10 Best Movies By Comedians-Turned-Movie Directors, Ranked According To IMDb

Comedians can come a long way from establishing their brand of comedy to a small audience until they capture a more mainstream audience. And sooner, they could star either in big Hollywood comedies or popular television shows.

After they attain that peak of success, comedians could choose either direction: whether to continue their routine or turn to auteur work, like venture dramatic roles or become filmmakers themselves. But going on the latter, funny men and women turned out to be splendid and inventive filmmakers.

In honor of that, here are the ten best movies from comedians who become film directors.

10 The Jerk (1979), Directed by Carl Reiner – 7.2

The Jerk is a light-hearted Steve Martin comedy vehicle where he plays a sluggish country boy, raised in a family of Black sharecroppers. Completely naïve in his current state of life, he mans up by leaving his family for the city, resulting in wild antics that he tries to fix but ruin.

Since both director Carl Reiner and Martin are solid comedians, having good starts on television, their comedic vision gel well together. And the banjo-playing comedian makes Navin a likeable and amusing character, despite his half-wittedness. The Jerk is now considered one of the funniest comedies of all time.

9 The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013), Directed by Ben Stiller – 7.3

Ben Stiller had fine directorial efforts that became cult hits like Reality Bites and Zoolander. When he was tapped for the role in an adaptation of the famous James Thurber story, Stiller took directorial duties on what he conceives as his passion project.

Walter Mitty is always associated with fantasy sequences and daydreaming. So, Ben Stiller takes Mitty’s spirit and turns into a globetrotting adventure from Greenland to Nepal about a last ditch effort to get the cover photo of Life Magazine’s last issue. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty gives the right amount of adventure-seeking excitement and sweet sentimentality.

8 A New Leaf (1971), Directed by Elaine May – 7.4

Elaine May is a comedy legend that brought opportunities for other young comedians to shine. She initially had a solid partnership with Mike Nichols called “Nichols and May” to do improv with him. After the two parted ways, May ventured a career in directing and screenwriting.

For her directorial debut, the comedienne paired herself with Walter Matthau in this black comedy about a downtrodden playboy who seeks to redeem his lavish status by marrying an heiress/botany professor and murder her. A New Leaf is an all-around farce that makes the best use of May’s comedic timing and Matthau’s straight-man routine.

7 Eighth Grade (2018), Directed by Bo Burnham – 7.4

Eighth Grade is a coming-of-age tale that is more substantial than you may expect. What turned out to be a simple slice-of-life story of a teenage girl finishing middle school and struggling to fit in becomes a bittersweet cautionary tale of present-day adolescence in the social media age.

Comedian and YouTube star Bo Burnham channeled his own anxieties and panic attacks through the character of Kayla (Elsie Fisher) as she explores her personal identity and deals with issues like prepubescent sexuality, social status, Internet fads, familial relationships and nostalgic effects. It becomes a present-day John Hughes movie with a relevant message.

6 Waiting for Guffman (1996), Directed by Christopher Guest – 7.5

Christopher Guest could be considered the pioneer of mockumentary comedy after gaining popularity with This is Spinal Tap. He soon directed other mockumentary pieces like the Best In Show, A Mighty Wind, For Your Consideration and Mascots.

His first directorial effort, though, is Waiting for Guffman, a farce about an ambitious theater director and small-town community theater troupe trying to pull off a lavish production to impress a Broadway personality. Learning from Spinal Tap, Guest encouraged his recurring cast to improvise their lines for authenticity and repertoire. This comes in effect when the actors clash organically and organize themselves hilariously.

5 Get Out (2017), Directed by Jordan Peele – 7.7

From the humorous mind of Jordan Peele comes one of the most enthralling horror movies and one of the most politically relevant films of the last decade. It is surprising that this combination of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and Black Mirror becomes a thought-provoking piece of work that proves that horror can be cerebral experiences as well.

While the suspenseful elements are definitely had edge-of-your-seat thrills, the film also contains satirical bits to swallow the premise’s horrifying scenario. Get Out is a film that not only brings the best of the genre, but won Peele his first Oscar.

4 Young Frankenstein (1974), Directed by Mel Brooks – 8.0

Mel Brooks is a master parodist. His films commonly poke fun of Broadway (The Producers), Westerns (Blazing Saddles), silent films (Silent Movie), Hitchcock movies (High Anxiety), film epics (History of the World, Part I) and Star Wars (Spaceballs).

One of his most beloved films is Young Frankenstein, a farcical take on black-and-white monster movies. In this instance, he poked fun of film adaptations of Frankenstein with a more manic Doctor Frankenstein (Gene Wilder), a buy-eyed Igor (Marty Feldman) and a toe-tapping Frankenstein’s monster (Peter Boyle). The film works as both a spoof but a genuine tribute to olden horror films.

3 The Graduate (1967), Directed by Mike Nichols – 8.0

Renowned film and theater director Mike Nichols got his career start as a comedian. As mentioned, he and Elaine May formed the comedic pair Nichols and May, where they specialized in improv routines. After they broke up, they each embarked on their own film careers.

After he received critical acclaim with Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Nichols took on the equally acclaimed The Graduate. This comedy centers on aimless college graduate Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman), who gets lured by the older Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) into a duplicitous relationship but falls for her daughter Elaine (Katharine Ross). Both a farce and screwball romance, The Graduate is intellectually funny and thought-provoking.

2 Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Directed by Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam – 8.2

After the run of their culturally relevant show Monty Python’s Flying Circus, the six-man comedy troupe decided to take their brand of comedy to the big screen with a compilation of hits and next, a farcical take on Arthurian legend.

Each of the Monty Python members gets to have his standout character moments, from Arthur’s pompousness to Patsy’s coconut-playing, from the French taunter to Prince Herbert, from Robin’s cowardly song to the Knights Who Say Ni. Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones take directorial duties, and their comedic efforts are present throughout (from Gilliam’s animation to Jones’ surrealism). The result is one of the greatest comedies and farces of all time.

1 Modern Times (1936), Directed by Charlie Chaplin – 8.5

Yet, the most coveted title for the comedian who greatly succeeded as both a performer and a director is the legendary Charlie Chaplin. Chaplin’s physical humor and all-around slapstick made films iconic in the first place. This is exemplified with his Tramp character.

So, for the last film featuring the bowler hat-wearing character, Chaplin places the Little Tramp as a factory worker who struggles to thrive in the industrialized landscape and outwits himself out of the complications of his working conditions. The most well-known part of this film is undoubtedly the scene where the Tramp rolls through the gear system. Of all the films he directed, Modern Times is the most representative of Chaplin’s legacy.

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