The Funniest British Comedies

Holy Water (a.k.a Hard Times)
      2009 | U.K. | Laughs: 1.5 (Don't Bother) | imdb: 5.9
      wikipedia | who was involved?

In a depressed Irish village, four friends decide to hijack a truck from the Viagra plant and to sell the pills to shore up their finances. The plot sounds like it could work for a comedy and the cast is well-meaning, but the movie lingers on that "well-meaning" level without ever developing much comedic power. Ninety minutes isn't long but these particular ninety minutes felt like three hours. Since you probably won't watch the film, you won't mind this spoiler: the funniest part is the last minute, when a TV reporter does a story on the village, and in the background you can see shining new sports cars and farming equipment, all presumably acquired with the bounty. (Last viewed: April 2016)

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Absolutely Anything
      2015 | U.K. | Laughs: 1.5 (Don't Bother) | imdb: 6.0
      wikipedia | who was involved?

Thanks to an alien power, an ordinary man suddenly receives the gift of making any of his wishes come true. I warmly recommend you watch absolutely anything in which Simon Pegg or Eddie Izzard they appear—except for this film, which is a waste of their talents. The voices of the Pythons used for the aliens are not a redeeming feature. For a similar premise that has a chance of actually making you laugh, try Bruce Almighty. (Last viewed: May 2017)

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Bedazzled
      1967 | U.K. | Laughs: 1.5 (Smirk) | imdb: 6.9
      wikipedia | who was involved?

A shy fast-food worker sells his soul to a very modern devil so he can woo the waitress he adores. The devil grants him seven wishes, but through some loophole or other those always come short of the poor man's expectations.

This was an enjoyable and fun movie, although not the kind that makes me laugh. Apparently much better than the remake, which I haven't seen. (Last viewed: December 2018)

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Death at a Funeral
      2007 | U.K. | Laughs: 1.3 (Just Awful) | imdb: 7.4
      wikipedia | dmoz | who was involved?

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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Monty Python and the Holy Grail
      1975 | U.K. | Laughs: 1.0 (Broken Comedies) | imdb: 8.2
      wikipedia | dmoz | who was involved?

King Arthur and the knights of the round table go searching for the holy grail. Many people rate this as the funniest movie ever. I take that as proof that collective hallucinations do happen. In fact what people remember as being funny may well be the experience of watching this film in a drunken group. After forcing myself to watch it again on my own, I can assure you that the funniest part of the movie is the opening credits. To be sure, there are scenes that will bring you a smile, but they are all stretched out for so long that you'll want to yawn. That, some worthless musical scenes, and some boring animation, combine to make this 90-minute movie feel like two hours and a half. Oh, and let's not forget the amazingly bleak colors, which cannot all be put on account of English weather as some English movies are beautiful, but must be the result of appalling cinematography. Burn me at the stake, but it has to be said: This is a boring movie. If you want to laugh, watch Fawlty Towers, also featuring John Cleese. (Last viewed: Nov 1991 October 2012)

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Yesterday
      2019 | U.K. | Laughs: 1.0 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 6.8
      wikipedia | who was involved?

After a blackout, a struggling musician wakes up in a world where he's the only one to remember the music of the Beatles, which he can claim as his own and exploit with tremendous success.

Not a laugh-out-loud comedy, but an easy and light-hearted little film which I thoroughly enjoyed and quickly forgot.

(Last viewed: December 2019)

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Withnail and I
      1987 | U.K. | Laughs: 1.0 (Don't Bother) | imdb: 7.6
      wikipedia | who was involved?

Two unemployed actors living in squalid conditions escape to a rural retreat, soon to realize they are unsuited to country life and ill-equipped to relate to the local characters. Parts of the movie were loud and loudly acted (I'm not one for theatrical performances), but I enjoyed the character of the quirky uncle. This is probably a memorable movie, but not one I'd recommend if you're looking for a laugh. (Last viewed: May 2017)

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The Plank
      1967 | U.K. | Laughs: 0.5 (Don't Bother) | imdb: 6.8
      wikipedia | who was involved?

I made myself watch this half-feature because it's supposed to be a classic, but it was clear from the first minute that it's way past its best-by date. The general thread follows two klutzes as they try to bring a plank back from the timber yard to the house they're working on, hitting everything and everyone along the way. This comedy's sub-genre fits somewhere between 'grotesque' and 'slapstick', two poor parents.

Between two yawns I was reminded of the time as a teenager when my host family in England sent me off for the day with a bag of chips and a sandwich which had a fifth of an inch of butter between the two slices of white bread. They used to lay it on thick. (Last viewed: May 2019)

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Carnage (a.k.a Swallowing the Past)
      2017 | U.K. | Laughs: 0.5 (Watch Once) | imdb: 7.8
      who was involved?

Pretending to report from the year 2067, this mockumentary purports to present the history of how all of mankind became strictly plant-eaters and came to regard the use of animal products as a barbarous act. This is not "slap-your-thighs" kind of comedy, but I like what they were trying to do and it is well-executed. The use of irony follows the British tradition and will please those who are as satisfied with a smirk as with a laugh. (Last viewed: July 2018)

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The Day Shall Come
      2019 | U.K. | Laughs: 0.0 (Just Awful) | imdb: 5.9
      wikipedia | who was involved?

I forced myself to sit through the first fifteen minutes of this well-meaning but awfully written comedy. The dialog is overly campy and far off the mark. Looks like the plot had to do with some people being mistakenly accused of terrorism. Doesn't matter what it's about, this is a firm "skip".

(Last viewed: September 2019)

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Mindhorn
      2016 | U.K. | Laughs: 0.0 (Broken Comedies) | imdb: 6.3
      wikipedia | who was involved?

After fifteen minutes, there was no sign that this movie was going to make either of us laugh, so I pressed eject. To me the film seemed to be scripted according to the all-too-common assumption that if you're loud enough and silly enough, people will think you're funny. Some may say that you have to be English—but as a fairly solid fan of U.K. comedy, I'm not sure I buy that. (Last viewed: June 2017)

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The Mouse that Roared
      1959 | U.K. | Laughs: N/A (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 7.0
      wikipedia | who was involved?

A tiny wine-producing country declares war on the United States and, by fluke, wins. A cute movie for fans of Peter Sellers, who plays four of the characters. The only funny bit is in the end credits, when the Columbia Pictures statue takes her place on the pedestal.

(Last viewed: February 2009)

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