The Funniest British Comedies

Ali G, Aiii
      2000 | U.K. | Laughs: 9.7 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 7.5
      wikipedia | who was involved?

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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A Fish Called Wanda
      1988 | U.K. | Laughs: 8.7 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 7.5
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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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How to Lose Friends & Alienate People
      2008 | U.K. | Laughs: 7.5 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 6.4
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Hired to write gossip pieces for a New York glam mag, an Englishman gets the idea that his job is to expose the celebrity baloney and soon rubs most of his workmates the wrong way. This was the funniest British movie I had seen in a long time. There were no long hard laughs but lots of short ones. I'd be happy to watch it again soon. (Last viewed: October 2015)

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The Inbetweeners 2
      2014 | U.K. | Laughs: 7.0 (Watch Once) | imdb: 6.4
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Three young men from England go to Australia on holiday to visit one of their mates, who has promised them that Oz is a paradise for those with promiscuous interests. This movie is easily one of the crudest I've ever watched. And yet, in the midst of all the ear-bendingly foul language, there are a large number of comical situations that make it worth a watch for those with a high profanity threshold. I won't lie to you: just thinking about it, I'm still smiling. (Last viewed: December 2014)

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Fierce Creatures
      1997 | U.K. | Laughs: 6.8 (Watch Once) | imdb: 6.4
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Nine years after A Fish Called Wanda, the same four lead actors were reunited in this John Cleese movie. It's not a sequel—the plot has to do with the staff of a zoo defending their animals after a media moghul acquires their employer. If you need to compare the film to Wanda, you won't be happy: individually, each of the main characters is less than its 1988 counterpart, apart perhaps from John Cleese, who might be even better as a zookeeper than he was as a barrister. The plot is cute rather than twisted, the humor is straight rather than sadistic. Nevertheless, it's a good effort by a great crew, and if you forget comparisons for a while, you are sure to enjoy the movie and to laugh more than once. (Last viewed: April 2012)

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Clockwise
      1986 | U.K. | Laughs: 6.1 (Watch Once) | imdb: 6.6
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An English headmaster's misadventures on his way to deliver a speech at the headmaster's conference. Many funny moments, but a little slow for the 21st century. Still, it's John Cleese and you want to watch because you don't want to be rude to him. (Last viewed: August 2009)

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Alpha Papa
      2013 | U.K. | Laughs: 5.8 (Watch Once) | imdb: 6.9
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A sacked radio DJ takes the station crew hostage and appoints a trusted colleague (who in fact triggered the dismissal) as negotiator. This is a chance to see the lead character of the UK TV series I'm Alan Partridge in a full-length film. It won't disappoint fans, and it should also entertain those who are unfamiliar with the series. (Last viewed: September 2014)

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Bridget Jones' Diary
      2001 | U.K. | Laughs: 5.0 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 6.7
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A 32-year-old London woman struggles in her quest to find the man who will pop the question. There is a lot to cringe about in this movie, but in a good way—you cringe because you recognize situations that happen in real live, as in Curb Your Enthusiasm. Although this is not a laugh-out-loud comedy, you will probably smile throughout, thanks largely to Hugh Grant's dry humor. (Off-topic: when I first noticed Hugh Grant, I wondered whether he was Rupert Everett, another excellent British actor, who seemed to have disappeared shortly after starring in Another Country.) The other male actor (Colin Firth) is also excellent, and the lead actress (Renée Zellweger) does a great job. If you've held off on Bridget Jones' Diary because you thought it was a "girl's movie", give up now and give it a try. It's pretty good! On the other hand, you can give the sequel (Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason) a miss. (Last viewed: Jun 2003 September 2012)

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Hot Fuzz
      2007 | U.K. | Laughs: 5.0 (Watch Once) | imdb: 7.8
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A London supercop gets sent to a small village, where gruesome accidents seem to take place at an alarming frequency. On the good side, it was fun to see the "baddies" be ordinary white folk for once instead of dark-skinned foreigners. On the bad side, the sound was terrible—this is one of these movies where they amplify every little sound (such as the turn of a door knob) in order to add texture. The shoot-them-up action scene at the never-ending end (did it take a quarter of the movie?) was also tiresome. (Last viewed: November 2012)

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Saving Grace
      2000 | U.K. | Laughs: 4.4 (Broken Comedies) | imdb: 6.9
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If you have never left your house and nor watched a comedy before, you might laugh. Otherwise, this is just another cute feel good movie—a fairly weak and boring one, despite everyone's good intentions. Two saving graces: the brief appearances of Tcheky Karyo (who was Bob in the original Nikita) and Bill Bailey (who was Bob in Black Books). (Last viewed: March 2012)

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The Invention of Lying
      2009 | U.K. | Laughs: 4.3 (Broken Comedies) | imdb: 6.4
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I'm not part of the sizable population of viewers who hate Ricky Gervais, so I was prepared to laugh as this movie had a good premise: in a world where everyone always tells the truth, one man discovers lying. Sadly, the execution was poor. For instance, the truth-tellers in Ricky's world feel compelled to blurt out things such as "I hate this job" or "you look awful" without prompting when they meet strangers, which borders on the pathological, and is certainly not the same as not lying. The movie would have worked better if the characters kept their mouths shut a lot more, speaking when asked, like "normal people". From that basis, there was a lot of room for comical situations. Skip unless you're a huge fan of Ricky's. (Last viewed: April 2012)

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The Meaning of Life
      1983 | U.K. | Laughs: 4.2 (Broken Comedies) | imdb: 7.5
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Ah, Monty Python… They've produced the best and the worst of comedy. This is one of those movies where the team travels so far down the path of caricature, gross and grotesque that it's simply not funny—unless you're equipped with a "subtle" British sense of humor. John Cleese and Eric Idle manage to make us chuckle, of course, and we're grateful for that. Rather than waste your time, watch Fawlty Towers instead to see John Cleese in a production that achieves a perfect comic balance. (Last viewed: Feb 1984 July 2010)

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And Now for Something Completely Different
      1971 | U.K. | Laughs: 4.2 (Broken Comedies) | imdb: 7.6
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A compilation of early Monty Python skits and animations. I love John Cleese, but Monty Python rarely makes me laugh—we must be on a different channel. I dislike most of the animations in this film. It does include The Dead Parrot, one of the Pythons' best skits, but you hardly need to sit through this 90-minute montage just for that. (Last viewed: July 2010)

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Run, Fatboy, Run
      2007 | U.K. | Laughs: 4.0 (Watch Once) | imdb: 6.6
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Five years after leaving his fiancee at the altar, a man enters a marathon to win back her heart. This may not sound like much of a plot, and it isn't. But the movie has a lot of smiles, and as the romantic comedy genre goes it's just about watchable, especially if you're a fan of Simon Pegg. (Dylan Moran from Black Books.) On the other hand, if you've never heard of Simon, you'd be better off watching How to Lose Friends & Alienate People. (Last viewed: October 2015)

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The World's End
      2013 | U.K. | Laughs: 4.0 (Don't Bother) | imdb: 7.0
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Returning to their home town for a pub crawl, five friends realize that it has been taken over by robots. This is a zombie movie in disguise. Zombie movies have never been my cup of tea. The best thing about this movie's zombie factor is that the gore has been minimized—the zombies look good and their blood is blue. But there is a lot of chasing and fighting that distracts from the main reason I sat down to watch the film: comedy. On the comedy side, the film has some good moments, but it is never a roaring laugh. The lead character is overly theatrical for my taste, and the humor is as tepid as the zombie-robots' blue blood. Overall, an easy skip. (Last viewed: December 2013)

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