Quick Change
      1990 | USA | Laughs: 9.8 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 6.7
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I love it that this little-known movie, recommended by a reader of this page, made us laugh more than most of the big-name comedies that take up all the shelf space at the video stores. (That's what this page is all about!) What can you do, Bill Murray is a legend. The plot can have holes as large as a frozen pizza, there can be a dull minute of mindless action, but you don't care because you know you'll be laughing in just a moment. Oh, what's it about? Three friends pull off a genius bank robbery. Now they can't get out of New York. (Last viewed: December 2011)

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Groundhog Day
      1993 | USA | Laughs: 9.8 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 8.1
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A weather newsman (Bill Murray) wakes up in a small town to find out that today is an exact repeat of yesterday—only no one else seems to notice. Soon, he realizes that no matter what he does, the next day he will wake up at the beginning of that same day. He dies a hundred times, but in the morning it's still Groundhog Day. Pure genius, a gift to mankind. (Last viewed: Dec 2008 August 2011)

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Ali G, Aiii
      2000 | U.K. | Laughs: 9.7 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 7.4
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Compilation of clips from Da Ali G Show, the original UK TV series featuring Sasha Baron Cohen in the role of Ali G. A fake gangsta-rapper show host interviews a number of unsuspecting people on topics ranging from politics to animal rights. The segment where Ali G quizzes a law enforcement official on the merits of various drugs is on my all-time favorite list of sure laughs. In fact, the laughs keep coming, making Aiii one of the funniest tapes in circulation today… Sadly, none of Cohen's later material that I've seen comes close for quality or potency—perhaps because to reach the mass market, the producers had to dig in the toilet and cross the line between humor and disrespect. On Aiii, there is still a sense that it's all in good fun and that the "victims" can join into the laughter once the situation is revealed. (Last viewed: September 2010)

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Meet the Parents
      2000 | USA | Laughs: 9.7 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 7.0
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A man plans to propose to his girlfriend, but first he must meet her parents. You cringe and laugh as Greg (Ben Stiller) does everything—wrong—to secure the approval of her tough dad (Robert De Niro), a former CIA agent. The movie has several laugh-out-loud moments, but it is also funny throughout even if you sometimes want to scream rather than laugh, as you watch in disbelief, horrified by how Greg's situation keeps worsening by the minute, fighting the impulse to cover your face as his plight reaches new levels of awful. All the minute psychological observations that build the story's tension and humor are right on target and make this movie a delightful little marvel. (Last viewed: August 2010)

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The Change-Up
      2011 | USA | Laughs: 9.6 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 6.4
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This movie came highly recommended by a reader. After expressing the wish they had each other's life, two best friends wake up to a big surprise: they have swapped bodies! Dave is a work-focused lawyer and father of three, Mitch is a dilettante and a playboy. This movie made me laugh hard. It's not afraid to stir the pot with taboo subjects such as everyone's "perfect" babies. It contains adult themes on a similar level to Bridesmaids and Harold & Kumar, but it is almost never crass. The opening sequence does feature the grossest shot I've ever seen on film, but it's funny. If you can take a bit of foul language and minor nudity, this is a must-watch. (Last viewed: February 2012)

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Police Academy (a.k.a What an Institution)
      1984 | USA | Laughs: 9.5 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 6.5
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To avoid being shut down, a Vermont highway patrol unit competes with the local police to impress the Governor. Many of the comic situations develop because these cops say and do things you never see cops say and do in movies. If you're looking for an intellectual brand of humor, Super Troopers may not be for you. The people I watched the movie with called it stupid, but who cares, I laughed hard, and they did too. (Last viewed: September 2009)

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Step Brothers
      2008 | USA | Laughs: 9.4 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 6.7
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Warning: this film has some gross-out aspects as well as adult themes, sometimes graphic. That said, I hadn't laughed that much watching a comedy in a long time. It was a surprise too as I hadn't yet seen a Will Ferrell movie that really did it for me. Two childlike forty-year-olds who live at home—one with his mom, one with his dad—get thrown together when their parents get married. At first they resent having to share their parents' attention (and a bedroom). The dynamic between the actors is fantastic. If you can handle occasional crudeness, don't miss out on this very funny movie. (Last viewed: September 2012)

