My Top 175 Favorite Comedies

  To be quite honest, for a film that was made in the early 80's, I'm not sure how well Porky's holds up these days as a high school comedy. I think that this could be one of those of examples of a film that I still like based more on the sentimental memories I have when I first watched it more than anything else. But there are still a few scenes that can cough up a guffaw or two, even by today's standards.
  To this day, the famous "tallywacker" scene, in which a teacher's meeting is held in the principal's office about a "guilty member" is still one of the funniest scenes in any movie, comedy or otherwise, that I've ever watched. Even now, whenever I view just that one particular part of the film, I still end up in tears laughing.

  Anyone else remember this spacefaring, ice-stealing, Urich-starring, not-so-classical science-fiction 80's film-fare?
 Anyone...?



 Anyone...?




...Bueller...?

  While I don't dislike them, I'm usually pretty indifferent to many of the Neil Simon plays that have been adapted into film. Alot of times, I think that the humor works better within the confined story structure of the theatre than to the more expansive universe that is created inside a movie.
 That said, I think that the Sunshine Boys is one of the better screen adaptations of his works. Maybe it's because the whole story's premise is based on the idea of transferring entertainment from the old skool stage of vaudeville, onto the new skool screen of a television (via a TV special on the history of comedy). Whatever the reason, there is no denying George Burn's presence on this film. TSB was integral in kickstarting a resurgence of his career after a really long absence. Not only was George gone from the silver screen for 36 years, but once he started up again, this old geezer became the guy responsible for making God into a very successful film franchise.
   And let's be honest here, any flick that can set up a biblical chain reaction of that variety has gotta get some kind of due props.

 When it was obvious that Will Smith was going to be the next big thing, all everyone was waiting for was to see what his first big franchise was gonna be. And of course, it turned out to be this one, Man in Black. Based off of almost unknown comic book, its premise is basically about the idea that Area 51 extends far beyond it borders. How far? How about all around the Earth. 
  In other words, there are extraterrestrials walking among us, but we can't tell because they're all in disguise.  And the only ones who know all of this are the Men in Black.
 That may sound like some kind of conspiracy, but really, it isn't.  It's for your own good. These black suited, sunglasses at night wearin' agents know that if any of us average joes were aware of the fact that we had been being visited for years now, it would be too much information for us to handle.
In short, to save from us being taken away by the men in white, we need the Men in Black.
We just don't know it.



  Heck, a being from another planet could be writing these very words that you are reading right now.

 Griffith Dunne is what could be a called a "computer nerd of the 80's". So, when a pretty girl who shares a same interest as he gives him her number, he does what all nerds do. He comes up with some flimsy excuse to see her.   However, as Griffith travels through the neighborhood where she lives, he finds himself facing one misadventuring turns after another, each one stranger than the previous.
 In other words, he experiences what it's like to be on in Soho after hours.
A black comedy that I didn't find to be as funny as most critics, yet it was still a movie that, over-all, proved to be an interesting trip through lower Manhattan in the street level manner that only Martin Scorsese can provide.

  I loved the first Clerks movie.
  So much so that I cringed when I heard that they were making a sequel to it. And after watching this second film, there were some aspects that validated my feelings about doing a follow-up feature to Kevin Smith's indie classic.
  The inexperienced acting of the original players, which was still evident in this film, played off so much better in the first film. The main reason being that the combination of being filmed in black and white and we've never seen the fresh-faced cast gave Clerks the feel of almost being a humorous documentary. So, the lack of thespian skillz seemed to add to the realness of the flick and made the humor feel more natural.
  The bigger budget and colorization of C2 made the crudeness of the actors stand out more and, IMO, made a lot of the jokes and the points being made in the story, feel a bit forced.
So why did I include it on this list?
  B'cuz, even though I don't think Clerk 2 matches up to Clerks 1, I still liked the sharp wittiness of Smith's script, Rosario Dawson does an excellent job of portraying the love interest as such a very sweet character and in the end, the overall message of the movie still came off as being the kind of view askewed that made Kevin Smith's early career a standout from the rest.

