Best Comedy Films of 1970
- HaHa Jokester
- Jul 20
- 10 min read
1970 was a year of upheaval and transition—both in society and in cinema. The counterculture revolution of the late '60s had left its mark, and comedy responded with a sharper edge, more experimentation, and a growing appetite for satire. Hollywood was no longer the only game in town; international films and independent voices were pushing boundaries, and even mainstream studio comedies were starting to reflect changing attitudes. From subversive war parodies to absurdist road trips, 1970 delivered a range of comedies that were as provocative as they were hilarious.
The Comedy Landscape in 1970
Post-Studio Freedom
The decline of the traditional studio system gave rise to a wave of creative freedom. Young directors, influenced by European cinema and counterculture ideals, brought new life to comedy. The jokes were darker, the structure looser, and the themes more reflective of a disillusioned generation.
Satire and Anti-Establishment Humor
Vietnam, Watergate-era anxiety, and generational clashes shaped the tone of many 1970 comedies. Instead of screwball antics, audiences were getting war parodies, corporate takedowns, and sex comedies that challenged taboos and authority. Irreverence was the new normal.
International Influence
Comedies from the UK, France, and Italy found broader audiences, bringing different styles of humor—from dry British wit to farcical Euro-romps. International cinema was no longer a niche—it was part of the comedy conversation.
Top 10 Comedy Films of 1970
M*A*S*H
Runtime: 1hr 56min
Robert Altman’s irreverent war comedy wasn’t just funny—it was revolutionary. With its overlapping dialogue, anti-authoritarian streak, and casual brutality, MASH* reshaped what a comedy could look and sound like.
M*A*S*H directed by Robert Altman, is a darkly satirical comedy set during the Korean War, following the antics of surgeons Hawkeye Pierce and Trapper John McIntyre at the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MAS*H). While dealing with the gruesome realities of war, the doctors cope through irreverent humor, pranks, and insubordination—skewering military bureaucracy and social norms along the way. With its loose, improvisational style, overlapping dialogue, and anti-establishment tone, the film broke from Hollywood convention and became a landmark in both war and comedy cinema. Its success led to the iconic TV series and cemented its place as a countercultural classic of the 1970s.
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes
Runtime: 2hr 5min
Billy Wilder’s take on the famed detective is charmingly melancholy, slyly funny, and surprisingly subversive. It blends mystery with winking humor and emotional depth.
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, directed by Billy Wilder, offers a poignant, witty, and at times melancholic reimagining of the famous detective. Rather than focusing solely on mystery-solving, the film delves into Holmes’ personal struggles—his loneliness, his ambiguous relationship with Watson, and his emotional detachment. When a case involving a mysterious woman and a missing husband draws Holmes into a conspiracy involving Loch Ness and British intelligence, the film mixes espionage with introspection. With its elegant production, subtle humor, and a more vulnerable portrayal of Holmes (played by Robert Stephens), the film stands apart as a thoughtful, character-driven entry in Sherlock Holmes cinema—one that was underappreciated at the time but has since gained critical acclaim for its depth and sophistication.
Catch-22
Runtime: 2hr 2min
Based on Joseph Heller’s novel, Mike Nichols’ adaptation is chaotic, cynical, and filled with absurdist humor. A war film that mocks the very idea of war, bureaucracy, and sanity itself.
Catch-22, directed by Mike Nichols and based on Joseph Heller’s seminal novel, is a surreal, anti-war satire that captures the absurdity and paradoxes of military life during World War II. The story follows Captain John Yossarian, a U.S. Army bombardier stationed on a Mediterranean island, who becomes increasingly desperate to escape combat missions. However, the twisted logic of “Catch-22” traps him: only a crazy person would keep flying missions, but if he tries to get out of them, that proves he’s sane—and thus must continue. With a nonlinear narrative, biting humor, and a stellar ensemble cast including Alan Arkin, Jon Voight, and Orson Welles, the film critiques bureaucracy, war profiteering, and the madness of institutional systems. Though initially overshadowed by MASH*, Catch-22 has gained recognition for its bold, chaotic style and its unflinching take on the insanity of war.
The Twelve Chairs
Runtime: 1hr 34min
Mel Brooks followed up The Producers with this globetrotting treasure hunt comedy. Though not as well-known, it’s filled with his trademark farce and historical parody.
The Twelve Chairs, directed by Mel Brooks, is a farcical treasure hunt comedy set in 1920s Soviet Russia. The story centers on a former aristocrat, Ippolit Vorobyaninov, who learns from his dying mother-in-law that her family jewels were hidden inside one of twelve dining chairs seized by the Bolsheviks. He teams up—reluctantly—with a charming con man, Ostap Bender, as they crisscross the country trying to recover the chairs before a greedy priest can beat them to the prize. Blending slapstick, satire, and a touch of melancholy, Brooks crafts a clever critique of greed and post-revolutionary absurdity. While not as well-known as his later hits, The Twelve Chairs showcases his emerging comedic voice and delivers a quirky, stylish, and underrated gem.
