The Funniest Comedies Ever

Kingpin
      1996 | USA | Laughs: 5.0 (Broken Comedies) | imdb: 6.9
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An unlikely pair travels cross-country to Reno to compete in a bowling tournament with a prize money of a million dollars. This movie has its cute moments, but the laughs are rare. I would really not bother watching it unless you're a huge Bill Murray fan and want to catch him as a pro bowler at the start and the end of the movie. In that case, you'll also enjoy the short appearance of Larry the cameraman from Groundhog Day. (Last viewed: December 2011)

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Scrooged
      1988 | USA | Laughs: 3.0 (Just Awful) | imdb: 7.0
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I love Bill Murray, and you see a lot of Bill Murray in Scrooged. But for most of the movie, Bill looks like he's wondering "What am I doing in this movie?" It was very loud. I laughed once. Do yourself a favor and skip this one. (Last viewed: December 2011)

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Mama's Boy
      2007 | USA | Laughs: 7.9 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 5.3
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A 29-year-old "teenager" lives at home with mom and makes it hard for her to develop a relationship with a charismatic success coach. Another very funny movie with a dismal Rotten Tomatoes rating. But we're measuring laughs here, not whether a movie should belong on the golden list of cultural material approved by New York intellectuals. Apart from its name, this film contains at least one reference to the previous year's Grandma's Boy, whose funniest scene involved the game Dance Dance Revolution: Jeffrey too appears to be a fan. (Last viewed: November 2011)

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Starsky & Hutch
      2004 | USA | Laughs: 7.3 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 6.1
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Ben Stiller makes a great Starsky. I don't know if Owen Wilson makes a great Hutch, but he makes a great partner for Ben Stiller in this homage to the classic 1970s cop TV series. The series' formula was action with a smile. Here, the ratio has been inverted: the film is definitely a comedy, though it sports an entirely bearable drug-deal-plot as an excuse to see the two comedians do donuts in their gorgeous red-and-white Gran Torino. (Last viewed: November 2011)

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Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
      2004 | USA | Laughs: 6.9 (Watch Once) | imdb: 7.2
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In the 1975, The king of San Diego's TV news and his all-boy team are challenged when the network hires a female reporter. This movie had a few laughs for us, but I'm just not in love with the lead actor (Will Ferrell), who I tend to find a bit loud. Some people swear by this movie, though. Definitely worth a watch. (Last viewed: November 2011)

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Flirting with Disaster
      1996 | USA | Laughs: 2.6 (Just Awful) | imdb: 6.8
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The only disaster in this movie is the movie itself, but there's no flirting. When a movie's script is not believable, if that's for the purpose of making me laugh, I don't mind at all. This film's script is loose to the point of falling apart, but it doesn't pull its weight in the laughter department. In the one funny scene, Mel (Ben Stiller) and his wife gently approach two strangers who might be related to Mel, but the two strangers turn into rogues whotry to beat up their two potential relatives. (It sounds violent, but it's not.) The movie is certainly not worth watching for that one scene. Its one redeeming feature, in my view, is that it was probably a crude rehearsal for Meet the Parents, which would come four years later. (Last viewed: November 2011)

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The King of Comedy
      1983 | USA | Laughs: N/A (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 7.8
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I found this movie upleasant to watch, but still liked it enough to give it a five out of ten. No doubt Martin Scorcese, who directed the movie, wanted you to cringe, a bit like you might cringe at the behavior of characters in the early instalments of TV series such as Curb Your Enthusiasm or The Office. The film follows two deranged characters who've made it their life's mission to stalk a New York television show host (Jerry Lewis). DeNiro pulls off the role of the alternatively pathetic and brilliant stalker who fantasizes about becoming the next King of Comedy. Easy to skip because hard to watch, but if you do watch it, it will stay with you. (Last viewed: November 2011)

