Augh!
:smack:
Believe it or not, that was one I thought of and meant to include. It’s absence on my list was a complete accident. Really! I always laugh so hard at the part where Martin has to tell Tomlin how to use her half to help him out at the urinal. Now that’s classic!
One more name to add to Eve’s and Sofa King’s classic-comedian list–Harold Lloyd. His “silent shorts” used to be shown on PBS when I was a kid and they never failed to put me on the floor, sides heaving with laughter.
[sub]Though I hope they will forgive me for putting forward Dr. Strangelove as my candidate for FCoAT.[/sub]
Cannot watch the “Great Race” without busting a gut. Jack Lemmon and Peter Faulk are superb!
Ditto the earlier poster about “The Producers”. That’s Mel Brooke’s best film. Zero did not need flatulance humor.
“oooh, I fell on my keys”
Before “Airplane” there was “The Big Bus”, but I have not seen it since it came out so I don’t know if it holds up.
I’ve tried to think of other forgotten ‘gems’.
Ground Hog Day - One movie I can watch over and over and over
The Adventures of Buckaroo Bonzai - Great performance by Lithgow.
Amazon Women of the Avacado Jungle - Funnier than it sounds… honestly
The Mouse that Roared - Needs mentioning.
Wallace and Grommit - Take your pick they are all full of laughs.
Army of Darkness - Hail to the king baby!
Earth Girls are Easy - Just to see Geena Davis, but the rest of the cast is great.
Little Big Man - Both funny and sad a rare find.
The Goodbye Girl - Neil Simon at his best.
The Music Box - Laurel & Hardy spend the day trying to deliver a piano.
i am with acramer on the music box. no one is consistently as hilarious as l and h. spinal tarp may be a close second.
One that has not been mentioned but certainly deserves to be A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
If trapped on a desert island with one comedy to watch I’d pick…
“It’s a Gift” (1934)
starring W.C. Fields
This is a GEM! Only 59 minutes long yet packs more laughs and pratfalls and small little verbal jabs than most comedies twice it’s length. This is the movie I introduce old hollywood to young people. Timeless. Mr. Fields can crack you up with the dialogue at the breakfast table yet when I watched it for the umpteenth time I still saw new subtle movements that were funny. That scene alone must have taken a week to choreograph.
You folks have mentioned all of my favorites except To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar and Pulp Fiction.
No order:
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Life of Brian
Dr. Strangelove
The General
Modern Times
The Great Dictator
South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut
This Is Spinal Tap
A Night At the Opera
Duck Soup
That’s odd, nobody in this thread has nominated It’s Pat: The Movie …
I’ve never laughed harder for 15 minutes than while watching the Jacques Tati short, L’ecole des Facteurs.
At the tender age of sixteen, these are some of the great comedies that I’ve come across over the years:
Clerks- the best of Gen X
Ghost World- A runoff of teens who should’ve been in Gen X
Trainspotting- Shocking. Disgusting. Immoral. Hilarious.
Welcome to the Dollhouse- Transcends the border of “black comedy”
Annie Hall- Woddy Allen’s best.
Sorry, I have not seen many of the old “classics” so I’ll just go with what I know. I throw in some I have not seen mentioned along with my favorites.
One I have not seen mentioned is Swingers. As much as there can exist a romantic comedy written from the male perspective, this is it. Pretty accurate in its portrayal of how gusy think, also, in my opinion. And a great cast.
Gross Pointe Blank. Underrated dark comedy.
Office Space. I have it on DVD. Always good for a laugh. The whole thing about the flair is hilarious.
Best in Show. The part about "meeting at Starbucks" is one of the funniest bits in any recent movie.
Stripes, best comedy of the 90s. Bill Murray at his finest.
Wild Things. I consider this a comedy because I don't think the writers meant it to be taken seriously.
Bachelor Party, Airplane I and II, the first Austin Powers, Blazing saddles, Spaceballs, Young Frankenstein, Spinal Tap, Top Secret, The Princess Bride are all good, among others already mentioned.Oh, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is GREAT. Another of the great but somehwat overlooked comedies.
I’m sure all my other favorites have been mentioned, but how about RoboCop? The copious amounts of violence aside, the film is actually a satire of America and Americans in the 1980s, and I think it works very well.
Oh my goodness…
Two words: Ealing Studios
For those who think the pinnacle of Sir Alec Guinness’s career was Obi-Wan Kenobi, I give you “The Lavender Hill Mob,” “The Man in the White Suit,” “Kind Hearts and Coronets” and above all, “The Ladykillers.” These are some of the funniest movies ever made, and if you don’t know what a splendid comic actor Guinness was, you’re in for a treat!