Comedy: The Forgotten Genre!

[Paul Casey Frito Bandito Find all posts View Profile Close Paul Casey]

One that it took me far too long to see ('cause I'm a lazy jerk) is Wet Hot American Summer. Man, that movie's fuckin' funny. I love The State, so I'm probably biased.

[Charlie G Member Find all posts View Profile Close Charlie G]

The first time I saw DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, I was high as a kite and had no clue what the hell was going on. Watched it straight, and yeah....it's friggin' hilarious. Michael Caine is great in it as well. Worth checking out, for sure.

Thanks for the recommendation Mark and Mike T, I just ordered it. I also picked up Wet Hot American Summer. It looks to good to pass up. Thanks Paul!

[Paul Casey Frito Bandito Find all posts View Profile Close Paul Casey]

Thanks for the recommendation Mark! I just ordered it. I also picked up Wet Hot American Summer. It looks to good to pass up. Thanks Paul!

If you dig it, be sure to rewatch it with the fart track on.

[Charlie G Member Find all posts View Profile Close Charlie G]

If you dig it, be sure to rewatch it with the fart track on.

What the hell did I just get myself into? :)

[Nolando Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Nolando]

I actually ached from laughing at The Hangover when I saw it in the theater. Hadn't had that happen since Bad Santa.

The Coens nearly always pack in some humor, usually of the absurdist variety which I tend to enjoy. I think I was the only person in the theater when I saw The Big Lebowski that was actually laughing loudly and often. Same, tho', with Hudsucker Proxy - not their best movie but, damn, that scene with the kid finding the hula hoop just slays me.

I can't stand the comedy of The State or the Upright Citizen's Brigade or Broken Lizard - just derivative and boring, much like SNL, really. So I have zero interest in WHAS.

I laughed heartily at the Jackass movies, too, in recent memory. Same with Tropic Thunder tho' I really wish they'd make, what was it, Happy Jack?, into an actual film.

[Mike T Guest Find all posts View Profile Close Mike T]

I think I was the only person in the theater when I saw The Big Lebowski that was actually laughing loudly and often.

See, this was me at home with the HT set-up. I think my wife lasted all of about ten minutes or so and just went and did something else (but Asian folk have a different SOH to us whiteys). If I suddenly find myself laughing out aloud at home, then I know something has amused me.

Same with Tropic Thunder tho' I really wish they'd make, what was it, Happy Jack?, into an actual film.

This took me really unawares - I saw the words "director's cut" on the 3-DVD set, and figured Stiller, Downey and Black together in a film would be an interesting experiment or a total disaster. But it actually turned out to be hilariously funny. My biggest surprise, as I hadn't really taken any notice of it prior to buying the DVD (out of a bargain bin), was...Tom Cruise. For anyone who hasn't seen it and maybe might...that's all I'm saying.

[Paul Casey Frito Bandito Find all posts View Profile Close Paul Casey]

I can't stand the comedy of The State or the Upright Citizen's Brigade or Broken Lizard - just derivative and boring, much like SNL, really. So I have zero interest in WHAS.

Fair enough. I don't really like SNL, but love The State. Sure some stuff is predictable, but a lot of it comes from way out of left field. Plus, their skits are short, so even if you hate it, it'll be over soon enough.

I will never see The Hangover. Well, I'd watch it to get my winston smoked, but I wouldn't watch it for any non-dinkie related reason.

At least we still share a love of bacon.

[Paul L Scholar of Sleaze Find all posts View Profile Close Paul L]

The Big Lebowski should be on my list too. That movie is one of my favorite comedies. "Nobody fucks with The Jesus."

Yep, the Coens usually get me laughing. I tend to find that when I see one of their films in a cinema, I have the always awkward experience of being one of a very small handful of people laughing whilst almost everyone else sits on in stony silence - that happened to me with just about every one of their films I've seen in the cinema (BARTON FINK, THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE, THE BIG LEBOWSKI, FARGO, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN and, most recently, TRUE GRIT). The humour in those films tends to be very dry, though.

