My favorite comedies I can watch again, and again, and again, and again…
Mar 21 '06 (Updated Jun 15 '09)
The Bottom Line My 10 favorite comedies that I don’t get sick of.
This is my list of my 10 favorite comedies. All of these movies are movies I don’t get sick of watching. In addition a couple of these do a blend of action and comedy which really works.
10) The History of the World Part 1
Director: Mel Brooks
Rating: R
Mel Brooks makes fun of the dawn of history up to medieval times. Mel brooks stars in many of the scenes including (but not limited to) being Moses, a Roman comedian, and a priest. Definitely not an educational movie but very funny. Many scenes feature Mel Brooks as a lead so I hope you like looking at his face a lot.
9) Bruce Almighty
Director: Tom Shadyac
Produced by: Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum, Steve Oedekerk
Rating: PG-13
I originally saw this movie expecting it to be bad. So why did I see it? I was bored and my family was out of town. Well I ended up loving the movie. Not only was it humorous but it had a good story to boot. The acting was well done and enjoyable to watch. I think Jim Carrey really showed his more mature side in this movie, but he still threw out his patented brand of comedy. This is my favorite movie that Jim has done.
The basic story is that Bruce gets to be God for a little while. He has all of the powers of God and the responsibilities that come with this job. Thankfully he only has to deal with his hometown and not the whole world. While this idea may seem offensive to a conservative I found that it really ended up not being offensive or crude. It maintained a bit of respect for religion and focused more on the human aspect of power and what absolute power can do. God is played by Morgan Freeman who does a good job with the role, like he does with most of his roles.
8) Spies like us
Director: John Landis, David Garfath (II)
Produced by: Bernie Brillstein, Brian Grazer, George Folsey Jr
Story by: Dan Aykroyd & Dave Thomas
Screenplay by: Dan Aykroyd, Lowell Ganz, & Babaloo Mandel
Music: Elmer Bernstein
Languages: English
Subtitles: English
Rating: PG
This is a funny movie starring Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd. They play two government employees in dead-end jobs and they want to be something more than they are. They get the opportunity to become spies but the problem is they are merely decoys and unknowing decoys at that. And since they have had no training in how to be a spy they completely screw up every situation they find themselves in.
The main reason I think this comedy works is because the two actors are so different. While not a perfect blend, they do compliment each other in a unique way. Dan Aykroyd keeps the story going while Chevy Chase is the complete screw-off in the movie. Chevy’s character is always doing something stupid to get the pair into trouble. But it does work and is an enjoyable movie to watch.
7) Spaceballs
Director: Mel Brooks
Story by: Mel Brooks, Thomas Meehan, Ronny Graham
Music: John Morris
Subtitles: French and Spanish.
Rating: PG
This is one of the funniest movies out there, especially if you are a science fiction fan. This movie by Mel Brooks makes fun of the science fiction of the day. Nothing is sacred, everything is fair game in this movie. Sort of like the same idea as the scary movie series but with sci-fi.
The acting in this movie is average like other Mel Brooks movies. What sets this movie apart is the story. The story is well written, intriguing, and humorous. The spoofs of the various Sci-Fi of the day really hit home and still make me laugh.
6) Rush Hour
Director: Brett Ratner, Terry Leonard
Produced by: Jay Stern, C. Marie Davis, Leon Dudevoir
Writer: Jim Kouf & Ross LaManna
Music: Lalo Schifrin
Languages: English
Subtitles: English
Rating: PG-13
I like this movie for the same reason I like MIB, it isn’t pure comedy but a mix of comedy and action that is almost blended perfectly with an intriguing story. It is a story of two cops, one from L.A. and another from Hong Kong. Jackie Chan (officer Lee) and Chris Tucker (officer Carter) play the leads. Officer Lee plays the straight guy and Officer Carter plays the wanna-be-comic role. So you pair a screwball with a serious Hong Kong cop, put them in humorous situations and you have a hit.
