Remember to breathe before making your way through this list. We don't want you to actually die by the time you get to the end.
Some of these are very NSFW, so proceed with caution, FYI.
10. SUPER TROOPERS (2001)
It's a real shame that the comedy troupe behind Super Troopers - Broken Lizard - have never experienced a real breakthrough hit. That being said, fans of both Super Troopers and their other efforts are more than a little glad that international stardom has avoided them. It means that they're able to take chances and be as wild and outrageous as possible. Super Troopers works off a Police Academy blueprint, but infuses it with South Park's sense of anarchy and lewdness. And with a crowd-funded sequel on the way, we can hopefully experience their unique brand of comedy again real soon. Our favourite bit has to be the 'Meow' scene. Meow do you know how fast you were going?
9. IN THE LOOP (2009)
'Shut it, Love Actually!' If ever there was a man to deliver a line such as this and make it sound equally terrifying and hilarious, it's Malcolm Tucker. Based on the hit BBC series, The Thick Of It, In The Loop manages to insult Scottish people, posh people, Americans, the Middle East, OAPs, Harry Potter fans and anyone with a distaste for salty language. The new Doctor Who, Peter Capaldi, plays Malcolm Tucker – a government spin-doctor and gifted with the ability to curse better than any human alive. Set during the build-up to the Iraq War, the film brilliantly pokes fun at international politics, local politics and the ineffectiveness of international diplomacy in a modern world. Reading that may make it seem like heavy stuff, but if you're a fan of fly-on-the-wall comedy, In The Loop is one of the best. Also, watch HBO's Veep with the knowledge that it's effectively a sequel to this.
8. STRIPES (1981)
We've professed our love of Bill Murray many times and it bears repeating - Bill Murray is a legend of a man and Stripes is what started it all. Fresh out of Saturday Night Live, he plays a down-and-out taxi driver who convinces himself and his friend - Harold Ramis, Egon Spengler from Ghostbusters - to join the Army. The format is pretty straightforward; it's a fish-out-of-water comedy but the interplay between Bill Murray and Harold Ramis is so natural and flowing that it feels like there's no script at all. It's a bit dated in terms of the Cold War aspect - they end up stealing a high-tech Army RV and joyriding it into Czechslovakia - but it still stands up as one of the best comedies of Bill Murray's stellar career. ARMY TRAINING SIR!
7. HAPPY GILMORE (1996)
Adam Sandler once had great promise and looking at The Wedding Singer or Happy Gilmore reminds us just how far he's fallen. It's true, he's playing his usual loud, obnoxious slob with a heart of gold, but in Happy Gilmore, it doesn't feel forced or contrived. You can see him genuinely trying to entertain and work at it instead of phoning it in like he's done for so long. It borrows heavily from Bill Murray's other great comedy, Caddyshack, but it takes that film's initial premise and works into something more in Sandler's wheelhouse. Christopher McDonald playing Shooter McGavin plays the sleazy pro-golfer who finds himself at odds with Sandler's working-class hero. Keep an eye out for a young Julie Bowen, she's the mother from Modern Family.
6. ANCHORMAN (2004)
It's been quoted to death and it's given us such catchphrases as 'By the beard of Zeus!' and more, but Anchorman is one of the best comedies of our generation. The interesting thing, of course, is that it almost never happened. An entirely different story was initially created - which can be seen on the special edition DVD - and almost caused the film to go into turnaround and never be released. For our money, the Gangs of New York-inspired fight scene with Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Luke Wilson and Tim Robbins (Tim Robbins, like?!) is the funniest part of the film. The whole fight is so ridiculous and over-the-top, from Steve Carrell / Brick's trident-throwing to the Planet of the Apes-inspired horse-drawn nets that catch Paul Rudd / Brian Fantana. Less said about the sequel, the better.
5. EDDIE MURPHY: RAW (1987)
Much like Adam Sandler, Eddie Murphy has fallen from his initial promise. That said, however, he hasn't stooped so low as to make Grown Ups 2. Then again, he did make Dr. Doolittle 2. Although Eddie Murphy began in Saturday Night Live, he truly hit his stride with his standup movies. The first one, Delirious, peters out slightly towards the end whereas Raw is just relentless. The iconic purple-leather outfit, his near-tone perfect impersonation of Richie Pryor, Umfufu (which Jay-Z references in 'Girls, Girls, Girls') – everything about Raw demonstrates what a comedic talent Eddie Murphy was and possibly could be again. There's been rumours for the past few years that he intends to return to standup. Given how his last film wasn't even released theatrically in Europe, he might be good for him to return to his roots.
4. THE BIG LEBOWSKI (1998)
The Coen Brothers began their career with offbeat comedies, but they truly hit their peak with The Big Lebowski. Jeff Bridges gives a career-best performance as Jeffrey 'The Dude' Lebowski, a down-and-out stoner who is pulled into a detective story involving the kidnapped wife of Jeffrey Lebowski, a paraplegic millionaire who doesn't tolerate idleness. The real star of the film, however, is John Goodman as Walter Sobchak. It's said that the Coens based 95% of the character on John Milius, a well-known screenwriter and director known for his politically-conservative views. Keep an eye out for John Turturro as Jesus, the captain of a rival bowling team who gives the best smack-talk speech you'll ever hear.
3. BLAZING SADDLES (1974)
'Where all the white women at?' It's hard to imagine a film that is so violently un-PC, so hilariously crass and still completely relevant as Blazing Saddles. Gene Wilder and Cleavon Little are two gunslingers who are trying to fight off the local railroad from taking over their town. It's all standard stuff in Westerns, but what makes Blazing Saddles hilarious is how it takes the standards of Westerns and just completely takes the piss out of them. Written by Richie Pryor and directed by Mel Brooks, Blazing Saddles has everything going for it. It's just too funny for words.
2. THE NAKED GUN (1988)
Watch this clip. This is why The Naked Gun is one of the funniest films ever.
1. AIRPLANE! (1980)
'Bad news. Fog's getting thicker.' --'AND LEON'S GETTING LARGER!' If you love completely non-sequitur and absolutely random jokes, you're in for a treat. Airplane! Is one of those films that, for better or worse, defined the spoof genre. When you look at A Haunted House or, well, any film that has any of the Wayans in it, they're borrowing wholesale from Airplane! and, to a lesser extent, The Naked Gun. There's a minimal plot involving an airplane (surprise) falling out of the sky after an outbreak of an unnamed disease. It has something to do with eggs. No, really. You're not watching Airplane! for nuanced humour or witticisms, it's all about the sight gags and the random, background jokes.
