I wouldn’t say these are the best, but they are worth a look…
HAMMERSMITH IS OUT - Richard Burton is a Mephistophlean mental patient to
Beau Bridges’ Faustian attendant & the grill-waitress/Helen played by Liz Taylor
the original BEDAZZLED - Grill-cook Dudley Moore makes the Faustian bargain with the Satanic Peter Cook
Kubrick’s LOLITA almost qualifies as comedy- definitely black; better than the more literalist recent version IMO
One that’s definitely among the best- A BOY AND HIS DOG
I was going to say “Fargo” (see Roger Ebert’s review), but someone already did.
How about Hitchcock’s early comedy “The Lady Vanishes”. Lots of little jokes around a silly story. Then again, “North by Northwest”, “Rear Window”, “Rope”, and “The Trouble with Harry” (and others) all have comedic elements.
When I saw the thread title, I was all ready to answer with “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka”
I just wanted to mention The Ruling Class, Serial Mom, and True Romance. Especially True Romance: very black, very comedic.
I think Dr. Strangelove is definitely the best of the genre, and Harold and Maude is a contender for second best.
The Wars of the Roses was long on black and short on comedy. And it ended withat the end they killed each other DEAD accidentally because they couldn’t quit fighting.Some “comedy”! Has that ever been tried elsewhere?
Better off Dead - Gee, I’m real sorry your mom blew up, Ricky.
Dr. Strangelove is a given, however, another film that satisfies both meanings and is pretty durn good if you watch it as a comedy is Eddie Murphy’s Vampire in Brooklyn, the anguish that Angela Basset’s character goes through near the end of the movie when she realizes that she’s slowly being turned into a vampire is well done, part of her hates and despises what’s happening to her, the other half wants to let it happen and revel in the power…
besides, Eddie Murphy’s always funny…
If we’re going to mention Bedazzled, you have to mention The Bed Sitting Room, which is beyond black to ultraviolet.
Election is my favorite, but in second place, I nominate an unappreciated classic, Clue.
Neighbors Belushi and Aykroyd - what could be better?
Important Coen Brothers omission: Blood Simple. I don’t recall what the last line was, but I do recall busting out laughing even while I wanted to curl up in a fetal position.
Another good example: The Office.
Daniel
Are you talking about the TV show or the film Office Space, which is a good black comedy.
This thread got me thinking: is there such a thing as an African-American black comedy?
There’s a few that come close – but none with the persistant nihilistic tone and irreverance necessary to keep it a satire.
Bamboozled may just qualify for that title.
Man, I forgot one of my alltime favorite black comedies, Citizen Ruth. Add that to my top three. A comedy about abortion and fundies, starring Laura Dern as a glue sniffing single mother orderd by a judge to get an abortion, Mary Kay Place as a fundie housewife eager to use Dern as a posterchild for her prolife activities, Kurtwood Smith as Place’s hardware-store-employee husband, Burth Reynolds as the pedophile preacher who heads up the prolife movement, and Tippi Fucking Hedren as the prochoice figurehead, also eager to exploit Dern’s situation, how can you go wrong? Plus of course a scene with herbal tea drinking lesbians Swoosie Kurtz and Kelly Preston recite a poem to the moon mother.
People, if you haven’t seen this movie, see this movie.
Dern, as Ruth:
That’s definitely one of the ones that “come close.” It’s a satire, it’s just not a nihilistic dark satire. Pierre Delacroix’s murder wasn’t played for laughs, and Sloan Hopkins’ character is deadly serious from first to last. The Mau-Mau’s deaths are played for tragedy.
Man Bites Dog is definitely the blackest comedy ever to come out of Belgium.
Hollywood Shuffle and The Brother from Another Planet might both qualify, although it’s been a long time since I’ve seen either of them, and they’re probably more satirical than bleak.
Daniel
Anything by John Waters (at least until Cecil B. DeMented)
Bob Roberts
Repo Man
How about The Brother From Another Planet ?
Nah, not a black comedy. A sentimental morality tale with feelgood liberal overtones. A great movie, don’t get me wrong, but nah.
Aw man, my list keeps getting longer. BRILLIANT flick. BRILLIANT.