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Super Troopers
      2001 | USA | Laughs: 9.4 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 6.9
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To avoid being shut down, a Vermont highway patrol unit competes with the local police to impress the Governor. Many of the comic situations develop because these cops say and do things you never see cops say and do in movies. If you're looking for an intellectual brand of humor, Super Troopers may not be for you. The people I watched the movie with called it stupid, but who cares, I laughed hard, and they did too. (Last viewed: April 2011)

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Safety Last
      1923 | USA | Laughs: 9.4 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 8.3
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You may not think you want to watch a silent black-and-white movie from 1923, but this classic starring Harold Lloyd may just be the right pill on a gloomy day. The movie is enjoyable throughout, but it really ramps up towards the end: don't miss the last ten minutes. Clean, innocent fun. (Last viewed: August 2009)

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Trading Places
      1983 | USA | Laughs: 9.3 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 7.4
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A social science experiment in which playful millionaires turn a beggar (Eddie Murphy) into a commodities trader. Great script, great cast, great acting. (Last viewed: August 2009)

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My Boss's Daughter
      2003 | USA | Laughs: 9.3 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 4.4
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An aspiring grunt gets to house-sit at the house of his tyrannical boss, whose daughter he fancies. Of course, everything goes wrong. Don't expect intellectual fireworks: this is good clean fun (well, almost clean), with plenty to laugh at and not much to think about. On account of the laugh-a-minute, I rate this a 7.5. Yet the film probably has one of the lowest IMDB rating of all films on this site (4.3), so evidently lots of people don't find it as funny as I do. If you're in that category, you might enjoy this film's opposite (high IMDB ratings, low laughs for me): Death at a Funeral. Interestingly, the lead actor (Ashton Kutcher) features in Dude Where's My Car, which also rates high on my laugh-o-meter and low on IMDB. (Last viewed: October 2011)

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Crocodile Dundee
      1986 | Australia | Laughs: 9.2 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 6.5
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Before leaving Australia after she finishes her job, a New York reporter goes to the Northern Territory to write a feature about a tour guide who has survived an attack by a crocodile. To complete the story, the newspaper flies the charming bushman over to the United States to see how he will survive New York. I love this movie: it makes me laugh—a lot—and it shows Australia at its best in the person of Crocodile Dundee, a man who behaves as if all the people he meets are his equal (well, as long as they're men). This trait remains strong in the national self-image, though it has suffered in the years since the movie came out as Australians have had to face the challenge of surviving the globalized world. Crocodile Dundee II is not one tenth as funny. (Last viewed: July 2010)

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Liberty
      1929 | USA | Laughs: 9.2 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 7.8
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For me, this short film (all of twenty minutes) is the funniest by Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy by far. Like Harold Lloyd's Safety Last (only six years later), it's humor in high places… and I have a severe fear of heights! One of the few Laurel & Hardy films that doesn't rely on violence for comic effect. Intoxicating: I'm still laughing as I watch this. From reading other reviews, it seems the film has the same effect on others. (Last viewed: July 2010)

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EuroTrip
      2004 | USA | Laughs: 9.0 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 6.5
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Joined by three friends, a young man travels through Europe in search of a young woman from Germany he's fallen in love with over email. I know this is not a movie to remember, but it managed to make me laugh many times, which is all that matters in this section—and very rare. There are adult themes and some nudity, but none (or little) of the crassness so common in contemporary comedies. I was reluctant to watch it as I thought it was a college comedy, a genre that doesn't particularly excite me. But it worked. I was in my forties when I watched it, so even if you're way past the years when some people go to college, consider giving Eurotrip a chance. (Last viewed: October 2012)

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Ferris Bueller's Day Off
      1986 | USA | Laughs: 9.0 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 7.9
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Ferris decides to take a day off from high school and look at life outside. I love this movie: several endearing characters (Ferris is a treasure), a tale of rule-breaking without guns and cuss words, lots of grins and a few good laughs. (Last viewed: October 2010)

