Critics finally agree on the funniest film ever — and it's not the one you think

Here we go again with yet another twist in the endless debate over what actually qualifies as the funniest film ever made. The latest shake-up comes courtesy of the American Film Institute (AFI), and it’s probably not the movie your gran would pick.

AFI's Laugh Chart Gets a Jolt

In honour of Mel Brooks hitting the rather staggering milestone of 100 years old, the AFI has decided to rejig their vaunted '100 Years...100 Laughs' list. And by 'rejig', I mean they've bumped ‘Blazing Saddles’ up to the number one spot, nudging Billy Wilder's ‘Some Like It Hot’ off its decades-long perch. It’s a move officially described as 'honorary'—more of a ceremonial gesture for Brooks’s centenary than a permanent reworking of classic comedy rankings, but still, AFI is giving Brooks his due.

AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale weighed in with proper fanboy gusto, saying:

'He's right! We're happy to right this wrong as Mel celebrates his centennial. It's good to be the king, and may he live to be a 2,000 year old man.'

Apparently, Brooks himself has spent years insisting that ‘Blazing Saddles’ is funnier than ‘Some Like It Hot’. Now, at least for the moment, AFI agrees—or at least pretends to, in his honour.

'Blazing Saddles': Still Courting Debate

For those who’ve never witnessed this particular fever dream of American satire, ‘Blazing Saddles’ landed back in 1974. Cleavon Little stars as Bart, a Black railroad worker suddenly sent to be sheriff of a suspiciously lily-white Old West town (the fictional Rock Ridge), all thanks to one politician’s attempts at a land scheme. The supporting cast is a murderers’ row of 70s comedy: Gene Wilder at his oddball best, Madeline Kahn doing what only Madeline Kahn could do, and Harvey Korman making terrible look effortless.

This is Brooks at absolute full throttle—fourth wall breaks everywhere, pure anarchy, and a script co-written (primarily for the jokes he wasn’t allowed to say himself) by Richard Pryor. It was Brooks's genuine breakout, blending sketch comedy energy with proper Hollywood excess. But, let’s not ignore—the film is still as controversial as it is beloved. There’s plenty of explicit language, especially racial slurs, but defenders (Whoopi Goldberg among them) point out that the actual message is legendarily anti-racist. The usual grump about 'it wouldn't get made today' is met with a fairly resounding shrug by most people who actually remember what the joke was.

The List (and Its Limits)

A bit of context for completionists: the AFI ‘100 Years... 100 Laughs’ list isn’t looking at anything post-2000. It’s strictly covering the first century of feature-length American films. (Yes, that means no ‘Bridesmaids’ or ‘Shaun of the Dead’ anywhere in sight.) Mel Brooks, not exactly a stranger to this chart, also bags two more slots in the top 15 with ‘Young Frankenstein’ and ‘The Producers.' No shortage of Brooks silliness on offer.

To be fair, the whole list has needed a rethink for ages. Some of the picks smack of nostalgia, and a few of them—let’s just say their definition of ‘comedy’ is extremely generous. This 'promotion' of ‘Blazing Saddles’ probably won’t fix the list’s deeper oddities, but at least it recognises what comedy, at its sharpest, can do: annoy, provoke, and (yes) properly crack you up.

Casting Notes

• Cleavon Little as Bart
• Gene Wilder as Jim (aka The Waco Kid)
• Madeline Kahn as Lili Von Shtupp
• Harvey Korman as Hedley Lamarr
• Mel Brooks himself in several roles, including Governor and a very dodgy Native American chief
• Co-written by Mel Brooks, Richard Pryor, Norman Steinberg, Alan Uger, and Andrew Bergman

The situation with ‘Blazing Saddles’ and the AFI’s list is, ultimately, pretty simple. The king has been crowned (or at least knighted for a laugh) on his 100th birthday, and the argument over what belongs at the top is still as messy and subjective as ever.