Greatest Comedy Tournament: First Round Day 1
The Greatest Comedy Tournament officially starts now! Four matchups will be posted everyday until the first round concludes 16 days from today. Please vote to elect the greatest comedy ever put on film and tell everyone you know to make their opinion count. Each polls will remain open for 72 hours only so make your vote count!
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To vote on Day 2′s matchups, click here >>
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(1) Monty Python & The Holy Grail (1975) | (32) Bull Durham (1988) |
Directed by Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones | Directed by Ron Shelton |
Cast: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Michael Palin | Cast: Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins |
IMDb Summary: King Arthur and his knights embark on a low-budget search for the Grail, encountering many very silly obstacles. | IMDb summary: A fan who has an affair with one minor-league baseball player each season meets an up-and-coming pitcher and the experienced catcher assigned to him. |
IMDb score: 8.5/10 | IMDb score: 7.0/10 |
Which movie is the best comedy?
- (1) Monty Python & The Holy Grail (1975) (92%, 90 Votes)
- (32) Bull Durham (1988) (8%, 8 Votes)
Total Voters: 98
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(1) Airplane! (1980) | (32) American Pie (1999) |
Directed by Jim Abrahams and David Zucker | Directed by Paul Weitz |
Cast: Robert Hays, Peter Graves, Julie Hagerty, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lloyd Bridges | Cast: Jason Biggs, Chris Klein, Alyson Hannigan, Shannon Elizabeth, Seann William Scott, Eugene Levy |
IMDb Summary: An airplane crew takes ill. Surely the only person capable of landing the plane is an ex-pilot afraid to fly. But don't call him Shirley. | IMDb summary: Four teenage boys enter a pact to lose their virginity by prom night. |
IMDb score: 7.8/10 | IMDb score: 6.9/10 |
Which movie is the best comedy?
- (1) Airplane! (1980) (82%, 81 Votes)
- (32) American Pie (1999) (18%, 18 Votes)
Total Voters: 99
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(1) Annie Hall (1977) | (32) Liar Liar (1997) |
Directed by Woody Allen | Directed by Tom Shadyac |
Cast: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts, Carol Kane, Christopher Walken | Cast: Jim Carrey, Maura Tierney, Cary Elwes, Jennifer Tilly |
IMDb Summary: Neurotic New York comedian Alvy Singer falls in love with the ditsy Annie Hall. | IMDb Summary: A fast track lawyer can't lie for 24 hours due to his son's birthday wish after the lawyer turns his son down for the last time. |
IMDb score: 8.2/10 | IMDb score: 6.6/10 |
Which movie is the best comedy?
- (1) Annie Hall (1977) (61%, 55 Votes)
- (32) Liar Liar (1997) (39%, 35 Votes)
Total Voters: 90
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(1) Blazing Saddles (1974) | (32) Dogma (1999) |
Directed by Mel Brooks | Directed by Kevin Smith |
Cast: Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Slim Pickens, Harvey Korman, Madeline Kahn, Mel Brooks | Cast: Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, George Carlin, Salma Hayek, Alan Rickman |
IMDb Summary: To ruin a western town, a corrupt political boss appoints a black sheriff, who promptly becomes his most formidable adversary. | IMDb Summary: An abortion clinic worker with a special heritage is called upon to save the existence of humanity from being negated by two renegade angels trying to exploit a loophole and re-enter Heaven. |
IMDb score: 7.8/10 | IMDb score: 7.3/10 |
Which movie is the best comedy?
- (1) Blazing Saddles (1974) (71%, 68 Votes)
- (32) Dogma (1999) (29%, 28 Votes)
Total Voters: 96
42 Comments
This is fun. Super idea and I look forward to voting every day!
3 were easy, although Airplane! Vs American Pie… that’s a pretty harsh tie so early in the competition.
Poor Bull Durham – it didn’t stand a chance.
Good. I kind of hate it.
I voted for it.
I know. What many consider to be the best sports film ever too. My sentiments exactly…
This is going to be fun. I understand why you seeded it, but I can’t help be feel a more random selection would have made the early rounds more interesting – I think there’s a clear cut winner in each of these (though I will likely be surprised). Is it worth disabling the “View Results” functionality? So the surprise isn’t spoiled?
And I accept that seeding makes the competition fairer in the long run and more interesting in later stages. This just seems a little lobsided. Thanks for organising this, guys.
Yeah, I’d sure love to have it be a surprise … although the early matches will obviously be lopsided.
Yes, obviously the early match-ups are going to be the most lopsided. I realize many people wanted to give Bull Durham or American Pie a fighting chance but would it be fair if Annie Hall was matched up with Holy Grail in the first round and have one of them fall early while inferior comedies make it to the second round or beyond?
Is hard because American Pie is probably the best R-rated raunch comedy of our generation but my wife’s name is Shirley so… do the Airplane math!
No, I think it’s fair – I’m with you on this. It just feels like one of those war movies with the little guys against an overwhelming opposition – in my head, I can hear Kevin Costner shouting, “we’re getting slaughtered out here!”
