Comedy is the most subjective genre; everyone's list is always so different, and obviously they tend to go with sentimental choices or comedies they grew up. Also, it's hard to decide what defines comedy. I only wanted to include films that are purely comedies, so that means I'm not counting romantic comedies (so no MOONSTRUCK or ANNIE HALL) or fantasy comedies (so no PRINCESS BRIDE). So what does that leave us with? Let's see...
10. THE PRODUCERS (1968, dir. Mel Brooks)
Actually, I like both versions! The musical version did a pretty decent job at streamlining the story, taking out all the beatnik material that was dated to the '60's, and added some funny songs. But still, the original is just such a dark, enjoyable bleak film, and Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder had a chemistry with one another that was never duplicated. What makes this a great comedy is all the stuff in there. The central premise of dishonest producers wanting to put on a flop is already amusing. Then a subplot about romancing little old ladies is thrown in there. Then Nazis join the party. Then cross-dressers. It's really a very creative screenplay, albeit a little weak in the third act. You could argue that there are other Mel Brooks films that are better in quality, but I find this to be his most original comedy.
Interestingly, the next film on our list is ALSO a 1960's film that was turned into a stage musical and then remade on film...
9. LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1960, dir. Roger Corman)
Unlike THE PRODUCERS, where both versions had the same basic story, the two versions of LITTLE SHOP are so different starring radically different characters that they really are two entirely different works. As much as I enjoy the Howard Ashman musical, and the 1986 film version directed by Frank Oz, the original Corman film is such a unique beast. The comedy is so dark and original for 1960. Dead prostitutes, a mother addicted to prescription drugs, a woman who's relatives keep dying...I was amazed at how much I laughed at this film. The original Seymour and Audrey are nothing like their later interpretations. I knew as soon as I saw this movie that it had to be one of the most unique works I had ever seen.
8. MY COUSIN VINNY (1992, dir. Jonathan Lynn)
A lot of people my generation list this among their favorite family comedies. This is one of those movies everyone loves and that still gets quoted often. I think a major reason for its success is that, despite having just about every negative stereotype of the south and of Italian New Yorkers, the script really likes its characters and treats the situation seriously. The movie is actually quite education in showing how the legal process works. Vinny is the classic fish out of water as the lawyer in a murder trial...where his cousin's life is at stake. Maris Tomei deservedly won an Oscar as his wise-cracking girlfriend; she could have just been a caricature, but she turns out to be the smartest person in the film. Fred Gwynne is also given some great moments as the judge. The movie also features so many great character actors, including Lane Smith, Austin Pendleton, and Bruce McGill. The best moments of course are the "Imagine you're a deer" and "Biological clock" monologues. Oh, and by the way, LEGALLY BLONDE, despite having a very different kind of humor, clearly drew a lot from this film's premise.
7. THIS IS SPINAL TAP (1984, dir. Rob Reiner)
This frequently gets cited on a lot of people's favorite comedies ever list, so I don't think I need to elaborate why. The many iconic moments in this (mostly improvised) film and classic lines still resonate to this day. I often think Christopher Guest and Michael McKean do not get enough credit for their performances; watch the film again and you'll see little subtleties you didn't see before.
6. FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL (2008, dir. Nicholas Stoller)
I know I said "No romantic comedies" but I debated whether or not this even qualifies as one. To me, this is by far the best of the Judd Apatow movies, and one with a lot of heart. Jason Segel gives us a very heartfelt screenplay where he, both literally and figuratively, becomes naked before us. What I like best about this film is that it is told from a male point of view, yet portrays its female characters very sympathetically. In fact, some people even criticized that Kristen Bell's character was TOO well-developed, to the extent that she was too sympathetic for a "villain." Of course that's exactly the point! This is a lighthearted film that loves its characters, even the wacky side ones played by Russel Brand, Jonah Hill, and Paul Rudd. The best scene is when Peter performs his Dracula musical, which is funny, bizarre, and touching. There is such pathos in that scene. When we see the full musical performed at the end of the film, we finally "get" it, and it's very rewarding.
