typical Lampoon-style antics, with a reliance on Dangerfield's own improv and performance, which all paid off to make for a hit romp.
Ghostbusters II (1989) - 6.6
The sequel to the most popularized comedy of all-time. No pressure. Ramis and Dan Akroyd penned the script and found mild success, with the sequel following the same gang of busters we all know and love on a new, albeit less fun, adventure.
Chalk it up to diminishing returns, but the team couldn't quite find the magic twice. However, doing so was a tall order, and the film was in no way a failure, making plenty at the box office and still being well-liked by most fans of the first.
Analyze This (1999) - 6.7
Co-written and then directed by Ramis, this film was his chance to work with two masters of their craft with Billy Crystal and Robert Deniro. The comedy follows a psychiatrist as he learns that his number one client is a mob boss, who just so happens to want to be "fixed" in two weeks, or else.
It's proof that Ramis wasn't a product of a bygone era, and that he continued working at the highest level long after the prime limelight wasn't on him and his friends anymore. It's also one of the rare directing efforts by him, and a good one at that.
Stripes (1981) - 6.9
Another team effort with Dan Goldberg and this time with Len Blum, this Bill Murray led romp about the military also features Ramis in a supporting role. The movie follows Murray and Ramis after they join the military out of not much other than pure boredom.
It's a hilarious take on boot camp movies and manages to mix in some decent satire with all the parody. It also gave Murray his first big lead role, developing the devil may care quick talker that he would become known for playing in most of his films.
Caddyshack (1980) - 7.3
Stripes giving Murray his big lead a year later was due at least in some part to the small role he had one year earlier in an ensemble comedy called Caddyshack. Featuring Chevy Chase and Rodney Dangerfield, as well as other recognizable talents of the time, Caddyshack has become a massive cult classic hit comedy.
Following the typical happenings of a prestigious golf country club, the film is just a relay race of witty dialogue and ridiculous over the top characters acting out. It is also famous for giving my dad a full book of quotes to use every time he golfs, to my endless dismay.
National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) - 7.5
The one that started it all. The smash-hit comedy about debauchery at a college campus featured many of the best comedians of its time, most notably a star-making performance from John Belushi. The film had a couple of different creatives involved with the planning, but the core writing credits go to Ramis and Doug Kenney, one of the founders of the National Lampoon.
The start of an incredible journey through film for Ramis, which would ultimately lead to him having the Harold Ramis Film School created in his honor at Second City Chicago. The only film school in the country with a focus on comedy.
Ghostbusters (1984) - 7.8
Easily the most impactful film on the list, as it still lives and breathes in pop culture today, nearly forty years later. The brainchild of Ramis and his eventual co-star in the film Dan Akroyd, Ghostbusters was the biggest comedy of all-time on its release.
The hit about a team of quick-witted scientists opening a ghost-hunting company combined the cast's typical brand of comedy with blockbuster scale action and brilliant iconography to create a film so popular that nearly everyone recognizes something from it, even if they've never seen it.
Groundhog Day (1993) - 8
At this point in time, there was a full decade of proof that Ramis and Murray were a dream-team. There peak collaborative effort was the classic comedy about a narcissist weatherman that finds himself stuck in an endless loop in a small town he hates.
The film is brilliantly crafted, with every line and character carrying weight, meaning, or set-up for a later gag. With Groundhog Day, Ramis, who even has a quick cameo, cemented himself as not only one of the best comedy writers of all-time but one of the best pure screenwriters.