Dying is easy. Directing comedy is hard.
Since the birth of cinema, even before the medium became a tool to tell stories, comedy has been one of the most prolific genres, and that hasn’t changed since then. After all, what cinematic experience could be more timeless than one that gives viewers a few good laughs? Far from just a means for escapism, comedy movies have evolved over the years. Nowadays, the genre is home to some of the most profound stories that cinema has ever told.
A good movie genre needs an ensemble of good directors to fully explore all its themes, and comedy has cultivated some of the art form’s greatest filmmakers. Whether it’s a modern artist like Wes Anderson or a classic auteur like Billy Wilder, the best comedy directors can simultaneously make audiences laugh and treat them to surprisingly moving stories with thought-provoking themes.
10 Martin McDonagh
Standout Movie: ‘In Bruges’ (2008)
Even with only four feature films under his belt, Martin McDonagh has already cemented his place as one of the best modern comedy directors. From In Bruges, his incredible directing debut, to The Banshees of Inisherin, his latest work of darkly comedic art, McDonagh crafts some of the most poignant and hard-hitting comedies, which are somehow still undeniably hilarious.
It’s thanks to his signature pitch-black sense of humor, as well as his interest in existentialist themes of loneliness and cynicism, that McDonagh has created a niche for himself, which he pretty much dominates. There’s no director currently making films like his: physically and emotionally violent and unafraid to show the dark corners of the human condition but also delightfully lively, vibrantly written, and unashamedly Irish.
In Bruges
- Release Date
- February 8, 2008
- Director
- Martin McDonagh
- Cast
- Elizabeth Berrington , Rudy Blomme , Olivier Bonjour , Mark Donovan , Ann Elsley , Colin Farrell
- Runtime
- 107
- Writers
- Martin McDonagh
9 Mel Brooks
Standout Movie: ‘Spaceballs’ (1987)
The satirical movie genre wouldn’t be what it is today without Mel Brooks, most famous for spoofs like the Star Wars parody Spaceballs and the satirical Western Blazing Saddles. With his knack for irreverent jokes and absurdist comedy, Brooks is known for making films that are caricaturistic and proud of it. His sense of humor is certainly not for everyone, but it’s also exceptionally hard to resist its charm.
As silly and goofy as his films may appear on the surface, Brooks also writes surprisingly clever scripts, which have made a few of his movies some of the most quotable films of all time. Very few comedy directors have such a relatively large filmography that is so consistent. One can always trust a Mel Brooks movie, even if it’s not one of his strongest, to be a hell of a good time.
Spaceballs
- Release Date
- June 24, 1987
- Director
- Mel Brooks
- Cast
- Mel Brooks , John Candy , Rick Moranis , Bill Pullman , Daphne Zuniga , Dick Van Patten
- Runtime
- 96
- Writers
- Mel Brooks , Thomas Meehan , Ronny Graham
8 Terry Gilliam
Standout Movie: ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’ (1975)
Considering that he hails from the British lineup Monty Python, one of the funniest comedy troupes the world has ever seen, it’s no wonder Terry Gilliam is one of the most brilliantly funny movie directors around. He hasn’t gone without misfires, such as the infamous The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. Alas, having made genre staples like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Monty Python and the Holy Grail (yes, most of Gilliam’s titles tend to be pretty long), one can hardly fault him.
The thing that sets Gilliam apart is that he’s also one of the most influential exponents of surrealism in movies, allowing him to create some of the most delightfully weird comedies audiences can find. This weirdness only makes Gilliam’s creative voice more unique and his movies funnier, anchoring his typical themes of imagination and how it allows people to escape from everyday life.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
- Release Date
- May 25, 1975
- Director
- Terry Gilliam , Terry Jones
- Cast
- Graham Chapman , John Cleese , Eric Idle , Terry Gilliam , Terry Jones , Michael Palin
- Runtime
- 91 minutes
- Writers
- Graham Chapman , John Cleese , Eric Idle , Terry Gilliam , Terry Jones , Michael Palin
7 Wes Anderson
Standout Movie: ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ (2014)
Wes Anderson needs no introduction. From his early work, such as The Royal Tenenbaums, to his modern, much more maximalist comedies, like The Grand Budapest Hotel, he has pretty much become a comedy subgenre of his own. After all, which cinephile isn’t familiar with his iconic deadpan dialogue, inherently funny camera movements, and use of color to infuse his stories’ tone with humor and personality?