  Two guys, one bored with life, the other always on the lookout for a get-rich-quick scheme, work the late shift at a morgue.
  One night, when the friendly neighboring hooker loses her pimp, they help her out of a jam by providing her and her colleagues with the services of a surrogate sugar daddy. Right there in the morgue.



  Henry Wrinkler and Shelly Long, two stars known more for their television work, headline this stiffed-storied film affair, directed by then-newcomer Ron Howard and featuring an exceptionally excellent debut by Mr. Mom himself, Michael Keaton.

  As a kid, my first experience with the Pink Panther was through the Saturday morning cartoon series.
So, even though the films were conceived before the television series, I was pretty disappointed when I saw that these movies were based more on live-action, adult orientated humor than they were on the animated antics of an anthropomorphic flower colored leopard (panthers are actually leopards without the spots....).
  Of course, as I got older, I began to appreciate the big screen releases more, with this fifth installment into the franchise being, IMO, the best one of the bunch and therefore, my favorite.

   From my point of view, this was a remake that had bad news written all over it, and I don't mean just in the title. Sure, the original Bad News Bears isn't exactly the most well known comedy classic of all time, but IMO, it's definitely one of those old skool films that didn't need to be remade. The fact that it was made during a point in time when lots of useless remakes were being cranked out didn't help it either. 
  But when I finally got around to watching it, I felt as though it did manged to fill the same space as the 1970's version but with the touch of updatedness that is supposed to be the purpose of any film that's being given a second time around. Billy Bob Thornton does an effective job of filling in Walter Mattheau's inebriated shoes, and the kid cast is pretty solid. 
  The only problem I have with this new Bears team was that I wish it had been able to raise above the level of the original franchise, which, as good as it was, didn't leave the most memorable mark on the history of under-dog formula flicks. I've always been of the opinion that unless the Hollywood movers and shakers felt like they could make a bigger mark, the aim of just making an easy buck becomes a much more noticeable aim with these kinds of releases. And that's always gonna be either a bad call or a straight-up strike-out.

   fter Burt Reynolds starting cashing in his first fast car franchise of Smokey & The Bandit,
he followed it up with the Cannonball Ball series.
  While I personally don't feel that CB is as good as S&tB, for its time, these cross-country-race films were the standard fare of the summer season back in the late 70's and early 80's.
So maybe, having this movie on the list is due to a case of childhood nostalgia more than anything else,
but if you kids wanna see what we old-timers watched back in the day in order to get our "fast & furious" fix, you might wanna give these early Burt Reynolds vehicles a looksee.
And remember,
the Cannonball Run is a ride that requires a lot of popcorn and a need for speed fun-focused state of mind.

 In this third installment of the Vacation series, the adventures the Griswolds continues during the time of gift-giving and carefree caroling. And in keeping with their family tradition, they find that no matter what season it is, their luck is always gonna be bad.
  Yuletide holiday merriment and cheer from back during a period when Chevy Chase was considered to be cooler than Santa Clause. Not to mention, this was also a time when he was actually, believe it or not, kinda funny.

   Here's a movie that's based off of a musical stage play that it itself was based off of a movie. And, of course, that were all named Hairspray.
  Now I'm not usually a fan of Broadway musicals, particularly those that have been adapted for the big screen, but the fact that this movie is on the list shows that every once in a while, one does come along that ends up sticking to my hair.
  This remake of John Waters' quirky camp classic features an all-star cast which includes modern day screen legends Christopher Walken and John Travolta.



  The last time these two "guys" starred in the same flick, it was in Pulp Fiction.
And judging from this scene, it's pretty obvious that, since then,
they've come a long way, baby.

