# Movies that may actually be comedies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 9, 2013, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-may-actually-be-comedies/660568 "2013-06-09T17:41:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-may-actually-be-comedies/660568/43 "2013-06-11T21:02:26Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > The movie that comes closest to the OP’s requirements is, I think, George Pal’s **Doc Savage – Man of Bronze**. It’s impossible to watch this movie with a straight face, or to take it at all seriously. (In the credits at the end, they spell “John Philip Sousa” – they use a LOT of Sousa marches – with the “USA” printed in Red, White and Blue). Look this one up > > It’s a pity that this is the last film by fantasy film great Pal. Yet he apparently really though that he was making a pretty “straight” adventure film, and was reviving the 1930s adventure flicks that eventually lead to Indiana Jones. I came here to mention this. Altho it also works as a bad adventure film or just camp. The rumor is that the entire promised sequle had been shot, but then destroyed after the poor reviews and box office. Never edited. Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![Orr\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ee59a6/32.png) [@Orr\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orr_G)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-may-actually-be-comedies/660568/44 "2013-06-11T21:47:04Z")
I’m not sure if this is precisely what the OP is looking for, but the crowned king of unintentional comedies, at least in recent years, has got to be Tommy Wiseau’s [The Room.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368226/) I haven’t seen it, but I’ve heard plenty about it and have more than enough info that I know I never want to see it. Several sites have debated whether this movie is intentionally bad-funny or unintentionally so, and I’ve seen it top the list at least once when this kind of question was asked on Reddit. For the longest time I thought it was a Tim & Eric creation, as it had been featured on Adult Swim and seemed to be their kind of anti-humor. It turns out that they did do an episode that featured clips from The Room, but I don’t believe they had prior association. One of the actresses did an AMA on Reddit and assured everyone that Wiseau is entirely earnest in his film-making. IIRC She was unable or unwilling to speculate on what his “deal” is, other than to say he was a very sweet person. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2013, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-may-actually-be-comedies/660568/45 "2013-06-12T00:58:48Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I agree with the OP that Shyamalan’s \*The Happening is Hilarious – we watched it that way with our daughter. But I think many of his other efforts are, too. (Which is sad, because he really is an exceptionally good filmmmaker, otherwise) Aside from the fact that his films are unintentionally funny, he exceptionally good? Isn’t that like saying that despite the fact that the movies he makes are bad, he’s good at making movies? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2013, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-may-actually-be-comedies/660568/46 "2013-06-12T01:59:56Z")
> [@Maiira](#): > > **American Psycho** , though that might have been intentional. Wikipedia lists it as a satirical thriller. I do think the comedy is more or less intentional. Evil Dead 2 is kind of similar, in that it isn’t a horror movie for the most part. It’s a comedy that goes way far into the horror genre. ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2013, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-may-actually-be-comedies/660568/47 "2013-06-12T06:40:47Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Battlefield Earth: Come on. Rifftrax was even boring on this one because it is so bad on its own. I found it highly entertaining as a comedy, though, and can almost believe they tried to make a terrible funny movie. This was my first thought when I saw the subject line because I actually wasted about 30 minutes of my time tonight watching this. I only watched that long because I could not figure out if it was _supposed_ to be a comedy and thought maybe it would become clear that it was and start being funny. It did not. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2013, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-may-actually-be-comedies/660568/48 "2013-06-12T13:16:04Z")
> [@aurora\_maire](#): > > This was my first thought when I saw the subject line because I actually wasted about 30 minutes of my time tonight watching this. I only watched that long because I could not figure out if it was _supposed_ to be a comedy and thought maybe it would become clear that it was and start being funny. It did not. Again, the Rifftrax audio does make it nice. I thought it was funny on its own, but you may need Rifftrax to get through it. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2013, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-may-actually-be-comedies/660568/49 "2013-06-12T15:11:19Z")
> [@Yookeroo](#): > > Aside from the fact that his films are unintentionally funny, he exceptionally good? Isn’t that like saying that despite the fact that the movies he makes are bad, he’s good at making movies? No – there’s much more to making movies than “It’s Good/Bad”. He can write good dialogue, set a scene (in dialogue) set up a memorable and significant scene in camera, tell a compelling story, foreshadow, and set mood. He can also get people to agree to put up money to make, advertise, and distribute his work, which is a major and overlooked facet of being a good filmmmaker. Now the problem is that, since _Unbreakable_ (I would personally say since _The Sixth Sense_, but I recognize the good features of that film, even though I don’t like it), he’s been giving us films that are alright up to a point, but then have the audiences howling in despair at the end. I think a lot of folks complaining about _Signs_ or _The Village_ would not be doing that if they’d ended differently\*. Of course, with _Lady in the Water_ and _The Happening_ it’s more than just the end. And I’ve been told that _The Last Airbender_ was disappointing all the way through, too. But I can’t deny that Shyamalan is awesomely talented in most of the areas that define a filmmaker. He just needs someone else to write his scripts and to reign in his WTF concepts. \*I realize that the ending is pretty much inherent in the ideas that mak up the rest of the story, but i stand by the statement. If these movies didn’t have such absurd ideas at the end, the audiences would go away happier. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2013, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-may-actually-be-comedies/660568/50 "2013-06-12T17:23:42Z")
I just saw Reservoir Dogs for the first time. Was laughing my ass off, the characters were such violent idiots. Was I supposed to be laughing? ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2013, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-may-actually-be-comedies/660568/51 "2013-06-12T17:29:42Z")
