20 Comedy Movies You Must See Before You Die

1. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)

The only comedy movie that goes all the way to 11, and one of the most relentlessly hilarious motion pictures ever made, Rob Reiner's This Is Spinal Tap - which stars Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer and Michael McKean as the core members of a down on their luck British rock band - is a bonafide comic masterpiece from start to end.

Charting the decline of a failing rock band moulded in the Led Zeppelin vein (with almost none of the talent), this mockumentary is so dense with jokes, standout scenes, brilliant performances, amazing songs, genuinely emotional moments, and wonderful characters, that it's almost surprising the whole thing doesn't explode. And yet the style of the movie ensures that everything follows through in a natural order, that the gags come in a way that feels authentic, and - by having them speak directly to the camera - allows the characters to say things they might never have said in an ordinary film.

Much of the humour here is derived from real life rock band shenanigans, but you don't need to appreciate rock or know anything about the touring scene to appreciate the way the jokes have been written in (the comedy set-pieces are genius; just think about the likes of "Lick My Love Pump"). Despite the fact that Spinal Tap is endlessly quotable and funny, it's the carefully layered, emotional storyline between adorable idiot Nigel Tufnel and bandmate David St. Hubbins that cements the movie as a classic.

The mockumentary format, revolutionary at the time (indeed, many thought they were watching a doc about a real band, and wondered why the filmmakers had chosen such an incompetent one), allows for a truly beautiful blend of comedy and heart. "It's like, how much more good could this be? And the answer is none. None more good."

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