  A wandering bum jumps into a pool of affluence and bounces out as a springboard of influence. With a plot centered around a guttersnipe who enters the world of a well-to-do aristocratic couple thus changing the path of stereotypically unfulfilled lives, Down And Out In Beverly Hills is exactly the kind of heartwarming story that makes the mousy-eared Disney dominion drool for the dollars....
that is, if it wasn't for all the sharp-edged swearing and unadulterated critical analyses of the boorish behavior of bloated bourgeois.
  Mickey Mouse's outfit enters into the world of R-Rated films by releasing Down and Out via Touchstone, a film label created so that Disney can distribute more adult-oriented material without any compromise to the purity of their reputation. Thus, ensuring that the reach of Uncle Walt's empire will eventually span the farthest reaches of the industry of cinema.

  Now while I agree with most kung fu fighting film fans that (Legend of The) Drunken Master II was technically a better and more masterful movie than the first one, this is the movie that first introduced me to Jackie Chan and the manic martial arts moves that make watching his action scenes so much fun to watch. Although, I will admit, part of the fun also comes from viewing 'em in the "spirit" of the franchise's primary theme. Very often, watching these DM's through a pair of well-placed beer goggles makes the energetic, cool and creatively crazy action scenes seem even more energetic, cool and creatively crazy.
  Which always pisses off my Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor whenever we wake up from being passed out on the floor after watching this movie. 

  Back before he was a multi-Oscar winning actor, Tom Hanks was one half of the crossdressing duo from Bosom Buddies. While wearing a dress, it was a role that found him surrendering his heart to a blonde bombshell. Soon he parlayed his TV comedic skills to the movie screen, making a Splash in Hollywood whilst giving his heart up to a beautiful lady who was half fish.
  Which he quickly followed up with Bachelor Party, as a character who's up and getting hitched with 80's super-vixen Tawny Kitaen.
With all this funny business in the early 80's, who knew at the time that, as a serious actor, he would eventually end up becoming so big?

   Yes, I agree with this movie. Heaven can wait.
  But, as far as I'm concerned,
Hell can wait even longer.

  And following Private Benjamin is another "girl power" flick" that took the theatres by storm during the first year of the 80's. This one is a tale about a trio of corporate ladder climbing cuties who kidnap their employer and hold him hostage in order to show him who really is the boss.



  Y'know, after a recent watch of this film, I've come to realize that despite the artificially face-lifted freak that Dolly Parton has currently become,
9 To 5, her first foray into film, shows that, back in the day, she was stacked really pretty frikkin' hot.

  And yeah, I'm aware that by saying that I'm probably going against the idea of the "liberated woman in the workplace" theme that was the purpose of this movie,
but what can I say...? I'm a complicated man.
  And as we all know by now, women dig complicated men.

 Tim Burton's very first film is a black & white feature which tells the macabre tale of how a pet dog is bought back to life by his child owner. After the bull terrier gets killed by a car (the leading cause of death amongst canines, after old age), the young lad decides to a take a page out of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and resurrect the Spuds McKenzie look-alike through the use of electricity. I guess mad scientists have figured out that electricity is spark of all life.
 But that's not the point. What matters is a boy and his dog.
A bond that not even the Grim Reaper can hope to sever.
 Well....he can....
but still, through the use of love nd , well...y'know.... more electricity...
and probably some string, I guess...
the boy and his dog will can never be separated. For long.



 Now that I think about it though,
when a kid's dog "bites it",
it seems to me that making a simple trip to the pet shop would really be a heck of a lot easier than building a secret lab in the attic.

  After the first original movies, the general consensus about any of the follow-ups to the Star Wars movies has been that they pretty much suck. I, however, feel as though there has been at least one good sequel to the franchise that put epic space operas on the map, and its name is Guardians of the Galaxy. Yeah, I know, it's a Marvel Cinematic Universe, not a Star Wars movie. But when I watch it, I find that all the elements that made the first three of Lucas' sci-fi babies such satisfying blockbuster fare are here in the Guardians. Galaxy sized adventure with engaging characters, cool lightspeed travel, coherent plot mixed in with a nice sprinkling of perfectly placed humor, give this futuristic comic book-based saga the same feels of reminiscent excitement that I felt when I sat in the movie theater watching any of the installments of the very first Star Wars trilogy.

