Top 10 Funniest Movies Ever (As Measured In Laughs Per Minute)

Admit it, you’ve done this: sat around with friends for hours, trying to come up withthe definitive list of the funniest movies ever. Well, now here’s an – almost, sort of – statistical solution: the Laugh a Minute rating.

Surely topping the Laugh A Minute list is an achievement. And don't call it Shirley. Photo credit: Paramount Pictures.

It comes from Lovefilm, the London-based video streaming and DVD subscription service. Lovefilm polled its members for the 10 movies that made them laugh most. Then, says spokesperson Helen Cowley, the company convened a panel to watch the movies and note “how many times [each film] made us giggle.” Divide the number of laughs by the film’s length in minutes, and voilà: the Laugh a Minute score.

Even if the results aren’t universal – the panel members were affiliated with the company – the methods are certainly more scientifically rigorous than sitting around chatting with your buds over beers at 11:30 at night.

We're No. 4? That's badass! Photo credit: Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Without further ado, the envelope, please.

Topping the list at three laughs a minute: the 1980 airline disaster spoofAirplane!, followed by the original Hangover andNaked Gun movies at 2.4 and 2.3 laughs per minute respectively.

Here’s the full Top 10:

No. 5: Great success! Photo credit: 20th Century Fox.

1. Airplane! – 3 laughs/minute

2. The Hangover – 2.4 laughs/minute

3. Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! – 2.3 laughs/minute

4. Superbad – 1.9 laughs/minute

5. Borat – 1.7 laughs/minute

6. Anchorman: the Legend of Ron Burgundy – 1.6 laughs/minute

7. American Pie – 1.5 laughs/minute

8. Bridesmaids – 1.4 laughs/minute

9. Shaun of the Dead – 1.3 laughs/minute

10. Life of Brian – 1.2 laughs/minute

Only No. 10? Always look on the bright side of life. Photo credit: Sony Pictures Entertainment.

“Interestingly,” Cowley said, “while Lovefilm members voted Life of Brian as the funniest film, our research shows that for Laughs a Minute…Airplane! beats the Monty Python epic hands-down.”

Lovefilm, an Amazon subsidiary, has over 2 million members in the UK, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway.