This was an 'easy' piece, we just knew. We were warned by some (Ann, Ava and C.I.) that what seemed simple would take forever. And it did.
For each year we selected one film with a few exceptions. Some years required two. One year required three. We used this sparingly, by the way.
Don't see SEX, LIES & VIDEOTAPE on the list? A hilarious film. But not the funniest of its years. Some years we really didn't have to think too hard because there weren't that many funny ones.
One film probably will stand out because it bombed. And it was reshot and reworked to death. But if you watch it, you can see what it should have been -- especially if you pay attention to the lead blond woman in the ensemble cast. That year wasn't a strong one for comedy. But we do think this film has a lot of promise onscreen even as it is currently. Maybe instead of re-editing THE WAY WE WERE, Barbra Streisand could take a look at that 2001 film?
Some films have a single sentence after them, some have several sentences. After we finally narrowed down every title on this list, we then broke up into small groups to write about each film. Some people felt a single sentence sufficed. So that's what we've got. We hope you enjoy the list. We encourage you to make your own.
1933 I'M NO ANGEL (tie) SHE DONE HIM WRONG
Mae West's 1-2 punch.
1934 TWENTIETH CENTURY
Carole Lombard and director Howard Hawks show how comedy is done.
1935 HANDS ACROSS THE TABLE
Carole Lombard continues to demonstrate how comedy is done.
1936 MODERN TIMES
A Charlie Chaplin classic.
1937 A DAY AT THE RACES
Marx Brothers classic.
1938 BRINGING UP BABY
Howard Hawks directs Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant as hilarity ensues.
1939 NINOTCHKA
With a script co-written by Billy Wilder, even Greta Garbo could garner laughs.
1940 THE PHILADELPHIA STORY
Katharine Hepburn reteams with Cary Grant (their fourth teaming) and in this unforgettable comedy.
1941 THE LADY EVE
Preston Struges directs Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda in this laugh classic. 1941 was Stanwyck's year -- she reteamed with Fonda for the comedy YOU BELONG WITH ME, teamed with Gary Cooper for MEET JOHN DOE and again with Cooper for the comedy classic BALL OF FIRE (directed by Howard Hawks with a script by Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett).
1942 TO BE OR NOT TO BE
Ernst Lubitsch directs Carole Lombard in her final film -- released after she had passed away. One of the screen's great comic actors, along with TO BE OR NOT TO BE, TWENTIETH CENTURY and HANDS ACROSS THE TABLE, her other comedy classics include NOTHING SACRED, MY MAN GODFREY, THE PRINCESS COMES ACROSS, LOVE BEFORE BREAKFAST, TRUE CONFESSION, FOOL FOR SCANDAL and Alfred Hitchcock's MR. & MRS. SMITH.
1943 THEY GOT ME COVERED
Not a strong year for comedy but this one starring Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour stands out.
1944 ARSENIC AND OLD LACE and PLANE DAFFY
Frank Capra directs Cary Grant in this legendary comedy and PLANE DAFFY is one of the first animated comedy classics -- a short film starring Daffy Duck.
Comedy classics are hard enough but when you're trying to make a really funny Christmas film, that's even harder. Barbara Stanwyck and company deliver.
1946 MONSIEUR BEAUCAIRE
A Bob Hope comedy classic.
1947 MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET
The remake is cloying. The original is equal parts cynicism and hope and pulls you in while delivering laughs.
1948 UNFAITHFULLY YOURS
The tenth film directed by Preston Sturges and among his classic comedies which also includes THE LADY EVE, SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS, THE PALM BEACH STORY, THE MIRACLE OF MORGAN's CREEK and HAIL THE CONQUERING HERO.
1949 IN THE GOOD OLD SUMMERTIME
Judy Garland and Van Johnson star in this musical comedy.
1950 ALL ABOUT EVE
A drama, yes, also a very funny one. Thelma Ritter and Marilyn Monroe provide many laughs but Bette Davis detonates every good line she's given.
1951 DRIP-ALONG DAFFY
Another short, animated film revolving around Daffy Duck.
