The Funniest American Comedies

How High
      2001 | USA | Laughs: 1.0 (Smirk) | imdb: 6.3
      wikipedia | who was involved?

With the help of a ghost, two potheads get admitted to Harvard.

Every once in a while, I try a well-reviewed pothead movie to see if it deserves all the accolades. Call me close-minded and conservative, but for me the two best pothead movies are Half-Baked (1998) and Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004), and this film did nothing to change that view. I was given to understand that it was a vehicle for a couple of people I'd never heard from, and that may have something to do with its inability to make me laugh despite the actors' best intentions. It may have caused a chuckle, but in no way was it subtle.

(Last viewed: January 2019)

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Arthur
      2011 | USA | Laughs: 1.0 (Broken Comedies) | imdb: 5.7
      wikipedia | who was involved?

Visually, this movie is far superior to the original Arthur. It's a feast for the eyes. When it comes to humor, though, it's a big flat nothing. I stopped after thirty minutes because I was bored. My feeling is that Russell Brand (who was excellent in Get Him to the Greeek) is a poor choice to play a nice guy, but that's beside the point: no actor can be expected to make you laugh without a decent script. Apart from the decor and photography, this film has another distinction: that of being thoroughly unfunny without being awfully crass—a rare combination in the 2010s. (Last viewed: September 2012)

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It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
      1963 | USA | Laughs: 1.0 (Just Awful) | imdb: 7.5
      wikipedia | dmoz | who was involved?

As a man who crashed his car is about to die, he tells the five people who came down the ravine to assist him that a treasure lies buried 200 miles away. A mad hunt ensues. For humor, this movie relies on a single device—to have people punched, trampled and beaten up in a hundred other ways. It's also from a time when yelling at the top of one's voice was considered good acting. With two hours and forty minutes of this loud rubbish, watching it is extremely hard work. The best thing about the movie is the story I am about to tell you. I once asked a German visitor to tell me the names of the funniest German movies he had seen. He replied that his mom would be the one to ask, and that in fact she had often told him that as a young woman she had seen a movie that was so funny that during the projection a man had died of a heart attack. Needless to say, I immediately pushed the house phone in his hand and asked him to ring his mom. She told him that the movie was called Eine total, total verrückte Welt. I was excited to discover this amazing German movie, but a few seconds on Google revealed that it was in fact an American movie, the one we are now discussing. This shows how much we have moved on since 1963. I am sure that my grandfather (may he rest in peace) would have laughed if he had seen this movie as a boy, in the 1920s. People were simpler then. The fact that this movie still has a high imdb rating shows me that many people on imdb rate movies based on how they remember them, rather than rating them right after watching them again. There is simply no way that anyone in the 21st century could give this film more than a five out of ten, and that would be insanely generous. I wasted my time for you. Do yourself a favor and watch something else. (Last viewed: October 2012)

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Everybody Wants Some!!
      2016 | USA | Laughs: 1.0 (Don't Bother) | imdb: 6.9
      wikipedia | who was involved?

In the days leading up to the start of the college year, the players of the school's baseball team get acquainted and do their best to meet the ladies. High marks for the soundtrack and the 1970s texture, zero on laughs. (Last viewed: August 2016)

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The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
      2013 | USA | Laughs: 1.0 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 7.3
      wikipedia | who was involved?

A quiet man who daydreams of larger-than-life actions is shaken out of his routine into a life of adventure. This is a cute light-hearted movie, but certainly not a laugh-out-loud movie, though one particular scene involving a helicopter pilot did make me laugh. For me, it is Ben Stiller's best role since Meet The Parents. I like Ben when he plays a nice guy, but for some reason most of the time he ends up playing a jerk. The soundscore is all made of "big music"—the kind of music that seems designed to make you feel elated in front of the "vastness of the universe"…Not my thing. Apart from that, this was a very pleasant watch. (Last viewed: January 2014)

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The Gentlemen
      2019 | USA | Laughs: 1.0 (Smirk) | imdb: 7.8
      wikipedia | who was involved?

Trying to divest his British marijuana trading empire, an American faces ruthless negotiators. Not a "laugh-out-loud" comedy, this film falls squarely into the genre established by the same director twenty years earlier by the same director (Guy Ritchie) with Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, a genre with many imitators but none quite managing to reach the heights of the two founding works.

(Last viewed: March 2020)

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Brigsby Bear
      2017 | USA | Laughs: 1.0 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 7.3
      wikipedia | who was involved?