 What can you consider a Vegan to be a vegan and a carnivore at the same time?
 When it's a giant flesh-craving Venus Flytrap from another planet.



 A little shop that demonstrates that in order to properly take care of a house plant,
one need simply add water, potting soil, and lots of nourishing sunshine.
 Not to mention, a carcass or two.
 On a side note, Little Shop Of Horrors originally had a completely different ending, which was much more darker than what was officially released. While I think that this original ending doesn't feel aligned to where a viewer thinks the movie is going, especially with Rick Moranis in the lead role as a very "lovable" character, it's quite an amazing piece of cinema to watch. Therefore, if you haven't seen it, I invite to give it a looksee on YouTube, where it's pretty easy to find.

 After the first Taken movie became a surprise hit movie for the month of February, Hollywood has tried to make it a formula that in the first couple of months of the years, a Liam Neesom action style flick had to be released. And while the majority of the early year Neesom flicks haven't been very good (or at least, wasn't at the level of the first installment of the Taken franchise), Cold Pursuit is the rare exception.



 Though the story itself doesn't stray too far off from the February formula that has raised Lord Liam to that of aging action star, the script of CP does rise above the average standard that has been established so far in this solo starred series, while also managing to chortle a chuckle from the fans who enjoy watching a Neesom vehicle in hot pursuit of early year thrill-ride escapism.

    Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, the comedy team responsible for what is, for my money, the best zom-com of all time, Shaun of The Dead, pool their creative resources once again, this time in an effort to spoof the world of the buddy-cop genre. With a slight nod of respect to the Bad Boys franchise (and just to be clear, this is a reference of the police vehicle featuring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, not for the Sean Penn juvey prison drama from back in the early 80's), as a homage, Hot Fuzz never really succeeds at the level of witty humor, badge worn friendship, or on-the-money sharp writing  as Shaun did that made it such a stand-out. And it's not as genre groundbreaking, which I was hoping this whole Cornetto Trilogy would end up being, but when all is said and done, there was enough of the typical high balance of comedy and chemistry between the two wannabe bad boys to make this action-parody a pretty commendable effort.
 At least enough to include it on my list of fave laff flicks. You probably won't be quoting it as much afterwards as most people did with SotD but it will provide you with enough giggles to make you all happy and fuzzy from watching it.

  The tale of two d00ds who travel through time using a phone booth. Kinda like that one British guy, Doctor Who. But instead of doing it to stop evil forces from effin' up the time-stream, or to fight Daleks, Cybermen an' stuff, Bill and Ted do it because they're looking for historical figures, so that they too, in the future, can achieve their own destinies as historical figures. And also, because they gotta do a book report.

  From the very beginning of the series, Saturday Night Live was continually introducing characters that were created specifically for the program's Not-Yet-Ready-For-Primetime players. And these creations finally start to prove themselves as bankable movie properties with the Blues Brothers, "Joliet" Jake and Elwood. Portrayed by Jim Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, they originated as a fictional soul revivalist band as a part of a musical sketch for the fledging late-nite weekend comedy show.



  In their big screen debut, they are couple of orphan-raised white guys who soulfully sing the blues, regularly defy the law and like to drive at night wearing their sunglasses. Basically, because they're on a mission from God.
It's safe to say that, as a non-religious person, I came to see the light when I realized that the Blues Brothers is probably my favorite spiritual film of all time.

  The real-life story of the world's most famous shock jock and his meteoric rise to the top of talk show radio.
And by "real life", what I mean is that it's true.
Who woulda thunk that a movie about Howard Stern's early life on the air woulda made for a pretty decent movie?
 And by "decent", what I mean is that's it's not dirty.
 At least, not as much as one would expect it to be considering it's about the self-proclaimed "King of All Media".

