10. Dr. Strangelove (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb) (1964)

This film may not be your laugh-out-loud first pick for roaring comedy but its morbid humor does make you chuckle, as the viewer experiences no less than three Peter Sellers characters in this Stanley Kubrick Cold War satire. As a British officer, a demented German expatriate scientist as well as the U.S. president arguing over the phone with the Soviet premier, Sellers steals every scene he's in, making Dr. Strangelove a memorable viewing. You can't miss Slim Pickins near the finale as he rides a nuclear missile, rodeo-style, down to impact.

9. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

Amy Heckerling's awesome high school comedy starred several future A-listers including Nicolas Cage, Sean Penn and Forest Whitaker. Girls will identify with Jennifer Jason Leigh's Stacy character as she seeks true love despite some misadventures in that department while guys will no doubt marvel at Jeff Spicoli's (Penn) stoner antics, opposite his nemesis, straight-arrow history teacher Mr. Hand (Ray Walston). Like many other teen films of the 1980s, Fast Times boasts an impressive soundtrack and contains enough laughs to make the grade in good group viewing.

8. Groundhog Day (1993)

Bill Murray deserves every bit of praise he gets in this incredibly funny comedy about a man who is mysteriously forced to repeat the same day over and over again, learning some important values about himself and his priorities in the process. By Murray's sixth or seventh trip through an eventful February 2nd, viewers sympathize as the poor guy puts up with the same annoying salesman, steps in the same puddle, and fails to leave town before a big storm hits the area. Many good laughs in this one, with a neat life lesson wedged in for good measure.

7. National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)

An ode to college parties, Animal House is still a popular rental as students continue to marvel at the complete lack of accountability the boys from Delta Tau Chi seem to suffer from as they confront college administration. With several notable gross-out scenes (courtesy of SNL alum John Belushi) and ensuing food fights along with toga parties, Animal House has a bit of everything, and should strike a chord with anyone who has experienced college life.

6.  Young Frankenstein (1974)

Mel Brooks' spoof (made during a prolific run in the 1970s), Young Frankenstein is a fan favorite with clever one-liners (a Brooks trademark) and references to 1930s horror films. The film also benefits from great casting: from Gene Wilder as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (but pronounced "Fronkensteen"), Teri Garr as Inga and Marty Feldman as Igor. Deliberately shot in black and white and using editing techniques reminiscent of the old Universal horror films of the time, Brooks adds to his already varied body of comedic work with this fine tribute to the often schlocky horror genre.

    5.  A Fish Called Wanda (1988)

A rare occasion when ex-Monty Python members got back together for cinematic comedy, A Fish Called Wanda excelled thanks to the ever-brilliant presence of John Cleese (as uptight lawyer Archie Leach – ironically screen legend Cary Grant's real-life name) as well as Michael Palin, who plays Ken, the stuttering fool who helps plan a jewel heist. It's Kevin Kline who steals the show, however, with his Oscar-winning role as hitman Otto, a vindictive killer with issues of his own, including a messy love affair with partner-in-crime Jamie Lee Curtis. This cast reunited in 1997 for Fierce Creatures, an unrelated film which nonetheless retains most of this cast, perhaps hoping to catch lighting in a bottle a second time.


 4.  Blazing Saddles (1974)

Another one of Mel Brooks' highly successful spoofs, Blazing Saddles takes on Westerns while commenting on the Hollywood tendency to exclude African-American actors in movies of that type. Cleavon Little is Bart, a clever black man hired as sheriff in a small frontier town of the 1870s in hopes that his presence will offend the bigoted populace into leaving, allowing a railroad to be run through that exact location. The movie relies heavily on elements of classics such as Destry Rides Again and also the Gary Cooper vehicle High Noon while poking fun at everything but the cows in the barn. Fans will fondly recall memorable roles by Gene Wilder (as the Waco Kid), Harvey Korman as Hedley Lamarr, and most of all Madeline Kahn as Lily Von Schtupp, a parody of Marlene Dietrich.

3. Airplane! (1980)

One of the first parody films made by the prolific trio of Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams and David Zucker, Airplane! is an incredibly funny spoof of disaster movies, filled with joke-a-minute one-liners that still hold plenty of comedic punch. Similar to the trio's later films (such as Top Secret, Naked Gun and Abrahams' Hot Shots!) and moving at a rapid pace with dozens of puns, pop culture references and double entendres, Airplane! is a fantastic film to watch over and over with friends. Just don't call your friends Shirley. For added laughs, see the sequel, aptly called Airplane II: The Sequel.

2.  The Princess Bride (1987)

A highly quotable film which also made InMovies' list of the Top Cult Movies, The Princess Bride stars some very gifted comic talent ranging from Billy Crystal to Wallace Shawn, making this medieval hero tale (told via an old man reading a story to his grandson) a timeless classic. With characters such as Inigo Montoya or the man with six fingers on his right hand, and Vizzini the criminal genius, it's hard not to cheer on as the band of merry travelers (which includes Cary Elwes as the dread Pirate Roberts) clash swords only to later unite to fight their common foe, a vain prince with devious plans for war.

1. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

A classic still watched by fans today, Holy Grail is a comedic rite of passage. For those looking for a tightly woven story, please look elsewhere. There's very little sense to be made of this tale about King Arthur's quest to unite his Knights of the Round Table to pursue his search for the holiest of relics, The Holy Grail. Rest assured, this is Python territory and so with little to no film budget and with only witty repartee as their weapon, they managed to create an astonishing adventure involving hateful French peasants, a killer bunny and deadly riddles. Of course.