From Voltaire's Candide to Forrest Gump, from Dostoevsky's Idiot to Dumb and Dumber, there's nothing new, in film or literature, about the theme of the naive person having something to teach the jaded. But in this adaptation of the theme, the premise was particularly original. Abducted as a baby, a man has lived through the bubble of a TV series tailor-made just for him. Delivered into the real world, he longs to continue his relationship with the fantasy world he has known. I guess much of the movie was predictable, and some of it was weak, but the premise and some of the execution were so appealing that the movie will surely be one of the most memorable of the year. If you're looking for laughs, though, this is the wrong movie—this is comedy of the light-hearted persuasion. (Last viewed: November 2017)

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Just Married
      2003 | USA | Laughs: 1.0 (Don't Bother) | imdb: 5.4
      wikipedia | who was involved?

A young man and woman from different social backgrounds have a nightmare honeymoon in Europe. This movie is watchable but the comedy is such low-grade (slapstick, mostly) that it's really not worth the effort. It's astonishing to me that it should have the same rating as Dude, Where's My Car, also featuring Ashton Kutcher. (Last viewed: August 2022)

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Coming Soon
      1999 | USA | Laughs: 1.0 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 4.4
      wikipedia | who was involved?

Advised by her two best friends, a high-school senior who has never climaxed explores physical relationships and romance. I too thought the synopsis of this movie sounded awful and the poster made me expect something nasty in the way of so many frat house flicks.

In reality, this was a sweet movie with delicate touches, told from the female perspective and scripted by two women, one of whom directed it. Much seemed autobiographical, little felt gratuitous.

As a comedy, it probably won't make you laugh. As a romance, it's sweet and not only watchable but recommended for its rare perspective.

(Last viewed: September 2022)

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Killers
      2010 | USA | Laughs: 1.0 (Just Awful) | imdb: 5.4
      wikipedia | who was involved?

A former CIA operative living an all-American suburban life with his loving wife who is unaware of his past becomes the target of assassination attempts.

The script is as bland as boiled celery. Easily the worse Ashton Kutcher comedy I've ever seen. One has to pity the crew that participates in such a senseless project. If they'd asked my dog to read the script before proceeding, thousands of man hours would have been spared.

(Last viewed: August 2022)

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That's My Boy
      2012 | USA | Laughs: 1.0 (Watch Once) | imdb: 5.5
      wikipedia | who was involved?

Days before his wedding, a successful banker is reunited with his father, whom he had kept at bay for years. This movie is only in the "watch once" section for those who are curious about the work of Adam Sandlers; others can skip it. If you're ever in the mood to watch a bad movie, this is a decent choice. You know how sometimes bad can be good? I don't recall all the bad elements in That's My Boy—Adam's voice was certainly one of them—but there's enough badness here to keep you perversely entertained. (Last viewed: May 2013)

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Empire Records
      1995 | USA | Laughs: 1.0 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 6.7
      wikipedia | dmoz | who was involved?

This is a light-hearted movie rather than a comedy meant to make you laugh. As such, it is successful. The movie is set in an independent record store on a day when staff are having multiple crises. It has heart and character, and I enjoyed the story. (Last viewed: July 2015)

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Sydney White
      2007 | USA | Laughs: 1.0 (Watch Once) | imdb: 6.2
      wikipedia | who was involved?

Rejected by the vicious president of a beauty farm (err… I mean, sorority), a college freshman joins the dorks and campaigns for student council. After She's The Man, I enjoyed seeing Amanda Bynes in a role with hints of tomboy once again. The movie didn't make me laugh, but it was cute and I smiled a lot. (Last viewed: June 2015)

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Our Hospitality
      1923 | USA | Laughs: 1.0 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 7.8
      wikipedia | who was involved?

A young man travels to a faraway town where he has inherited an estate. But he is the target of a century-old family feud, and he is soon hunted by the father and brothers of the young lady he has befriended on the train. Although this film won't make 21st century viewers laugh, it is surprisingly easy to watch, partly for its scenery and historical interest, partly because of its cute plot and descent pace. If you've got an hour to kill, don't let the age scare you. (Last viewed: June 2013)

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Kung Pow: Enter the Fist
      2002 | USA | Laughs: 1.0 (Just Awful) | imdb: 6.2
      wikipedia | dmoz | who was involved?

In the tradition of Woody Allen's What's up Tigerlily, this film lays new dialogue over a B-movie, in this case a Hong Kong martial arts flick. New footage was added. The film must have been very funny to make, but it's certainly not funny to watch, unless perhaps you are a fan of underground "cult" movies. Do yourself a favor and watch Enter the Dragon instead. It's not a comedy (though it has quite a bit of humor), but it's an excellent film for the martial arts, the characters, the 1970s costumes and the social commentary. (Last viewed: July 2012)

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