So, this blog is one year old. A whole year ago, I started this blog. So how about we celebrate? Now I did think about doing a list of my favourite movies, but I think I'll save that for an even more special occasion. It wouldn't be right to not celebrate though, so what about the next best thing? My favourite movies in a particular genre? Now I know my last post was something similar, but that wasn't ranked, and this will be. And it's my favourite comedy movies. It seems I can't go a post without mentioning this, but comedy is still my favourite genre, so it just feels right to celebrate with a list of my favourite comedies. Some of these I will have talked about, hell, some of you probably know my number one, but some are new, and there might even be a surprise or two in there.
And no, Rat Race will NOT be on this list. Yeah it's a great time, but these will be movies I love that aren't just really funny, but also favourites of mine too. And some of these are all time favourites of mine. Not just ones that make me laugh, but ones that I always come back to. Movies I could just talk about for hours on end. So this is, in a way, a list of my favourite movies. Because all of these are favourites. And if you haven't seen these movies, drop everything and do so now.
But before I start, here's an honorable mention. I don't really know if this counts as a movie, but Eddie Murphy: Delirious is one of my favourite stand up shows ever. It's not a film as such, but it did make me say "hang on, Eddie Murphy is actually freaking hilarious". Watching him lampoon racism, hauntings and ICE CREAM! is an absolute blast to witness. Raw is pretty great too, but Delirious for me is funnier, and I just prefer the routines from this show over Raw. What else can I say but "I GOT MY ICE CREAM, I GOT MY ICE CREAM!"
So let's proceed with my one year celebration!
10. Father of the Bride
Now, I'm talking about the Spencer Tracey film, not the Steve Martin remake. For me, this film is one of the funniest films from the golden age of Hollywood. It's all about Spencer Tracey, who plays a man whose beloved daughter is about to get married. There's not much of a plot, instead we just watch Tracey get himself into a variety of shenanigans. His character is so damn stubborn, and this is part of what makes him great. He refuses to stop arguing, without realising that he never had a say to begin with. He's a comedic force of nature, and the witty dialogue compliments his sharp delivery perfectly.
Because of this, most of the funniest moments of the film are just him being a general curmudgeon. One scene that always cracks me up is when he's trying to force a door open, only for his jacket to split up the back. His dream sequence at the end also kills me. It's all about him here, and he makes the film truly special. Even when he's just talking to other people, his general grouchy demeanour makes everything way more difficult than it should be.
The film really breaks down the whole process of organising the wedding, but because it's from the point of view of someone who REALLY doesn't want it to happen, and the natural comedy that stems from that is nothing short of wonderful. It actually feels like the wedding is getting closer, and it plays up the anticipation through Spencer Tracey's eyes. And Stan Banks himself is such a lovable asshole. He's nor even really happy for his daughter until near the end, and even then, I think that's more relief that everything's over. He's impossible to hate though. If you haven't seen this one, or you've only seen the Steve Martin film, you have to see this. It's a real treat.
9. It Happened One Night
Here's one that's kind of special to me. Why? Because it was the first movie I ever talked about on this blog. I had wanted to talk about movies for awhile, and then decided to set this blog up. I just kind of wrote about the first movie that came into my head, which was It Happened One Night, which I saw just a little while before starting this. And then I just kind of kept blogging, and now I'm here. But it's not just here for sentimental value. It's one of the sharpest, funniest and most charming comedies ever. Now obviously I have talked about it before, so I kind of am going to repeat myself. But I will try to change up what I say about this film.
It's kind of the quintessential road trip movie. There are road trip comedies I like better, but this one for me is the classic. The classic tale of two opposites who find each other on a bus and fall for each other. While bickering constantly, of course. It's the generic romantic comedy before generic romantic comedies existed. It invented so many tropes that are still used to this day, and they hold up phenomenally. Okay one or two jokes have dated I'll admit, but the film is still so fresh and original. And it's damn funny too.
Gable and Colbert have great chemistry. He's a smart alec and she's the straight man. He'll always have a dozen quips and she'll always counter that with a wonderfully unimpressed reaction. It works so well, and it's even better when they flip it, and she's the one with the one liner, while he plays the straight man. It's simple but it's so effective, and unlike most romantic comedies, the humour never slows down because of the romance. In fact, they blend quite well, actually. It becomes apparent quick that the two of them are using sarcasm to deny their feelings for each other. That works well to develop the romance, but the humour is still so sharp on top of that. That's one thing from this film that I find is rarely copied, actually. It's funny but it's also genuine, and that balance is hard to do.