Anderson has done it all, from deeply affecting tragicomedies to visually stunning stop-motion films, often working with some of the best modern comedic actors. With his unique screenwriting style and striking, symmetrical, instantly recognizable visual style, Anderson has explored a wide range of stories in all sorts of ways. Whenever comedy fans hear about him making a new film, they can always trust that it’ll be something special.
The Grand Budapest Hotel
- Release Date
- February 26, 2014
- Director
- Wes Anderson
- Cast
- Ralph Fiennes , F. Murray Abraham , Mathieu Amalric , Adrien Brody , Willem Dafoe , Jeff Goldblum
- Runtime
- 100 minutes
- Writers
- Stefan Zweig , Wes Anderson , Hugo Guinness
6 Frank Capra
Standout Movie: ‘It Happened One Night’ (1934)
Hollywood’s Golden Age had some of the most iconic comedy movie directors who have ever lived, and Frank Capra stands tall over most of them. He was one of the main spearheads of the classic screwball comedy, making some of the most iconic and influential works in the subgenre. From Mr. Smith Goes to Washington to his Oscar-winning It Happened One Night, Capra was a true master of his craft.
Working with some of the most talented people in Classic Hollywood, including a few of the funniest actors of the era, Capra crafted a body of work that’s every bit as enjoyable as it is admirable. He was a filmmaker who constantly pushed the envelope and rebelled against the system, and it was precisely this defiant spirit that allowed him to direct some of the funniest and most memorable comedies of his time.
It Happened One Night
- Release Date
- February 22, 1934
- Director
- Frank Capra
- Cast
- Clark Gable , Claudette Colbert , Walter Connolly , Roscoe Karns
- Runtime
- 105 minutes
- Writers
- Robert Riskin , Samuel Hopkins Adams
5 Woody Allen
Standout Movie: ‘Annie Hall’ (1977)
Even if he isn’t necessarily the best (though some might deservedly argue that he is), Woody Allen is perhaps the most iconic and influential comedy movie director of his generation. After all, merely through making films as terrific as Annie Hall and Manhattan, anyone would be able to earn those titles. Setting his problematic legacy aside, which has admittedly made many aspects of most of his work age poorly, Allen is largely to thank for what the comedy genre is today.
Being one of the most noteworthy writer-directors of the New Hollywood film movement, Allen quickly built a unique style that is now instantly recognizable. Blending sadness and humor in narratives always coated with existentialist themes, neurotic characters, and some of the most intelligent gags the genre has seen, his movies are extremely easy to get into and impossible to forget.
Annie Hall
- Release Date
- April 19, 1977
- Director
- Woody Allen
- Cast
- Woody Allen , Diane Keaton , Tony Roberts , Carol Kane , Paul Simon , Shelley Duvall
- Runtime
- 93 minutes
- Writers
- Woody Allen , Marshall Brickman
4 Joel and Ethan Coen
Standout Movie: ‘Fargo’ (1996)
Even if they have recently started to work apart, cinephiles will always think of the Coen brothers, Joel and Ethan, as the most iconic filmmaking duo in Hollywood history. The minds responsible for comedies as iconic as Fargo and Barton Fink, one of the greatest indie films of the ’90s, the directors have certainly had their ups and downs. Still, when a Coen brothers comedy hits, it hits hard.
The best part about the brothers’ comedies is that as hilarious as they are, their jokes and gags are always at the service of haunting stories, complicated characters, and profound themes. Whether they’re exploring the absurdity of life in A Serious Man or offering a whole new philosophy in The Big Lebowski, the Coens always make some of the most impactful comedies in the contemporary cinematic landscape. Fans can only hope that they will work together again sooner rather than later.