1952 MONKEY BUSINESS
Another Howard Hawks directed comedy classic. The cast includes Marilyn Monroe and Ginger Rogers with Cary Grant in the lead. He repeatedly delivered in comedic roles. Already on the list: BRINGING UP BABY, SHE DONE HIM WRONG, THE PHILADELPHIA STORY, ARSENIC AND OLD LACE and I'M NO ANGEL. His other comedic high points include: SYLVIA SCARLET, TOPPER, THE AWFUL TRUTH, HOLIDAY, HIS GIRL FRIDAY, MY FAVORITE WIFE, I WAS A MALE WAR BRIDE, INDISCREET, THAT TOUCH OF MINK and OPERATION PETTICOAT.
1953 GENTLEMAN PREFER BLONDES
Another classic comedy directed by Howard Hawks. Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell star and musical numbers include "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" and "When Love Goes Wrong." A huge hit comedy in 1953 and one of two for Marilyn (the other being HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE).
1954 IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU
In the fifties, Judy Holliday carved out a comedic career with films like this. Also see BORN YESTERDAY, ADAM'S RIB, THE MARRYING KIND, PHFFT, THE SOLID GOLD CADDILAC, FULL OF LIFE and 1960's BELLS ARE RINGING. IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU is directed by Judy's frequent director George Cukor (he directed four of her films).
1955 THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH
Marilyn Monroe was nominated for a BAFTA for this film -- her comedy led to a lot of ticket sales in the US but little admiration for her acting talent.
1956 PARDNERS
The 15th film Martin & Lewis made together -- second to last one before Dean Martin went one way and Jerry Lewis went the other.
1957 THE NAKED TRUTH
A blackmailer goes after Peter Sellers and others in this British comedy. It's laugh-out-loud funny.
1958 BELL, BOOK AND CANDLE
Kim Novak stars as a witch who falls in love (with Jimmy Stewart) much to her shock and that of her family (Jack Lemmon and Elsa Lancaster).
1959 SOME LIKE IT HOT
One of the funniest films of all time. Billy Wilder directs Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis. Marilyn won a Golden Globe for her performance. Billy and I.L. Diamond wrote one of the funniest scripts of the 20th century.
1960 THE APARTMENT
Billy Wilder directs Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine and Fred McMurray in this comedy. Billy directed many great comedies prior to this -- his finest being SOME LIKE IT HOT -- but after this? His only film that really provides laughs is when he reteamed with Lemmon and MacLaine for IRMA LA DUCE.
1961 THE PARENT TRAP
This comedy has been remade, sequalized and endlessly referenced in other films and in episodes of TV shows.
1962 ONLY TWO CAN PLAY
Peter Sellers is torn between two jobs and two women.
1963 IT'S A MAD, MAD WORLD
Producer Stanley Kramer made a lot of films, with this comedy classic, he also directed one.
1964 THE PINK PANTHER
Peter Sellers again. Like legendary performers who came before -- Carole Lombard, Bob Hope and Marilyn Monroe -- Peter was a genius when it came to getting audiences to laugh.
1965 CAT BALLOU
Jane Fonda had done comedy before and would do it after but CAT BALLOU is where she first demonstrated her comedic timing and her willingness to go 100% all out for a laugh and Lee Marvin won the Academy Award for this film.
1966 A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM
Zero Mostel and Phil Silvers are among the stand outs in this Richard Lester film.
1967 THE PRODUCERS
Mel Brooks created his first comedy classic film in the same year as other strong comedies were released (such as BAREFOOT IN THE PARK).
1968 HOT MILLIONS
Peter Ustinov, Maggie Smith, Bob Newhart star in this heist comedy.
1969 CACTUS FLOWER
Great comedic actors aren't as common as studios would hope. This film announced the emergence of one of the few: Goldie Hawn. Brenda Vaccaro played the role on Broadway and did get laughs and applause. She did not, however, walk away with the play. She also was not seen as sympathetic. You got that the man she was having an affair with was using her and you understood it because she was using him too. Goldie Hawn brought laughs and vulnerability to the role -- a human Tweety Bird. Goldie won the Academy Award for this performance.
1970 M*A*S*H*
Robert Altman directed this classic and if you've only seen the pale copy that was the CBS sitcom, make a point to sit through this film.
