10 Best Comedies of Errors, Ranked

Some of the greatest films ever made are dramas, but there’s nothing quite like a funny, well-made, truly memorable comedy. The genre is so broad that it leaves room for a multitude of subgenres, from crime capers like Snatch to slapstick gems like Safety Last! There’s one particular subgenre whose origins date back to the times of its creator, William Shakespeare: the comedy of errors.

These movies feature stories kicked into high gear by a particularly big mistake, usually mistaken identity, and where the vast majority of the jokes and plot points originate from things going wrong. Incompetence, bad luck, and yes, errors abound. There aren’t many characters more relatable than ones who keep making mistakes and paying the (hilarious) price, which makes these kinds of comedies particularly funny, entertaining, and easy to connect with. These are the best comedies of errors in cinema, proving that some genres and subgenres truly are timeless.

10 ‘Snatch’ (2000)

Directed by Guy Ritchie

Nowadays, Guy Ritchie is pretty much universally agreed to be a pretty hit-or-miss director. Still, near the start of his career, he seemed like one of the most exciting new voices in filmmaking, delivering a terrific one-two punch of a debut and sophomore features. The latter was Snatch, an outstanding gangster comedy where a variety of colorful characters fight to track down a priceless stolen diamond.

Like it usually happens in the best comedies of errors, everything and anything that could go wrong in Snatch does, indeed, go wrong. These different failed schemes come together perfectly in a chaotically intertwined multi-story narrative that’s relatively easy to keep track of and an absolute delight to watch, delivering one of the most acclaimed comedies of the early 2000s. Ritchie has never quite reached the heights he achieved with Snatch again, but at least fans will always have the original.

9 ‘Burn After Reading’ (2008)

Directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Many of Joel and Ethan Coen‘s movies can be labeled as comedies of errors, and Burn After Reading is one of their best. It’s a dark comedy where a disk containing top-secret information from a CIA agent lands in the hands of two unscrupulous gym employees who immediately plan to sell it. With a star-studded cast featuring some of the biggest names in modern Hollywood, it’s a typical Coen brothers gem.

Both crime comedies and comedies of errors tend to be at their funniest when their lead characters are really, really stupid, and Burn After Reading is certainly no exception. Things quickly get out of hand, and the plot becomes a satisfyingly outlandish farce mixed with just the right amount of poignancy and emotion. Burn After Reading is not typically praised as one of its directing duo’s best works, but it sure deserves more recognition than it usually gets.

8 ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ (1993)

Directed by Chris Columbus

There’s no overstating it: Robin Williams was one of the most hilarious comedy actors cinema has ever been graced with. There can be much debate over what his best movie is, but many can probably agree that his funniest performance is in Mrs. Doubtfire. Here, he plays Daniel Hillard, an actor who, after a bitter divorce, disguises himself as a female housekeeper named Mrs. Doubtfire to spend more time with his children.

Through a series of misfortunes and miscalculated (though well-meaning) decisions, the film delivers a sweet and ever-present message. The comedy of Mrs. Doubtfire springs out of this deeply moving tale about divorce, its effects on a family, and someone who learns to be a better man after seeing the world from a woman’s shoes. It’s one of the most emotional comedies of errors that fans of the genre can find and possibly Williams’ greatest on-screen achievement.

7 ‘What’s Up, Doc?’ (1972)

Directed by Peter Bogdanovich

The great Peter Bogdanovich was a brilliant filmmaker, nothing short of one of the greatest comedy movie directors who ever lived. One of his best works is What’s Up, Doc?, a screwball comedy (made at a time when the subgenre had long been pretty much dead) where the accidental mixup of four identical overnight bags leads to a series of increasingly wild shenanigans.

From the premise alone, it’s easy to tell that What’s Up, Doc? is a textbook example of what a classic comedy of errors looks like. Zany, über-energetic, and hilariously disaster-prone, the film is comprised of riotous laugh after riotous laugh. Sprinkle an incredible cast led by Barbra Streisand and Ryan O’Neal at the top of their games on top, and you get one of the best comedies of the ’70s. Today, What’s Up Doc? remains widely regarded not only as one of Bogdanovich’s best but possibly the last great screwball comedy.

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6 ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles’ (1987)

Directed by John Hughes

Though best-known for his coming-of-age teen comedies, John Hughes also directed other kinds of comedies throughout his career — perhaps most notably the hilarious Planes, Trains and Automobiles. One of both Steve Martin and John Candy‘s best movies, it’s a road trip adventure where a Chicago advertising man struggles to return home from New York for Thanksgiving, accompanied by a quirky shower curtain ring salesman as his only companion.

