10 Best Movie References in ‘Community,’ Ranked

There will possibly never be another live-action sitcom with more creatively elaborate plot lines than the Dan Harmon-created Community. The NBC comedy regularly pushed the boundaries of what could be accomplished in one episode of a sitcom, referencing movies both well-known and obscure.

From quick throwaway references to movie-inspired plots that carried through multiple seasons, Community was as pop culture-obsessed as its cinephile expert Abed (Danny Pudi). While Greendale fans wait for the conclusion to the prophecy of six seasons and a movie, it’s time to look at which movie references in Community were streets ahead.

10

‘Aliens’

Season 2, Episode 6

The second Halloween episode of Community sees the students of Greendale enjoying a costume party in the library when a zombie outbreak ruins the night. The obvious reference in the episode is The Night of the Living Dead, but it’s Troy (Donald Glover) and Abed’s costumes as a Xenomorph and Ripley from Aliens that leave the biggest impression. A black spandex-clad Abed slinks through the party hissing at partygoers while Troy walks robotically in a homemade version of the yellow loader unit Ripley wears. Together they’re able to recreate the climax of the James Cameron sequel.

At first glance, Troy and Abed’s costumes are a funny site gag that demonstrates how much time the pair spend on their nerdy ideas, but it’s actually an examination of their friendship. After Jeff (Joel McHale) makes Troy feel insecure about his perceived immaturity, Troy abandons the costume and, in effect, creates a rift with his best friend Abed. When Troy is the last one left standing, he honors their friendship and is true to himself by putting his Ripley costume back on to brave the zombies. (Although it doesn’t help at all because they’re literal zombies, and his costume is made of cardboard.)

9

‘Zodiac’

Season 5, Episode 3

It’s always rainy in Greendale when the Ass Crack Bandit stocks the halls for its next victim. A mysterious figure is dropping quarters into the butt cracks of students and faculty at Greendale, so the study group hunts down the culprit in the style of David Fincher films like Se7en and Zodiac. From the dark filters used for the cameras to the subdued acting style of the cast, it’s like Fincher took a pay cut to drop by the set.

The episode is filled with multiple clever easter eggs, but the best example is the taunting letter the Ass Crack Bandit leaves to taunt the investigators. “Humans make better banks than piggies,” part of the letter reads, “Whenever I get more change at the store I can’t wait to drop it down your butts.” Fincher references aside, there’s a bit in the episode about Star-Burns (Dino Stamatopoulos) trying to create a car that runs on cats that starts out as a funny sight gag but continues to build into a ridiculously hilarious side story.

8

‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’

Season 3, Episode 10

The study group all have different plans for the upcoming holiday break, much to the dismay of Abed, who hoped they could be together for Christmas. The decision might be out of everyone’s hands though, because Greendale‘s glee club lost their members to a shared mental breakdown, and the hope is for the study group to serve as last-minute replacements. Although they reject the offer, the Glee Club director uses manipulation tactics to turn the gang into musical pod people.

The episode takes delight in making fun of the Ryan Murphy show Glee with exhaustive references to making regionals, but it’s the sci-fi thriller Invasion of the Body Snatchers that the plot is structured on. Specially designed songs convert each member into unthinking singing machines, with Jeff reenacting a clever reference to Donald Sutherland’s prolonged screech at the finale of the film. Between the fun, original songs and an evil turn from Taran Killam as the glee teacher Cory Radison, “Regional Holiday Music” is a memorable holiday entry.

7

‘My Dinner With Andre’

Season 2, Episode 19

Abed invites Jeff to dinner at an upscale restaurant for his birthday, an act that seems decidedly unlike something he would normally do. Jeff tries to lure Abed to a surprise Pulp Fiction-themed birthday party, but Abed is insistent on sitting down to have a normal dinner between the two of them. To Jeff’s further surprise, Abed declares he wants to have his first real conversation as an adult, but he will soon learn the entire evening was modeled after the critically praised film, My Dinner With Andre.

As with the case of many of Abed’s indulgent film-inspired fantasies, a deeper scrutiny of the effort reveals Abed’s emotions regarding his friends. The episode frequently jumps to the surprise party in waiting and seeing the cast dressed as the different characters from Pulp Fiction is fun — the high point being Pierce (Chevy Chase) dressed as the gimp. Pulp Fiction and My Dinner with Andre receive even treatment during the story, but the use of My Dinner with Andre has both comedic and emotional significance.

6

‘The Lawnmower Man’

Season 6, Episode 2

In an effort to introduce cutting-edge technology to Greendale, the Dean buys a virtual reality rig. Jeff and Frankie (Paget Brewster) mock the Dean’s enthusiasm for the outdated technology, but the Dean ignores them, having already been seduced by the allure of the future as predicted in 1992. As the Dean goes mad with the infinite power of virtual reality, his descent into madness is a detailed reference to the horror movie, The Lawnmower Man.

