10. The Heat.
Ha ha ha ha haaa!
No, I’m joking. Seriously though, read on to see the real list!
1o. Clerks
An hour and a half of indie film gold about a young guy being called in to work on his day off. Written and directed by Kevin Smith AKA “Silent Bob,” Clerks has become a cult classic, and is an honestly hilarious film. When I was studying film at college, this was recommended to me by the media technician. He told me that the guy who made it had to film in black and white because he was using the convenience store he worked in, and had to cover lighting changes and continuity somehow. But the film is more than just a good bit of editorial cheating. It’s beautifully written and shows a realistic look at the monotony of working in a dead end job in your early 20’s. There are so many struggles that a guy that age would experience, missing your game of hockey because of work, the boss calling you in on your day off, complaining about being called into work, girlfriend, and ex-girlfriend issues… It’s a very real film, which makes it so much funnier. Great film, great story, and a great film to watch for any budding filmmakers.
Notable moments:
- “You sucked 37 dicks?”
- The corpse scene
- The funeral
- Hockey match
- Silent Bob’s first words
9. Hot Fuzz
My favourite of the “Three Flavour Cornetto Trilogy,” Hot Fuzz takes a rich cast of top comedy actors, and puts them into the dark, twisted world of the English countryside. It has a great League of Gentlemen feeling to it, what with the murderous preciousness the townsfolk have over their little village. Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost as the main characters really pull off great performances, as the big fish detective forced to work in a little bowl, and his awe-struck, clumsy follower-turned-friend. Edgar Wright’s fantastic comedic directorial style, and the realistic, though exaggerated, way they capture the small English village, and the people in it, turn this film into one of the best British made comedies in the past 10 to 20 years.
Notable moments:
- Nick Frost’s garden fence moment
- Rory McCann as Michael. The guy who says “yarp,” and presumably “narp!”
- Simon Pegg arresting all the underage drinkers
- The Supermarket scene
- Paddy Considine and Raef Spall’s characters
8. Django Unchained
“Wait, this isn’t a comedy!” – an idiot.
Sure, this may not be a conventional comedy, but as sure as that nigger is riding on a nag: it is funny. Django Unchained is Tarantino doing what Tarantino does best, which, surprisingly, is not blood and guts, although that does come into the comedy of this film a lot. But what Tarantino does do better than anyone, in my opinion, is write dialogue. If there is one scene in this film I could use to sell how well Tarantino wrote Django, it would be the KKK scene. What better way to depict the KKK than through words? Showing all of them as stupid, mindless, rednecks. That scene had me dying. But comedy aside, Django is also a very gritty, and real, though exaggerated, glimpse at the black slave trade in America. Though many, if not most scenes are funny, many are not funny and not meant to be; they’re meant to be harrowing and sickening. They’re meant to make you abhor this awful time in history, and this is why Django would go down in my top ten films of all time. It has a perfect balance of comedic writing, comedic gore, drama, emotion, and real-life.
Notable moments:
- The KKK scene
- Every Christoph Waltz scene
- Every Jamie Foxx scene
- Every Samuel L. Jackson scene
- Every Leonardo Di Caprio scene
- The soundtrack
- Tarantino’s explosive cameo
7. Napoleon Dynamite
A subtle film, but another comedy cult favourite. Jon Heder’s performance as the lanky, ginger nerd Napoleon is number seven for me because, like most great comedies, it has realistic (sick of that word yet?), though warped characters, that almost anyone can relate to. We all know a Napoleon, we all know an Uncle Rico, and we all know a Kip. The film has a British comedy feel to it, the desolate areas, the bleak surroundings, and the lack of enthusiasm. It’s all very dry. But the ending, and general feel-good nature of Napoleon Dynamite is as anti-British as a comedy can get. Well worth a watch.
Notable moments:
- “Gaaahh”
- Napoleon’s dance scene
- “Ever take it off any sweet jumps?”
- Rex-Quan-Do!
- Tina
6. Team America: World Police
America! Fuck Yeah! Matt Stone and Tray Parker’s hilarious puppeted satire which takes a ridiculously good shot at America’s intrusive involvement other countries affairs, North Korea’s ex-leader, Kim Jong Il, and Hollywood celebrities and their movements to end war and famine in the third world and Middle East. Of course, America is depicted as Team America, who blow everything up, then claim to have saved the day. Kim Jong Il is a stereotypical Asian man who is short and mispronounces words. He’s also extremely lonely or “ronery.” And Hollywood actors are all FAG’s. If you like risque comedy, where no one is safe from a joke, and one which doesn’t take itself too seriously, this is right up your street. And of course, if you like South Park, you’ll love Team America!
Notable moments:
- “I’m so ronery”
- Matt Damon
- “Everyone has AIDS!”
- The sex scene
- All the action scenes
5. Austin Powers International Man of Mystery
Mike Myers will arguably be best remembered for his role as Austin Powers, even though he has had some other stalwart comedy characters! I’m thinking Wayne from Wayne’s World, and Shrek… But his spoof of a James Bond character is what has made me, and a lot of others split their sides over and over again. The Austin Powers series doesn’t take itself seriously, like a good spoof should, and it has an array of classic comedy sketches, scenes, and characters, all designed to put a loving middle finger up to the 007 series. Basil Exposition, named after his role in the film, to give the plot further exposition, Dr. Evil instead of Dr. No, Random Task instead of Odd Job… Felicity Shagwell, Alotta Fagina… The series is full of great, stupid characters, which make it hard to watch a Bond film with a straight face. And great comedy acting all round by Mike Myers. It was hard to choose one from the series but I’m just going to go with my gut and choose the one that started it all.