Endlessly quotable and legendarily funny, this buddy comedy has been a staple of the genre for decades. A goofy romp with a heart of gold, it’s a comedy of errors where each misguided choice adds something crucial to the story and its character development. By the time the third act rolls around in a barely-functioning burnt car, Planes, Trains and Automobiles has cemented its status as a comedic triumph that is as emotionally compelling as it is funny, which isn’t an easy feat for comedies to achieve.

5 ‘The Big Lebowski’ (1998)

Directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Full of hilarious errors that really tie this comedy together, The Big Lebowski is one of the biggest cult classics in the comedy genre. It’s a stoner comedy about Jeff “The Dude” Lebowski, who’s mistaken for a millionaire of the same name, enlisting his bowling buddies to help him get compensation for the rug that was ruined by the confusion.

The Big Lebowski is one of the Coens’ best movies and one of the most impactful indie movies of the 1990s. Stemming from a case of mistaken identity, it’s a classically funny hangout film that delights itself in not having any huge ambitions. Today, many see The Big Lebowski as the ultimate cult classic of the modern age of cinema and a defining moment in the Coens’ careers. Hilariously absurd and full of memorable performances, it’s about as enjoyable as this subgenre gets.

4 ‘Safety Last!’ (1923)

Directed by Fred C. Newmeyer and Sam Taylor

He may live under the shadow of contemporaries like Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin, but make no mistake: Harold Lloyd is just as deserving of standing among the greatest classic comedy actors of cinema. No further evidence is needed than Safety Last!, perhaps his best-known movie. This silent comedy is about a young man leaving his small town and heading to the city to get a job. Once he gets there, his enthusiasm to climb to the top gets him into all sorts of interesting situations.

Lloyd is at the top of his game here, proving why his simple brand of comedy was (and still is) so successful. Having no dialogue means that the chaotic hijinks in this comedy of errors all rely on well-constructed slapstick and a distinct visual language, all of which have aged like fine wine over a century later. Safety Last! isn’t often talked about in the same sentence as films like The General and Modern Times, but it absolutely should be.

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3 ‘After Hours’ (1985)

Directed by Martin Scorsese

As one of the most inventive and versatile directors Hollywood has ever been blessed with, Martin Scorsese has proved on a number of occasions to be capable of dipping his toes into all sorts of genres, including the comedy of errors. After Hours is one of his most criminally underrated works, about an ordinary word processor who experiences the worst night of his life after agreeing to meet a Soho resident.

After Hours saved Scorsese after The King of Comedy bombed, and it’s aged far better than many other ’80s comedies. Energetic, perfectly balancing its comedy and suspense, and even with a dash of quasi-surrealism, After Hours is proof that Scorsese can truly do it all. It’s all just about a guy who got a bit too horny and had to pay the price, but viewers are sure to have a much better time than him when watching his many misadventures.

2 ‘In Bruges’ (2008)

Directed by Martin McDonagh

As cynical, darkly funny, and deeply existentialist as pretty much all of Martin McDonagh‘s work, In Bruges is the story of two hitmen who, after a job gone wrong, are instructed to lie low in Bruges, Belgium, while awaiting further orders from their boss. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson are dynamite together in the lead roles, birthing one of modern cinema’s most iconic actor partnerships.

Surprisingly intelligent and philosophical without ever sacrificing a single laugh, In Bruges is one of the best comedy movies of all time. The mistakes that keep digging the characters deeper and deeper into a hole are all full of McDonagh’s signature pitch-black humor, lending this terrific crime film a flawless mixture of meaningful humor and wit and a poignant drama at the core of the narrative. Witty, biting, and surprisingly quaint, In Bruges is a modern classic.

1 ‘Some Like It Hot’ (1959)

Directed by Billy Wilder

There were many directors who personified Hollywood’s Golden Age, and Billy Wilder remains one of the most influential. The Austrian-born auteur redefined many movie genres, but his comedies are perhaps the thing he’s best remembered for. Some Like It Hot is arguably his best, dealing with the tale of two male musicians who witness a mob hit and have to flee the state with an all-female band disguised as women.

Made at the time when Classical Hollywood was dying and giving place to a new era of American filmmaking, Some Like It Hot was unprecedentedly transgressive at the time of its release. From its main plot to its delightfully daring ending, the film was a true breath of fresh air; even today, over sixty years later, its story and sense of humor have aged like fine wine. Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, and Marilyn Monroe are exceptional in the lead roles, elevating this very eventful comedy of errors to stratospheric heights.

NEXT:18 Comedy Movies That Are Perfect from Start to Finish