 This one of the earliest horror themed comedies I remember watching as a kid. It was regularly shown on a local TV frightfest show called "Creature Features" that I used to love watching back then. The first time it aired, my older brother came up to me right before the program started that just because it was called "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein", the truth was that all three of the Universal Monsters Top Trio of Terror, Frankenstein's Monster, Dracula and the original Woldman, would be making an appearance in the story.
 To which I couldn't help but get all excited and ask "All three of 'em?? Cool!! Who's on first?!"

 Ever since James Bond exploded onto the silver screen back in the 1960's, blockbuster spy thrillers were being copied and parodied in the cinema sub-genre known as "spy spoofs". However, unlike their serious counterparts, many of these spoofs tended to "self-destruct" more often than they did "complete their missions" as successful movies. So much so that you barely see any being made today. One of the rare few that came out recently and was successful is the spy spoof simply known as Spy.
 One of the main reasons is that it was written and directed by Paul Feig, and stars Melissa McCarthy, both of whom had not only worked together before (most notably on the comedy megahit Bridesmaids), but also both who were in the midst of their own respective hot streaks.
 Spy is an excellent example of what fueled their hot streaks and why they worked so well together. It may not revitalize the spy spoof concept in the same manner that the new 007 flix have done to the more serious espionage thrillers, but it does succeed in demonstrating why the comedy sub-genre is not an impossible mission simply to be aborted.

   Stephen Chow, a film maker and actor from Hong Kong once write, directed and starred in a movie called King of Comedy (not to be confused with Martin Scorsese's 1982 film THE King of Comedy... two movies that are about as completely different as they could possibly be). And besides being one of his most famous works over in China (so much so that he actually remade it 15 years later, fitting called New King of Comedy), that is also he could be applied to himself, particularly when it comes to this new style of comedic chopsocky action film that began to rise at the start of the New Millenium.  Taking the absurdity of both the humor and the high kicks from this new style of Asian cinema and cranking 'em up a notch, he would then place the stories and situations of these movies in unlikely settings, or example, like that of a soccer field. 
  The end result would be something akin to like a live action moition feature which resembled a Bugs Bunny cartoon, with the martial artist star taking the place of the role that was typically inhabited by the "wascally wabbit". 
  I know that, upon first reading, this may sound a bit too way out there for mainstream movie goers, but the truth is, when it came to finding an audience for such out-of-the-ordinary chop 'em and sock 'em kick-flicks like Shaolin Soccer (and other similar films such as King Fu Hustle), Chow and Co. quickly discovered that with their distinctive brand of "karate komedy", that they had scored a goal.

 A recently widowed Jewish princess is convinced to join the Army, hoping that it will be akin to a nice tropical getaway. And, of course, quickly finds out the reality of the situation. A soldering process that eventually will bring the delusional diva down to Earth & mold her into a better person.



  Private Benjamin is a movie that makes me wish that there was a law out there that take all of today's spoiled Paris-Hilton/Kardashian worshiping, Sex-In-The-City watching, entitlement-sensed female jackanapes and make 'em enlist into the armed forces with a double-timed term spent in basic training.

  After finding widespread success on the Streets of Sesame and then on the studio of a weekly puppetted TV show, the world renown anthropomorphic amphibian Kermit T. Frog (the "T" stands for "The") packs up his talent (which is really all he has to pack considering that he has no clothes.... or genitals...) and heads out West, where the stars shine brightest.
  An up and down journey that eventually that will lead Kermy to his fellow felt-fabric friends and will help to reveal the true source of his belief in himself. Oh, and it'll also reveal his legs (something that, up to that point was rarely ever shown).
  A film whose child-like innocence does not overwhelm its adult sensibilities and therefore truly defines the phrase "family fun for all ages".
:)

  Paul is one of those typical big-eyed, big-headed aliens that we've grown accustomed to believing are hiding in Area 51.
  Although, as we get to know him in this story, we find that he completely disproves the mythical stereotype that he and his kind are here on our planet in order to circle our crops, mutilate our cows and probe our anuses....