1971 HAROLD AND MAUDE (tie) A NEW LEAF (tie) TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN
Hal Ashby's classic comedy starring Ruth Gordon and Bud Curt with a great soundtrack from Cat Stevens/Yusuf ties with Elaine May's A NEW LEAF which had Walter Matthau at his most original acting opposite May with an inspired cast including Doris Roberts and ties with Woody Allen's BANANAS which is Woody's first true comedy classic. (TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN is funny, it's not at the level of BANANAS, however.)
1972 WHAT'S UP DOC?
Peter Bogdanovich directed Barbra Streisand in the funniest film she ever made. First-rate work all around including performances from Madeline Kahn, Ryan O'Neal and Austin Pendleton. It's one belly laugh after another.
1973 SLEEPER
This time Woody directs a new co-star: Diane Keaton. It's an inspired pairing, they have an easy and natural chemistry. He shares the spotlight with her and she runs with it, especially when she's impersonating Brando in A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE or when she's spouting poetry or joining Woody to do surgery on the nose of the leader. An inspired sci-fi comedy.
1974 YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN
When he's not doing skits but actually writing scenes, Mel Brooks is capable of so much as he demonstrates with this film and a cast that includes Gene Wilder, Cloris Leachman, Madeline Kahn, Marty Feldman, Teri Garr and Gene Hackman and cinematographer Gerald Hirschfeld deserves to be singled out for praise.
1975 LOVE & DEATH (tie) SHAMPOO
Back to Woody. He and Diane Keaton are in Russia this go round and possibly even more hysterical as they debate philosophy and plot to kill Napoleon. Hal Ashby also pops back on the list with SHAMPOO -- a classic seventies film about the end of the sixties. Warren Beatty, Julie Christie and Goldie Hawn star. Julie Christie has one of the most memorable lines at a dinner when she explains what she wants but Hawn may walk away with the film when she asks Warren's character for the truth about his cheating.
1976 NETWORK
Faye Dunaway won the Academy Award for playing the programming chief willing to do anything for ratings including giving a terrorist group their own weekly TV show or backing killing someone on live TV. William Holden's career was running on fumes at that point and his acting reflects it (and it perfect the role he plays).
1977 ANNIE HALL
Diane Keaton and Woody continue their comedy duo streak, Diane won the Academy Award for Best Actress while Woody won Academy Awards for best script (co-writer) and Best Director. It's a comedy classic with the school children revealing what happened to them when they became adults ("I'm into leather") and Diane's nightmare driving in NYC.
1978 CALIFORNIA SUITE
Herbert Ross directs this screen adaptation of a Neil Simon play. The performances provide the laughter. Jane Fonda delivers most strongly in the unsympathetic role of Hannah. Alan Alda gives her very little to work with as her screen partner but she still detonates every one-liner Simon's provided. Maggie Smith won an Academy Award for her portrayal of an actress nominated for an Academy Award (she won in real life but lost onscreen). Michael Caine, Elaine May, Richard Pryor, Walter Matthau and Bill Cosby round out the cast.
1979 BEING THERE
Hal Ashby directs another film classic -- this time starring Peter Seller and Shirley MacLaine.
1980 PRIVATE BENJAMIN
Producing for the first time, Goldie Hawn scores big with this film. A great cast -- Goldie, Eileen Brennan, Hal Williams, Mary Kay Place, Craig T. Nelson, Armand Assante, and Albert Brooks.After her (second) husband dies on their wedding night (while they're having sex), Judy Benjamin decides to join the military.
1981 THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING WOMAN
What if no one ever cared what you thought until you were on TV? Would you be a Kardashian? No, you'd be Pat Kramer -- Lily Tomlin's character in this film where out of control corporate greed shrinks us all in one way or another. The strong cast includes Charles Grodin and Henry Gibson. However, the person who almost steals the film from Lily's Pat Kramer is . . . Judith Beasley. Lily brings her beloved consumer advocate to this film and she's hilarious at a neighborhood meeting confronting a woman who refuses to pick up after her dog and Judith doesn't just call the woman out, she brings the receipts.
1982 TOOTSIE
Sidney Pollack directed this comedy about Michael Dorsey (Dustin Hoffman) taking a job on a soap opera to prove he can get hired and to raise money to put on the play his friend Jeff (Bill Murray) wrote. Thing is, he had to pretend to be an actress to get hired. Teri Garr and Jessica Lange provide laughs and Jessica actually goes so deep into her role that this is the film that announces just how powerful she is as an actress.
