Regarded as one of Hollywood’s most prominent comedy filmmakers, directorJohn Landishas created an illustrious career full of iconic classics. The gifted storyteller first gained widespread recognition when he helmed the 1977 independent sketch comedyThe Kentucky Fried Movie,a triumph that led to his involvement in the John Belushi-led cinematic featNational Lampoon’s Animal House.Landis would go on to direct countless memorable comedies such asThree Amigos, Coming to AmericaandThe Blues Brothers,and even branched out tocombine humor with horrorwith the famed ‘80s smash hitAn American Werewolf in London,a flick that would go on to be lauded for its cutting edge makeup effects.
Landis frequently collaborated with some of the entertainment industry’s most sensational stars, having often worked with comedians like Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Chevy Chase, and Steve Martin on his sidesplitting pictures. His superb career was nearly derailed in 1982 following a tragic accident on theseemingly cursed setof the sci-fi horror filmTwilight Zone: The Movie,which left three people dead and Landis at the center of an involuntary manslaughter trial. The director managed to recover from the scandal and would go on to continue making audiences everywhere laugh with his refreshing and unique humor. These are some of John Landis’ best movies.
8Spies Like Us
Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd teamed up to headline the 1985 comedySpies Like Us,in which theSaturday Night Livealumsportray bumbling intelligence agents Emmett-Fitz Hume and Austin Millbarge, two newbie government employees who are sent on a secret mission in the Middle East and used as decoys by the CIA for Nuclear War.
The John Landis flick was co-written by Aykroyd and served as an homage to the Bob Hope and Bing Crosby comedy seriesRoad to…, with the former legendary comedian even making a cameo in the picture.Spies Like Usearned lackluster reviews by critics but was a hit with audiences at the box office and has since developed a cult classic status.
7The Kentucky Fried Movie
The 1977 independent sketchy comedyThe Kentucky Fried Movieconsists of a collection of sidesplitting pop culture satires and parody skits such as “A Fistful of Yen” and “Cleopatra Schwartz” and features a slew of star-studded appearances including Donald Sutherland, Bill Bixby, and George Lazenby.
The raunchy farce helped launch the career of John Landis and the Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker filmmaking trio (ofAirplane!andNaked Gunfame)and was inspired by beloved comedy sketch shows such asMonty PythonandSaturday Night Live.After his involvement inThe Kentucky Fried Movie,Landis was chosen in 1978to direct one of his most iconic and influential films of his illustrious career:National Lampoon’s Animal House.
6Three Amigos
Legendary comedians Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short appear as the eponymous trio in the 1986 Western comedyThree Amigos,which follows silent movie stars Lucky Day, Dusty Bottoms and Ned Nederlander as they are offered a career-saving opportunity in Mexico to perform their onscreen bandit fighter personas. The desperate actors are unaware that the villagers believe they are real heroes sent to rid their home of the evil bandit El Guapo, with hilarious hijinks naturally ensuing due to the mix-up.
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The entertaining comedy touts dynamite performances by its gifted leads and has gone on to become a cult classic, with theLos Angeles Timescalling it “a goofy delight. It’s like a cross between a big-budget Three Stooges movie and a Hope-Crosby road picture, with dozens of old cowpoke gags thrown in to spice up the brew.”
5Trading Places
John Landis once again recruited frequent collaborator Dan Aykroyd tostar alongside Eddie Murphyin the 1983 comedyTrading Places. The film tells the amusing tale of a pretentious commodities broker and down-on-his-luck con artist who find themselves at the center of an elaborate scheme by two wealthy millionaires who want to know if a person’s environment or genetics determine their lot in life.
Initially developed with Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder as the leads, the movie underwent a major re-tooling with Landis pushing for both Murphy and Aykroyd to portray the mismatched lead characters; Murphy improvised many of his own lines to make them more authentic to his style.Trading Placeshelped firmly establish the careers of its cast and also was pivotal in the revival of the screwball comedy genre popular in the ‘30s and ‘40s.
4Coming to America
Featuring a superb cast of Hollywood greats led by Eddie Murphy, Aresenio Hall, and James Earl Jones, the 1988 romantic comedyComing to Americafollows African crown prince Akeem Joffer (Murphy) as he heads to the United States in search of a potential wife who will love him for who he is and not just his title, going undercover in New York City to find his future queen. Both Murphy and Hall took on four different uproarious roles for the entertaining picture, with each character also of a different gender and race; this would become a staple for Murphy, who would alsotackle multiple parts in later filmslikeThe Nutty ProfessorandNorbit. Coming to Americawas both a critical and commercial success, with the comedy becoming a notable hit for both Landis and Murphy and leading to the 2021 sequelComing 2 America.
3The Blues Brothers
Based on the fan-favoriteSaturday Night Livesketch of the same name, the 1980 musical comedyThe Blues Brothersstars John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as blood brothers “Joliet” Jake Blues and Elwood J. Blues, two R&B musicians who reunite to save their beloved orphanage from being shut down, with the duo embarking on a wild journey through Chicago to raise the crucial funds.
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Featuring memorable musical renditions like “Jailhouse Rock” and “Gimme Some Lovin’” and with appearances by soul and R&B legends like James Brown, Aretha Franklin, and Ray Charles,The Blues Brothershas since become an iconic ‘80s cult classic and remains one of themost expensive comedies ever made, with a reported budget of $27.5 million (or $90 million in 2021).
2An American Werewolf in London
Widely lauded as one of the most influential and innovative horror films of all time, the 1981 horror comedyAn American Werewolf in Londoncenters on American college students David Kessler and Jack Goodman as they backpack through Britain and the moors in Yorkshire, only to find themselves brutally attacked by a terrifying, vicious creature. After Jack is killed in the bloody attack, David makes the disturbing realization he is turning into a werewolf and must figure out what to do before the impending full moon.
John Landis had been planning to makeAn American Werewolf in Londonsince 1969, having been inspired after working in Yugoslavia as a production assistant andwitnessing gypsies perform ritualson a man being buried. The ‘80s flick is nowconsidered a milestonein the genre for its makeup effects and superb blend of humor and horror.
1National Lampoon’s Animal House
Undeniably one of John Landis’ most celebrated and revered films of his illustrious career, the 1978 comedyNational Lampoon’s Animal Housetells the uproarious story of a rowdy group of fraternity members in 1962 at the fictional Faber College who go toe-to-toe with the uptight dean as he searches for a way to expel the trouble-making frat house.
The first picture produced by National Lampoon, the farce’s screenplay blew Landis away, with thefamed director having said, “It was really literally one of the funniest things I ever read. It had a nasty edge like National Lampoon. I told him it was wonderful, extremely smart and funny, but everyone’s a pig for one thing.“Animal Houseis credited with launching the gross out film genre, a Hollywood go-to and went on to become ahallowed comedy classicthat was one of the most successful movies of its time.
