Poll: The Many Types of Comedy

Results of 829 votes:

1. 1.
   

   Cary Grant in Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

    

   BLACK COMEDY: A comic style that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discuss. STARS: Alec Guinn…
2. 2.
   

   Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski (1998)

    

   COMEDY OF ERRORS: Comedy that involves people being mistaken for other people and/or when mistakes are further made creating more confusion, chaos and as many humorous situations as possible. STARS: P…
3. 3.
   

   #4

    

   SATIRE: A genre in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, corporations, government, or society itself into improvement.…
4. 4.
   

   Jim Carrey in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)

    

   FARCE: Comedy that aims at entertaining the audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, and thus improbable. STARS: Jim Carrey, Will Ferrell, Mike Meyers...
5. 5.
   

   Jackie Chan in Rush Hour (1998)

    

   ACTION COMEDY : A subgenre involving action and humour that became popular in the '80s, when actors known for their background in comedy began to take roles in action films, thrillers or action-laden …
6. 6.
   

   Jack Lemmon in The Apartment (1960)

    

   COMEDY DRAMA: (or dramedy) A genre in which plot elements are a combination of comedy and drama. STARS: Jack Lemmon, Tom Hanks, Jack Nicholson...
7. 7.
   

   Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle in Young Frankenstein (1974)

    

   PARODY: (or spoof) Comedy meaning to imitate, make fun of, or comment on an original work or genre tropes by means of satiric or ironic imitation STARS: Leslie Nielsen, Mel Brooks, Marlon Wayans...
8. 8.
   

   Charles Chaplin and Ben Turpin in His New Job (1915)

    

   SLAPSTICK COMEDY : When physical comedy that includes pratfalls, tripping, falling, contains a cartoonish style of violence, generally harmless and goofy in tone. STARS: Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton…
9. 9.
   

   Clint Eastwood and Eli Wallach in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

    

   COMIC RELIEF: Comedy or wisecrack or aside in order to temporarily relieve or lessen the tension and give the audience a short break STARS: Joe Pesci, Burt Young, Timothy Carey...
10. 10.
    

    Lucille Ball in I Love Lucy (1951)

     

    SITUATION COMEDY: (or sitcom) A genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who carry over from episode to episode. STARS: Lucille Ball, Jerry Seinfeld, Kelsey Grammer...
11. 11.
    

    Shannon Elizabeth and Jason Biggs in American Pie (1999)

     

    GROSS-OUT COMEDY: A genre in which comedy is motivated by sexual or heavily vulgar situations and/or toilet-humor. STARS: Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill...
12. 12.
    

    Woody Allen and Diane Keaton in Annie Hall (1977)

     

    ROMANTIC COMEDY: (or romcom) A genre with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as that true love is able to surmount most obstacles. STARS: Woody Allen, Katharine Hepbu…
13. 13.
    

    "It Happened One Night," Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. 1934 Columbia

     

    SCREWBALL COMEDY: A humorous battle of the sexes with fast-paced repartee, farcical situations, escapist themes, and plot lines involving courtship and marriage. STARS: Cary Grant, Carole Lombard, Cl…
14. 14.
    

    Robin Williams and Nathan Lane in The Birdcage (1996)

     

    COMEDY OF MANNERS: A form of comedy that satirizes contemporary society and questions societal standards. It often sacrifices the plot, which usually centers on some scandal, to witty dialogue and sha…
15. 15.
    

    Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, Zeppo Marx, and The Marx Brothers in Duck Soup (1933)

     

    ANARCHIC COMEDY: A random or stream-of-consciousness type of humour which often lampoons a form of authority. STARS: The Marx Brothers, John Belushi, Bill Murray...
16. 16.
    

    Richard Pryor in Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip (1982)

     

    STAND-UP COMEDY: A genre where a comedian tells jokes and stories to an audience. STARS: Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Dave Chappelle...
17. 17.
    

    Bill Murray, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, and Gilda Radner in Saturday Night Live (1975)

     

    SKETCH COMEDY: A genre where a troupe may use new characters in each sketch. STARS: Benny Hill, Bill Murray, Kermitt the Frog...
18. 18.
    

    Paul Hogan in Crocodile Dundee (1986)

     

    FISH OUT OF WATER COMEDY: Comedy where the main character finds himself in an unusual environment, which drives most of the humour. Situations can be satirical comedy-drama & black comedy as some…
19. 19.
    

    #17

     

    ANIMATED COMEDY: TV programs, sitcoms, short films or movies aimed at children or a more mature audience when intended for satire, caricature or humour. STARS: Bugs Bunny, Charlie Brown, Homer Simps…
20. 20.
    

    Gene Kelly in Singin' in the Rain (1952)

     

    MUSICAL COMEDY: A subgenre that combines songs, spoken dialogue, dance and of course, comedy. STARS: Gene Kelly, Julie Andrews, Fred Astaire...