1983 ZELIG
Woody Allen returns to giddy highs with this comedy about a man who can blend in anywhere but who hates his doctor's pancakes. Playing his doctor, Mia Farrow may get her biggest laughs when Woody, under hypnosis, can't stop dragging those awful pancakes.
1984 BROADWAY DANNY ROSE
Woody directs himself and Mia again. He's a personal manager for clients no one else wants, she's those women she got to know when she was married to Frank Sinatra -- a little too jaded, a little too brassy. "The bullets go right through" -- might just be the funniest line in a very funny film.
1985 PEE WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE
The first masterpiece from director Tim Burton.
1986 CRIMES OF THE HEART
Diane Keaton, Jessica Lange and Sissy Spacek play three sisters in this film adaptation of Beth Henley's Pulitzer Prize winning play. All three leads get a chance to shine. Sissy Spacek, as the youngest sister, was nominated for an Academy Award and won a Golden Globe. Tess Harper should have been nominated for a best supporting Academy Award. She's great throughout as the awful cousin who Diane Keaton eventually chases out of the house with a broom. And Jessica Lange plays the middle sister in such a relaxed manner that you grasp how she dropped out of the family for several years.
1987 OVERBOARD
Goldie made many great comedies in the 80s (PRIVATE BENJAMIN, PROTOCOL, WILDCATS, SEEMS LIKE OLD TIMES, BEST FRIENDS) but it's this one that took on a life of its own that the reviewers in real time certainly did not anticipate. It's been remade in the years since; however, this one remains the best with cast members like Kurt Russell, Katherine Helmond and Roddy McDowall. "What an ugly wig," The film is filled with with funny lines and Goldie makes all of her lines shine..
1988 DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS
You won't believe what a perfect comedy team Steve Martin and Michael Caine make until you see this film.
1989 WHEN HARRY MET SALLY . . .
A comedy classic that was misinterpreted by the studios. Rob Reiner can't direct romantic comedies. And Billy Crystal didn't make this film a hit. America embraced and identified with Meg Ryan. And it was Nora Ephron's script and on the set exchanges with Rob that made the film so memorable. Nora would go on to direct the comedy classics SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE and YOU'VE GOT MAIL. Meg would star in both and also the comedies JOE VERSUS THE VOLCANO, PRELUDE TO A KISS, I.Q., ADDICTED TO LOVE, HANGING UP and KATE & LEOPOLD.
1990 JOE VERSUS THE VOLCANO
Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks team as a couple for the first of three films. Meg plays three different roles. Some fans of the movie will love the luggage best. Us? We like Angelica's poetry "Long ago, the delicate tangles of his hair covered the emptiness of my hand" and her eagerness to share it, "Would you like to hear it again?" (Yes, there is an episode of NCIS that quotes those lines and many more from the film.) Strong support from Lloyd Bridges, Ossie Davis, Robert Stack, Amanda Plummer and Abe Vigoda.
1991 DROP DEAD FRED
A really good comedy film often goes less appreciated when it's initially released -- sometimes it's even savaged. But films like DROP DEAD FRED, BRINGING UP BABY, OVERBOARD and JOE VERSUS THE VOLCANO are examples of films whose audience discovers them as the years pass.
1992 DEATH BECOMES HER and HOUSESITTER
If you ever doubted Goldie Hawn's versatility, check out these two comedies. In the first, she steals the film from Bruce Willis and Meryl Streep. Helen and Madeline were 'friends.' Madeline stole Helen's fiancée. Helen develops mental issues and a weight problem. When she decides to turn her life around, that includes getting back at Madeline. Meryl is Madeline or Meryl is posing as a character named Madeline. Goldie delivers a master class in acting as Helen. The same year, she did Frank Oz's HOUSESITTER after Meg Ryan walked on the role. As a last minute replacement, she could have been off her game. Instead, she created a completely different character. She lies and each lie is about the world she wanted and these lies circle her and circle her and bring her and Steve Martin together when he learns to lie (or wish) the way she does. A great film with wonderful cinematography. And that's just comedy. Goldie's one of the few actresses in the second half of the 20th century to have three films released in one year. She produced the third -- CRISSCROSS -- a drama she stars in.
