Bill Hader is not a comedy giant. He’s not toppling new efforts that are making $100 million, and he’s not the first comedian any of our moms would think of. Among comedy nerds, however, it’s hard to find many more people who would garner more respect than the former Saturday Night Live star. He’s turned in great supporting turns in tons of brilliant comedians, and he’s widely considered a very thoughtful and intelligent observers. When he speaks, people listen, which is why his movie recommendations are worth something.
Luckily for comedy fans, Bill Hader just dropped 200 of them as part of his contribution to the book Poking A Dead Frog. He’s interviewed along with other high-end comedy writers, and now, we’re all benefitting thanks to the this late summer movie list of greatness.
You can check out the full list below, courtesy of XO Jane, which includes a wide variety of older movies and newer movies, some of which are sophisticated and some of which are slapstick-y. In short, it's everything a comedy writer would need to see to appreciate genius.
1. 9 to 5 (1980)2. 1941 (1979)3. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)4. Ace in the Hole (1951)5. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)6. After Hours (1985)7. Airplane! (1980)8. Amarcord (1973)9. American Graffiti (1973)10. An American in Paris (1951)11. Animal Crackers (1930)12. Annie Hall (1977)13. The Apartment (1960)14. Army of Darkness (1992)15. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)16. Back to the Future (1985)17. The Bad News Bears (1976)18. Bananas (1971)19. The Band Wagon (1953)20. The Bank Dick (1940)21. Barton Fink (1991)22. Beetlejuice (1988)23. Being There (1979)24. Best in Show (2000)25. Better Off Dead (1985)26. Big Deal on Madonna Street (1958)27. The Big Lebowski (1998)28. The Birdcage (1996)29. Blazing Saddles (1974)30. The Blues Brothers (1980)31. Boogie Nights (1997)32. Born Yesterday (1950)33. Bottle Rocket (1996)34. Boudu Saved from Drowning (1932)35. Brazil (1985)36. Broadway Danny Rose (1984)37. Bullets Over Broadway (1994)38. The ‘Burbs (1989)39. Cabin in the Sky (1943)40. Caddyshack (1980)41. Catch-22 (1970)42. The Circus (1928)43. City Lights (1931)44. A Clockwork Orange (1971)45. Closely Watched Trains (1966)46. The Cocoanuts (1929)47. Coming to America (1988)48. The Court Jester (1956)49. Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)50. Dames (1934)51. A Day at the Races (1937)52. Dazed and Confused (1993)53. Design for Living (1933)54. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)55. Down by Law (1986)56. Dr. Strangelove (1964)57. Drag Me to Hell (2009)58. Duck Soup (1933)59. Ed Wood (1994)60. Election (1999)61. The Evil Dead (1981)62. Evil Dead 2 (1987)63. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)64. Fargo (1996)65. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)66. The Firemen’s Ball (1967)67. A Fish Called Wanda (1988)68. The Foot Fist Way (2006)69. The Fortune (1975)70. Four Lions (2010)71. Gates of Heaven (1978)72. The General (1926)73. Get Shorty (1995)74. Ghostbusters (1984)75. The Gold Rush (1925)76. Good Morning (1959)77. The Goonies (1985)78. The Graduate (1967)79. Grand Illusion (1937)80. The Great Race (1965)81. The Groove Tube (1974)82. Groundhog Day (1993)83. Hail the Conquering Hero (1944)84. Heaven Can Wait (1943)85. His Girl Friday (1940)86. Horse Feathers (1932)87. The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)88. I Vitelloni (1953)89. I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978)90. I’m Gonna Git You Sucka (1988)91. The Incredibles (2004)92. It Happened One Night (1934)93. It’s a Gift (1934)94. It’s Always Fair Weather (1955)95. The Jerk (1979)96. Jules and Jim (1962)97. The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977)98. The King of Comedy (1983)99. Kung Fu Hustle (2004)100. L’Atalante (1934)101. The Ladykillers (1955)102. The Last Detail (1973)103. The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)104. Let It Ride (1989)105. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)106. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)107. Little Murders (1971)108. Lolita (1962)109. The Long Goodbye (1973)110. Lost in America (1985)111. Love and Death (1975)112. Loves of a Blonde (1965)113. M*A*S*H (1970)114. The Man in the White Suit (1951)115. The Man with Two Brains (1983)116. A Matter of Life and Death (1946)117. The Merry Widow (1934)118. Midnight Run (1988)119. The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek (1944)120. Modern Romance (1981)121. Mon Oncle (1958)122. Monkey Business (1931)123. Monsters, Inc. (2001)124. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)125. Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979)126. Mr. Hulot’s Holiday (1953)127. Mr. Mom (1983)128. Mystery Train (1989)129. The Naked Gun (1988)130. Nashville (1975)131. National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978)132. Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941)133. A Night at the Opera (1935)134. Noises Off (1992)135. One, Two, Three (1961)136. Orgazmo (1997)137. Our Hospitality (1923)138. Out of Sight (1998)139. The Palm Beach Story (1942)140. Parenthood (1989)141. Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985)142. Play Time (1967)143. The Player (1992)144. The Princess Bride (1987)145. The Producers (1968)146. Punch-Drunk Love (2002)147. Radio Days (1987)148. Raising Arizona (1987)149. Real Life (1979)150. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)151. Ruggles of Red Gap (1935)152. Rushmore (1998)153. Safe Men (1998)154. Salesman (1968)155. Schizopolis (1996)156. A Serious Man (2009)157. Shaolin Soccer (2001)158. Shaun of the Dead (2004)159. Sherlock Jr. (1924)160. Shoot the Pianist (1960)161. The Shop Around the Corner (1940)162. Short Cuts (1993)163. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)164. Sixteen Candles (1984)165. Songs from the Second Floor (2000)166. South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)167. The Squid and the Whale (2005)168. Stranger Than Paradise (1984)169. Stripes (1981)170. Sullivan’s Travels (1941)171. Take the Money and Run (1969)172. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)173. Team America: World Police (2004)174. This is Spinal Tap (1984)175. Three Amigos! (1986)176. Time Bandits (1981)177. To Be or Not to Be (1942)178. Toy Story (1995)179. Toy Story 2 (1999)180. Toy Story 3 (2010)181. Trading Places (1983)182. Trouble in Paradise (1932)183. Twentieth Century (1934)184. Unfaithfully Yours (1948)185. Up (2009)186. Used Cars (1980)187. Vernon, Florida (1981)188. Waiting for Guffman (1996)189. A Wedding (1978)190. Wet Hot American Summer (2001)191. What’s Up, Doc? (1972)192. What’s Up Tiger Lily? (1966)193. The White Sheik (1952)194. Withnail and I (1987)195. You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man (1939)196. You Can’t Take It with You (1938)197. You the Living (2007)198. Young Frankenstein (1974)199. Zelig (1983)200. Zero for Conduct (1933)
There are far too many movies on this list to comment on every single one, but if you put a gun to my head and asked me to pick five, I would go with Annie Hall, Best In Show, The Blues Brothers, Dazed & Confused and The Princess Bride. Those movies offer a nice mix of different styles of humor, from the slyly clever Best In Show to the boisterous Blues Brothers to the crude Dazed And Confused. As for the other two, no comedy list is complete with Woody Allen or R.O.U.S.es.
Here’s to hoping more people follow Bill Hader’s lead and release their own lists.
