Some Like It Hot (1959)

Some Like It Hot (1959) is widely regarded as the pinnacle of comedy filmmaking, holding the AFI #1 comedy film spot of all time. Directed by Billy Wilder and starring Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon, and Tony Curtis, the plot follows two musicians who dress as women to escape the mob. Its box office performance—$40 million worldwide on a $2.9 million budget—is over 4 times stronger than runner-up Airplane!. The film earned an Oscar nomination for Best Writing and is praised for its perfect timing and wit. With a 95% Rotten Tomatoes score, it outperforms the average classic comedy.