1993 MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY
Woody Allen and Diane Keaton reteam for this comedy classic. Joining them? Angelica Huston, Alan Alda and, yes, Joy Behr (Joy is very funny). But it's the chemistry between Diane and Woody that really nails down the humor.
1994 ED WOOD
Tim Burton directs another comedy classic and, this time, in black and white. Johnny Depp is amazing and leads an amazing cast which includes Bill Murray, Sarah Jessica Parker and Martin Landau who won an Academy Award for his performance.
1995 PARTY GIRL
Daisy von Scherler Mayer's classic starring Parker Posey. "I. Don't. Know." and many other classic moments.
1996 FLIRTING WITH DISASTER
David O. Russell's perfect film. While Ben Stiller plays an annoying sad sack, all around him great performances are being delivered by Lily Tomlin, Mary Tyler Moore, George Segal, Josh Brolin, Tea Leoni and Richard Jenkins. Russell never made a film as good but he's probably okay with that since groped his niece and got away with it (she filed a complaint, he admitted to it and the police refused to charge him). Trust the art, not the artist.
1997 MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING
PJ Hogan directs this classic that broke every rule and should have reinvented the romantic comedy. Julia Roberts stars and is assisted expertly by Rupert Everette, Cameron Diaz and Dermot Mulroney.
1998 BULWORTH
No one examines the present like Warren Beatty. This is a great film. He should have stuck with contemporary time periods. He was a co-writer, a producer and a director -- as well as a star -- on this film that provides one great moment after another and gave Halle Berry her first great film role. Complaint? "Bitches Are Hustlers Too (I Thought You Knew)" was featured in the film but not on the soundtrack album -- yeah, that's how perfect film is, the only complaint we can make is about the soundtrack album that got released.
1999 TEA WITH MUSSOLINI
Franco Zeffirelli turned in a late in life classic when he directed this film. The film is set in Italy and starts with WWII looming. A group of women's lives are changed. That's interesting enough now let's note the actresses playing the women. Maggie Smith (who won another BAFTA for this film), Lily Tomlin, Judi Dench, Joan Plowright and Cher. All are wonderful in the film and Cher reminds you just how made for the movies she is.
2000 SMALL TIME CROOKS
Woody Allen teams with Tracey Ullman in this story about a planned robbery that gets interrupted by cookie success. Woody and Tracey deliver as do Elaine May and Hugh Grant.
2001 TOWN & COUNTRY
This film needed a Woody Allen or Neil LaBute or Nora Ephron. There were too many changes, too many rewrites, too many reshoots. It was attacked before release. But it's got many moments that work. Warren Beatty and Diane Keaton reteam (REDS) and the chemistry is still there. Goldie Hawn? One thing that could have been done is put more of her in it. None of her scenes are compromised. She knew who Mona was and played the character reliably in every scene she shot. Rewrites harmed Diane because should Ellie stay with her cheating husband Porter? Maybe. Maybe not. But various writers could never figure that out or how to sell it to the audience. The cast is there doing their job, it's a shame that there was an adult behind the camera or in the studio to say, "This is the story we're going with and we're not changing another thing." Strong performances in the film include Nastassia Kinski, Andie McDowell and Charlton Heston.
2002 TWO WEEKS NOTICE
Sandra Bullock, one of the very few actresses who could carry a romantic comedy (the other two: Meg Ryan and Julia Roberts) teamed with one of the best actors in the genre (Hugh Grant) to make this film which veers a little to the darker side than some might expect. Well worth watching -- something you can't say about NINE MONTHS or MICKEY BLUE EYES. But, like NOTTING HILL, SMALL TIME CROOKS and ABOUT A BOY, TWO WEEKS NOTICE is actually funny.
2003 SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE
Working from her own script, Nancy Meyers directed this film that glides from one laugh to another and features strong performances from Keanu Reeves, Amanda Peet, Frances McDormand and especially Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton.
2004 WHITE CHICKS
Some might see it as a guilty pleasure, but if it wasn't funny, it wouldn't continue to be watched and enjoyed. Keenen Ivory Wayans directs, Marlon and Shawn Wayans star. And, yes, it's hilarious.
