There is no greater pleasure than sharing in rapturous laughter at a comedy film with those closest to you. Everyone’s giggles and laughter building upon one another, causing a cacophony of chortles and snorts — there’s nothing better. Comedies, while not generally considered the highest art form in the film world, are amongst the most well-regarded films retroactively. Comedy is incredibly time-centric, as the jokes reflect the world they are being born into, so funny movies are the quickest to age. This makes it all the more surprising when a film is able to stand the test of time and be funny long after it was released.
One of the popular sub-genres of the comedy film is the ensemble comedy, and for good reason. A good comedy has a funny person in it (think: Will Ferrell), but an ensemble comedy has a bunch of funny people in it. It’s a good way to maximize your funny potential and yield the best joke percentage. These types of films take a lot of different forms, whether it be romantic comedies, dramedies, or animated films, but there’s something that’s more important: how they make us feel. A comedy should give us a good time, so that’s all that matters. Regardless, here is a list of the best ensemble comedies that make for a good time, ranked.
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10 Everybody Wants Some!!
Paramount Pictures
While Dazed and Confused might be the obvious choice for Richard Linklater-directed ensemble comedies, 2016’s Everybody Wants Some!! is an incredibly underrated successor to that very film. Reflecting on Linklater’s time as a college baseball player and centered on a ragtag group of jocks in the 1980s, this movie is a riotous time. The cast is full of absolutely stellar actors with solid comedic ability who were just breaking onto the scene at the time. Stars like Glen Powell, Zoey Deutch, Wyatt Russell, and Tyler Hoechlin bring the laughs all over this thing, while lead actor Blake Jenner provides some well-needed pathos at the same time. If you’re looking for a no-strings-attached good time while watching a movie, it doesn’t get better than this. The vibes are just immaculate the whole way through, and it will make you nostalgic for a time and place you have no connection to.
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9 Office Space
20th Century Fox
What can be said about Mike Judge’s seminal workplace comedy that hasn’t already been said? Upon release, Office Space was sort of a dud, but has grown into one of the most well-known examples of a cult classic since. Following three workers in an idyllically oppressive office building as they attempt to rebel and get back at their tyrant of a boss, Office Space has long been held as one of the best comedies of the 90s and is among the most oft-quoted films of all time. If anyone asks you if you’ve touched their stapler, just know they’re probably referencing Stephen Root’s character from this film. This film is sure to delight anyone whose ever had an annoying boss or worked a long day behind a cubicle.
8 Tropic Thunder
DreamWorks Pictures Releasing
While not without its own complicated reputation, it’s hard to see Ben Stiller’s 2008 satire of Hollywood prestige and actorly self-importance as anything but an accomplishment. Harboring career-high performances from Stiller himself, Jack Black, and Robert Downey. Jr is a feat in and of itself, but also making an absolutely hilarious film alongside of that is another thing entirely. With a film like Tropic Thunder, the probability of making the film feel exploitative or in poor taste is quite high. The fact that Stiller and Co. managed to make something that perfectly takes Hollywood down a notch and doesn’t exploit it’s cast, crew, or core conceit in any way is something be celebrated. It’s also just a hilarious movie.
7 Best in Show
Warner Bros. Pictures
There is nary a better film director at bringing together hilarious casts of character actors and comedy legends than comedy impresario Christopher Guest. His 2000 film Best in Show is, like most of his films, a mockumentary following the contestants of a dog show and all the wacky hijinks that ensue alongside them. With a cast list as long and varied as this one, it’s hard to imagine anyone finding this one anything but absolutely hilarious. The cast includes names like Jennifer Coolidge, Eugene Levy, Parker Posey, Catherine O’Hara, Fred Willard, Jane Lynch, and John Michael Higgins. If you like your comedies wacky and a little bit acerbic, there’s no better destination than the world of Best in Show.