 Paul shows us that all he wants to do is to share with us what he knows about the galaxy and to smoke a doobie.
 A really good doobie.
 The kind of doobie that killed Bob Dylan.

  A rule-breaking cop from the grimy streets of Detroit is led to Beverly Hills California on an investigation of the murder of his friend. Operating outside of the commands of his boss, he quickly finds that his Motor City style of police work clashes a manner that is culturally significant with the high society methods of the city known as the "Garden Spot of The World". In a role that was tailor made for him, Eddie Murphy stars as the shrewd smiling, street savy detective, Axel Foley, a character that made the SNL regular graduate from rising star to full blown blockbuster box office draw.

 IMO, Sam Richardson in one of the most underrated comedic actors working today (for me, he was the funniest character in the HBO series, VEEP, a show that was chockful of funny characters). And not just in my opinion, but a lot of people too, Milana Vayntrub is one the most underrated gorgeous babes in Hollywood right now (you would think that with her exposure in the AT&T tv commercials, she be getting better roles in bigger movies).
 Therefore, it's not surprising that both of these actors star in one of the most underrated horror comedies of 2021. 
 Based on a video game, Werewolves Within works more as a dark mystery story with the horror pay-off coming towards the end but fueled all without the film but some incredibly sharp and funny dialogue, which is, above all else, the main reason to see this film. 



 From the instant the movie begins until the very final shot, WW's script is one that will keep your ears perked up, and your attention to every word spoken, screamed or growled.
 For my tastes, this is the kind of stuff that the hybrid of comedy and creature is supposed to deliver without either film genre diminishing the other in the least bit.

 The decade of the MTV Generation hits its halfway point with a movie chock full of Brat Pack icons, like Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy, and that one guy with the really big nostrils.



 Let's be honest here,
despite the connection that the majority of John Hughes' films have to the 80's,
when it comes to The Breakfast Club,
this is the movie that has the decade saying, "Don't you forget about me".
 In a simple mind kind of a way, that is.

  This is a perfect example of how selling out with a buncha crumby sequels can ruin a franchise.
 For its genre, Smokey and The Bandit was a really quality film that was a lot of fun and pretty cool (I mean, y'know, for its time).
  It was only after a multitude of sub-quality follow-ups and sequels, that this type of movie became the joke that it is usually considered now.

  During the seventies, Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor were two comedians whose individuals stars were rising. Then someone came along decided to pair Wilder's ivory Brook-farce antics with Pryor's ebony-edged street-savvy. And as a result, at the beginning of the 80's decade, the comedy duel saw their combined star-power going super-nova.
  The second of four Wilder/Pryor collaborations, Stir Crazy probably didn't have the strength of laughter as their first outing, Silver Streak, but it still had enough LOL moments to warrant a conjugal visit or two.

  During the 90's, it seemed like the Farrelly brothers were on their way to becoming the kings of comedy when it came to creating funny films. Heck, their even responsible for my favorite comedy movie of all time, Dumb and Dumber. Here, in this mid 90's pin-dropper, the hermanos of hilarity decide to take a crack at the whole "against all odds" type of sport storylines that made other films like Rocky, Visionquest and the Karate Kid all winners in the genre of competitive championship cinema.



  In this one, Woody Harrelson plays a bowling prodigy who has been dealt a "bad hand" and sees within an Amish bowler (Randy Quaid) the kind of "lucky strike" that can put him back in the game. Hitting the road to Reno for a tournament with a big cash pot, their trip ends up encountering the kind of traversing troubles that make picking up a 7-10 split look like child's play.