A great parody is one that can satisfy fans who are familiar with the reference but still be funny without the knowledge necessary to enjoy it. So, as the Dean flails around like a 90s-era technological God, the requirement for seeing the Lawnmower Man (which is a lot to ask of anyone) is not required to find the joke funny. Investing a sizable amount of time into a Lawnmower Man parody is a bold move, but by season six, Community was well aware of what its fan base would enjoy.

5

‘Lord of the Rings’

Season 2, Episode 6

The epic tone of the Lord of the Rings is used to tell one of Community’s greatest stories in the episode, “Advanced Dungeons and Dragons.” Orchestral music against a black screen opens the episode as majestic and regal narration tells viewers the story of the student unfortunately known as Fat Neil (Charley Koontz). Sensing Neil is deeply troubled, Jeff organizes a game of Dungeons and Dragons in the study room, but a jilted Pierce looks to create havoc.

Fans thinking they knew what to expect from a Community fantasy parody couldn’t have imagined the battle of good versus evil that would take place in the library study room. The series had been dancing around the adversarial role of Pierce for some time, but “Advanced Dungeons and Dragons” fully leaned into the concept of the wet wipe heir as a villain. It’s one of Community’s very best episodes that manages to pack surprising emotional depth with Koontz’s effective performance.

4

“Goodfellas”

Season 1, Episode 21

When the gang discovers the cafeteria’s much sought-after chicken fingers are being unfairly distributed by Star-Burns, they maneuver Abed to take his place. Abed sees this as an opportunity to live out a mobster movie fantasy, and he proves to be successful in trading the fingers for personal favors. The unchecked power of being a chicken finger kingpin leaves Abed in over his head as the spoils of their riches threaten to tear the study group apart.

“Contemporary American Poultry” is one of Community’s earliest instances of committing to a parody for the entire episode. There are many different inspirations for the gangster themes in the episode, but it’s most closely modeled off the rise and fall of Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) in Goodfellas. By the end of season one, Community was shifting into the meta-humor that it would be most commonly celebrated for with Abed’s Goodfellas-inspired narration. Even though Abed’s detached voice-over keeps with the parody, it also explains the plot as it’s happening.

3

‘Good Will Hunting’

Season 1, Episode 24

What Good Will Hunting did for math equations Community did for the exotic world of plumbing in the season one episode, “English As a Second Language.” When Troy instinctively knows how to fix a water fountain, he catches the attention of a maintenance worker who recognizes his untapped potential. Although the maintenance worker makes a compelling argument to drop out of school to be a plumber, Troy insists on continuing his education.

While the plot may have appeared to be a quick satire of the inspirational Matt Damon film, Troy‘s resistance to his destiny as a repairman is a consistently funny recurring storyline. Abed’s attempt at being supportive has him repeat Ben Affleck’s speech from the film that says the best part of his day is when he thinks he might not see his best friend. Troy is hilariously offended at the sentiment, with Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown) seconding any movie that would say that is a bad film.

2

‘Die Hard’

Season 1, Episode 23

The Community episode “Modern Warfare” sees a simple game of paintball nearly destroy Greendale when the prize for the last person standing is priority registration for next semester’s classes. The game-changing episode is packed with movie references covering a multitude of action classics. The deserted and ransacked halls of the school mimic the abandoned streets of London in 28 Days Later, and Chang his best Chow Yun-fat from Hard Boiled, but it’s Die Hard that gets the most love.

Once Jeff understands what’s at stake, he immediately strips down to his undershirt to embody Bruce Willis’ John McClane. The references continue throughout the episode, with Jeff taping a gun to his back before using it to shoot the Dean (Jim Rash). When Jeff responds to Britta’s (Gillian Jacobs) failed assassination attempt with, “Uh oh. No paintballs, Hans?” It’s clear the writers have a deep appreciation for the source material. The scale and detail in which Community utilized the different movie references for “Modern Warfare” set the tone for the rest of the series.

1

‘Beetlejuice’

Season 3, Episode 5

In the movie Beetlejuice, saying the titular character’s name three times summons his presence, so the rules shouldn’t be any different on the Greendale campus. Starting in season one, Beetlejuice is mentioned once per season until the third time in the episode “Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps”, when Annie (Alison Brie) mentions the poltergeist. Right after her line, a person in the trademark white and black striped suit walks by in the background.

The joke is a blink-and-miss-it for the casual viewer, but hardcore Community fans enjoyed the nod. When people talk about their love for Community, the Beetlejuice joke is often brought up as an example of how clever the sitcom could be. Although Community writer Megan Ganz confirmed the joke wasn’t planned for three years, it’s still a memorable moment for the series. Some of the parodies on Community are works of art, but a joke that took three years to tell is a legendary piece of comedy writing and attention to detail.

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