Comedy movies are one of the foundational pillars of cinema, and that’s just a fact. Since the beginning of Hollywood, filmmakers dating back to Charlie Chaplin have mastered comedic storytelling in various ways, and because of that we have been lucky to have seen hundreds of on-screen comedies that have entertained us for decades upon decades.
To celebrate the impact that comedic movies have had on cinema and on culture as a whole, the entertainment outlet Variety published a list of the 100 best comedy movies of all time, pulling films that range from old classics to modern masterpieces and highlighting what makes them quintessential comedic watches.
Beating out iconic titles such as Trouble in Paradise (1932), Bridesmaids (2011) and Pink Flamingos (1972), the No. 1 best comedy movie of all time, according to Variety, is the 1988 hit The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! directed by David Zucker.
Starring Leslie Nielsen and Priscilla Presley, the film follows the clueless but confident Lieutenant Frank Drebin, a detective with a talent for turning simple situations into chaotic disasters. When Drebin uncovers a plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to Los Angeles, he must stop the scheme while navigating absurd misunderstandings, deadpan one-liners and over-the-top physical comedy. The film opened to major success, landing in the No. 1 spot at the box office during its opening weekend.
“The glory of The Naked Gun is that it’s a shamelessly uninhibited, anarchically observational drive-by comedy that will make fun of anything: global autocrats, stodgy film noir dialogue, safe sex, a professional baseball game, food left in the refrigerator for too long,” Variety writes.
Following its release in 1988, the film saw two more additions to its franchise with The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991) and Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994). A spinoff film called The Naked Gun was released in 2025 and stars Liam Neeson as Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr., the son of the legendary detective from the original trilogy.
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! is available to stream on Paramount+.
Related: 1989 Classic Ranked ‘Best Romantic Comedy of All Time’ Defined an Entire Movie Genre
