Comedies involving Ed Helms


   

The laughDB database is dedicated to the funniest comedy movies, stand-up comedy and TV series.

This section is for comedies involving Ed Helms as an actor, director or writer. By default the movies are presented starting with those ranking highest on the laugh-o-meter, but you can also sort them by year, title or IMDB rating.

About Ed

( wikipedia | imdb )
I haven't yet written a blurb about Ed.

Ed Helms is said to have been born on Thursday 24 January 1974, which would make him 50 years, 2 months and 4 days old (if this date is accurate and he is alive today).


Titles involving Ed Helms sorted by Laugh-o-meter (descending)


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Ed Helms was credited as actor in the following film.
At the time, he would have been about 41 years old.
Vacation 2015 Helms posterVacation
      2015 | USA | Laughs: 6.3 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 6.1
      wikipedia | who was involved?

When deciding whether to watch a movie, there's a risk of being swayed by reviews written by viewers whose taste just doesn't match yours. What happened to me when this film first came out is that I read a number of hateful reviews from people who moaned how inferior this remake was to the original National Lampoon's Vacation.

I'm glad I finally got to see it, because it might be the funniest thing I've seen all year. In fact I dare most people to watch both movies with a straight face (starting with the sequel) and tell me that the original made them laugh more. I'm not going to take that challenge myself, as I had stored the 1983 film in the "Watch Once" box — that tells me how unenthusiastic I was, and I don't see a reason to make myself suffer.

The plot? A man takes his family on a cross-country vacation, where everything goes wrong. I can't say that I couldn't stop laughing, but there were some fantastic moments and I was definitely smiling or chuckling most of the time. The main actor is Ed Helms, whom I love and who for some reason seems to be disappearing from comedy movies. In this role, he's perfect. Most of the cast also does a great job.

The moral of the story: don't be a nostalgic snob and treat yourself to this terrific remake, which in many ways probably improves on the original.

(Last viewed: December 2019)

More About Vacation:
=> Read what people say on Amazon
=> Add your own Review or Comments on
      laughDB's full page for Vacation


Ed Helms was credited as actor in the following film.
At the time, he would have been about 35 years old.
The Hangover DVDThe Hangover
      2009 | USA | Laughs: 5.6 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 7.7
      wikipedia | who was involved?

Edit (2019)
I watched The Hangover again after ten years and stand corrected. The movie aged well, stands to be watched again, and is one of the most memorable movies of the decade — even though it's far from the funniest on the pure measure of laughs.

I find it both significant and delightful that several of the actors involved went on to have successful careers in various genres. Seeing all of them once again at their peak is a treat, something that of course could not be said or anticipated in the original review.

Zach Galifianakis has created a strong body of work in comedy. Bradley Cooper has disgraced himself by directing a film in which he presents a psychopath killer as a hero — and the scary part is that many lapped it up. Boo, Mr Cooper, you won't catch me watching one of your movies again. Ed Helms seems to have disappeared from comedy features, and I miss him. Paul Rudd was never in The Hangover to start with (what was I thinking all this time?) but he probably should have been.

Watching the movie today, I loved how it incorporates secondary characters: there are several strong ones, but you don't see too much of them. Many people were probably left feeling they could have had more of Heather Graham, Mike Tyson, Ken Jeong, Bryan Callen, Jeffrey Tambor. I particularly appreciate that today, considering that by now I've watched several movies where there was definitely far too much of some of these guys.

On the first watch, I don't think I enjoyed the way the movie was cut. This time it didn't bother me at all, and I found the pacing excellent, with barely a missed beat in the whole story.

I'm sure you're already aware of this movie, which has now become a classic: hope you enjoy revisiting it as much as I did.

Original Review (2009)
The morning after a bachelor party, three men wake up in a Vegas room. There's a tiger in the bathroom and a baby in a closet. They don't remember a thing from the night before, and the bachelor has disappeared. Occasionally foul but never revolting—enough laughs to keep you watching once. Don't bother with the sequel.