  Okay, I grew up in Aurora, Ill..
  Which is supposed to be the town where these two characters live in.
So, we Aurorans were pretty excited when we first heard that there was a movie being made featuring the most famous "native" sons from our neck of the suburbs.
As it turns out, even though the plotline of this flick supposedly takes place in the "City Of Lights" (it's what we like to call our town), the representation of our fabled town is just that.... a fable.
  Not an ounce of Aurora appears in this move because not an ounce of the movie was filmed here (heck, there's even one driving scene where you can actually see palm trees in the background).
 Guess Lorne Michaels, producer of Saturday Night Live and Wayne's World deemed our fair city as just too unworthy.

  Bonnie Hunt and Steve Martin play a couple of parents who've spawned 12 children and are trying to raise 'em right in the white bread portion of the American Dream.
  Cheaper by The Dozen is the kind of family formula flick that I usually try to avoid in order to put some distance me and that specific type of sugary formula that has desensitized the genre of hearth and home. IMO, it is a film that can almost be perceived as a poor man's Parenthood. And maybe that's why I like it. TBH, I'm not sure why this is the exception to my rule, but it is what it is, and I don't care how cheap it looks having it here on this list. 

  If any of you reading this wanna judge me because of, all I can say is "Go f#ck yourself". That'll put an edge to this type of Disney style PG rated cornball crap.

 BTW I should mention that I am very proud to declare that this is the only movie that I have ever watched that features Ashton Kutcher in it.

   Chop Socky is a subgenre of the martial arts films from Asia which is a spawn of the comedic style combat that Jackie Chan brought to the forefront a decade earlier. Once the New Millenium began, the door was kicked wide open for other wacky wunderkind warriors like Stephen Chow, who directed and starred in both this, Kung Fu Hustle, and an earlier hit, Shaolin Soccer, two films that have since become staples in the burgeoning genre. After taking the absurdity of both the humor and the high kicks from this new style of Asian cinema and cranking 'em up a notch, it was movies like these prove that, when it comes taking Kung Fu to the next level in these modern times of indiscriminate cinema, ya gotta be willing to do the Hustle. 

 Throughout his long and lustrous career, Steve Martin has been known for being many things.
 A wild and crazy guy.
 King Tut.
 The New Pink Panther (*groan*).
 for me, I will always think of him best as The Jerk.
Now obviously, I mean that in a good way.
 Yeah, I know that nowadays he's usually considered as the innocently flawed yet perfectly PC humoristic dad in films like Parenthood and Cheaper by The Dozen. But during the back end of the 70's-decade, Martin had an edge to his style of comedy. And after the monopoly that Mel Brooks had in the field of farce films up to that point, it was exactly the type of edge that was needed to bring back the against-the-grain antics that makes this particular brand of comedy the kind that'll bust a gut or two.

 Dustin Hoffman is perfect in his role as Benjamin Braddock,
a young graduate who at the crossroad of his life, is counselled into thinking about getting into plastics.
  And in the end, he finds himself getting into Mrs. Robinson, instead.
  Ah well,
for the era that this movie came out,
I guess that's close enough.



  Shooting it's lead star, Hoffman and its director, Mike Nichols, to the top of Hollywood's hierarchy at the time, the Graduate is one of those movies that turned out to be enormously much more successful than expected and even moreso, became a defining moment for 60's generation cinema. Nichol's laid-back direction, combined with the underneath the surface commentary of the script, backed up with Dustin's everyman dazed and confused approach to the part, it all rolled up as a nice little window to the way the sensibilities of the love, peace and psychodelia scene was groovin' its way into the motion picture industry, man. A path that would eventually lead the "New Hollywood" movement of the 1970's.

  Lady Barbra teams up with that one guy from Love Story in a screwball comedy that's named after a wascally wabbit's most famous phwase.



