Benchwarmers…
I’m not going to lie, but Forgetting Sarah Marshall is one awesome freaking comedy. It’s probably one of the funniest films I’ve seen.
Now, other than that, though, I will say that some Mel Brooks is always good, particularly Blazing Saddles, The Producers, or Young Frankenstein.
Really, though, comedy varies so much; maybe you’re looking for a comedy of manners? Something like The Importance of Being Earnest is quite hilarious.
Then again, now that I think about it, I hardly own any comedies. You could alwayd go with School of Rock, though. There’s one freaking good comedy.
Savvy
I’d recommend Kind Hearts and Coronets. It’s not a laugh-a-minute kind of comedy, but the performances are excellent and the script is full of dry British wit.
That reminds me: Dr. Strangelove is one hell of a comedy, by Kubrick, nonetheless. Two birds with one stone!
Savvy
I recently saw Bunuel’s The Exterminating Angel and despite all of his films being comic and satirical, I would call that a straight up comedy.
All (ok not all but most) of Billy Wilder’s comedies are fantastic, but I would like to give a special nod to One, Two, Three since it is rarely talked about.
Dr. Strangelove. Actually, there’s a lot of Peter Sellers movies that would qualify here. Oh, you know, and there’s some Buster Keaton stuff I liked a lot. Our Hospitality and Steamboat Bill, Jr. were his best for me. Of course, that’s a little bit older . . .
More recent stuff – Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Super Troopers both had me laughing hard. So did the Big Lebowski. Ed Wood was good, but it made smile more than laugh.
ok i lied about benchwarmers…please no one watch that film
Mystery Men is underrated and extremely rewatchable. My favorite comedy on the planet.
I agree wholeheartedly with “The Importance of Being Earnest.”
I’m kind of conventional in my comedy tastes. I enjoy “Clue” quite a bit. Also, “See No Evil, Hear No Evil.” Pretty much anything with Richard Pryor, Gene Wilder, John Candy, Bill Murray, etc.
Gene Wilder is awesome.
Another one of Billy Wilder’s comedies that stands up tall is Some Like it Hot! That film, I think, was voted as AFI’s number one comedy a few years back, and to see it is to know why.
Man, Sekzee, I haven’t seen Mystery Men in a long time. It was pretty funny, if I remember correctly.
Savvy
I’d suggest The Phantom of Liberty instead of The Exterminating Angel for pure comedy gold.
Amarcord (Federico Fellini_, 1973)
500 Days of Summer (Marc Webb_, 2009)
Trouble in Paradise (Ernst Lubitsch_, 1932)
Ninotchka (Ernst Lubitsch_, 1939)
The Shop Around the Corner (Ernst Lubitsch_, 1940)
It Happaned One Night (Frank Capra_, 1934)
His Girl Friday (Howard Hawks, 1940)
Big Trouble in Little China (John Carpenter, 1986)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Terry Gilliam & Terry Jones_, 1975)
Tampopo (_Juzo Itami, 1985)
I really like Ernst Lubitsch if you couldn’t tell.
Glemaud knows more about Bunuel than me so I would trust him on The Phantom Liberty. I also second (500) Days of Summer for something more recent. It was very very good.
Love Exposure – Sion Sono – Japan
Hold Up Down – Sabu – Japan
Happy Killing – Korean
Tears of laughter
I’m pretty crazy about the original Bedazzled.
What About Bob has me in stitches every time.
Zach, if you pay attention there are so many creative nuances embeded in evey scene.
The Palm Beach Story – Preston Sturges
Galaxy Quest is a nice satire on the Sci-Fi TV genre (Star Trek Franchise).
Any comedy by Jarmusch is often hilarious.
Anything written by Preston Sturges and most of Billy Wilder.
Life of Brian
Tanner ’88 – Altman (Made for TV but very sharp)
Monkey Business, Bringing up baby, Ball of Fire – Hawks
Election, Citizen Ruth, About Schmidt – Payne
Flirting with Disaster, I Heart Huckabees – Russell
Same Old Song – Resnais
Good Morning – Ozu
Hudsucker proxy – Coens
Women on the verge of nervous breakdown – Almodovar
In An Expression Of The Inexpressible
I don’t know about you, but one of the hardest genres to find really good movies for me is the comedy section. I thought maybe some of you can help me. Which movies are hilarious in a smart, impish, innovative or crazy way? For me one of the best are The Big Lebowski, 24 Hour Party People, Annie Hall or Ed Wood.