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Cosi
      1996 | Australia | Laughs: N/A (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 6.8
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Hired by a psychiatric ward to direct a variety show, a young man is soon hijacked by one of the patients for a far more challenging task—that of directing the opera Così Fan Tutte, whose theme of fidelity is mirrored in the young man's life. Speaking of hijacking, Toni Collette only has a supporting role and was not so prominent on the original poster, which was made before she overtook Ben Mendelsohn in fame. This movie was recommended to me as an introduction to Australian culture when I moved down under in 2001, and I would now second this opinion, although the country has changed. This film is a bit loud at times (it's a psychiatric yard after all), but it's endearing, and it made me laugh a few times on second viewing. (Last viewed: November 2011)

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My Boss's Daughter
      2003 | USA | Laughs: 9.3 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 4.7
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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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Knocked Up
      2007 | USA | Laughs: N/A (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 7.0
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Eight weeks after a one-night stand with a dude who, without the alcohol, wouldn't be far from her nightmare date, a TV presenter finds herself pregnant. A cute story overall, a few laughs, but also way too much frat-house humor for my taste. It also felt like the movie lasted four hours. Would not watch again. (Last viewed: October 2011)

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Death at a Funeral
      2007 | U.K. | Laughs: 1.3 (Just Awful) | imdb: 7.4
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Two out of ten. At a funeral in England, everything goes wrong. I laughed once and spent the rest of the time cringing at the weak plot, acting and dialogues. The style of humor is more that of a sitcom. Sitcoms only last twenty minutes, and for a reason: you can only take so much looseness in a plot in one sitting. I don't mind implausible behavior, but here it clashes with the otherwise "believable" ambiance of the film. Two examples. First, one guy accidentally takes a hallucinogenic. He then starts acting goofy without seeming to grasp that he is not in his normal state. Sorry, but if you are tripping, you are aware that you are experiencing an altered consciousness, so in real life this guy would freak out. Second example: another guy is accidentally given a fatal (or so everyone thinks) dose of pills. Everyone's immediate action plan: finding a way to get rid of the body. Sorry, but how about making him vomit or grabbing the doctor in the room next door? One of these strange movies that get a high rating on IMDB for inexplicable reasons. Perhaps one of the actors has a teenage following? (Last viewed: October 2011)

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Groundhog Day
      1993 | USA | Laughs: 9.8 (Laugh Out Loud) | imdb: 8.0
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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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50 First Dates
      2004 | USA | Laughs: 8.1 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 6.8
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The walrus minder at a Hawaiian aquarium falls in love with a woman who has no short-term memory—every day, he must make her fall in love again. A few laughs, lots of chuckles, very very sweet, and delightfully chilled out thanks to the Hawaiian setting and holiday music. It's perhaps my favorite romantic comedy; which makes sense, seing that the plot has elements of a "Groundhog Day" in reverse. (Groundhog Day is one of my all-time favorite comedies. In it, Bill Murray keeps reliving the same day, and remembers it.) (Last viewed: Jun 2010 August 2011)

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American Pie
      1999 | USA | Laughs: N/A (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 7.0
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Four high-school boys make a pact that they will lose their virginity before the senior prom. If you're looking for a laugh, you've got the wrong movie. But if you're after a smile and a glimpse into the psyche of upper-middle-class American male teenagers, your quest is over. (Last viewed: August 2011)

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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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The Castle
      1997 | Australia | Laughs: 7.8 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 7.7
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Made on a disgustingly low budget of $19,000, this is one of the most popular Australian movies ever. Threatened of expulsion by developers seeking to expand an airport, a family fights to keep its home. This classic underdog story is a study in Australian culture—a must-see for anyone seeking a primer on Australian society. In fact, for one Australian I've met who has "risen" from modest roots to an executive position in a big city, the endearing portrayal of the unworldly Kerrigan family is "too close to home". (Last viewed: Apr 2002 June 2011)

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Eagle vs. Shark
      2007 | New Zealand | Laughs: 2.5 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 6.8
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Four stars. Offbeat, shot in New Zealand with Jemaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords, perhaps the cutest romantic comedy of all times. (Last viewed: Feb 2010 June 2011)

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Dude, Where's My Car?
      2000 | USA | Laughs: 8.0 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 5.5
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After a night of partying, two friends wake up without any memories of what they've been up to. As they start on a quest to find their car, they soon discover that several strange groups are after them. Very cute. (Last viewed: May 2011)