The pacing works well too. I love how you really feel them developing and changing over the journey, and kind of dealing with their pride and stubbornness when it comes to their feelings. The back and forth is something special here, and the more time these two spend together, the better the movie gets, and it honestly feels like a road trip. It's a truly great film, and I'm happy it kickstarted most of tropes associated with comedy movies today.
8. Groundhog Day
So I love Bill Murray. And I really could have picked most of his movies for this slot. I love Stripes, and always will, but Groundhog Day for me is slightly stronger. If you've never seen it, a weatherman is sent to cover the groundhog day festivities in Punxatawney, Pennsylvania. He wakes up to find himself stuck living groundhog day over and over again. Every day is the same, but it's how he develops over the course of the movie that makes it special. It's actually a little bleak at times, and it does show how nightmarish this scenario would be.
What I love is how he goes through every single arc possible before finding the right one. From taking advantage of the loop, to using it to seduce his producer over and over, to not giving a shit about anything, to killing himself over and over, to being a godlike being, to helping everyone possible, then finally learning every skill possible and improving himself in every way. It goes through everything here, until he finally develops. I think what stops the loop is him finally becoming a better person. I've heard people say that he's making the most out of a bad day, but that doesn't make as much sense to me. He's learning how to appreciate the things around him.
The film doesn't mess around though when highlighting how serious the loop is. The scene when he's powerless to prevent the old man's death is particularly strong. It's often a black comedy actually, but it's written in a way that's ultimately optimistic. Bill Murray is awesome here. He's constantly changing, yet somehow he's the same guy. He never loses that sarcastic spark that became his trademark. Watching him pretty much being so many alternate versions of the same guy is insanely fun, and when he finally wakes up on February 3rd, it's a genuinely cathartic moment.
It's a damn clever movie. The story is always moving forward, and it often moves in the last direction you'd expect it to. It's so fantastically written, and smart and incredibly creative. It's got this knack for laughing at the little details in life, and it uses its fantasy elements to do it. It's an awesome movie, and one that begs to be watched over and over. And over. And over. And over.
7. Monty Python's The Meaning of Life
Oh boy. As I've established, I love Monty Python, and their movies. I've talked and Holy Grail before, which I adore for its simple silliness, and I stand by that. Life of Brian I love for it's sharp satire and no holds barred approach. But my favourite is the third and final Python movie, The Meaning of Life. It's weird because I rarely hear this one talked about beyond being the movie with the exploding fat man. The other two frequently get on lists of the greatest comedies, and while I agree, neither is is the one that I love the most. It's an anthology film, and comedy anthology films are usually.... not the best, and that's being kind.
I think two things keep this one funny. First, it's got a common theme running between the stories: the search for the meaning of life. Not the answers, the questions. It doesn't spoof the actual meaning of life, more the fuss people make about finding it. And it's freaking hilarious. Each segment poses the question, and then uses its punchline as the answer. It's crass, stupid and in bad taste, but it's always funny. In fact, it's in such bad taste, that, much like Life of Brian, it was actually banned in Ireland for many years, only being released when It came to VHS. There's a crass creativity to it, and because it's spoofing literally everything that ever happened, I feel like it has slightly less limitations the other two films. Not that that they were held back or anything, but because the spoofs were more specific, there wasn't as much of a variety as there was with Meaning of Life. Everything, from religion to death, war to school, obesity to birth was relentlessly parodied. And it. Is. Glorious.
I suppose the other reason I love it is because it's like Flying Circus: the Movie. It's just a huge collection of sketches, and unlike something like And Now For Something Completely Different, which kind of was just the Flying Circus film, everything here was original, made from the ground up. And because it was made on a much larger budget, they can up the spectacle and lose none of the silliness. And that's what I love. It's sheer ridiculousness with no limits. It doesn't have to make sense, because it's spoofing a subject with no easy answers. It's easily the group's silliest film. Things happen here that come right out of nowhere, but if you just roll with it, it's awesome.