6 A League of Their Own
Columbia Pictures
Any movie that boasts a top three cast list with Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, and Madonna is automatically considered for one of the most notable comedies of all time, but it certainly helps that A League of Their Own is also quite fantastic on its own merit. Director Penny Marshall said to The Ringer that “It was a strong female movie, which, you know, we don’t have now, and we didn’t have in 1991 either,” which also encompasses what makes this film such a notable addition to this list. While most ensemble comedies are male-centric — as are most sports movies — this one allows the girls to have some fun and get down and dirty with the guys. It’s quotable, indelibly fun, and timeless.
5 Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Apatow Productions
It would be an inherent bunk list if a Will Ferrell and Adam McKay collaboration wasn’t included on a list of the best ensemble comedies, so the due diligence is done here. Anchorman is an almost passé inclusion on the face, but then re-watching the film will remind you of why it’s one of the most well-regarded comedies of the 2000s. Ferrell, alongside future superstars like Paul Rudd and Steve Carrell, captures the antagonistic but knowingly ironic man-child characters of McKay’s creation is such pitch perfect casting. There is no complicating the fact that this film is one of the best comedies of all time, and it’s lack of inclusion here would signal a dire situation. If you haven’t seen this film, or haven’t seen it recently, go ahead and put it on. It’ll be a great time for all.
4 Josie and the Pussycats
Universal Pictures
An under-discussed and under-seen gem from the early 2000s, Josie and the Pussycats deserves all the attention it has never gotten. Boasting career-highlight performances from Tara Reid, Rosario Dawson, Alan Cumming, and the incomparable Rachel Leigh Cook, Pussycats is one of those movies that should be a formative movie for so many. Not only is it a fun, rags-to-riches ensemble, but it also has some of the most smartly written visual gags and meta elements of any film before or since. There is nothing whiningly insincere about the film, as it wears its massive heart on its sleeve. You don’t need to know anything else about it other than the fact that you’ll be humming along in your head to all the in-movie songs for weeks after watching.
3 Monty Python and the Holy Grail
EMI Films
Another irrefutable classic of the genre, British sketch group Monty Python and their take on the Arthurian legend of the holy grail is one for the ages. Every person of a certain age has a favorite moment from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, whether it was introduced to you by your parents or an older sibling or whomever — it’s one of those comedies that everybody can recall and enjoy. There’s really not much else to say about it other than the fact that the bridge troll scene is still one of the funniest sequences ever put to film.
2 Bridesmaids
Universal Pictures
The first collaboration between writers (and, in the latter case, star) Annie Mumolo and Kirsten Wiig, Bridesmaids is one of those breakout hits that defines an entire generation of comedies. There hadn’t been a women-led studio ensemble comedy of this size or prominence since A League of Their Own, so recognizing this film alongside that one is doubly important. Bridesmaids is responsible for launching the careers of so many of the most famous and well-regarded comedians of the following decade, and for good reason: it’s unbelievably funny and charming. Wiig, Mumolo, Maya Rudolph, Ellie Kemper, Melissa McCarthy, and Rose Byrne make for one of the best ensemble casts of all time, and it’s irrefutable. If there are any guys reading this who’ve never seen this movie out of fear it’s a “chick flick,” get over yourself and watch it ASAP.
1 Wet Hot American Summer
Focus Features
The absolute best ensemble comedy of all time was released in 2001 to very little acclaim, only growing in reputation over time. With a series of Netflix revival shows bringing the film back to prominence, Wet Hot American Summer has entered the established film canon of notable comedies in some respects, but not all. Wet Hot is the most imaginative, goofy, sincere, and all-around hilarious films that have ever been made. All the other films on this list have insanely stacked casts, but none hold a candle to what Wet Hot had in 2001. This film stars Bradley Cooper, Paul Rudd, Michael Ian Black, Amy Poehler, Elizabeth Banks, Ken Marino, Janeane Garofalo, Christopher Meloni, Molly Shannon, Joe Lo Truglio, H. Jon Benjamin, and a whole heap of other funny people who would make a splash following being in this film. No one expected this film to be the cult classic that it is, but here it is, and it’s glorious.