I know it’s hard to do but I’ve decided I’m going to judge each film on their comedy merits. I love so many of the films listed, but some I consider more comedies than others. But then again some competitions aren’t that hard. I didn’t even crack a smile for Liar Liar so Annie Hall gets the vote for me, even though I think of it more as a social romantic dramady.
I have to say though, against about 75% of the list Dogma would have run away with the vote, but I can’t shy away from Blazing Saddles. Personally Dogma would have had a higher seed. Then again Anchorman wouldn’t be listed if I did it (I loathe that movie) so I suppose all is fair in the end
.
I’m with Darren though, perhaps disabling the view results could help keep it a bit more exciting?
“Didn’t even crack a smile for Liar, Liar”? Really… I loved that film.
In fairness, it was much worse when they redid it in reverse and called it The Invention of Lying!
The Invention of Lying had its own problems, mainly: “You wanted a comedy, but what you’re getting is Rick Gervais’ treatise on religion.”
Sorry Kai, I love Jim Carrey but Liar Liar did very little for me (recently at least, I remember seeing it as a kid but couldn’t remember what I thought of it).
As for Invention of Lying I enjoy Ricky Gervais, but I never cared enough to even check it out.
Words cannot express how much I hate Liar Liar…I mean, I didn’t mind it at first, but I was sick and too dizzy to do anything with the remote when USA played a marathon of it.
Jesus H Murphy, man. You are taking things to a whole new level with this. Is there any way can give you a last minute LAMMY or something?
Yes, like this a lot. Nice load of data to go with each choice as well. Agree that some of the pairings are a bit harsh (American Pie has got a certain place in film and comedy history… just not one as significant a one as Airplane) but that’s the name of the game I suppose!
This is going to be fun and the format looks incredible!
I laughed when I saw Monty Python V Bull Durham. Bull Durham is a great film, I love it and hated voting against it, but when the question is: What’s the best comedy – the choice was easy. The other’s were straightforward choices too – boy, is it going to get interesting in the latter stages. I’ll promo this on Facebook/Twitter/Top10Films later this evening.
Thanks Dan! Highly appreciated
Airplane better make it to the finals!
I just want you to know… we’re all counting on you!
I picked the wrong day to stop sniffing glue!
Oooh! All the ones I voted for are in the lead, which is good to see. But what tough matchups already…Bull Durham really didn’t have a chance, did it?
I just couldn’t vote for Annie Hall over Liar, Liar.
Great job Castor and Red!
Annie Hall better win this!
I know right? I’m already worried about when all those Kate H films I nominated come around…
Man it sucks to vote against Bull Durham. But there it is, crashing and burning. It should have used a fastball to announce its presence with authority.
brilliant idea guys, this is great stuff
I’m looking forward to seeing which flick comes out on top, although the choices here were pretty easy. I wonder how hard it will be to pick when it gets closer to the end?
This is phenomenal guys, what an awesome & fun blog idea. Interesting match-ups, I had no idea Bull Durham was a comedy but not many comedies stand a chance against Monty Python! Airplane vs. American Pie is a no brainer, I didn’t find AP very funny at all. Now I’ve got to check out Blazing Saddles!
I feel sorry for American Pie. Being paired with Airplane! like that.
Hubby just got home and turns out he can’t vote anyway. This takes the element of his interest away a little more, but it also leaves me pointing and laughing, seeing as I’ll get to your site 95% of the time faster than him anyway.
Looks like you guys are getting a good turn out… I hope mine does… geez… I mean, I’m no Anomalous!
It’s a bummer cuz there’s some good films here that just don’t have a chance because of the competition!
I hope Annie Hall wins this whole frickin thing.
Annie Hall versus Liar, Liar, great line up. Had to go with Liar, Liar though, my favourite Carrey movie!
This is a very tricky one for me, most of the movies that make me laugh out loud are made by Pixar or Disney. I haven’t seen Airplane or Bull Durham and I think The Holy Grail is over-rated. I’ll just have to go with what I know.
Yikes, Annie Hall versus Liar Liar was a no-brainer. I just can’t get behind the idea of Jim Carrey as a great comic actor when one considers some of the revolutionary stuff that’s in Annie Hall.
Two examples of Allen’s great writing from Annie Hall:
“My grammy never gave gifts. She was too busy getting raped by Cossacks.”
and
“A relationship, I think, is like a shark. You know? It has to constantly move forward or it dies. And I think what we got on our hands is a dead shark.”
So good.
“Dogma” vs. “Blazing Saddles”? How could anyone VOTE FOR “DOGMA” in that situation? I love Kevin Smith, don’t hear me wrong, but “Blazing Saddles” is “Blazing Saddles,” people!
I haven’t seen Blazing Saddles. So.
Annie Hall is one of the finest comedies of all-time and considered by most to be Woody’s grandest achievement — so I hope this makes it to the Final 4!!!
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