10 Best Comedies of All Time Presented by SIDEWALK

s the programmers of the Sidewalk Film Festival, we’re always looking for the next great comedy - and an excuse to program our all-time favorites on a big screen. Are these the 10 best comedies of all time? Your mileage may vary. But they’re a good selection of some of our favorites. Agree? disagree? -stop by the Sidewalk Film Center + Cinema, located in the basement of the Pizitz Building in downtown Birmingham and let us know what you think. Visit sidewalkfest.com to see what we’re showing on the big screen year-round, as well as information about the annual Sidewalk Film Festival. Plus, for more film fun from Sidewalk check out the SideTalks podcast: soundcloud.com/sidetalkspodcast

7. THE AWFUL TRUTH (1937) Leo McCarey

This screwball comedy classic made a star of Cary Grant, as one-half of a feuding divorced couple (Irene Dunne plays his ex-wife) who can’t seem to stop meddling with each other’s post-marriage romances. It’s a non-stop stream of jokes and silly gags as the two, inevitably, discover they’re still meant for one another.

3.

Any list like this is incomplete without Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant’s classic comedy, in which a daffy heiress puts one obstacle after another in the path of a forgetful paleontologist - including a pet leopard, a missing dinosaur bone, a fuzzy negligee and other impediments. It was shockingly not a hit in its day, but audiences have finally discovered how riotously funny this movie is from start to finish.

COREY CRAFT

It’s Chris Farley. A coming-of-age story about a grown ass man, what’s not to love. I love his physical comedy and ability to be hilarious and innocent all at the same time. A cult classic in my book.

– T. MARIE KING

Cynical, dubious, sharply observant, earnestly mean spirited and ultimately a film in its own damn dedicated universe. So much fun... until it isn’t. I mention Ghost World as a gauge of surreal comedic reference weekly. Based on the graphic novel by Daniel Clowes, it’s a wry gaze at the post-high school days of two underachieving best friends starring Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson and Steve Buscemi.

– RACHEL MORGAN

This Zucker Brothers classic had to make the list for the sheer fact that so many one liners come from this singular movie. For starters: “Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue.” “Roger Roger.” “And stop calling me Shirley.” Seeing so many otherwise straight-played characters come from Robert Stack and Leslie Nielsen in earlier films is part of what sets Airplane! up for its perfectly earned humor-landing. The physical comedy portrayed will especially always be cherished.

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5. 9 TO 5 (1980) Colin Higgins

An unexpected set of circumstances leads a trio of overworked, underappreciated and underpaid co-workers to join forces in an effort to take control from their predatory scoundrel of a boss. Featuring Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin - what more could you want?! How about a fast pitched, dead-center, wholly riotous time capsule of a film? On one hand 9 to 5 is an amusingly ridiculous, often fantastical old-school comedy classic. On the other it’s a sharp shooting, keenly relevant proclamation that’s straight-up ahead of its time. On both it’s fun and funny as hell.

There’s a documentary on the list! While laughing with someone, versus at someone is a fine line, American Movie does a wonderful job of allowing viewers to do both. Part absurdist mockumentary and part true American tragedy, the film shows a perfect case example of a first time filmmaker biting off more than they can chew while also maintaining a truer-than-life account of the problematic nature of being a broke, aspiring creator. Best line, “I’m broke, I gotta get gas tomorrow and dudes talking about making a feature film.” – CHARLIE

Swap this out for any other film in the Coen brothers’ unique filmography if you wish, but their underrated, art deco-saturated modern screwball is a gem that perhaps you haven’t seen. Tim Robbins plays an amiable dupe promoted to a titan of industry by unscrupulous executive Paul Newman, who’s looking to tank his company’s stock. But when the new CEO proves to be an unexpected success, things go awry. Jennifer Jason Leigh co-stars as a fasttalking newspaper gal in a terrifically funny turn. – COREY CRAFT

This film is just as hilarious today as it was the first time I saw it. A simple and funny love story, with an amazing cast (all of the characters that Eddie Murphy plays!) and quotes to last a lifetime. “She’s your Queen-to-be. A Queen-tobe forever.” – T. MARIE KING

Two overachieving best friends pledge to make up for their nerdy ways by cramming all of the high-school partying they missed into one last night. With amazing energy from the first frame, Booksmart possesses one of the most important elements of a canonical comedy - it’s wholly rewatchable. Director Olivia Wilde proves that you don’t have to totally reinvent the teen-comedy wheel - you can drag it into the new era and still manage to offer a few surprises along the way. A frequently hilarious go-to comedy that we’re all lucky to have. – RACHEL MORGAN

The Guild Gala is The Service Guild’s largest fundraiser. Proceeds from this year’s event will benefit The Bell Center for Early Intervention Programs, maximizing children’s potential from birth to three years of age who are at risk for developmental delay. To see the rest of the pictures click the code.