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Just Go With It
      2011 | USA | Laughs: 8.9 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 6.3
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When a plastic surgeon's new girlfriend finds a wedding ring in his pocket (a ring he uses as a "pick-up instrument"), he panics and tells her he's about to divorce. To convince her, he asks his assistant to play the role of his ex-wife. As the web of lies grows, the surgeon acquires "fake children", and the whole party finds itself on a "get to know one another" trip to Hawaii. The movie starts slow, but the comic power steadily builds up, so that by the halfway point you're really laughing. It's great to see Adam Sandler back in Hawaii (hello 50 First Dates). Sandler does not have a writing credit on this film, but it contains many sandlerisms, so he must have contributed his share of material. Some critics say that the movie is a weak remake of Cactus Flower (1969), but these are snobs in search of ways to flaunt their cinematographic knowledge. Don't believe them: Just Go with It is marvelously funny, Cactus Flower is not. (Last viewed: February 2012)

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Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
      2004 | USA | Laughs: 8.9 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 7.1
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Two freshly-minted ivy-league grads roam the New Jersey suburbs one night in search of a White Castle restaurant to satisfy their cannabis munchies. It doesn't sound like much of a plot, but it delivers the laughters, right on the edge, with just about as much coarse language as I can handle in a movie. Sadly, the first sequel (Harold and Kumar escape from Guantanamo Bay) is a mess, and the second sequel (A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas) is a dud. (Last viewed: Jul 2010 June 2011)

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Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy
      1996 | Canada | Laughs: 8.8 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 6.5
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This movie by the Canadian comedy group "Kids in the Hall" was made two years after the end of their TV show. It's one of these rare cases when the movie is even better than the show. The plot: against the advice of its scientists, a pharmaceutical company rushes a "happy drug" to market before properly testing it. For sheer quirkiness this movie belongs on the same shelf as Python movies, but it's much, much funnier. Don't miss it. (Last viewed: April 2012)

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The Party
      1968 | USA | Laughs: 8.8 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 7.5
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A clumsy actor from India causes one disaster after another at a Hollywood big wig's party where he has been invited by mistake. This is close to being a perfect movie. You may grin and chuckle more than you laugh, but you'll probably remember laughing more than you actually did because the movie is just so good. I have watched it every few years for a long long time, and it refuses to age, which is remarkable when you consider that other famous comedies from the 1960s (such as One, Two, Three and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World) are now unwatchable. (Last viewed: Nov 2008 October 2012)

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Bridesmaids
      2011 | USA | Laughs: 8.8 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 6.9
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Now well past thirty, Annie has been struggling to find a footing in love, business and life at large. Chosen to be the maid of honor at her best friend's wedding, she now has a hard time dealing with the plans for an expensive event that symbolizes success for her woman friends. Most of all, she struggles with another bridesmaid who seems to have it all. This movie made me laugh a lot. Despite the laughs, I can't say that I loved Bridesmaids. Why? Many of the situations reminded me of one of the things I dislike in the States—the horrendous fakeness of social interactions in certain contexts. The least real part of the movie was the young policeman with an Irish accent, played by the same actor as Roy from The IT Crowd, whom it was a pleasure to see again. (Last viewed: Oct 2011 February 2012)

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Get Smart
      2008 | USA | Laughs: 8.8 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 6.6
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Spoof spy movie featuring Steve Carell, the boss in the US version of The Office. Much of the humor draws from the spies exposing their everyday human side. Good laughs! Only reproach: it's a bit of a work-out for the eyes—I didn't need all the special effects. (Last viewed: September 2010)