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Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
      2004 | USA | Laughs: 5.3 (Watch Once) | imdb: 6.7
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To stay in business, the owner of a gym enters his handful of staff and clients into a dodgeball competition. A few laughs make this worth a watch despite the weak plot and characters. (Last viewed: May 2011)

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See no Evil, Hear no Evil
      1989 | USA | Laughs: 3.3 (Broken Comedies) | imdb: 6.8
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A blind man (Richard Pryor) and a deaf man (Gene Wilder) witness a murder. Now they must escape the killers and convince the police of their innocence. I wanted these guys to make me laugh, but they didn't. One thing that intrigued me: the gratuitous swearing, pioneering for 1989, swearing which would have made it hard for the film to reach the audience best suited to it—children between the ages of eight and thirteen. (Last viewed: May 2011)

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Little Fockers
      2010 | USA | Laughs: 2.7 (Just Awful) | imdb: 5.5
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With this third instalment, Meet the Parents reaches the unavoidable fate of an excellent movie whose success the studios try to stretch over multiple sequels. A few laughs, but a waste of perfectly good characters. (Last viewed: May 2011)

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Superhero Movie
      2008 | USA | Laughs: 5.3 (Watch Once) | imdb: 4.5
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A spiderman spoof with some good chuckles. (Last viewed: April 2011)

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Old School
      2003 | USA | Laughs: 2.5 (Just Awful) | imdb: 7.1
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A thirty-year-old rents a house on a college campus. His buddies bully him into starting a fraternity. I stopped there (about half an hour into the film) as it kept getting worse every minute. (Last viewed: April 2011)

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Beerfest
      2006 | USA | Laughs: 2.5 (Just Awful) | imdb: 6.3
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After laughing hard on Super Troopers, I looked for other movies by the Broken Lizard comedy group and settled on Beerfest, which had the highest IMDB rating (6.1) of director Jay Chandrasekhar's other films, most of them poorly rated. The plot has to do with the American branch of a German family training for a beer-drinking competition. If you enjoy movies with grotesque characters, Beerfest might make you laugh, but it just didn't work for me. (Last viewed: April 2011)

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Pineapple Express
      2008 | USA | Laughs: N/A (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 7.0
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Two stars. Two potheads try to escape a murderous dealer. One of the thousand movies since Pulp Fiction that derive much of their "humor" from showing people shooting people as though that were as casual an activity as brushing one's teeth. (Last viewed: April 2011)

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Sister Act
      1992 | USA | Laughs: 6.4 (Watch Once) | imdb: 6.3
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To protect her from her mobster ex-boyfriend, the police places a loud-spoken casino singer (Whoopi Goldberg) in a convent. Starts slow, but cute and clean, with a few good laughs. (Last viewed: March 2011)

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Harold & Kumar escape from Guantanamo Bay
      2008 | USA | Laughs: 4.9 (Watch Once) | imdb: 6.6
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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)

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Johnny English
      2003 | U.K. | Laughs: 2.8 (Just Awful) | imdb: 6.2
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Sorry. I laughed hard at many of the old Mr. Bean series, but Roy Atkinson's ventures on the big screen haven't work on me. Something about needing a plot, perhaps. To give you an example, in this movie, jewels get robbed. The next day, investigators follow the tunnel right below the robbery location and immediately stumble upon the robbers in a room at the end of the tunnel. The whole script is on the same level of pathetic. Surprisingly, the sequel (Johnny English Reborn) is worth a watch. (Last viewed: January 2011)

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Office Space
      1999 | USA | Laughs: 8.6 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 7.8
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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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Whatever Works
      2009 | USA | Laughs: 5.8 (Watch Once) | imdb: 7.2
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An aging physics genius with a deep distaste for humankind (Larry David) reluctantly becomes involved with a twenty-one-year-old Southern belle. Larry David gives Allen's whining monologues a much more bearable tone than Allen's own. It's a match made in heaven: I cannot stand most of Allen's movies of the past twenty years, but I did enjoy this one. Do not expect a believable plot… Woody Allen never is, probably because he is too inward-focused to understand the world of people. Good chuckles, might even watch again some day. (Last viewed: November 2010)

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