100 Movies You Need To See - Part IV: Comedies

Laurence Olivier was quoted as saying, "Dying is easy, but comedy is hard."  And it's pretty much true.  Of all the emotions that cinema can convey and evoke, humor is one that is perhaps the most subjective and the most elusive.  Some folks see the pratfalls of the Three Stooges and laugh, others dismiss it as juvenile.  Some watch witty word play and laugh in surprise, others wonder why the actors are all standing around just talking.  What tickles somebody's sense of humor will almost certainly kill somebody else's.  With that in mind, I offer up a sampler of comedy.  Some of it is witty and urbane.  Some of it is puerile and lowbrow.  But it is all funny, to me at least.  You might find some of it funny, too.


Chasing Amy – While I wouldn't hesitate to recommend any Kevin Smith film, this one's got a special place in my heart.  It's how romantic comedies really should be written and acted.

Four Rooms – Four helpings of exceedingly black comedy.  At least two of the segments almost feel like very long setups for a single killer punchline.  Awesome stuff.

Amazon Women On The Moon – Short segments of absolutely weird and completely silly shit.  A product of the '80s, but a very good product of the '80s.

National Lampoon's Vacation – Two weeks in a car with the family.  What could go wrong?

The Naked Gun: From The Files of Police Squad – It's a whacked out little spoof, which isn't surprising considering the cast, the writers, or the director.  It's also one of the movies that reminds you O.J. Simpson actually had potential as an actor.

Orgazmo – The guys that created South Park go live action again and absolutely hold nothing back.  It's wrong on so many levels.  It's funny on so many more.

Office Space – This one has achieved the level of cult status normally reserved for Monty Python films.

The Blues Brothers – One of John Belushi's best films.  And the musician cameos are worth the price of admission.

Trading Places – An early Eddie Murphy film.  You know, before he found fat suits.

History Of The World, Part I – Much like Kevin Smith, you can't miss with any Mel Brooks film.  It's a tough call between this one and Blazing Saddles as his best.  For me, this one just barely edges the competition out.

Next time: Action/Adventure