Fargo
- Release Date
- April 5, 1996
- Director
- Joel Coen , Ethan Coen
- Cast
- William H. Macy , Steve Buscemi , Frances McDormand , Peter Stormare , Kristin Rudrüd , Harve Presnell
- Runtime
- 98 mintues
- Writers
- Joel Coen , Ethan Coen
3 Billy Wilder
Standout Movie: ‘Some Like It Hot’ (1959)
Billy Wilder was one of the directors who best personified Hollywood’s Golden Age. An Austrian immigrant who brought his European sensibilities to Hollywood cinema, he made some of the era’s most popular films, comedies and otherwise. From the revolutionary Some Like It Hot to the iconic The Seven Year Itch, Wilder was always at the forefront of creative innovation.
During the period of American cinema that Wilder operated in, the director’s job was to be an invisible worker purely at the service of the story. Whether Wilder ever even bothered to follow this ethos is anyone’s guess, but the fact remains he was an auteur through and through, with an instantly recognizable style and plenty of important things to say. Wilder’s comedies are hilarious, but they also tend to be complex tales about complicated people and their philosophically deep problems.
Some Like It Hot
- Release Date
- March 19, 1959
- Director
- Billy Wilder
- Cast
- Marilyn Monroe , Jack Lemmon , Tony Curtis , George Raft
- Runtime
- 121 minutes
- Writers
- Billy Wilder , I.A.L. Diamond , Robert Thoeren
2 Buster Keaton
Standout Movie: ‘Sherlock Jr.’ (1924)
In the early days of Hollywood cinema, as it’s remembered today, two main filmmakers defined the silent comedy genre. One of them was Buster Keaton. With his intense deadpan stare, Keaton made some of the funniest films of his time, as well as making actors do their own stunts the norm way before Tom Cruise ever even came into the world.
From Sherlock Jr. to The General, Keaton’s movies are among the most iconic of the ’20s. At a time when most comedies were satisfied with being humorous and nothing else, Keaton went the extra mile by crafting not only some jaw-dropping set pieces but also admirably layered stories. There are gripping stories and complex character development in his films, something that was definitely not common at the time. This is only one of the many reasons why Keaton is such a legend.
Sherlock Jr.
- Release Date
- May 11, 1924
- Director
- Buster Keaton
- Cast
- Buster Keaton , Kathryn McGuire , Joe Keaton , Erwin Connelly , Ward Crane , Jane Connelly , George Davis , Doris Deane
- Runtime
- 45 Minutes
1 Charlie Chaplin
Standout Movie: ‘Modern Times’ (1936)
If Buster Keaton is a legend, then Charlie Chaplin is an icon. There aren’t many movie characters that can be recognized from their silhouette alone; Chaplin’s Tramp is one of them. There aren’t many silent comedy directors whose every film aged like fine, hilarious wine; with classics like Modern Times and City Lights, Chaplin is one of them. There aren’t many filmmakers who have had the impact on not just their genre but on cinema as a whole, that Charlie Chaplin did.
What makes Chaplin’s work even more fascinating is that one can track the evolution of Hollywood cinema by watching the evolution of his films. From the early simplicity of movies like The Kid to the paranoia of McCarthyism that was present in Hollywood when the director made A King in New York to the death of Classical Hollywood as augured in Limelight, Chaplin’s filmography is a fascinating testament to the always-developing magic of cinema. After all, there is no movie magic as strong as that present in the movies of Charlie Chaplin.
Modern Times
- Release Date
- February 25, 1936
- Director
- Charles Chaplin
- Cast
- Charles Chaplin , Paulette Goddard , Henry Bergman , Tiny Sandford , Chester Conklin
- Runtime
- 87 Minutes
- Writers
- Charles Chaplin
This article was originally published on collider.com