2005 MONSTER-IN-LAW
Jennifer Lopez made a lot of romantic comedies. Pretty much all of them stunk. We're saying they stunk, not she stunk. She was in poorly thought out vehicles. MONSTER-IN-LAW was the exception. It pitted J-Lo up against a real opponent -- Jane Fonda playing Barbara Walters. Jane's return to acting sparkled and Wanda Sykes was amazing.
2006 SCOOP
Woody Allen teams with Scarlett Johansson and Hugh Jackman for this farce.
2007 NORBIT
The critics hated this film. Did they watch it? This is a non-stop, hilarious comedy. "That's not science." That may be Norbit's funniest line but he has many other good ones. And Eddie's great as the title character but Rasputia (also played by Eddie) walks away with the movie. "Of course I'm wearing bottoms!" Who can forget Rasputia going down the water slide or Rasputia washing the car and singing "Don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me, don't you wish . . ."
2008 ROLE MODELS
Paul Rudd's a pessimist and Seann William Scott is a dufus. Somehow, they end up role models for two boys. And if you don't believe that hilarity ensues, let's note that the supporting cast includes Jane Lynch, Keegan-Michael Key and Elizabeth Banks.
2009 THE PROPOSAL
Anne Fletcher's to blame or to praise for Ryan Reynolds' film career. Before this film, he was a TV performer struggling to make an impression in film and really failing except for a brief spot in 1999's DICK. After garbage like BUYING THE COW, he got paired with Sandra Bullock for this film and a real film career began. He and Sandra have real chemistry onscreen and they made the romantic comedy work all over again after several years of critics insisting the genre was over. Great performances from the entire cast -- which includes Betty White.
2010 TOOTH FAIRY
Family films can be funny -- see the original THAT DARN CAT, THE TROUBLE WITH ANGELS, THE STRONGEST MAN IN THE WORLD, THE COMPUTER WORE TENNIS SHOES, etc. And, sometimes, they can be the funniest of the year. Joining the original PARENT TRAP on our list of classics is TOOTH FAIRY. Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) delivers in this film as a smug jerk so self-involved that he steals a dollar from his girlfriend's daughter -- a dollar from the tooth fairy. He gets sentenced to be a tooth fairy for two weeks. In the process, he learns how to be a dependable adult.
2011 BRIDESMAIDS
Was Kristen Wigg overrated? She went on to make 19 disappointing films after BRIDESMAIDS. And, yes, GHOSTBUSTERS was awful. Not because it starred women but because they played girls. Bill Murray can hook as a male Ghostbuster but all the little girls in the crap ass reboot could do was drool over their male receptionist? They infantalized the women and that's why the film sucked. WONDER WOMAN 1984 should have been a hit for her and she certainly tried but there the problem was Cheetah -- the true villain -- became an after thought and not a plot point. Still with the script of BRIDESMAIDS, she did deliver. Yes, Melissa McCarthy almost steals the film, Wendi McLendon-Covey almost steals the show, Jon Hamm owns his brief moments, Rebel Wilson and Matt Lucas are so funny you wish they'd gotten spun off into their own sequel and no one can forget Maya Rudolph dropping to the ground in the middle of the street when nature calls. However, Kristen is not just marking time in this film. She delivers over and over including the scene where she and a customer at the jewelry store go off on one another, including her being drugged on the plane and wondering what kind of a name is "Stove," including everything asked for and then some. No matter how many times you watch this film, you can't stop laughing.
2012 21 JUMP STREET
Despite studios believing otherwise, TV shows don't usually make for good films. Maybe because the teen drama instead goes for laughs, it succeeds? Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill are young cops who have to go undercover and pretend to be high schoolers. Rob Riggle has become the Thelma Ritter of comedy and he constantly and consistently delivers in film after film, in TV show after TV show. Ice Cube, Brie Larson and Dave Franco also provide strong support but it's Channing and Jonah's show and they more than deliver. 2013 THE HEAT A film so funny that not even Michael Rappaport can tank it. Melissa McCartney teams up with Sandra Bullock and every note rings clear. Even a throw away about a cat ends up paying off. Except for Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, female teams -- even when they're box office -- don't reteam and that's a real shame. (Jane and Lily teamed up for the films 9 TO 5, MOVING ON and 80 FOR BRADY and for the TV series GRACE AND FRANKIE.)
