Top 10 Funniest Movies Ever (As Measured In Laughs Per Minute)
Admit it, you’ve done this: sat around with friends for hours, trying to come up with the definitive list of the funniest movies ever. Well, now here’s an – almost, sort of – statistical solution: the Laugh a Minute rating.
Surely topping the Laugh A Minute list is an achievement. And don’t call it Shirley. Photo credit: Paramount Pictures.
It comes from Lovefilm, the London-based video streaming and DVD subscription service. Lovefilm polled its members for the 10 movies that made them laugh most. Then, says spokesperson Helen Cowley, the company convened a panel to watch the movies and note “how many times [each film] made us giggle.” Divide the number of laughs by the film’s length in minutes, and voilà: the Laugh a Minute score.
Even if the results aren’t universal – the panel members were affiliated with the company – the methods are certainly more scientifically rigorous than sitting around chatting with your buds over beers at 11:30 at night.
We’re No. 4? That’s badass! Photo credit: Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Without further ado, the envelope, please.
Topping the list at three laughs a minute: the 1980 airline disaster spoof Airplane!, followed by the original Hangover and Naked Gun movies at 2.4 and 2.3 laughs per minute respectively.
Here’s the full Top 10:
1. Airplane! – 3 laughs/minute
2. The Hangover – 2.4 laughs/minut
3. Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! – 2.3 laughs/minute
4. Superbad – 1.9 laughs/minute
5. Borat – 1.7 laughs/minute
6. Anchorman: the Legend of Ron Burgundy – 1.6 laughs/minute
7. American Pie – 1.5 laughs/minute
8. Bridesmaids – 1.4 laughs/minute
9. Shaun of the Dead – 1.3 laughs/minute
10. Life of Brian – 1.2 laughs/minute
Only No. 10? Always look on the bright side of life. Photo credit: Sony Pictures Entertainment.
“Interestingly,” Cowley said, “while Lovefilm members voted Life of Brian as the funniest film, our research shows that for Laughs a Minute…Airplane! beats the Monty Python epic hands-down.”
taken from Forbes
