Entertainment

843 voters

The Best Military Comedies Of All Time

dee123

Updated August 7, 2020 4.7k votes 843 voters 79.2k views50 items

List RulesAny film from any genre which could be classified as a military comedy.

Sometimes a serious subject needs a little comedy...

...more

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Stripes
Bill Murray, John Candy
Released: 1981
Directed by: Ivan Reitman
Stripes is a 1981 American comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman, starring Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates, P. J. Soles, and John Candy. It also featured several actors in their first... more
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177
80
Down Periscope
Kelsey Grammer, William H. Macy
Released: 1996
Directed by: David S. Ward
Down Periscope is a 1996 20th Century Fox comedy film produced by Robert Lawrence and directed by David S. Ward, starring Kelsey Grammer, Lauren Holly and Rob Schneider and co-starring Bruce Dern,... more
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117
38
Kelly's Heroes
Clint Eastwood, Donald Sutherland
Released: 1970
Directed by: Brian G. Hutton
Kelly's Heroes is a 1970 comedy film directed by Brian G. Hutton, about a group of WWII soldiers who go AWOL to rob a bank behind enemy lines. The film stars Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas, Don... more
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153
65
Good Morning, Vietnam
Robin Williams, Forest Whitaker
Released: 1987
Directed by: Barry Levinson
Good Morning, Vietnam is a 1987 American comedy film written by Mitch Markowitz and directed by Barry Levinson. Set in Saigon in 1965, during Vietnam, the film stars Robin Williams as a radio DJ on... more
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132
56
MASH
Robert Duvall, Donald Sutherland
Released: 1970
Directed by: Robert Altman
MASH is a 1970 American satirical black comedy film directed by Robert Altman and written by Ring Lardner, Jr., based on Richard Hooker's novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors. The picture is... more
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102
Major Payne
Damon Wayans, Michael Ironside
Released: 1995
Directed by: Nick Castle
Major Payne is a 1995 comedy film, starring Damon Wayans.... more
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157
81
Forrest Gump
Tom Hanks, Sally Field
Released: 1994
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
Forrest Gump is a 1994 American epic romantic-comedy-drama film based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis and stars Tom Hanks, Robin Wright,... more
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93
33
Operation Petticoat
Cary Grant, Tony Curtis
Released: 1959
Directed by: Blake Edwards
Operation Petticoat is a 1959 comedy film directed by Blake Edwards, and starring Cary Grant and Tony Curtis. It was the basis for a television series in 1977 starring John Astin in Grant's role.... more
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85
34
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Peter Sellers, George C. Scott
Released: 1964
Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
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Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, more commonly known as Dr. Strangelove, is a 1964 political satire black comedy film that satirizes fears of a nuclear conflict... more
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76
27
Mister Roberts
Henry Fonda, Jack Lemmon
Released: 1955
Directed by: Mervyn LeRoy, John Ford, Joshua Logan
Mister Roberts is a 1955 American Warnercolor in CinemaScope comedy-drama film directed by John Ford and Mervyn LeRoy and features an all-star cast including Henry Fonda as Mister Roberts, James... more