I thought the OP meant movies that were marketed as serious non-comedic films but were done so poorly that they there is no way someone could have shot the movie with the intent of it not being a comedy. Not black comedies. The Room and Birdemic being good examples. ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2013, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-may-actually-be-comedies/660568/52 "2013-06-12T17:42:07Z")
Reefer Madness, seriously the funniest unintentional satire ever made. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2013, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-may-actually-be-comedies/660568/53 "2013-06-12T17:53:18Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > I just saw Reservoir Dogs for the first time. Was laughing my ass off, the characters were such violent idiots. Was I supposed to be laughing? Yeah, it’s a Quentin Tarantino movie. It’s supposed to be funny and violent. > [@Laggard](#): > > I thought the OP meant movies that were marketed as serious non-comedic films but were done so poorly that they there is no way someone could have shot the movie with the intent of it not being a comedy. > > Not black comedies. The Room and Birdemic being good examples. You have it basically. Not all movies done super poorly are fit for my description, just ones that actually make you laugh, like the new Wickerman or Battlefield Earth. ---
**Author:** ![Rib\_Eye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/53a042/32.png) [@Rib\_Eye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rib_Eye)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2013, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-may-actually-be-comedies/660568/54 "2013-06-12T22:39:26Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Can you tell us more? Like…how? It’s a parody of every “today’s young people have lost touch with any sense of purpose or morality” movie ever done. The performances are intentionally overwrought and hammy and it’s a film that 15-25 year olds would think is full of righteous profundity. I know I did. Watching it as a mature adult with an understanding of its context, I can only laugh. Admittedly everything Crispin Glover says was hilarious even back in the day, as was Keanu Reeve’s immortal insult to his mother’s boyfriend, whom he accuses of mooching off the family: “The only reason you stay here is so you can fuck my mother and eat her food. Motherfucker! Food Eater!” ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2013, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-may-actually-be-comedies/660568/55 "2013-06-12T23:37:20Z")
Reading a lot of these answers, the OP may as well have asked “Which movies just barely clipped the top of your head?” ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-may-actually-be-comedies/660568/56 "2013-06-13T00:00:56Z")
> [@aftondear](#): > > The shawshank redemption What were the comedic moments of The Shawshank Redemption? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-may-actually-be-comedies/660568/57 "2013-06-13T00:08:06Z")
Not actually a movie, but I think most episodes of Charmed work this way. The good ones (mostly in season 3) are legitimately good, but the bad ones are hilarious, and it makes the whole thing feel deliciously campy. BTW, I’ve started a companion thread based on comments in this thread: Intentional comedies you thought were serious (when you first saw them). ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-may-actually-be-comedies/660568/58 "2013-06-13T00:27:24Z")
I’d like to nominate the recent Liberace biopic movie that aired on HBO (or Showtime?) Name eludes me at the moment. But I & a couple of friends sat down to watch it when it premiered. We went about 10 minutes before we were devolving into giggles and couldn’t stop. It was kind of too bad because Matt Damon and Michael Douglas were doing their damned-est to give the story some gravitas, but the source material was just too goofy. Funniest scene by far was Matt Damon sleeping over the first night, waking up in the morning and seeing Douglas leering at him in a creepy, creepy Liberace-like way. None of us could get it back after that. ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-may-actually-be-comedies/660568/59 "2013-06-13T07:19:00Z")
I’m pretty sure that the OP meant for this to include only films that were meant to be taken seriously, but ended up being humorous, as opposed to darkly humorous movies. It is in that spirit, that I give you… [The Arrogant](http://youtu.be/eAtw7ktYu4Y) (NSFW trailer). For months after watching this, “I am my own king! My own god!” was sort of a catch phrase in my circle. The chopping the obviously fake cat in half scene was just a bonus. Plus, it’s an erotic thriller starring Gary Graham! How could that ever go wrong? [Robot Jox](http://youtu.be/vUxDmKFCD2o). Because Gary Graham is awesomely bad. This clip is kind of long, but only because it is the most boring fight between giant robots that you could ever imagine. Seriously… two giant robots, face to face, and they shoot… the ground. If you can’t make it through the terrible giant robot fight, fast-forward to 6:29, and bathe yourself in Gary Graham’s emotional response to the horror that he has wrought! And, finally, we have [Zandalee](http://youtu.be/qYsyABPvtU0). Just close your eyes and imagine… an erotic thriller starring Judge Reinhold and Nicolas Cage… and they both have mustaches… and mullets… Congratulations! You just made Zandalee! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-may-actually-be-comedies/660568/60 "2013-06-14T04:45:45Z")
_Shoot 'em Up_ A parody of well, shoot 'em up movies. And it is awesome. ---
**Author:** ![SecretaryofEvil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@SecretaryofEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecretaryofEvil)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2013, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-may-actually-be-comedies/660568/61 "2013-06-15T16:15:55Z")
It’s a TV show not a movie, but Walker Texas Ranger is the funniest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. It takes itself _so_ seriously, but it couldn’t possibly be more ridiculous. It’s as if it was written by a home schooled ten year old boy and his illiterate grandmother who both never left their tiny rural hometown and learned everything about the world from watching other bad movies and TV shows. Some of the movies mentioned in this thread, like Reservoir Dogs or American Psycho, were intentional comedies, or at least had intentional comedic moments. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2013, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-may-actually-be-comedies/660568/62 "2013-06-15T16:44:31Z")
_Showgirls_ - one of the greatest comedies ever made. With boobies! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-may-actually-be-comedies/660568.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-may-actually-be-comedies/660568.md?page=4)