It says something that only two of the top 50 were made after the year 2000, and only one of the top 40 was made after 2000. Only six of the 50 were made since 1994. Humor, like rock ‘n’ roll, is dying. I strongly disagree that “Spinal Tap” is the ninth best, but I’ll put in a good word for number 50 “The King of Comedy,” despite De Niro’s role.
I also noticed, having worked my way through the exhaustive list of 253 panelists and their choices, that the women critics named quite a few female-oriented pix over and over, which didn't make it to the top tiers of the mostly-male critics' lists. Among the female favorites were:
Clueless
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
The Royal Tenenbaums
Zoolander
A New Leaf (Elaine May)
The Birdcage (Cage au Folles)
A League of Their Own
The Princess Bride
Mrs. Doubtfire
Mean Girls
Fargo
Bridesmaids
Legally Blonde
The Graduate
Raising Arizona
When Harry Met Sally
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Singin' in the Rain
Tootsie
Four Weddings and a Funeral
His Girl Friday
The Lady Eve
Seven Beauties (Lina Wertmüller)
Notting Hill
Bringing Up Baby
Toy Story
My Sweet Little Village
A Fish Called Wanda
Ninotchka
As Good as It Gets
Irma la Douce
Divorce Italian Style
It Happened One Night
My Cousin Vinny