There’s a Girl in My Soup
Runtime: 1hr 36min
Peter Sellers shines in this British romantic comedy about a smug TV chef undone by a free-spirited young woman. Sleek, snide, and very 1970.
There’s a Girl in My Soup, directed by Roy Boulting, is a British romantic comedy that pairs suave TV food critic Robert Danvers (played by Peter Sellers) with a free-spirited young woman named Marion (Goldie Hawn). Danvers, a womanizing celebrity accustomed to short-lived flings, finds himself unexpectedly challenged—and charmed—by Marion’s independence and irreverence. Their unlikely relationship upends his carefully controlled bachelor lifestyle and reveals his emotional vulnerability. The film mixes sharp wit with a breezy, mod-era style, showcasing Hawn’s charm and Sellers’ comedic finesse. A hit in its day, There’s a Girl in My Soup captured the generational and sexual tensions of the time with light satire and glamorous flair.
Start the Revolution Without Me
Runtime: 1hr 31min
A spoof of both swashbuckling epics and French history, this Gene Wilder-Donald Sutherland comedy is full of mistaken identities, lavish costumes, and witty lunacy.
Start the Revolution Without Me, directed by Bud Yorkin, is a zany, anachronistic spoof of swashbuckling historical dramas, set against the backdrop of the French Revolution. Gene Wilder and Donald Sutherland play dual roles as two sets of identical twins—one aristocratic, one peasant—who are mixed up at birth. Their paths comically intersect years later amid court intrigue, rebellion, and mistaken identities. Channeling the energy of Marx Brothers-style absurdity and Monty Python-esque irreverence, the film gleefully mocks costume epics, class conflict, and revolutionary fervor. With rapid-fire jokes, exaggerated performances, and knowing narration from Orson Welles, Start the Revolution Without Me is a cult comedy that delivers slapstick chaos with historical (in)accuracy and flair.
Brewster McCloud
Runtime: 1hr 45min
A deeply strange, fantastical black comedy from Altman about a boy who dreams of flying and lives in the Houston Astrodome. It's weird, witty, and way ahead of its time.
Brewster McCloud, directed by Robert Altman, is a surreal, offbeat comedy that blends fantasy, satire, and crime noir with Altman’s signature ensemble style. The film follows Brewster, a reclusive young man (played by Bud Cort) who lives in the fallout shelter beneath the Houston Astrodome, obsessively working on a pair of mechanical wings so he can fly. As a series of bizarre, bird-themed murders sweep the city, Brewster becomes a suspect, pursued by a flamboyant detective straight out of a cop show parody. With its anti-authoritarian streak, absurd humor, and symbolic touches (including a recurring lecture on birds), Brewster McCloud reflects the countercultural energy of the era. Strange, anarchic, and visually inventive, it stands as one of Altman’s most daring and underrated early works.
The Out-of-Towners
Runtime: 1hr 41min
Neil Simon’s script and Jack Lemmon’s escalating frustration make this travel-from-hell comedy a classic of urban misadventure. Everything that can go wrong does—hilariously.
The Out-of-Towners, directed by Arthur Hiller and written by Neil Simon, is a sharp, fast-paced comedy of urban chaos and frustration. It stars Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis as George and Gwen Kellerman, a middle-class Ohio couple traveling to New York City for a job interview that could change their lives. Instead, they’re met with one disaster after another—delayed flights, lost luggage, muggings, transit strikes, and the city’s general hostility—turning their hopeful trip into a relentless nightmare. Lemmon’s escalating exasperation and Dennis’s fraying patience fuel the film’s screwball energy, while Simon’s script delivers biting social satire on city life, class anxiety, and the elusive American dream. Both funny and anxiety-inducing, The Out-of-Towners captures the gritty unpredictability of 1970s New York with wit and weary charm.
Diary of a Mad Housewife
Runtime: 1hr 44min
More of a tragicomedy, this film channels the feminist frustrations of the era through bitter wit and social critique. Carrie Snodgress gives a breakthrough performance.
Diary of a Mad Housewife, directed by Frank Perry and written by Eleanor Perry (adapting Sue Kaufman's novel), is a sharp, darkly comic drama that dissects the emotional suffocation of upper-middle-class domestic life. Carrie Snodgress delivers a powerful, Oscar-nominated performance as Tina Balser, a frustrated Manhattan housewife trapped in a loveless marriage to a narcissistic, status-obsessed lawyer and stifled by the expectations of motherhood and social conformity. In a desperate search for meaning, Tina begins an affair with a self-absorbed writer, only to find that liberation is not so easily attained. With biting satire and raw vulnerability, the film critiques gender roles, bourgeois hypocrisy, and the silent desperation lurking beneath suburban perfection. Diary of a Mad Housewife remains a standout of 1970s feminist cinema—uncomfortable, intelligent, and deeply affecting.
Hi, Mom!
Runtime: 1hr 27min
Robert De Niro stars in Brian De Palma’s wild, politically charged satire about voyeurism and radical theater. Subversive and unforgettable.
