10. Jackass 1 and 2 - While not technically comedies, I didn't have a better time watching anything in the theater. I saw #2 with 3 male friends on the first weekend it opened, and we laughed until we cried along with the whole audience. The Jackass gang are to Gen X what the Three Stooges are to previous generations. Love it.
Click below for the rest of the list.
9. Superbad (2007) - Michael Cera and Jonah Hill deliver a raunchy and sharp comedy gem from the mind of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. This one is probably overrated by the 'millenials', but it is still legitimately funny.
8. 40 Year Old Virgin (2005) - Great performances all around and a breakthrough role for Steve Carell. I like the way he handles himself and his interactions with Catherine Keener, although I think the absence of religion in the life of a 40 year old virgin is unrealistic.
7. Knocked Up (2007) - The only one in my list that isn't a pure comedy, but there are enough laugh out loud moments to include it. Favorites include the scenes with Kristen Wiig and anything with Jonah Hill and 'the gang'.
6. Anchorman (2004) - I was slow to take to this one, but now I can quote it from start to finish. This is Ferrell's 'persona' now, and each of his movies basically is another chapter in Ron Burgundy's life. Great cameos from the great Vince Vaughn.
5. Borat (2006)- Even though the movie isn't as good as the HBO Borat, it still makes me laugh on the 20th viewing. Favorite scenes include the conversion at the church (done tastefully, actually), dinner party, and naked fight scene.
4. Napoleon Dynamite (2004) - This movie was a legend before its theatrical run ended. Jon Heder should've gotten a best actor nomination in 2004, and his character is one of the most impactful of the last 10 years. The sheer originality and insular location make it one of my favorites.
3. Wedding Crashers (2005) - If you could cut out the Rachel McAdams/Owen Wilson love scenes, or at least take away their false earnestness, this would be tied at #1. You can't, though, so you just have to fast forward through them to get to Vince Vaughn showing why he's the funniest man alive. Motorboat!
2. Meet The Parents (2000) - This was and always will be Ben Stiller's best movie. He is great as a neurotic male nurse combatting a sublime Robert DeNiro. The sequel took a little bit away from the whole package, but this stands alone as a great comedy. Owen Wilson's break out role, short though it was.
1. Old School (2003) - This is probably in my top 5 comedies of all time (haven't done that list yet). Vince Vaughn as the successful entrepreneur/party animal/dad is beyond funny, as is Will Ferrell as the wildman trapped inside the dutiful newlywed. Luke Wilson and Jeremy Piven provide superb straight men and I could watch Speaker City commercials all day long.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Top 10 Comedies Since 2000
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6 comments:
an interesting post, although I don't put borat this high (i know i'm in the minority here), i agree more or less with your assessment. it's ironic that the two oscar-nominated comedies of recent years, little miss sunshine and juno, don't crack the top ten.
Juno is too clever for its own good in my mind, and LMS's third act ruins the first two.
Completely agree with you on Wedding Crashers, Knocked Up, Superbad and 40 year old Virgin. I may have to give Anchorman and Old School another spin.
The "comedies" I would include are Oh Brother Where Art Thou, Intolerable Cruelty, A Mighty Wind, State and Main, and Thank You for Smoking.
I'm also assuming your exclusion of Sideways, Lost in Translation, and About a Boy because of their dramatic elements.
Doc- I was trying to weed out all of the types of movies you raise. A Mighty Wind probably belongs on the list, but not the others (for the reason you cit). I don't have a fond memory of State and Main, I'll queue it up to see if I'm wrong.
State and Main is overwritten and too cerebral, but those are the types of comedy I drift towards.
I just wanted to say that I see very few lists of top movies that I come so close to agreeing with. This list is a very good one and wanted to give you props on your good taste of comedies. One comedy I did like a lot was I know pronounce you Chuck and Larry. I thought it was a top notch film by Adam Sandler, like in his prime, when he was making the greats like Happy Gilmore, Waterboy, and Billy Madison.
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