(Fun fact: did you know that Mike Myers wanted Jim Carrey to play Dr Evil? But filming coincided with Carrey’s role in Liar Liar! Myers then took the job on himself.)
Notable moments:
- Dr Evil and Scotty’s “shhh” scene
- The ironic plan to blackmail Prince Charles
- Frau Farbissina
- Just watching Mike Myers in action in his prime
4. Monty Python’s The Holy Grail
The almighty Monty Python! But which film do I choose? Well, obviously from the sub-header and the big picture, I chose The Holy Grail. Any of the Monty Python films could be in my top ten comedy film list, but this one, for me, is the best of the lot. The top five of my list are films that I can watch over and over again, and laugh every time. The Holy Grail has 5 or 6 scenes where I laugh that hard I miss other sections of the film. I don’t really believe in the term “films to see before you die,” but if I was to advocate it, this film would be in the list. Pure comedy genius in the script, in the improv, it the action, and in the titles.
Notable moments:
- The Black Knight
- Sir Robin the Brave
- Sir Lancelot’s running/ murdering scene
- The Knights who say Ni!
- BURN THE WITCH
- “Well I didn’t vote for you”
- French John Cleese in the castle
- The Bridge of Death
3. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
I love John Hughes films, and this is his best. Charming, funny, and full of that confused, conflicted, anxious comedy that is abundant in teenagers. John Hughes was the best at showing what it is like to be a teenager. I saw this film for the first time when I was 14, and I know the script so well I could go back in time, write it, and give it to Hughes myself. Unlike the films in 4, 5, and 6 in this list, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is (back to that word again) realistic. Especially Alan Ruck’s character, Cameron, who I think this film is really about. It’s his coming of age. Ferris is the typical American comedy character in this film. He may be an underdog, but he will always win. And that’s great to watch. Everyone likes to see the good guy win. But Ferris seems to have it all, apart from a car. Whereas Cameron, although he has the car, has nothing in the way Ferris has. He is an unconfident hypochondriac who is void of the parental love and care that Ferris has in abundance. Cameron is the typical British comedy character. He is the underdog, but he will lose and lose, and find victory through the getting up and dusting off. We like Ferris but we route for Cameron. And on top of all the comedy, there is this underlying sense of empathy for the characters. It’s a beautiful movie, that could bring anyone to tears of joy or sorrow.
- Chicago Art Gallery Scene
- The Ferrari Joyride
- Cameron and Ferris’s prank call
- The run home
- Charlie Sheen’s cameo
2. Airplane!
Airplane in the top 2 of a best comedy films of all time list? Original, I know. But there are hundreds of reasons why this is such a popular film among comedy movie fans. It’s very rare that films that are gag after gag, with barely a line which isn’t a joke, are actually funny. It’s difficult to make people laugh consistently for an hour and a half. But Airplane does it brilliantly. It’s often emulated, never bested in regards to its style, and that shall remain as a fact, I think, forever. The classic Kareem Abdul-Jabbar cameo, Leslie Nielsen’s perfect comedy timing and deadpan voice and expression, Robert Hays and Julie Haggarty’s hilarious interchanges, and all the little bits that tie the film together make it arguably the perfect all out comedy film. It should be at least in the top ten comedy films of anyone who’s seen it, unless spoof isn’t their cup of tea. Notable moments? Plenty.
- Captain Oveur, Victor, and Roger
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Smoking or None Smoking?
- Disco Scene
- Excuse me stewardess, I speak Jive
- I like my coffee how I like my men: black
- Joey, have you ever seen the inside of a Turkish prison
- The drinking problem
- Automatic pilot
- Jim never has a second cup of coffee at home
- Sir are you a doctor? Yes I am.
- I just want to wish you both good luck.
- Surely you can’t be serious? I’m deadly serious. And don’t call me Shirley.
- Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit smoking
And bloody loads more. Just watch it!
1. Way Out West.
Laurel and Hardy. The perfect odd couple, and my favourite comedy act. The stuff they made in the early 20th century still leaves me in stitches today, and it will continue to keep people laughing for another hundred years after I’ve expired. Way Out West was the first feature length film of theirs that I saw. This film revolves around Stan and Oliver, who are delivery boys, sent to give a young woman the deed to her deceased father’s goldmine. However, her crooked employers (excellently played by James Finlayson and Sharon Lynn) trick Stan and Ollie, steal the deed, leaving it up to the duo, and their donkey, to get the deed in the hands of the right woman once and for all.
The main thing that is obvious in Laurel and Hardy films is that they understood the importance of relentlessness and realism. They will always end up in the water but they will always get back up again! Well, Stan will always cause Ollie to fall into the water, but Stan will always be there to help his buddy up. They have the balance of off the wall slapstick and straight up empathy for them down to a tee. Charming and funny as ever, and one of the first to do it so well, Laurel and Hardy produced the funniest film I have ever seen with Way Out West; and here are some reasons why:
- The dance scene
- The tickle scene
- “In the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia”
- The candle/ thumb scenes
- The opening scene (Lola)
- “What did he die of?” “I think he died of a Tuesday, or was it Wednesday?”
- “Shhh”
Do you agree with my list? Let me know what you think!
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