  After I put this movie on this list I realized that I hadn't put up any farce films since back from the 50's. It seems like either there very few made during the period between then & 1972, or just that I didn't find any of funny up until this point. Either way, it was refreshing to finally not only be able to post one up, but also, to see that the main stars of WUD? are two actors who developed reputations during this decade for being in more "serious" and/or sappy romance flicks.
And of course, there's only one way to end an entry for a movie named after a famous Bugs Bunny catchphrase...

Th-th-th-th-that's all, folks.

  The French Riviera is a coastline resort for the wealthy that has room only for one conman. Therefore, it becomes a bit crowded when it finds itself the stomping grounds for two scoundrels, one smooth and sophisticated, the other, crass and crude, but both of them, dirty and rotten.



  With comedy not as sharp as it first might appear or with as much confidence as other like-minded films, DRS's strength comes from the pitch perfect chemistry of Steve Martin and Michael Caine. Their combined thespian antics provide this film with the kind of scams and schemes that'll swindle a smile out of anyone who decides to take a chance on this excellently executed snow job.

  Ever wonder what your life would be like if the only reason you existed was to be eaten, in a non-sexual innuendo way? Here's a movie that depicts what your food would think and talk like if your food could indeed think and talk. Sausage Party is the kind of story that will make you pause the next time you put a wiener in your mouth. As a matter of fact, you might find yourself thinking twice before you decide to swallow.
 And even though, as I said before, I mean all of this in a non-sexual innuendo kinda way, this movie doesn't.



  Finally, after years and years of consuming the saccharine flavored 3-D animated flicks that were geared more towards your kids' tastes than they were to yours, Sausage Party serves up a heaping helping of the kind of computer-generated culinary cartoonery that only the adults can really sink their teeth into.
 And then swallow.

  Worlds collide as the cartoon universe and the "real" universe meet in this who-dunnit "tail" of a wascally wabbit with claims that he has been
fwamed.



  A groundbreaking modern day film noir with enough color, comedy and star-studded cartoon cameos to make any hardcore animated film buff want to play pattycake with themselves.

  Los Hermanos Coen slap together a cult classic about some Dude who goes through a lot of shit just to get his rug back.
 And as anyone knows, the Dude needs his rug.
 It's what ties the room together.

  Hot Tub Time Machine is a film that uses the concept of time-travel to simply entertain us through an escapist tale that's just a bubbling bath of pure dumbassery. Which, even though that's a style of comedy that I usually tend to be very finicky about (I'm not one of those film fans that typically enjoys leaving his brain at the door when it comes to watching a movie, even if it is a comedy), this time around, I was quite surprised at how much I found myself laughing out loud throughout this movie's past-to-present running time.
 Maybe it's a guilty pleasure that I can enjoy because even though my brain doesn't like being left at the door, it doesn't mind being left back in the year1986 (which is where the group of friends in this movie end traveling to when their hot tub gains the unnatural ability to transport their water-wrinkled asses into the past).
I'm not sure how it will hold up upon further "future" viewings, but for now, I found it's boiling hydropathic humor funny enough for me to include it on this list.

 Boy, I gotta tell ya,
whether they're on appetizer sticks, in a sandwich, on top of spaghetti or in the form of a movie, I really do like me some Meatballs.
 Back during the late 70's and early 80's, summer camp was a very popular theme with teenage-targeted flicks.
  And while I was never really a big fan of this overall theme for a comedy (I always found summer camp comedy to be rather sophomoric, even when I was a sophomore), I did enjoy this particular movie. Not just because it's considered one of the classics of the genre, but also, because it featured then SNL staple Bill Murray in his first feature film appearance. From the start of his career, I was a fan of his laid-back approach to his humor, to his acting and just to his overall persona. Whether he's doing a skit, a major motion picture role, or just conducting an interview, just the way he was often managed to make me smile that same kind of smirky smile that he always seemed to have on his face. 

  Rodney Dangerfield stars as an old rich business guy who decides that it's time to get some respect by going back to school.
  Which is convenient, considering that that's the title of this movie.