Many times when you have two stars in a movie you generally have the actors competing against each other and not complimenting each other. In this movie you have two actors that really compliment each other well. One is geared towards physical comedy (and many times plays the straight guy role) and the other specializes in verbal comedy. I’m not sure what else to say about the chemistry except that it just works. Worked so well that they made a successful sequel.
5) Undercover Brother
Director: Malcolm D. Lee
Produced by: John Ridley, Bill Carraro, Kim Roth
Story by: John Ridley.
Screenplay by: John Ridley & Michael McCullers
Music: Stanley Clarke
Languages: English, Spanish, & French.
Rating: PG-13
This is a comedy that makes fun of many of the racial stereotypes in our culture. Nothing is sacred or off limits in this movie. The first time I watched it I felt a little uncomfortable because of the racial jokes, but as the movie progressed I just saw a bunch of actors making fun of the stereotypes in this culture. The movie also has a nice blend of action and comedy.
The story is also well done. It is an action style cop story with comedic moments added in. The heroes of the story are there to stop “the man” from meddling with society. But first they have to figure out how he is going to do this.
The style of comedy reminds me a lot of SNL and some of the other weekly late night comedy shows. A bit unrealistic and occasionally over the top to get a reaction.
4) Men in Black
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld, Eric Brevig
Produced by: Steven Spielberg, Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald
Screenplay: Ed Solomon
Music: Danny Elfman
Languages: English & French
Subtitles: French, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese.
Rating: PG-13
This is a science-fiction movie with humor added in. What makes it work is the two leads. One is a straight man and the other is a wanna-be-funny guy. It will have you laughing as well as scratching your head at times while you wondered what they were thinking when they wrote it. The basic story is that the world is in danger and only the Men in Black can save the world. The side story is that of a young cop being integrated into this super secret organization. This is in my mind a more important story, that story about a young man maturing and growing, while facing a brand new world that is new to him as well as the audience.
The other story is about how lonely it is to be a Men in Black agent. It is a story of sacrifice, and sacrifice that is never recognized. These agents also cannot have regular relationships like the rest of the world. This aspect is address several time throughout the movie. So not only is it funny and action packed, it does have some emotion on the sideline.
3) The Princess Bride
Director: Rob Reiner
Produced by: Norman Lear, Andrew Scheinman, Rob Reiner
Screenplay: William Goldman
Music: Mark Knopfler
Languages: English, Spanish
Subtitles: Spanish, French
Rating: PG
This is a beautiful movie that is based upon a book. It is about a beautiful peasant that thought she had found “true love” and then lost it. She is then picked by the prince to be the new queen based on her beauty. Very soon into the movie she is kidnapped by a neighboring landowner and her adventure begins. Her goal is to escape from the clutches of these evil men and see if true love truly exists. And yes this is a comedy that will have you laughing as well as routing for the good guy.
2) Groundhog Day
Director: Harold Ramis.
Story by: Danny Rubin.
Screenplay by: Danny Rubin & Harold Ramis.
Music: George Fenton
Produced by: Trevor Albert.
Rating: PG
This is a funny movie where a man gets to relive the same day over and over and over again. It is while he is trapped in this loop that he realizes what is important in life, and what is not. They really did a good job with this movie by making it flow so well. It doesn’t slow down nor are there any unnecessary part to the story. The comedy can be subtle but there is plenty of it. Most importantly of all, it is a comedy with a message that hits home for me.
1) Monty Python: Search for the Holy Grail
Director: Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones
Produced by: John Goldstone, Mark Forstater, Michael White (VI)
Written and performed by: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, & Michael Palin.
Languages: English
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish.
Rating: PG
All I have to say is this is a classic. The Monty Python troop does a great job of making fun of medieval England and themselves. It is funny and bizarre, sometimes at the same time. King Arthur is in search for the Holy Grail and he acquires the help from several other knights to help him on his quest. Along the way Arthur has several challenges and foes that he must defeat. The brilliance is that Arthur is fairly clueless in this movie yet he always defeats his foes that are usually smarter than he is. You just have to see this movie.
Other top ten lists
My 10 favorite Anime Movies.
My 10 favorite science fiction movies
My 10 favorite children's movies
My top 50 movies reviewed
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