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A Fish Called Wanda
      1988 | U.K. | Laughs: 8.7 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 7.7
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Two robbers scheme to discover where their now imprisoned leader has hidden the diamonds. This film is a timeless classic, and not just for fans of John Cleese (the barister): all four lead actors shine on their own, as do some of the supporting cast. You might remember Wanda as a laugh-a-minute movie, but you may find yourself cringing as much as laughing, not least because of the sadistic brand of humor that animates the relationship between Wanda's "brother" Otto and stammer-afflicted Ken. Unlike many comedies, this film has an engaging plot with plenty of dramatic tension. In 1997, its winning foursome was reunited in Fierce Creatures, which deserves to be watched at least once. (Last viewed: April 2012)

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Fletch
      1985 | USA | Laughs: 8.7 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 6.8
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A reporter goes undercover to break a story about drug dealing on the beach. To do so, he pretends to agree to kill a rich man who says he is dying of cancer, and he adopts a series of disguises and personas, each more successful than the last. A home run role for Chevy Chase. (Last viewed: August 2009)

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Beverly Hills Cop
      1984 | USA | Laughs: 8.7 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 7.3
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Despite a brutal murder scene and lots of shootings, this movie packs lots of laughters. A Detroit cop (Eddie Murphy) elopes to Los Angeles to investigate the murder of a childhood friend. There, he must play a cat-and-mouse game with the local police. Bonus: It's 1984, and the clothing styles and theme music are just wonderful. Don't bother watching the sequel. (Last viewed: September 2009)

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Office Space
      1999 | USA | Laughs: 8.6 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 7.9
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Life in a cubicle… the movie. Perhaps it inspired The Office, the UK TV series that spawned a US series by the same name. Very funny during the scene-setting phase. Once the movie acquires a plot, it loses steam on the laughs. For my taste, they could have made the entire movie without a plot—it would only have enhanced the study of pointlessness. (Last viewed: December 2010)

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The Gods Must be Crazy
      1980 | South Africa | Laughs: 8.6 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 7.1
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Xi, a bushman of the Kalahari desert, leaves his family on a mission to the end of the world. On his way, he meets a scientist, a school teacher, a guerilla mob and other inhabitants of southern Africa. This beautiful film with a carefully-crafted plot starts out like a National Geographic program. As the story takes shape, laughs get more and more frequent. In the 1980s, this film was sometimes said to patronize indigenous Africans—perhaps because it was made by a white South African. With a distance of thirty years, I found the movie very gentle. The sequel is nearly as good. In a sense, The Gods Must be Crazy is the South African version of Crocodile Dundee, another southern hemisphere comedy that it predates by six years. (Last viewed: Dec 1980 July 2010)

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What about Bob
      1991 | USA | Laughs: 8.6 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 6.8
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A clingy new patient stalks his psychiatrist all the way to the doctor's lakeside holiday home. The family loves Bob, but the doctor wants him gone. Richard Dreyfuss and Bill Murray are excellent opposite each other. I love this movie—it has me grinning from beginning to end. Side-note: Bill Murray gets to practice his Heimlich Maneuver as in Groundhog Day, but not as expertly. (Last viewed: Nov 2008 October 2012)

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The Gods Must be Crazy 2
      1989 | South Africa | Laughs: 8.6 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 6.4
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We meet Xi the bushman again as he goes on another mission—this time, to find his children. The plot is not as complex as that of the original movie (it mostly stays in the tracks of a truck), nor is it as funny, but the movie is cute and pleasant to watch. (Last viewed: Aug 1989 July 2010)

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Austin Powers, International Man of Mystery
      1997 | USA | Laughs: 8.5 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 7.0
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Frozen in 1967, A British spy and his nemesis meet again in 1997. Not really funny, but really really fun, with one or two LOL moments. This movie is so incredibly fresh and original. Whoever is responsible for it (his name is Mike Myers) is a creative genius. (Last viewed: Jun 1997 August 2009)

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Waiting
      2005 | USA | Laughs: 8.5 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 6.8
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A day with the crew of a Shenanigan's restaurant. This movie has a fair amount of gross-out humor as well as body-parts jokes—usually not my favorite—so I was surprised at how much I laughed. For one thing, the interactions between staff and customers are very funny. I am also finding that comedies with Ryan Reynolds tend to work for me. (Last viewed: October 2012)

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