The 25 Best Comedy All-Star Casts in Movies

Comedy is a scary thing—that's why a lot of performers seem to flock together. If you bomb, everyone's with you. There's something to be said about the makeshift sense of family they've created for themselves. In fact, it's kind of cliquey, like high school, except these people are actually fun to be around.

You've got your crew of SNL veterans, the Mel Brooks troupe, and most prominently today, the performers who you came up under Judd Apatow. Comprised of Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jonah Hill, among others, we watched most of them grow together since their Freaks and Geeks days, and slowly adopt other comedians into their group.

It's comforting for audiences to see people who care about each other have fun together, so we're pumped they're probably going to end up turning on each other in This Is the End. Apocalypses either make or break a friendship. Inspiring! Check out our other favorite all-stars being BFFs onscreen.

Also check out this funny video from Complex TV of Franco and Rogen as rapping polar bears.

Stars: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Ken Jeong

At first, we thought we were lone wolves. A wolf pack of one. But since The Hangover we know that as long as we have our bros we'll never be alone. (Unless we're the lost groom they're trying to find... regardless.) Cooper, Helms and Galifianakis took the world by storm as the roofied three man wolf pack and earned themselves a trilogy for their efforts, something most comedic movies could only dream about.

Stars: Breckin Meyer, Cuba Gooding Jr., Seth Green, Vince Vieluf, Whoopi Goldberg, John Cleese, Jon Lovitz, Kathy Bates

Quite similar to It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Rat Race follows more recognizable (for the '90s kid) comedic actors racing to get to $2 million in a storage locker. It also reads like the plot outline for The Amazing Race, with mismatched partners having to work together to travel from Las Vegas to Silver City, New Mexico. The stars prove to be professionals at sight gags, and at making audiences feel for no one; they're all pretty awful.

Stars: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Linda Fiorentino, Alan Rickman, Janeane Garofalo, Jason Lee, Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes, Chris Rock, Salma Hayek

With a cast that includes the Boston bros Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, George Carlin, and Alanis Morissette, you're probably skeptical about Kevin Smith's ability to tell a compelling action-fantasy story that centers around religion, fallen angels and the last living relative of Jesus Christ. And yet, Smith, and his cast, hit it out of the park.

Stars: Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann

Katherine Heigl may not be your first thought when you think of comedy, but we can wager a bet that Knocked Up is somewhere near the top of your Best Of lists. Immature man impregnants a beautiful woman. A pretty simple plot, right? So what makes it a classic? The cast, man. It's all about the cast. The charming Paul Rudd, the ever funny Leslie Mann, plus the ragtag team of characters that are Seth Rogen's besties, Jason Segel, Jonah Hill, Martin Starr, and Charlyne Yi, as the giggle filled smoker.

Stars: David Niven, Peter Sellers, Robert Wagner, Claudia Cardinale

We could go on for a while about Peter Sellers' amazing timing, but we don't want to fail to mention that he was truly a team player. The witless detective movie should have been a flop, but thanks to Sellers' delivery and hard work, his character became a classic. His costars, Niven, Wagner and Cardinale, bring just as much gumption to the table as well. Not to mention, we're pretty sure the '64 movie coined the phrase YOLO; the tagline was, "You only live once... so see The Pink Panther twice!" Nice one, Drake.

Stars: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jim Broadbent, Bill Nighy, Paddy Considine, Martin Freeman

Few things bring us more joy than watching Simon Pegg and his buddy Nick Frost do what they do best: completely parody a genre to perfection. Seriously, these guys (along with director/cowriter Edgar Wright) do their job right; over 100 action films were used as inspiration for the buddy cop comedy. Considering the success of Shaun of the Dead, it's no surprise why they got such a reputable cast, including uncredited cameos from the biggest stars, namely Cate Blanchett as Pegg's ex-girlfriend.