Hi, Mom!, directed by Brian De Palma, is a wild, provocative blend of black comedy, political satire, and experimental filmmaking. A follow-up to De Palma’s earlier film Greetings, it stars a young Robert De Niro as Jon Rubin, a disaffected Vietnam vet who returns to New York City and attempts to make a name for himself through voyeuristic filmmaking—setting up a camera in his apartment to record unsuspecting neighbors. As his ambitions grow more unhinged, he becomes involved with a radical theater group staging confrontational “reality” performances about race and power, most notably the incendiary “Be Black, Baby” sequence. Blurring the lines between exploitation, satire, and counterculture critique, Hi, Mom! is both a time capsule of late-’60s/early-’70s urban unrest and a bold, chaotic examination of media, identity, and the American psyche. It's an early glimpse of De Niro’s intensity and De Palma’s daring style.
Underrated Picks Worth Your Time
A Severed Head
Runtime: 1hr 38min
A sophisticated British sex comedy about affairs and betrayal, adapted from Iris Murdoch’s novel.
A Severed Head, directed by Dick Clement and based on the novel by Iris Murdoch, is a darkly comedic tale of upper-class infidelity, emotional manipulation, and psychological gamesmanship. The film follows Martin Lynch-Gibbon (played by Ian Holm), a wealthy wine merchant whose seemingly stable life unravels after his wife Antonia (Lee Remick) admits she’s having an affair—with Martin’s best friend, a smug psychiatrist. But what starts as a classic love triangle soon spirals into a tangled web of shifting allegiances, unexpected affairs, and buried resentments. With its sharp dialogue, satirical tone, and morally ambivalent characters, A Severed Head skewers the hypocrisies of the liberal elite while exposing the absurdity of their emotional entanglements. It’s a sly, literate comedy of manners that hides razor blades beneath its polished British wit.
Little Fauss and Big Halsy
Runtime: 1hr 40min
Not a traditional comedy, but the offbeat buddy dynamic between Robert Redford and Michael J. Pollard delivers some dry laughs.
Little Fauss and Big Halsy, directed by Sidney J. Furie, is a character-driven dramedy that pairs countercultural disillusionment with the rugged backdrop of motorcycle racing. The film stars Robert Redford as Halsy Knox, a cocky, womanizing racer who forms an uneasy partnership with the shy, insecure mechanic Little Fauss (played by Michael J. Pollard). As they travel across the American West chasing races and fame, their clashing personalities—one brash and exploitative, the other earnest and overlooked—reveal a deeper commentary on masculinity, friendship, and the hollow pursuit of freedom. With a melancholic tone, a country-rock soundtrack by Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan, and dusty, sun-soaked cinematography, Little Fauss and Big Halsy captures the aimlessness and burnout of the post-’60s era. It's not a typical buddy comedy—it’s a road movie with a bitter edge, examining the costs of ego and the loneliness behind the bravado.
Lovers and Other Strangers
Runtime: 1hr 44min
A romantic comedy with an ensemble cast and witty script that captures the awkwardness of relationships and marriage.
Lovers and Other Strangers, directed by Cy Howard and based on the hit stage play by Renée Taylor and Joseph Bologna, is a sharp, ensemble romantic comedy that explores love, marriage, and family through a series of intertwining stories. The central thread follows a young couple (Michael Brandon and Bonnie Bedelia) preparing for their wedding, while their families—especially the bride’s eccentric Italian-American relatives—grapple with their own romantic entanglements and crumbling relationships. Featuring a stellar cast including Cloris Leachman, Bea Arthur, and a young Diane Keaton in her film debut, the movie blends heartfelt moments with humorous, often brutally honest observations about commitment, sex, and generational differences. With its conversational tone, theatrical roots, and standout performances, Lovers and Other Strangers captures the shifting attitudes toward love and marriage in a changing America. The film won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for “For All We Know.”
Comedy Highlights & Trivia
Altman Ascends: MASH* put Robert Altman on the map and ushered in a new era of naturalistic, ensemble-driven comedy.
Satire Takes Center Stage: From Catch-22 to Hi, Mom!, satire was the dominant tone—reflecting the discontent and absurdity of the world outside the theater.
Peter Sellers' Ubiquity: One of the era’s comic giants, Sellers was still a major draw and took on a sleazy role in There’s a Girl in My Soup that showcased his versatility.
Comedy Gets Political: Many of the best comedies of 1970 were laced with political undertones or flat-out social critique, signaling a smarter, sharper comedic age.
Where to Watch These Today
MAS*H – Streaming on MAX; available on Criterion Blu-ray
Catch-22 – Available on Amazon Prime and Blu-ray
The Twelve Chairs – Streaming on Tubi and on DVD
The Out-of-Towners – Available for rental on YouTube and Apple TV
Hi, Mom! – Often bundled with De Palma retrospectives; available on DVD and some streaming services
Closing Thoughts
1970 marked the dawn of the New Hollywood comedy—a genre no longer bound by slapstick or romance, but open to existential dread, political satire, and artistic innovation. The best comedies of the year weren’t always laugh-out-loud funny, but they were daring, self-aware, and undeniably of their time. These films didn’t just make you laugh—they made you think, squirm, and sometimes gasp. The revolution wasn’t just televised—it was hilarious.