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102
51
Tropic Thunder
Tom Cruise, Robert Downey Jr.
Released: 2008
Directed by: Ben Stiller
Tropic Thunder is a 2008 American action satire comedy film directed by Ben Stiller. Through a series of freak occurrences, a group of actors shooting a big-budget war movie are forced to become the... more
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103
53
Hot Shots!
Charlie Sheen, Kristy Swanson
Released: 1991
Directed by: Jim Abrahams
Hot Shots! is a 1991 comedy spoof film starring Charlie Sheen, Cary Elwes, Valeria Golino, Lloyd Bridges, Kevin Dunn, Jon Cryer and Ryan Stiles. It was directed by Jim Abrahams, and was written by... more
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67
27
Father Goose
Cary Grant, Leslie Caron
Released: 1964
Directed by: Ralph Nelson
Father Goose is a 1964 romantic comedy film set in WWII, starring Cary Grant, Leslie Caron and Trevor Howard. The title derives from "Mother Goose", the codename assigned to Grant's character. The... more
14
101
63
Sgt. Bilko
Steve Martin, Dan Aykroyd
Released: 1996
Directed by: Jonathan Lynn
Sgt. Bilko is a 1996 American comedy film directed by Jonathan Lynn and written by Andy Breckman. It is an adaptation of the iconic 1950s television series The Phil Silvers Show, often informally... more
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71
39
Renaissance Man
Danny DeVito, Ed Begley
Released: 1994
Directed by: Penny Marshall
Renaissance Man is a 1994 American comedy film directed by Penny Marshall, and stars Danny DeVito, Gregory Hines, James Remar, Cliff Robertson and Mark Wahlberg in his film debut. In Australia, the... more
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72
42
Hot Shots! Part Deux
Charlie Sheen, Lloyd Bridges
Released: 1993
Directed by: Jim Abrahams
Hot Shots! Part Deux is a 1993 comedy/parody film, and a sequel to the 1991 comedy Hot Shots!. The sequel primarily spoofs the 1988 action film Rambo III. Directed again by Jim Abrahams, the film... more
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24
Catch-22
Martin Sheen, Orson Welles
Released: 1970
Directed by: Mike Nichols
Catch-22 is a 1970 film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Joseph Heller. In creating a black comedy revolving around the "lunatic characters" of Heller's satirical novel set at a fictional... more
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66
41
Private Benjamin
Goldie Hawn, Albert Brooks
Released: 1980
Directed by: Howard Zieff
Private Benjamin is a 1980 American comedy film starring Goldie Hawn. The film was one of the biggest box office hits of 1980, and also spawned a short-lived television series. The film is ranked 82... more
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51
27
Buck Privates
Lou Costello, Bud Abbott
Released: 1941
Directed by: Arthur Lubin
Buck Privates is the 1941 comedy/World War II film that turned Bud Abbott and Lou Costello into bona fide movie stars. It was the first service comedy based on the peacetime draft of 1940. The comedy... more
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The Great Dictator
Charlie Chaplin, Paulette Goddard
Released: 1940
Directed by: Charlie Chaplin
The Great Dictator is a 1940 American satirical political comedy-drama film starring, written, produced, scored, and directed by Charlie Chaplin, following the tradition of many of his other films.... more

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38
Three Kings
George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg
Released: 1999
Directed by: David O. Russell
Three Kings is a 1999 satirical comedy film written and directed by David O. Russell from a story by John Ridley about a men taking gold that takes place during the 1991 Iraqi uprising against Saddam... more
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57
34
Operation Dumbo Drop
Ray Liotta, Danny Glover
Released: 1995
Directed by: Simon Wincer
Operation Dumbo Drop is a 1995 American comedy film directed by Simon Wincer that explores politics, and animal welfare. The storyline was conceived from a screenplay written by Gene Quintano and Jim... more
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36
Biloxi Blues
Matthew Broderick, David Schwimmer
Released: 1988
Directed by: Mike Nichols
Biloxi Blues is a 1988 American comedy film directed by Mike Nichols, written by Neil Simon, and starring Matthew Broderick and Christopher Walken. Simon adapted his semi-autobiographical 1985 play... more
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1941
Mickey Rourke, Christopher Lee
Released: 1979
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
1941 is a 1979 period comedy film directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, and featuring an ensemble cast including Dan Aykroyd, Ned Beatty, John Belushi, John Candy,... more
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1
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No Man's Land
Simon Callow, Rene Bitorajac
Released: 2001
Directed by: Danis Tanović
No Man's Land is a 2001 war drama that is set in the midst of the Bosnian war. The film is a parable and marked the debut of Bosnian writer and director Danis Tanović. It is a co-production among... more

Biloxi Blues