5. A FISH CALLED WANDA (1988, dir. Charles Chrichton)
This is just a perfect movie! It's so funny, so well-written, so filled with little moments. Who can forget Kevin Kline's orgasm-face? Or the way he keeps yelling "Asshole!" Or Michael Palin (in a very underrated performance) accidentally killing the old lady's dogs? This is a movie that, much like LITTLE SHOP, really has no shame and just goes out there. For any fans of FAWLTY TOWERS, this movie was the closest thing to a film version of that show we could ever have gotten. It's a film that finds the humor in anything, and then blows it up!
4. VACATION (1983, dir. Harold Ramis)
The Griswalds are going to Walley World! There is something so endearing about this film that it's no wonder it turned into a long-running franchise, though none of the sequels were ever able to match this original. I first saw this with my own parents when I was the same age as the kids in this film, and it REALLY hit close to home. Chevy Chase is so great as a father who really does genuinely love his family and really wants what he thinks is best for them, but is just such a dope that he fails. Bevery D'Angelo is great as the supportive but frustrated wife who has her own dorky moments. I love Anthony Michael Hall, especially in the scene with his first beer (which he chugs down). The dialog is brilliant, especially in any scene with Aunt Edna, who's ultimate fate is so brilliantly dark. Some people have claimed they are disappointed by what happens when we finally get to Walley World, but looking back on it, I don't think there was any other way to end it!
3. WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN (1988, dir. Pedro Almodovar)
So not only is this the only foreign film on my list, but it's one of the most iconic films of Spanish cinema. Almodovar's screwball comedy with its flaring melodrama, bright colors, mambo cabdrivers, Muslim terrorists, and gazpacho resonates with many today. At a time when Madrid was recovering from the repression of Franco, the arts really began to emerge. This movie is crazy and shows all kinds of women at all stages of sanity. It also uses brilliant devices, such as having the womanizing man be a voiceover artist, thus featuring films within the film. Antonio Banderas, Rossy DePalma, and Carmen Maura are all ideally cast. And on a final note, I seem to be the only person alive who actually enjoyed the Broadway musical adaptation, which did so badly that is closed almost immediately. Glad I saw it when I did.
2. DR. STRANGELOVE (1964, dir. Stanley Kubrick)
Often cited as the greatest of all American comedies, or at least the most important one. Of course this movie is a masterpiece that also happens to be shot excellently and features so many great moments. I've always loved that it starts out serious and then only gradually becomes a comedy. It's easy to praise Peter Sellers in his three performances, but I actually think George C. Scott gives the best one. Slim Pickens is also great, as is Peter Bull, and then there's Tracy Reed, the only woman in the film, as the sexy secretary. Her scene may actually be the funniest in the film. Oh, yeah, and this also happens to be James Earl Jones's debut! This movie is so funny because it reminds us how much power we have places at the hands of our government politicians, who are very flawed people, and that we all do juvenile things. Consider the way Keenan Wynn's character keeps mispronouncing the word "preverts." It's a simple little touch, but it shows the incompetence of those in charge. To see this scene during the years of the Bush presidency was actually quite chilling.
...and the winner is...
1. CLUE (1985, dir. Jonathan Lynn)
As with MY COUSIN VINNY, also directed by Lynn, this is a movie that many of my generation grew up watching and think of as a family favorite. Why is this my all-time favorite comedy? I think because it really does have everything: slapstick, double entendre, political commentary. Although Tim Curry definitely steals the film, everyone else is so well-cast: Eileen Brennan, Martin Mull, Madeline Kahn, Leslie Ann Warren, and then there's Michael McKean again. My one criticism is that, on first viewing, the way that Mr. Green is presented might come off as homophobic, but if you watch it to the end then it's no longer an issue. Then there's Christopher Lloyd, who I sometimes call "the American Tim Curry." Ironically the one movie they do together is the one where he's so low-key that you almost don't recognize him. There are so many great lines, from "Communism is just a red herring" to "Life after death is as improbable as sex after marriage" to "Ah, he wasn't a very good illusionist" to "Can I interest you in fruit or desert?" to "I'm gonna go home and sleep with my wife!" And what a brilliant screenplay (co-written by John Landis) that manages to simultaneously be based off a classic board game, make commentary on McCarthyism and blackmail, and also have three different endings, all of which are compatible! CLUE is just my favorite comedy ever!
No comments:
Post a Comment