Writers Guild Names 101 Funniest Screenplays

The 101 funniest screenplays have been named by the Writers Guild of America.

The awards were announced Wednesday at the Hollywood Arclight theater in an event hosted by Rob Reiner, whose This is Spinal Tap made it to number 11 on the list. Woody Allen’s Annie Hall, which won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, topped the list. Six other scripts from Allen landed on the list: Sleeper, Bananas, Take the Money and Run, Broadway Danny Rose, Love and Death, and Manhattan. Rounding out the top 5 were Some Like it Hot, Groundhog Day, Airplane!, and Tootsie.

Seven other original screenplays voted in by WGA members won Academy Awards. All About Eve, The Apartment, Little Miss Sunshine, Moonstruck, The Producers, and Shakespeare in Love all took Oscars in their year. The Coen brothers’ Fargo, which won 2 Academy Awards including Best Original Screenplay, was number 86. The brothers had two other scripts on the list – Raising Arizona and The Big Lebowski.

The late Harold Ramis had four screenplays on the list, including two in the top 10 – Groundhog Day and Animal House. Preston Sturgess also landed four of his scripts on the list with The Lady Eve, Sullivan’s Travels, The Palm Beach Story, and The Miracle of Morgan Creek.

Mel Brooks had three in the top 12: Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, and The Producers. The newest titles on WGA’s list were Bridesmaids, by Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig, and The Hangover, by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore.

WGA’s complete list of 101 Funniest Screenplays follows:

101. Shakespeare in Love
Written by Marc Norman, Tom Stoppard
1998, Miramax

100. Flirting with Disaster
Written by David O. Russell
1996, Miramax

99. Mrs. Doubtfire
Screenplay by Randi Mayem Singer, Leslie Dixon,
Based on Alias Madame Doubtfire by Anne Fine
1993, 20th Century Fox

98. The Royal Tenenbaums
Written by Wes Anderson, Owen Wilson
2001, Touchstone/BV

97. Arsenic and Old Lace
Screenplay by Julius Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, Based on the Play by Joseph Kesselring
1944, Warner Bros.

96. All About Eve
Screenplay by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Based on the Short Story and Radio Program The Wisdom of Eve by Mary Orr
1950, 20th Century Fox

95. The Miracle Of Morgan’s Creek
Written by Preston Sturges
1944, Paramount

94. The Gold Rush
Written by Charles Chaplin
1925, United Artists

93. Swingers
Written by Jon Favreau
1996, Miramax

92. Broadway Danny Rose
Written by Woody Allen
1984, Orion

91. Sideways
Screenplay by Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor, Based on the Novel by Rex Pickett
2004, Fox Searchlight

90. City Lights
Written by Charles Chaplin
1931, United Artists

89. Beverly Hills Cop
Screenplay by Daniel Petrie, Jr., Story by Danilo Bach, Daniel Petrie, Jr.
1984, Paramount

88. Stripes
Written by Len Blum, Dan Goldberg, Harold Ramis
1981, Columbia

87. My Favorite Year
Screenplay by Dennis Palumbo, Norman Steinberg, Story by Dennis Palumbo
1982, MGM

86. Fargo
Written by Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
1996, Gramercy

85. Meet the Parents
Screenplay by Jim Herzfeld, John Hamburg, Story and screenplay by Greg Glienna, Mary Ruth Clarke
2000, Universal

84. Mean Girls
Screenplay by Tina Fey, Based on the Book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman
2004, Paramount

83. My Cousin Vinny
Written by Dale Launer
1992, 20th Century Fox

82. Modern Times
Written by Charles Chaplin
1936, United Artists

81. Manhattan
Written by Woody Allen, Marshall Brickman
1979, United Artists

79. *Tie*
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Written by Dale Launer, Stanley Shapiro, Paul Henning
1988, Orion
and
Lost in America
Written by Albert Brooks, Monica Johnson
1985, Warner Bros.