So no, Holy Grail and Life of Brian don't make this list, because Meaning of Life was ever so slightly funnier for me. There's just more here for me. More of what makes me love these guys. More of what made me a fan in the first place. Life of Brian may be a stronger satire, and Holy Grail may be more memorable, but Meaning of Life is just the one that makes me laugh the most. So look, if Mr. Creosote is the only thing you know of this film, or the only thing you can remember, l highly recommend you watch it, or watch it again. I'll never understand why so many people dismiss this one.
6. A Night at the Opera
Okay, list of favourite comedies. Bill Murray is a definite, so are Monty Python, and the Marx Brothers of course. The Marx Brothers. Okay, let's see. Animal Crackers, Duck Soup, Horse Feathers. Hmm. I love all of those movies. I guess I'll pick.... Monkey Business? No.... A Day at the Races.... or maybe The Coconauts? Damn it, I think this list was a mistake.
Okay, okay I'm just kidding, but seriously, HOW DO YOU PICK JUST ONE MARX BROTHERS FILM. These guys are awesome, and all of their films are some of the greatest older comedies ever. Their writing was spot on, their silliness sharp, and their charm never matched. These guys are seriously some of the greatest comics ever. So this pick is kind of a representative pick. A movie that sums up everything great about the Marx Brothers. Because you can't say one is the best. So I'll just talk about A Night at the Opera.
Okay, so I don't really have a favourite. This is just one that showcases why the Brothers hold a special place in my.... funny bone? I don't know. But it's them at their best anyway. There's not really a plot here. There's a widow, her accountant, an opera, and a boat. That's kind of it. But it's in the witty dialogue and silliness that this one succeeds. Every exchange packs some laughs. Every silly scenario cracks me up. The film runs off Marx Brothers logic, which is its own kind of logic where anything can happen. The things that make sense are the silliest, the things that should make sense don't, the things you think will happen never do. It's silly but it's smart.
And every brother is at his best here. Groucho is at his wittiest, Chico is at his sleaziest, Harpo is at his *honk*-iest. They all work fantastically here. They bounce of each other so damn well, and the film's best exchanges are just these guys trading excellent quips. They're the characters they always play, but at their best here. They're given the room to go nuts here, and I think that most of the stuff is improvised here. These guys were just so naturally funny, that even when it's just them talking about freaking legal contracts, they get a laugh. Because after all, there ain't no sanity clause.
And the cabin scene. One of the all time funniest movie moments ever. It's so simple, a cabin that gets progressively more crowded, but it's the dialogue and physical comedy, and the way it melds together that makes it work. Groucho kills me all the time, but especially here. It's just the way he invites everyone in, and the way he talks to the stewart, and the way he steals this scene. I come back to it quite often, because I just love it. So while there isn't a best Marx Brothers film, A Night at the Opera is a good place to start if you've never seen one of their films.
5. The Blues Brothers
Now we're talking. We're getting to the good stuff now. I was raised on this film. I watched it at a young age, so it's always been one I really, really love. John Landis is one of my favourite filmmakers, and between this, Animal House and Trading Places, the guy knows how to get a laugh. It's hard to put my finger on why The Blues Brothers works, because it just kind of does. Two brothers need to raise money for the orphanage they grew up in, so they get their band back together. That's it. But it's how needlessly complicated everything gets that makes it a favourite. These guys get chased by everybody. The police, the army, ex-lovers, Illinois nazis, everyone is after these two. And the sheer destruction that follows is nothing short of great.
It's so simple, but so crazy that I have to love it. Maybe it's the nostalgia talking, but then again the film itself is just so much fun, which is helped massively by the soundtrack. This has to be one of the greatest movie soundtracks ever. And what really gives the soundtrack a boost is that many of the characters in the film are actual musicians. The musical portions of the film are too much damn fun.
The deadpan delivery really balances out the fast pace and constant motion. That's not an easy balance to get right, but John Landis really excels at it, not just here but in all of his work. The Blues Brothers is especially good at this though because it never slows down. It's constantly throwing more destruction and craziness at you, and never once does it even start to slow down. It's infectious fun, and the over the top-ness of it all makes it impossible to not laugh. Carrie Fisher as Jake's scorned ex-lover is the highlight for me, and it showcases this film's insanity perfectly.
It's a really great film, and for me it's so funny not just because of how over the tip all the destruction is, but how deadpan and sarcastic the dialogue is. The characters are great, the music is great, the humour is spot on, and it's just awesome. It's one you could find me watching at any time. It's infinitely rewatchable, and every time I've seen it, I've seen something new in it. Something I didn't notice before that often makes me laugh even more. Always a classic.
