My eight favorite comedies

Appreciation of movies – like any other art – is subjective. What one person likes, another might not care for. That’s one big reason why I try to list movies in terms of “my eight favorite” rather than “the eight best.” The latter description suggests that some cultural arbiter can objectively evaluate quality. The former merely says “this is what I like.”

Still, most genres have at least some objective standards. The quality of a Western, for example, can be judged according to adherence – or lack of same – to certain expected conventions. Is it set in the West? Does it have cowboys? Does it have horses? Does it have at least one gunfight? And so on.

Not so with comedies. The only standard here is both simple and elusive: is it funny? Does the movie make you laugh? And because senses of humor vary widely from person to person, it’s pretty much impossible to come up with a list of “eight favorites” about which any two people would be likely to agree. Goodness knows even the small staff of 8sails doesn’t absolutely agree about every one of the movies on this list.

Although all our “eight favorite” lists are matters of personal taste, with comedies it’s even more so. For example, some obvious comedy classics aren’t included. A few – such as Dr. Strangelove – aren’t on this list because they’re already lauded on our eight all-time favorites list. Others – such as the Marx Brothers’ better work – aren’t here simply because even as great as they are, the eight movies here made me laugh harder.

But even “laugh volume” isn’t the standard. For example, none of the Three Stooges pictures made the list even though they’re a great guilty pleasure. That’s in part because none of the trio’s feature-length work is worth a damn and in part because it’s embarrassing to have to admit to being a Three Stooges fan.

These eight, on the other hand, are all easy to defend as great moments in the fine art of humor.

 

Modern Times – Without question the list had to include a Charlie Chaplin movie. However, it could just as easily have been The Gold Rush or even The Great Dictator (which, as pedantic as it is, is still better than most other comedies by at least double). And to be sure, as a silent movie produced well after the advent of sound technology, Modern Times is a bit of a cheat. But the picture is absolutely packed with some of Chaplin’s best material. Even if the whole rest of the movie had sucked, the feeding machine sequence alone would have been enough to put this picture on the list.

Pass the Ammo – This parody of televangelism could easily have come and gone as quickly as the Jim Bakker scandal it satirizes. But the writing is just too good to let it slip so easily into obscurity. The humor is absurd, sometimes even raunchy. The production values are a little sit-comish, but every time the picture appears to be in danger of slipping into a rut a brilliant twist in the plot or a fine moment from the cast – particularly Tim Curry as Rev. Ray – saves the day.

Idiocracy – Like Network, it’s only a matter of time before this picture ceases to be broad farce and transforms into docudrama. Mike Judge writes and directs, Luke Wilson stars, and this movie probably would have gotten a bigger release if it hadn’t been such an open, vicious attack on consumer culture and the worship of stupidity. It’s chilling stuff if you think about it. Fortunately, you don’t have to think about it too much. Just enjoy the ride.

Hollywood Shuffle – I’d love this movie even if I hadn’t laughed at a single joke. I admire Robert Townsend and his cast of volunteers for having the guts to employ “guerilla” film-making tactics in order to get this thing made. But in addition to being an important moment in indie film production, it’s also a funny movie. The blunt satire of racism in the movie industry – sadly not much less prevalent today than it was back in the 1980s when this picture was made – is simultaneously entertaining and thought-provoking.

Life of Brian – If you’re going to do a satire, why not aim high? Few comedy ensembles other than Monty Python would ever be able to combine the guts to go after the Gospels with the wit to actually pull it off. It helps to be accustomed to the group’s other work, but even non-fans will still appreciate the sometimes-less-than-gentle mockery of some of the more absurd elements of religious belief.

This is Spinal Tap – The group of actors, writers and other talent loosely centered around Christopher Guest has produced several hysterical movies over the years (Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show) as well as a few duds (A Mighty Wind, For Your Consideration). But this is the one that got the ball rolling. Usually I shy away from movies in which all the comedy is based on things going wrong for the protagonists, but here it works quite well.

Used Cars – The last two pictures on the list are trash wallows, so if you’re looking for brilliant turns of the phrase or intellectual allusions to great literature, seek elsewhere. But if you can appreciate them at their own level, they’ll reward your patience. This one’s the goofy tale of rival used car lots trying to outdo each other, with the poorer lot resorting to some so-bizarre-they’re-hilarious tactics to draw customers and make sales.

Shakes the Clown – In this movie Bobcat Goldthwait posits a strange notion: the world of clowns exists as an alternate-reality parallel to society as a whole. Though the overall plot is mostly just silly, it has some genuinely astounding moments. Some are Goldthwait’s usual ohmygod-did-he-just-say-that? humor, but others are more subtle. You’ve gotta be in the mood for a picture like this, but if the itch strikes you then this is a great way to scratch it.