78. Love and Death
Written by Woody Allen
1975, United Artists

77. Election
Screenplay by Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor, Based on the Novel by Tom Perrotta
1999, Paramount

76. Take the Money and Run
Screenplay by Woody Allen, Mickey Rose, Story by Jackson Beck
1969, Cinerama

75. Coming to America
Screenplay by David Sheffield, Barry W. Blaustein, Story by Eddie Murphy
1988, Paramount

74. The Blues Brothers
Written by Dan Ackroyd, John Landis
1980, Universal

73. The Pink Panther
Written by Maurice Richly, Blake Edwards
1963, United Artists

72. The Palm Beach Story
Written by Preston Sturges
1942, Paramount

71. Clueless
Written by Amy Heckerling
1995, Paramount

70. Moonstruck
Written by John Patrick Shanley
1987, MGM

69. Bananas
Written by Woody Allen, Mickey Rose
1971, United Artists

68. Superbad
Written by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
2007, Columbia

67. Back to the Future
Written by Robert Zebecks, Bob Gale
1985, Universal

66. Being There
Screenplay by Jerzy Kosinski, Inspired by the Novel by Jerzy Kosinski
1979, United Artists

65. South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
Written by Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Pam Brady
1999, Paramount

64. Little Miss Sunshine
Written by Michael D. Arndt
2006, Fox Searchlight

63. Best in Show
Written by Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy
2000, Warner Bros.

62. It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Screenplay and Story by William and Tania Rose
1963, United Artists

61. Galaxy Quest
Screenplay by David Howard, Robert Gordon, Story by David Howard
1999, Dreamworks

60. Sleeper
Written by Woody Allen, Marshall Brickman
1973, United Artists

59. Wedding Crashers
Written by Steve Faber, Bob Fisher
2005, New Line

58. What’s Up, Doc?
Screenplay by Buck Henry, David Newman, Robert Benton, Story by Peter Bogdanovich
1972, Warner Bros.

57. The General
Written by Buster Keaton, Clyde Bruckman, Adapted by Al Boasberg, Charles Smith
1926, United Artists

56. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
Written by Mike Myers
1997, New Line

54. *Tie*
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Written by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay
2004, Dreamworks
and
Dumb and Dumber
Written by Peter Farrelly, Bennett Yellin, Bob Farrelly
1994, New Line

53. Four Weddings and a Funeral
Written by Richard Curtis
1994, Gramercy

52. Arthur
Written by Steven Gordon
1981, Orion

51. Broadcast News
Written by James L. Brooks
1987, 20th Century Fox

50. Shaun of the Dead
Written by Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright
2004, Focus (Universal)

49. Harold and Maude
Written by Colin Higgins
1971, Paramount

48. M*A*S*H
Screenplay by Ring Lardner, Jr., From the Novel by Richard Hooker
1970, 20th Century Fox

47. It Happened One Night
Screenplay by Robert Riskin, Based on the Short Story by Samuel Hopkins Adams
1934, Columbia

46. Midnight Run
Written by George Gallo
1988, Universal

45. National Lampoon’s Vacation
Screenplay by John Hughes
1983, Warner Bros.

44. Big
Written by Anne Spielberg, Gary Ross
1988, 20th Century Fox

43. Office Space
Written for the Screen by Mike Judge, Based on the Milton Animated Shorts by Mike Judge
1999, 20th Century Fox

42. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
Written by Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Pat Proft, Based on the Television Series Police Squad! Created by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker
1988, Paramount

41. The Odd Couple
Screenplay by Neil Simon, From the Play by Neil Simon as Produced on the Stage by Saint-Subber
1968, Paramount

40. Waiting for Guffman
Written by Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy
1996, Sony Pics Classics

39. Rushmore
Written by Wes Anderson, Owen Wilson
1998, Touchstone/BV

38. A Night at the Opera
Screenplay by George S. Kaufman, Morrie Ryskind, From a Story by James Kevin McGuinness
1935, MGM

37. The Philadelphia Story
Screenplay by Donald Ogden Stewart, Based on the Play by Philip Barry
1940, MGM

36. Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Written by John Hughes
1987, Paramount