Stars: John Belushi, Stephen Furst, Tom Hulce

The Library of Congress has deemed this college flick "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant," which is hilarious when you remember John Belushi's impression of a zit. Fresh from his fame on SNL, Belushi led a team of misfit frat brothers on a mission to defeat their dean. We thank you for the toga parties, boys.

Stars: Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn, Eileen Brennan, Christopher Lloyd

Clue shouldn't have worked. Any movie that's based on a board game should not work. Do we have to remind you of Battleship? But Clue is hilarious, and, to be honest, pretty genius, especially with the three alternative endings that theaters released. That kind of stuff blows our mind, man. Quick-witted, the actors improvised their lines and brought a new definition to "hamming it up" in the over-the-top mystery.

Stars: Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Bill Murray, Danny Glover

No one brings great actors together like Wes Anderson. His recurring collaborators and dysfunctional characters always make us feel like we're returning home to our own family. Minus the incestuous undertones in The Royal Tenebaums. (No, don't worry, they're not actually related.) The film itself is an understated study of a modern family of child prodigies all grown up. It combines outstanding performances (especially from Gene Hackman, as the cheerfully awful patriarch), a perfectly paced edit, and Anderson's quirky storytelling.

Stars: Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest, Rob Reiner

Reiner assembled three talented lads, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer and Christopher Guest, to star in his rock star mockumentary. Over 12 hours were shot of the actors ad-libbing through scenes and playing their own instruments. On top of the already talented cast, Reiner always seems to get the best cameos, like Anjelica Huston, Dana Carvey and Billy Crystal. Truly, a film that has been turned up to 11.

Stars: Leslie Neilsen, Robert Hayes, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, Julie Hagerty

Never has a movie featured so, so, so many wonderful puns. Puns so righteously funny, they've become a part of American culture. Airplane! was an unstoppable force of slapstick and wit, and is still highly regarded as one of the top comedy films ever made (named number two in the UK).

In light of today's high-concept comedies, it's important to note that the movie took place on a simple set of an airplane, meaning everything you love and admire about this movie is a the result of the wonderful delivery of the cast. And Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Stars: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne, Ellie Kemper, Wendi McLendon-Covey

What a comedy tour de force. Comediennes highly trained in the art of improv, two SNL alumni and an introductory course to the greatness that is Rebel Wilson made Bridesmaids the first Judd Apatow-produced movie to be nominated for an Academy Award (for Best Original Screenplay, actress Melissa McCarthy earned herself a nom for Best Supporting Actress). Ladies first.

Stars: Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, Jeremy Piven

The 2003 movie about man-boys introduced us to this genre again. That is, the genre of comedic actors getting together, for the greater good, and making something to be proud of: a balls-to-the-wall crazy college film. Even if its about grown-ass men opening up a frat to relive the glory days. We buy it, and we totally get the characters, thanks to Wilson, Ferrell, and Vaughn and the ragtag team of pledges they round up.

Stars: Amy Poehler, Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Molly Shannon, Paul Rudd, Christopher Meloni, Michael Showalter, Elizabeth Banks, Bradley Cooper

In retrospect, the Wet Hot American Summer cast is mindblowing. Director David Wain introduced us to some of the most prominent actors today, namely Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper, Paul Rudd, and Elizabeth Banks, who, back then, were just a bunch of funny people at a dysfunctional camp.

Stars: Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Slim Pickens, Madeline Kahn, Mel Brooks

Nowadays, if Judd Apatow adopts you into his brat pack you know you're set for life. But before Apatow there was another Comedy Godfather: Mel Brooks. The genius director/writer would often write roles just for his buddies. Don't believe us? Check out his filmography and see how many familiar faces keep popping up. Two of his favorites appear in the brilliant parody of a western, Blazing Saddles: Gene Wilder and Madeline Kahn. Couple them with a script co-written by Richard Pryor and Cleavon Little's brilliant performance of the town's new sheriff, and you have a comedy classic.