I watched A SERIOUS MAN yesterday, for the first time, and I found much of that movie hilariously funny.

Tell me about it. My wife can't fathom why I enjoy "CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM". She finds Larry's paranoia to be quite disturbing. I tell her that's the whole point. So when it comes to that show, I sit laughing alone. :)

Again, more dry humour. CURB is a work of genius, imo, but years ago, when it first started airing in Britain, I remember sitting down to watch it with a girl I was courting and, whilst I was almost literally rolling around on the floor with laughter, she didn't find it funny at all. I also remember using it to teach an A Level class on television situation comedy back in 2002 or 2003, and around half of the kids would sit and watch it without cracking a smile, whilst the other half of the group were in hysterics. It really splits viewers, I think.

Another Steve Martin favourite of mine is Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Michael Caine is so wonderfully sleazy in that one and he and Martin work well together. "Not mother?"

Along with SEE NO EVIL, HEAR NO EVIL, that's one of my 'go to' films when I need a pick-me-up. It never fails to make me laugh, no matter how many times I've see it. Caine and Martin work perfectly together. In fact, I think Caine is underrated (and underused) as a comic actor; he's got a great sense of timing.

I saw THE HANGOVER in the cinema and I thought it was pretty entertaining, with some gags that worked very well but quite a few clinkers. The missus and I watched Todd Phillips' DUE DATE recently too, and that film is also around half 'hit' and 'half' miss - but when it's funny, it's very, very funny. I've long been curious about Phillips' remake of SCHOOL FOR SCOUNDRELS, about which I've heard very mixed things - but I thought Billy Bob Thornton showed some good comic talent in BAD SANTA, so I'm tempted to give SCHOOL FOR SCOUNDRELS its day in court.

[paul h. woly boly Find all posts View Profile Close paul h.]

Yeah, only once. Plus, everyone I was with had seen it a few times and was laughing at a ton of parts that I didn't think were funny. Probably soured it for me.

I have to rewind every time during the scene where the Dude drops the lit roach in his crotch while driving his shitty car and jamming out to Creedence. It's making me laugh right now just thinking about it.

But hey, if it's not your cup of tea, ye shant be judged by me. Arrrrg.

[paul h. woly boly Find all posts View Profile Close paul h.]

I just watched like a season and a half of 30 Rock in two sittings. That's some pretty funny television, with heaping helping Of Tina Fey cleavage as a bonus. So, is that her idea?


I really like Tim & Eric Awesome Show Great Job, which is fairly experimental stuff.

[paul h. woly boly Find all posts View Profile Close paul h.]

The Doors?

It's always come across to me as a musical comedy. I have a hard time taking Val Kilmer seriously, though he really does an admirable job in the film. For some reason, the whole cast in this one cracks me up (Kyle MacLachlan, for starters; Crispin Glover as Warhol). Just like Natural Born Killers, and Scarface. Hmmm, I think the root of my comic confusion could be Oliver Stone.

However, Mommie Dearest is filed under "Horror" in my collection, and Gangs Of New York is in with the "Westerns", of course.

[Paul Casey Frito Bandito Find all posts View Profile Close Paul Casey]

UHF has always cracked me up.
Not straight up comedy, but I watched Microwave Massacre again last night. Man, what a good time. "I'm so hungry, I could eat a whore."

[Todd Jordan Smut is good. Find all posts View Profile Close Todd Jordan]

I still haven't watch Microwave Massacre. Had it for going on two years...

Paul H., I see what you're saying. It makes more sense now.

[Mike T Guest Find all posts View Profile Close Mike T]

As a little follow-up: Paramount UK have announced BDs of...

Airplane!
The Naked Gun
Planes, Trains & Automobiles

...so I'd expect a similar announcement in the US shortly. :)

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

I'd upgrade on Naked Gun and Airplane! for sure if the quality was good.