The Funniest American Comedies

House Party
      1990 | USA | Laughs: 4.0 (Watch Once) | imdb: 6.5
      wikipedia | who was involved?

A high-school student goes to a party despite his father's wishes. Over the course of the night, some things go bad for him, others go well. This is not really a movie where you laugh, but you do smile the whole time—at least I did. It's funny and it's a good movie, with several great characters. With its uninspiring poster, it would be easy to miss. That would be a shame. (Last viewed: September 2012)

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Up in Smoke
      1978 | USA | Laughs: 4.0 (Watch Once) | imdb: 7.0
      wikipedia | who was involved?

Alright, this movie may not have made me laugh, but I sure did grin a lot. Two potheads meet on the side of a road, decide to start a band and constantly have to dodge the fuzz. That's basically the plot. Apparently this is something of a cult among stoner movies. For a cult movie, it's surprisingly watchable. The song Low Rider by War over the credits gets you in the mood. Someone else would have to tell you what the movie is like under the influence of weed. (Last viewed: June 2015)

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White Chicks
      2004 | USA | Laughs: 4.0 (Watch Once) | imdb: 5.6
      wikipedia | dmoz | who was involved?

To foil a kidnapping attempt, two black FBI agents pose as high-society white females. Over the years, I've seen so many films where whites disguise as blacks that it's refreshing to see the opposite premise. The movie is a bit loud, and it's definitely not a roarer, but it has some good moments and might be worth a watch if you have nothing better on hand. (Last viewed: September 2015)

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Cactus Flower
      1969 | USA | Laughs: 3.9 (Broken Comedies) | imdb: 7.2
      wikipedia | who was involved?

When a dentist decides to marry his girlfriend, the girlfriend wants to meet the wife he's supposed to divorce… but he had lied about being married, so he recruits his assistant to play the "fake wife". I'm sure this was a funny movie in 1969, but times change, and in 2012 it is not easy to identify to some of the characters. You may enjoy a bit of sharp dialogue and a few clever lines, but overall this is an easy movie to skip. The modern version with Adam Sandler (Just Go with It) is about twenty times funnier. (Last viewed: February 2012)

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The Holiday
      2006 | USA | Laughs: 3.9 (Chuckle) | imdb: 6.9
      wikipedia | who was involved?

Eager two get over some toxic relationships, two professional women — one in England, one in California — swap houses over the holiday season. Plot-wise, this has the benefit of instantly creating two fish-out-of-water situations and of opening the door to exotic romantic possibilities.

As romantic comedies go, this one is extremely cute. I loved the accents and thought the cast did a splendid job. And as a fan of comedy, there was enough in there to keep me chuckling for most of the film's insane duration, although I'll confess I watched most of its 135 minutes at 120% of its regular velocity.

If someone close to you is more into holiday movies than you are, this one is a fine pick.

(Last viewed: December 2019)

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Stuber
      2019 | USA | Laughs: 3.8 (Smirk) | imdb: 6.2
      wikipedia | who was involved?

A meek taxi driver gets commandeered by a rough policeman in pursuit of a crazed killer. I was entertained and enjoyed seeing one of the lead actors from Silicon Valley, whose character made me smile throughout this decent little action comedy.

(Last viewed: October 2019)

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The 'Burbs
      1989 | USA | Laughs: 3.8 (Watch Once) | imdb: 6.9
      wikipedia | who was involved?

Suspicious of the new owners of a house on their street, a group of neighbors in a white American suburb leave no stone unturned to investigate what takes place in their basement. This could almost be classified as a comedy-horror movie—except there isn't a single horror scene… Do spooky sound effects count? It's entertaining if you have nothing better to do. You'll probably smile, but don't expect big laughs. (Last viewed: July 2014)

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Screwed
      2000 | USA | Laughs: 3.8 (Don't Bother) | imdb: 5.8
      wikipedia | who was involved?

With the help of a friend, a millionaire baker's valet kidnaps her dog. This is one of these plots where everything goes wrong. The movie starts out in the burlesque register—in the worst sense of the word—but, thankfully, ever-so-slowly improves. There may in fact be a few decent lines with Dave Chappelle. But what redeems the movie (though not to the point where you'd want to go out of your way to watch it) is an extraordinary performance by Danny DeVito, who plays a disheveled mortician. (Last viewed: July 2014)

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Promising Young Woman
      2020 | USA | Laughs: 3.8 (Chuckle) | imdb: 7.5
      wikipedia | who was involved?

A grown woman seeks revenge for a drug rape perpetrated against her best friend in medical school. This dark comedy was probably never intended to deliver laughs. I fully forgive it for that: it entertains.

(Last viewed: March 2021)

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Big Daddy
      1999 | USA | Laughs: 3.8 (Broken Comedies) | imdb: 6.4
      wikipedia | dmoz | who was involved?

Man adopts child who shows up at the door with a note from the mom for the man's roommate, presumably the father. I like Adam Sandler, but the plot is so weak I had to stop after half an hour. No laughs. (Last viewed: September 2010)

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The 40-Year-Old Virgin
      2005 | USA | Laughs: 3.5 (Broken Comedies) | imdb: 7.1
      wikipedia | who was involved?

I like Steve Carell, and if anyone can pull off the role of a 40-year-old who is still a virgin, it is he, but this movie doesn't really make me laugh. In some ways, this is a cute story. In other ways, it's another boring excuse to show a group of men talking dirty. If you're stuck at home with the flu and run out of things to watch, this film will help you kill a couple of hours. Otherwise, skip it. (Last viewed: February 2012)

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Spy
      2015 | USA | Laughs: 3.5 (Watch Once) | imdb: 7.0
      wikipedia | who was involved?

A desk agent at the CIA gets pulled into the field and proves her worth against all expectations. This was an entertaining watch with some good moments, but it didn't trigger a lot of laughter and ran a big long. It would have been better if some of the big budget had been diverted to improve the writing. (Last viewed: September 2015)

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Pros & Cons
      1999 | USA | Laughs: 3.5 (Chuckle) | imdb: 5.8
      wikipedia | who was involved?

Two guys from different walks of life (classic 'odd couple' plot) get sent to prison by mistake (classic 'fish out of water' plot) and bumble their way up to the top of the pile (classic 'lucky dunce' plot). The movie started slow and never was very funny, but had just enough to keep me in my seat for its considerable duration. On a less relaxed night, I might have given up.

There were some chuckles, and the guest appearance by Jerry Seinfeld was an unexpected treat.

This is definitely a movie of the nineties, and that might be one of the things that made it endearing: it was a lot more relaxed that many contemporary productions.

You won't miss much if you skip it, but you might enjoy it if you have nothing better to do. (Last viewed: February 2019)

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Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
      1989 | USA | Laughs: 3.5 (Watch Once) | imdb: 7.0
      wikipedia | dmoz | who was involved?

Two teenagers in danger of failing their history report are rescued by a man from the future who sends them in a phone booth time machine to collect historical characters from various destinations in the past. Not a laugh-out-loud movie, but there are a couple of chuckles. It's cute and worth a watch if you're in a forgiving mood. It was fun to see a young Keanu Reeves, and even more fun to see George Carlin as the man from the future. (Last viewed: January 2013)

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The Way Way Back
      2013 | USA | Laughs: 3.5 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 7.4
      wikipedia | who was involved?

A teenager spending the Summer in Cape Cod escapes his family by taking a job at a water park. This is certainly not a laugh-out-loud comedy, but it's a good movie in the light-hearted movie. I did have a couple of good laughs thanks to the character of the water park supervisor (Sam Rockwell), who carries the bulk of the film's comedic power. (Last viewed: October 2013)

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