2014 LET'S BE COPS
A summer comedy that really delivered and considering the chemistry between Damon Wayans Jr and Jake Johnson, it's a comedic shame that they haven't been teamed up again. 2015 SPY Paul Feig delivers with this one. Melissa McCarthy is a comedy champ but too often, like Eddie Murphy, she has to work overtime to make something out of a bad script. Paul directed and wrote the screenplay -- a great screenplay. Melissa's also paired with an outstanding cast: Jude Law, Miranda Hart, Allison Janney, Jason Statham and Rose Byrne.
2016 MIKE AND DAVE NEED WEDDING DATES
A true gut buster with classic performances from Adam DeVine, Aubrey Plaza, Zac Efron and Anna Kendrick. Two d-bags use a destination wedding to try to score and two hustlers pose as sweet innocents to get a trip to Hawaii.
2017 LOGAN LUCKY
Steven Soderbergh's heist comedy features strong performances from Channing Tatum, Daniel Craig, Hillary Swank and Katie Holmes.
2018 SORRY TO BOTHER YOU
Boots Riley's dark comedy classic begs the question of why he's not directed another movie? This is funny and a twist over and over that keeps surprising you.
2019 DOLEMITE IS MY NAME
This would be a good time to note that the hall of comedy legends includes not just Carole Lombard, the Marx Brothers, Marilyn Monroe, Woody Allen, Goldie Hawn, Mel Brooks and Diane Keaton, it also includes Eddie Murphy. 2020 THUNDER FORCE Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer deliver much needed laughs in the heart of the pandemic. We would love a sequel of this film.
2020 FRENCH EXIT
Michelle Pfeiffer lived in Manhattan with her husband and her son. But her husband died. As the movie starts, she's broke. She sells everything left and she and her son move to France. Are they starting a new life or is Michelle wrapping up a chapter in her life? The strong cast includes Lucas Hedges as her son. But the film is Michelle and she delivers another strong comedic performance like she did in MARRIED TO THE MOB, SWEET LIBERTY, I COULD NEVER BE YOUR WOMAN and HAIRSPRAY among other films. This really was the perfect film and the perfect film for its year.
2021 BARB AND STAR GO TO VISTA DEL MAR
We had long ago given up hope on Kristen Wiig and then she showed up with this film which she co-wrote the script with co-star Annie Mumolo. This comedy finds the two women fired from their long term jobs but determined to have that planned vacation while their vacation spot is the planned site of a lethal mosquito attack. Also carrying laughs in the film are Jamie Dornan, Damon Wayans Jr, Vanessa Bayer, Fortune Feimster, Michael Hitchock and Kawme Patterson.
2022 BROS
Nicholas Stoller directed and co-wrote the script (with Billy Eichner). It was the best comedy of the year and the best comedy of the 21st century so far. A laugh riot that was targeted by hate merchants who would use the film to test market how they could lie and amplify a small number of people into a faux massive group. They attacked the film using multiple aliases and creating a negative impression of it. UNIVERSAL didn't do any better. Most US theaters refused to show it in heavy rotation on opening weekend. A Saturday showing of SMILE (horror film released the same weekend) would play seven times at a theater while BROS might play three but more often it was once or twice and shoved into the last two showings of the night. It was the equivalent of putting a disclaimer on the film (think what ABC did to ELLEN during its final season). Sadly, once the attacks started, they came from all over. Idiots impressed with the hideous FIRE ISLAND (the epitome of a cheap, tacky and bad TV movie) felt the need to attack BROS despite having not seen it (that was obvious by their claims that BROS didn't have diverse characters -- BROS has multi-races and had trans character, drag queen characters, non-binary characters, straight characters, gay characters, lesbian characters, bi characters . . .). And, sadly, the attacks didn't end after it left the theaters. A year later, QUEER NEWS TONIGHT chose to put the bitchy in news by attacking the film instead of showing support. This is a great movie. It is hilarious and Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane have real chemistry. We are glad, community wide, to have supported this film the weekend it came out and ever since. This is a comedy classic and one of America's best.
2023 DICKS: THE MUSICAL
It's funny and it's got a lot of funny songs. Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson play twins who discover one another later in life and they decide to parent-trap their parents played by Megan Mullally and Nathan Lane. Megan Thee Stallion and Bowen Yang are also in the movie and that really should be all you need to paint a mental picture of just how hilarious this film is.