(Last viewed: Sep 2009 December 2019)

More About The Hangover:
=> Read what people say on Amazon
=> Add your own Review or Comments on
      laughDB's full page for The Hangover


Ed Helms was credited as actor in the following film.
At the time, he would have been about 39 years old.
We're The Millers posterWe're The Millers
      2013 | USA | Laughs: 5.0 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 7.0
      wikipedia | who was involved?

To smuggle cannabis from Mexico into the United States, posing as the prototypical middle-class straight white American family, an unlikely quartet cross the border in a luxurious recreational vehicle. I found this movie very funny. The only reason I didn't love it is that Jennifer Aniston gives me acne, and I wished she had been replaced by any one of the thousands of actresses capable of playing the part—Tina Fey for instance. You might not have the same skin condition. Either way, the movie is one of the best comedies of the 2013 and well worth watching. Jason Sudeikis did a great job as the lead male character, and it was a treat to see Nick Offerman, who plays Ron Swanson in Parks and Recreation.

EDIT: nine years later, the movie still entertains me but not nearly to the extent that it did on first viewing. On the other hand, this time I was chuffed to see so much of Jason Sudeikis, who since then has won the world over for his interpretation of Ted Lasso. (Season 1, I mean. In my book, season 2 is a sad joke, the character's lines are a caricature with those of the first season.)

(Last viewed: Dec 2013 September 2022)

More About We're The Millers:
=> Read what people say on Amazon
=> Add your own Review or Comments on
      laughDB's full page for We're The Millers


Ed Helms was credited as actor in the following film.
At the time, he would have been about 34 years old.
Harold & Kumar escape from Guantanamo Bay DVDHarold & Kumar escape from Guantanamo Bay
      2008 | USA | Laughs: 4.9 (Watch Once) | imdb: 6.6
      wikipedia | dmoz | who was involved?

Only watch if you want to see a perfect comedy balance wasted. In this sequel to Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, the writers destroy the character of Kumar, turning the brilliant young man into an insensitive jerk. Harold's character is unchanged, but the magic is lost. No doubt, some good moments can be found in the middle of a hundred minutes of sewer-level language and situations. (Last viewed: January 2011)

More About Harold & Kumar escape from Guantanamo Bay:
=> Read what people say on Amazon
=> Add your own Review or Comments on
      laughDB's full page for Harold & Kumar escape from Guantanamo Bay


Ed Helms was credited as actor in the following film.
At the time, he would have been about 37 years old.
The Hangover Part II DVDThe Hangover Part II
      2011 | USA | Laughs: 4.7 (Broken Comedies) | imdb: 6.5
      wikipedia | who was involved?

It's hard to like a movie when you don't find any of the characters likable. I didn't love the first Hangover to start with. Perhaps it's age, but I don't relate to any of the activities depicted in the movie. But if you're a party animal, maybe you'll enjoy this. (Last viewed: April 2012)

More About The Hangover Part II:
=> Read what people say on Amazon
=> Add your own Review or Comments on
      laughDB's full page for The Hangover Part II


Ed Helms was credited as actor in the following film.
At the time, he would have been about 37 years old.
Cedar Rapids DVDCedar Rapids
      2011 | USA | Laughs: 3.0 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 6.2
      wikipedia | who was involved?

A naive insurance salesman who has never left his hometown finds himself having to swim with the sharks at a conference in the big smoke—Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This movie is more of a light-hearted take on middle-class working life in middle America than a "proper comedy" in the laugh-out-loud sense. It did not really make us laugh, but we enjoyed it. (Last viewed: May 2012)

More About Cedar Rapids:
=> Read what people say on Amazon
=> Add your own Review or Comments on
      laughDB's full page for Cedar Rapids


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(This section: Titles involving Ed Helms)

Ed is also present in the "TV comedy series" section of laughDB. To see TV comedy series involving Ed Helms, follow the link.




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