35. Sullivan’s Travels
Written by Preston Sturges
1941, Paramount

33. *Tie*
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Written by John Hughes
1986, Paramount
and
Trading Places
Written by Timothy Harris, Herschel Weingrod
1983, Paramount

32. The Lady Eve
Screenplay by Preston Sturges, Story by Monckton Hoffe
1941, Paramount

31. The 40-Year-Old Virgin
Written by Judd Apatow, Steve Carell
2005, Universal

30. The Hangover
Written by Jon Lucas, Scott Moore
2009, Warner Bros.

29. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Screenplay by Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Peter Baynham, Dan Mazer, Story by Sacha Baron Cohen, Peter Baynham, Anthony Hines, Todd Phillips, Based on a Character Created by Sacha Baron Cohen
2006, 20th Century Fox

28. The Apartment
Written by Billy Wilder, I.A.L. Diamond
1960, UA

27. The Graduate
Screenplay by Calder Willingham, Buck Henry, Based on the Novel by Charles Webb
1967, Embassy

26. Monty Python’s Life Of Brian
Written by Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin
1979, Orion

25. Caddyshack
Written by Brian Doyle-Murray, Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney
1980, Orion

24. Bringing Up Baby
Screenplay by Hagar Wilde, Dudley Nichols, Story by Hagar Wilde
1938, RKO

23. Raising Arizona
Written by Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
1987, 20th Century Fox

22. The Princess Bride
Screenplay by William Goldman, Based on Goldman’s Novel of the Same Name
1987, 20th Century Fox

21. His Girl Friday
Screenplay by Charles Lederer, Based on the Play The Front Page by Ben Hecht, Charles MacArthur
1940, Columbia

20. A Fish Called Wanda
Screenplay by John Cleese, Story by John Cleese, Charles Crichton
1988, MGM

19. The Jerk
Screenplay by Steve Martin, Carl Gottlieb, Michael Elias, Story by Steve Martin, Carl Gottlieb
1979, Universal

18. There’s Something About Mary
Screenplay by John J. Strauss, Ed Decter and Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly, Story by Ed Decter, John J. Strauss
1998, 20th Century Fox

17. Duck Soup
Story by Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby, Additional Dialogue by Arthur Sheekman, Nat Perrin
1933, Paramount

16. Bridesmaids
Written by Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig
2011, Universal

15. When Harry Met Sally…
Written by Nora Ephron
1989, Columbia

14. Ghostbusters
Written by Dan Ackroyd, Harold Ramis
1984, Columbia

13. The Big Lebowski
Written by Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
1998, Gramercy

12. The Producers
Written by Mel Brooks
1967, AVCO Embassy

11. This Is Spinal Tap
Written by Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Rob Reiner, Harry Shearer
1984, Embassy

10. National Lampoon’s Animal House
Written by Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney, Chris Miller
1978, Universal

9. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Written by Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin
1975, Cinema 5

8. Blazing Saddles
Screenplay by Mel Brooks, Norman Steinberg, Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, Alan Uger, Story by Andrew Bergman
1974, Warner Bros.

7. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Screenplay by Stanley Kubrick, Peter George, Terry Southern
1964, Columbia

6. Young Frankenstein
Screenplay and Screen Story by Gene Wilder, Mel Brooks, Based on Characters in the Novel Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
1974, 20th Century Fox

5. Tootsie
Screenplay by Larry Gilbert, Murray Schisgal, Story by Don McGuire, Larry Gelbart
1982, Columbia

4. Airplane!
Written by James Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker
1980, Paramount

3. Groundhog Day
Screenplay by Danny Rubin, Harold Ramis, Story by Danny Rubin
1993, Columbia

2. Some Like It Hot
Screenplay by Billy Wilder, I.A. L. Diamond, Based on the German film Fanfare of Love by Robert Thorn, M. Logan
1959, UA

1. Annie Hall
Written by Woody Allen, Marshall Brickman
1977, UA