4. The Muppet Movie
And now for a fact: I hated The Muppets growing up. Yeah, I don't know why, but I went out of my way to avoid anything Muppet related, for some reason. So I only became a fan of The Muppets recently. And thank God for that. I don't know why I avoided The Muppets for so long, they're freaking hilarious. And most of the Muppet movies could have made this list. Movies like Muppets Take Manhattan, The Great Muppet Caper or Muppets Most Wanted are arguably funnier than the original Muppet Movie, but for me, this one's hands down the best.
Bear in mind, I have zero nostalgia for this movie. It's one of my favourite comedies however, because it's surprisingly smart. There's a lot of surrealism, and meta humour, and fourth wall breaking. These gags really caught me off guard first time I saw them, and had me laughing long after. It may not have the fast pace of the three movies I mentioned above, but I think why I favour this one is because I think that, while it doesn't have as many gags, it knows how to tell it's jokes in a way that you won't even notice. It's so amazingly self aware, and that's what makes me love it. It knows it's a movie, and it embraces it.
It's fantastically clever, while also fully embracing it's own stupidity. It's the Muppets at their best. And the cameos man. Steve Martin, Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn, Mel Brooks (more on him later), and ORSON FREAKING WELLS. Yep. The guy who made Citizen Jane, the greatest movie ever made, is in The Muppet Movie. This film is effortlessly charming, ridiculously clever, lovably stupid, and nothing short of one of my all time favourites. So if I love it that much, what does that day about these next three?
3. What We Do in the Shadows
Oh hey, another one I've already talked about. This is one I only saw this year, but it's grown on me quick. I've watched it four or so times since I wrote about it, and it just seems to get funnier and funnier. And yet it's such a simple premise. This is one that I think is really aided by the style. It's a mockumentray, and I think that sets it apart from other vampire comedies. I'm not going to go too in depth, since I think I summed it up pretty well in my review, but I'll still sum it up for those who haven't read that.
What We Do in the Shadows is a New Zealand made vampire mockumentray about four friends sharing a flat in Wellington, who are all vampires. The film centres around the four in the weeks leading up to the Unholy Masquerade, a huge party for vampires, witches, and demons. But what I think makes it so special is how it especially focuses on the mundane things these guys do. They're just kind of living normal-ish lives, and it's about these characters trying to function in modern society. And because their so likable,a just following them around is a great time. It's a really clever little movie that I stand by as being one of the best of the decade so far.
2. Arsenic and Old Lace
Finally I get to talk about the great, great Cary Grant. God I love this guy. And Arsenic and Old Lace is easily his best for me. It's one of the best black comedies I've seen. If you haven't seen it, a man gets married, and visits his two elderly aunts at the inn they run. He inadvertently discovers a dark family secret, which ends up spiralling out of control when his long lost brother turns up. I won't spoil it, even though it's 73 years old, but the twist is too good here. Watch it if you haven't.
But just because I won't spoil it doesn't mean I can't talk about it. See, for me it works because it's just like any other screwball comedy for the first twenty minutes, until the twist brings the first dark joke. It doesn't throw you straight into the dark humour, it drops it on you when you think you have the movie figured out. Cary Grant gives what I honestly believe to be one of the greatest performances I've seen. He's the master of the double take, and he can sell shock and disbelief like few can. It takes some serious acting chops to have this much onscreen presence, but Grant makes it look easy. Everyone's awesome though. Peter Lorre and Raymond Massey make great villains, while the aunts and uncle get many laughs too. Especially the uncle, who's so mentally unstable that he thinks he's Theodore Roosevelt. That gets serious laughs as the film goes on, and it's just an excellent, excellent, film.
1. Young Frankenstein
Okay, okay, here's the thing. I poured my heart and soul out during June Jokefest about why I love Young Frankenstein, Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder, and everything else. The funny thing is though, if this was a list of my favourite movies, Arsenic and Old Lace would actually rate higher. Because as a movie, I prefer Arsenic and Old Lace. But as a comedy? Young Frankenstein is the shit. I saw it again in the cinema recently, and it's still hilarious. The entire audience was united in losing their shit laughing. Unlike It Happened One Night and What We Do in the Shadows, I think I'll let my post on this film speak for itself. It's more recent, and I think I summed everything up really well there. It's still a perfect spoof, and it's still my favourite comedy of all time.
