War. What is it good for? In most cases, especially when it comes to real life, absolutely nothing. However, there have been several wonderfully made comedic movies that revolve around war and uses the historicity of war to not only tell the story but offer up hilarious hi-jinks along the way, thus making one of humanity’s most basic and primal acts, palpable and appealing.
The truth is, without war, there could be no peace, and in order for peace to exist healing must take place. Laughter, undoubtedly, is a balm, a healing mechanism born from within human nature. There are very few people who do not like to laugh, or do not want to laugh. Arguably, most people seek laughter. And what better way to explore war and all of its components than through a means of healing, like laughter?
It is the quintessential using of “the bad for good” that takes finesse and a serious funny bone to make a war comedy, but it has been done over and over again, and with astounding resolve and matchless humor. In the history of filmmaking, some of the best comedies have used war as a setting and from those films classics have been made.
So without further ado, here are some of the funniest war comedies, ranked.
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10 The Men Who Stare At Goats (2009)
Overture Films
A star-studded cast that includes George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, and Kevin Spacey, The Men Who Stare At Goats is considered a satirical black war comedy and is based on a non-fiction book by Jon Ronson about the U.S. military’s attempts to employ psychic powers as a weapon. This fictionalized version of the novel is about a reporter who runs into a guy who claims to be a member of a new divison in the U.S. military that uses paranormal powers on missions.
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The Men Who Stare at Goats is a hyperbolic look at the lengths that people and governments will go to ensure power and control. While there may be some truth to the investigations, as indicated in Jon Ronson’s non-fiction book, the film looks at the idea and possibility through a comedic lens. Ultimately, the movie received mixed reviews.
9 Stripes (1981)
Columbia Pictures
Bill Murray stars in this war comedy about two friends who have lost there jobs and decides to join the army to have some fun. Murray portrays John Winger, a suddenly out of work taxi driver who is down on his luck, so much so that he even loses his girlfriend. With nothing left to lose, Winger joins the army with his friend Russell and from there nothing but absurdity ensues.
Stripesis a war comedy that steers away from trying to latch on to any relevant point or profound purpose. As a film, it is meant to be irreverent and just plain funny as John and Russell go through the rigors of being soldiers in the most humorously obstinate way possible.
8 Team America: World Police (2004)
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Probably one of the most crass and offensive war comedy movies ever made, Team America: World Police is some of South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker most brilliant work. Done through puppet animation, the movie revolves around a broadway actor, Gary Johnston, who is recruited by an elite counter terrorism team. However, when the world starts to fall apart, his personal aspirations, including falling in love, are put to the test as he and the team battle terrorists.
For a war comedy, this movie pulls all the punches, pushing the envelope towards the obscene and unbelievable to garner its laughs. There’s an insanely graphic puppet sex scene and the obscenities are in exhorbitant usage. Nevertheless, it’s a fun ride as Team America attempts to police the world and save the day.
7 Inglorious Basterds (2009)
Universal Pictures
Inglorious Basterds is directed by Quentin Tarantino and bolsters a star-studded cast that inclues Brad Pitt, Diane Krueger, Eli Roth, Christoph Waltz, and more. The movie is set in an alternate history during World War II in a Nazi-occupied France, and is vengeful romp that is about a planned assassination of a group of Nazi leaders by Jewish U.S. Soldiers and a theater owner, all of which coincides.
The war comedy was well received by critics and also did well at the box office. Like with other Tarantino films, the action is over-the-top and the humor is witty, sometimes dry, with some tongue-and-cheek as well.
6 Tropic Thunder (2008)
DreamWorks Pictures
Tropic Thunder follows a group of actors who are on location to film a war movie only to find themselves actually a part of a real life war. Needless to say, the hilarity of this movie is found in the irony of what the actors of are doing and ultimately, what they have to do not only to survive but also win the war. Tropic Thunder is considered a parody of the Vietnam war movie Apocalypse Now and even attempts to satirically mimic some of the purported conditions and occurrences from the making of the film.
Boasting a star-studded cast that includes, Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey, Jr., and a cameo from Tom Cruise, Tropic Thunder is a goofy, fun, over-the-top war comedy that spoofs the making of war movies.
5 Catch 22 (1970)
Paramount Pictures
Catch 22 is based on a book by Joseph Heller of the same name and stars Alan Arkin as Captain John Yossarian who is an Air Force pilot that after seeing his friends die during a mission decides that he wants out. With no way to escape, Captain Yossarian attempts to get certified as insane. Catch 22 is considered to an intelligent movie with wild, lunatic characters, that are set in a fictional base during World War II.
As a satire, the black comedy examines the bereft state of soldiers in an increasingly violent war and the almost unattainable escape from the circumstance of war once in it.
4 Biloxi Blues (1988)
Biloxi Blues is based on a play written by Neil Simon and stars Matthew Broderick as Private Eugene Jerome, who desperately wants to lose his virginity, survive the war, and become a writer. The movie revolves around Private Jerome and a small group of young recruits as they go through boot camp in Biloxi, Mississippi. As a potential antagonist and warden of affairs, Sergeant Toomey, a wounded veteran with a steel plate in his head, berates and imposes harsh punishments to break the recruits. As a comedy/drama, Biloxi Blues looks at the rigor and harshness of being trained and prepared for war while also looking at the plight of youthful aspirations.
3 Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
Buena Vista Pictures
Good Morning, Vietnam was considered the best war comedy since MAS*H and is based on a real life person. Robin Williams portrays, Adrian Cronauer, a DJ on the Armed Forces Radio Service. The movie is set during the Vietnam War and revolves around the DJ as he uses his show to shake things up, ruffling the feathers of superiors while becoming wildly popular with his fellow soldiers.
Not only was the film a huge success and box office hit, it also served as the launching pad for Robin Williams’s career as a lot of the radio broadcasts filmed were improvised by Williams, an allowance that showcased his comedic penchant and talent.
2 Three Kings (1999)
Warner Bros.
Three Kings is a black comedy that takes place in the aftermath of the Gulf War and is about a group of soldiers who attempt to steal gold that was stolen from Kuwait. However, in the midst of the caper, they find others who are in desperate need of their help. The choice to help over their own selfishness becomes the catalyst for the individual and collective journies that each character takes.
Additionally, while a comedy, the movie takes on the task of being a political commentary as it clearly lashes out in anger at the pursuit and ideology of war at this time. There are some intense action thrown in with the groups’s exploits and subsequent hilarity as George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, and Ice Cube deliver incredible performances. Three King was a hit at the box office and with reviewers, garnering critical acclaim.
1 MAS*H (1970)
20th Century Studios Distributions
MASH is set during the Korean War but also has some parallels and influences of the Vietnam War. The movie is about a medical team who are stationed at the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital in the middle of the Korean War. In the midst of the mayhem of war, the team uses humor and all sorts of hi-jinks to combat the horrors of war in an effort to keep their sanity. When Donald Sutherland’s “Hawkeye” and Tom Skerritt’s “Duke,” both insubordinate rule-breakers but excellent surgeons, arrive at the site, the camp divides and a comedic drama plays out. As a movie, MASH departs from the novel that it was based on and defiantly became a hit during a time of war, specifically the Vietnam War.
