Comedies aren’t typically as tailor-made for sequels as, say, an action movie. Action movies thrive on continued success, and most of them rely on a cliffhanger ending to keep the suspense and intrigue. Comedies, on the other hand, aren’t necessarily focused on an overarching narrative or promising cliffhanger endings. They like to get in, make the audience laugh, and get out.
But that doesn’t stop Hollywood from going back to the well and making comedy sequels, many of them completely unnecessary and about twenty years too late (Dumb and Dumber To, anyone?).
Luckily, these ones haven’t been tarnished with silly sequels. These are the ten best comedy movies that never got a sequel.
Monty Python And The Holy Grail (1975)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is typically considered to be the…well, the Holy Grail of comedies. It was originally released back in 1975 to mixed reviews, as many critics didn’t care for the movie’s silly sense of humor.
Others called the film poorly paced, as it either took too long to get to a punchline or overdid a certain joke (like the battle with the Black Knight). Regardless, the movie’s reception has significantly grown over time, and it is now regarded as one of the finest comedies in movie history.
Groundhog Day (1984)
Groundhog Day is so much more than a simple comedy. Yes, it is certainly hilarious, and Bill Murray turns in an exceptionally dry and funny performance, but it also reaches for more lofty goals than many other comedies.
It contains a rather fantastical story that you just have to go with and not question, and it deals with some heavy themes like the futility of selfishness and the importance of self-improvement. It’s an allegory, it’s a fun movie about Groundhog Day, and it’s a brilliant vehicle for the talents of Murray and Harold Ramis.
Borat (2006)
No other comedy has taken the world by storm quite like Borat. This movie was a monumental success, grossing over $260 million at the worldwide box office and starting silly catchphrases like “Very nice!” It was a brilliant satire, touching on many topical subjects like mis-aimed American patriotism, feminism, xenophobia, and religion.
Sacha Baron Cohen would never again scale the heights that Borat reached, and Bruno served as a rather disappointing follow up. But perhaps it’s for the best. He can’t do another Borat without being recognized, and besides, it would probably just tarnish the legacy of the original.
This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
The success of This Is Spinal Tap cannot be overstated. It was released in 1984, right after the era of classic rock and self-important rock documentaries. To satirize these concepts and poke fun at their self-aggrandizing, Rob Reiner created this mockumentary that followed a fictional heavy metal band called Spinal Tap.
Not only did the movie popularize the mockumentary genre and influence dozens of filmmakers, but it generated some of the most classic and laugh-out-loud moments in comedy movie history. Next time you hear, “Crank this up to 11,” be sure to thank This Is Spinal Tap. And yeah, there was that short, made-for-TV follow-up The Return of Spinal Tap, but we don’t think that should count…
Superbad (2007)
Superbad isn’t even fifteen years old yet, but it is still considered a classic. Yes, it certainly has its detractors, as most Seth Rogen films do. But there’s no denying the impact that Superbad had on the genre.
It made Jonah Hill and Michael Cera stars, it further popularized the whole “Seth Rogen genre” that dominated the late 2000s, and it effectively changed the way teenage comedies were made. Even today, films like Good Boys take direct and obvious influence from Superbad.
Hot Fuzz (2007)
Really, we could put the entire Cornetto trilogy on this list, but for the sake of variety, we’ll just include Hot Fuzz. When it comes to the funniest movie in the series, general opinion seems split between Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.
However, we have to give it to the latter. Not only is it more popular, but it’s simply a better-made movie. The script is air tight, every single character is a winner, and the general filmmaking qualities are more bombastic and advanced than the ones found in Shaun of the Dead (by design, of course).
Bridesmaids (2011)
What Superbad did for the teen genre, Bridesmaids did for the “chick flick.” Bridesmaids is wildly influential, not only due to its gross-out sense of humor and subversion of the typical “female-centric comedy,” but because it made movie stars out of its cast.
Sure, performers like Maya Rudolph, Kristen Wiig, and Rose Byrne were all established by this point, but this movie launched them into the pop culture stratosphere (not to mention Melissa McCarthy). It was also the rare comedy movie to be nominated for Oscars, receiving nods for both Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress.
Animal House (1978)
And if we’re talking influential comedies, we can’t ignore Animal House. Animal House was released in the summer of 1978 to instant success. While it received middling reviews, it scored big with general audiences and became the highest grossing comedy movie for its time (thanks to a combination of box office and video rentals).
It also made movie stars out of its cast, including John Belushi, Karen Allen, and Kevin Bacon, and it launched the gross-out comedy (of which Bridesmaids belongs). There were spin-offs and a “where are they now?” feature, but never an official sequel.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
John Hughes could not be touched in the 80s. He was pumping out classics at an unbelievable rate, including National Lampoon’s Vacation, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, and of course, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. This is one of his most unabashedly entertaining movies, as it really isn’t “about” anything.
Yeah, there are themes about enjoying the little things, standing up for yourself, and not taking life too seriously, but for the most part, it was just ninety minutes of pure entertainment.
Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
Napoleon Dynamite is definitely a “you had to be there” movie. It seems small and unassuming, and it only grossed $46 million at the box office. By all accounts, this is just another indie movie that came and went without much fanfare. But this thing seemingly took over the world in 2004.
It seemed like everyone had an opinion on it (whether good or bad), Vote for Pedro T-shirts were everywhere, and catchphrases like “God!” and “Idiot!” (said in Napoleon’s voice, of course) became commonplace. Sorry haters, but it’s an undeniable classic.
