22 classic comedy films that still hold up today

We’ll start here, because this is the primary example of people saying “You couldn’t make that today!” It’s a silly comedy from a legend in Mel Brooks, and it’s about small-minded racists getting put in their place, so that does still feel resonant. Plus, well, beans haven’t exactly changed in the ensuing years.

Some of the jokes in “Airplane!” are of-the-moment references. If you weren’t around then, maybe they don’t fully work. However, some of those jokes partially work. Some of the jokes may feel dated, and perhaps a bit inappropriate, but for some of them that was the intent at the time. Mostly, “Airplane!” has approximately one billion jokes in it. There’s bound to be enough you like to find the movie enjoyable.

The Soviet Union has dissolved, and the Cold War has ended, but everything else feels just as resonant. The characters are still compelling, and the performances are still excellent. “Dr. Strangelove” also benefits from having directorial skills of Stanley Kubrick front and center. Also, while the specific concerns of the film are of the past, the concern about incompetent, unstable world leaders blowing civilization to kingdom come remains.

A comedy from almost a century ago that still holds up? That’s the power of the Marx Brothers. Wordplay and broad physical comedy still work. The plot doesn’t really matter a ton when it comes to the Marx Brothers anyway. Also, you know what holds up considering modern attention spans? A movie that is 70 minutes long.

They have continued to make “odd couple” movies and TV shows for a reason. Hell, they did another adaptation of “The Odd Couple” into a TV series in the 2010s. This is the first screen adaptation of the Neil Simon play, and all the details are well-observed. Additionally, Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau were great casting, and their chemistry is timeless.

Speaking of timeless chemistry. “Ghostbusters” has a great cast. Everybody top to bottom works so well. It’s got great jokes and some fun action scenes. Do the special effects fully hold up? No, but Bill Murray’s quipping is just as effective all these years later. Even “Ghostbusters II” is pretty good, though not nearly as good as “Ghostbusters.”

Well, every-other sitcom these days is a mockumentary, so might as well watch a movie that helped birth that genre. Plus, unlike almost every one of those sitcoms, “This Is Spinal Tap” is actually good. A riff on the perils of being a touring band not at the peak of your powers, this film has been called distressingly accurate by many a musician.

There must be something about this Bill Murray guy. “Groundhog Day” was successful at the time, but it has become considered one of the best comedies ever made. Generally speaking, that means a movie holds up. The only thing that has cut into the magic of “Groundhog Day” at all is how many movies and TV shows that followed decided to riff on the “Groundhog Day” premise.

Romantic comedies often don’t hold up as well as other comedies. Not because they are inappropriate, but because they tend to be more of the moment, or more confectionary. Sometimes, though, a romantic comedy holds up mostly on quality. Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan are both so strong as Harry and Sally respectively. Also, this is the second Rob Reiner movie on this list. R.I.P.

Fish-out-of-water comedies can benefit from the fact that, in addition to being a common trope, the loss of ties to the era don’t hurt as much. Your confusion at the circumstances mirror the protagonists'. Eddie Murphy riffing his way through a fish-out-of-water comedy? That still works. Plus, murder is still illegal and Beverly Hills is still snooty, so all that tracks.

The nature of the news has changed, but to a degree “Broadcast News” feels prescient on that front. This film works as much as a character study, though. The lunkhead who can’t help but succeed. The person who is smart and forward thinking but too prickly to be listened to. The highly-capable professional who renders themselves an emotional wreck. All of that is as easy to digest as ever.

Sometimes a movie was broad enough and silly enough in its time that it becomes timeless. Did Robin Williams playing a guy who pretends to be a British woman who is a housekeeper so he can be around his kids make a lick of sense in 1993? Nope! Nobody cared because Robin Williams was doing his thing. All these years later, that’s still the case.

“The Jerk” is so specific it’s never been on trend, and that helps make it timeless. It’s Steve Martin, with the help of Carl Reiner, bringing his singular comedic vision to the big screen. The only genre here is “Steve Martin,” and it works.

Here is what is key about “Clueless,” or one of the key things. There are a few key things to its success, such as Alicia Silverstone giving a performance that should have been nominated for an Oscar. The dialogue and the style were heightened and fictionalized. It’s not that people don’t talk like this anymore. It’s that they never really talked like this. “Clueless” isn’t a time capsule. It’s an invention, and a delightful one.

Making a period piece does help a movie hold up, but also “The Big Lebowski” is kind of a period piece on a lark. It’s easy to say “The Big Lebowski” holds up because it became a cult classic. It wasn’t that successful at the time, but the Coen Bros. stoner noir comedy came to grow in estimation. While some of the fans became overly enthusiastic, don’t hold that against the movie.

Speaking of characters, and people, so specific as to be timeless, let’s talk about Paul Reubens as Pee-wee Herman. “Big Adventure” is weird and absurd but oh-so funny. Reubens is, of course, locked in. Also of note is that this was the first feature film directed by Tim Burton, which helps make “Big Adventure” stand out. Plus, The Alamo still doesn’t have a basement!

We wanted to find an old romantic comedy that still holds up. “The Awful Truth” is a romantic comedy wherein both leads got six Oscar awards. While the screwball tone doesn’t get used all that often, it can still work for a modern audience. This is a movie about a rich couple who decide they want to get divorced, but then they can’t quit each other. The charms of Cary Grant and Irene Dunne go a long way, of course.

Dumb people being dumb: Still funny. Jim Carrey comedies have not, to a film, held up, but “Dumb & Dumber” does. It’s stupid. It’s sometimes gross. Carrey and Jeff Daniels are so good together, and as goofy as this movie is, it’s still funny even if you weren’t there in 1994 for the peak of Jim Carrey.

Speaking of guys who were huge stars who have a spotty track record! Adam Sandler has made a lot of comedies that were not received well at the time, and a few of his hits aren’t terribly popular anymore. “Happy Gilmore” got a legacy sequel for a reason, though. It has the base of a fun sports comedy and then Sandler was dropped into that. That helped make “Happy Gilmore” work, even if you aren’t fully on Sandler’s wavelength.

The Beatles: Still popular! “A Hard Day’s Night” is a comedy built around the Beatles, but it is also filled with a ton of Beatles music. The comedy is a bit offbeat, and also dry and British, but it’s funny in our opinion. On top of that, yeah, there’s the music. Turns out the Beatles knew how to write a tune.

The highbrow-meets-lowbrow comedy of Monty Python was always specific, but not always timeless. However, with “Holy Grail” they were dealing with fantasy fiction, and with a well-known story. Dropping Monty Python into the world of King Arthur was a match made in Heaven.

That’s right, we’re bookending with Mel Brooks movies! “Young Frankenstein” came out the same year as “Blazing Saddles,” and it’s funnier and better made, which is impressive given how good “Blazing Saddles” is. “Frankenstein,” like the story of King Arthur, is well-known and thus easy to riff on. Having Gene Wilder involved, and so committed, took “Young Frankenstein” to a higher level of quality, one that still holds up.