Stars: Spencer Tracy, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, Ethel Merman, Mickey Rooney, Dick Shawn

The Spencer Tracy classic is a wet dream for comedy nerds. Released in 1963, it boasted one of the greatest comedic ensemble casts of the time, and included memorable cameos from Buster Keaton, Jerry Lewis, and the Three Stooges, to name drop just a few. All centered around the search for a dead guy's (now laughable) $350,000.

Don't get us wrong, we'd try to find $350,000 still today, but we're not sure we'd experience all the hilarious mad-cap adventures the original cast fell into. The movie itself is hilarious but if you need extra incentive to check it out you can always play a scavenger hunt of all the stars.

Stars: Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Martin Short

Forget the politics of comedy. Forget all the nasty stories you may have heard about the great Chevy Chase. The two SNL stars and the sensational repeated host were meant to be the three amigos. All tres of them have impeccable timing, but more so, their physical comedy is something comedians still study today.

The three stars of the film play silent movie stars who are accidentally mistaken for heroes in Mexico—prat falls never looked so graceful.

Stars: John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, Carrie Fisher

While the story centers on the SNL alumni, Belushi and Aykroyd, as the Blues Brothers themselves, many of the film's most memorable moments come from the surprising guest cameos, including James Brown, Aretha Franklin, and Ray Charles. With star power like that, what could've been a mindless exercise in car chases and gags lifted from short bits became one of the greatest cult movies ever.

Stars: Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx

OK, yeah, Harlem Nights won the Golden Raspberry for Worst Screenplay, and Eddie Murphy was nominated for Worst Director, but this film deserves a lot more credit than it gets (especially considering that amount of credit is currently nil). Critics can hate on it all they want, but the film blew up the box office, making three and a half times what it costs. But, more importantly, Harlem Nights stars three generations of Black American comedians, Murphy, Pryor, and Foxx.

Also, remarkably, between Pryor and Foxx, the F-bomb was dropped 133 times.

Stars: Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Murray

If there's one thing you and your old man can agree on, it's that Caddyshack is one of funniest films ever produced, and boasts one of the greatest casts of all time. Chase, Dangerfield, and Murray were meant to be supporting characters; however their improvisational genius could not be ignored (for example, Billy Murray was on set for six days and all his lines were made up on the fly), and they're now regarded as the stars of the sport movie classic, much to the chagrin of the actual leading roles.

Stars: Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Jennifer Coolidge, Christopher Guest, Parker Posey

Christopher Guest asked his regulars to come together once again for the most entertaining movie about dog shows ever, Best in Show, not that there's a lot of competition in that particular category. But we don't know—we're not dog-show movie experts.

Guest's performers, who all take turns commanding the well deserved spotlight, largely improvised this film, proving that to create a good movie you may just need really great ingredients.

Stars: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Michael Palin

You can't remember the first time you saw Monty Python and the Holy Grail, or when, exactly, you even first heard tale of what would be, "bro, the funniest movie ever." But somewhere along the line, maybe at a lame middle school boy/girl party, maybe in the college dorms, you got a copy of it. And your life was forever changed. The comedy team takes on multiple roles to tell the story of the holy grail itself, and it is good.

Stars: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis, Ernie Hudson, Harold Ramis

A film like Ghostbusters comes once in a blue moon. Marrying the scary supernatural world, special effects, and jokes usually results in bombs at the box office (see, for instance, The Haunted Mansion). But with Aykroyd and Ramis' script, and Murray's larger than life delivery as the leader of the group, we're absolutely capable at laughing at something that could drag us to another dimension.

Stars: Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, David Koechner, Christina Applegate

Anchorman is the perfect example of comedians just wanting to hang out with each other and making something historic. It came out nine years ago and you still quote it, and people know what you're talking about without missing a beat. That's staying power, my friends. It's an amazing script, but we suspect the all-star cast got to improv the best lines.

With comedy heavy weights like Will Ferrel, Steve Carell, and Paul Rudd, and cameos from Jack Black, Kathryn Hahn and Ben Stiller, Anchorman was probably just as much fun to make as it is for us to watch. And we watch it every time we get high. Stay classy!