Comedies from the 1990s

Happiness
      1998 | USA | Laughs: 4.0 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 7.7
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The lives of three sisters and connected characters are placed under the microscope in this intimate movie which makes you both cringe and smile. In that way, it is in the line of some of Woody Allen's films and can be seen as a precursor to TV series such as The Office. No laugh-out-loud moment, but a hypnotic and entertaining watch.

Happiness is the origin of the famous line "I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you." It is one of the movies that helped establish Philip Seymour Hoffman, who will be missed. (Last viewed: Mar 2000 November 2016)

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A Shock to the System
      1990 | USA | Laughs: 4.0 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 6.7
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An executive discovers that making people disappear is a pleasant and easy way to remove the various hurdles in his life. Michael Caine's performance was delightful. One of those tight comedies which, although it probably won't make you laugh, may leave you with a glow from smiling for ninety minutes. (Last viewed: August 2017)

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The Day of the Beast (El día de la Bestia)
      1995 | Spain | Laughs: 4.0 (Watch Once) | imdb: 7.4
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Seeking to meet the devil in order to prevent the reign of the antichrist, a priest forces himself to do evil deeds. I really enjoyed this movie, especially the first half, which had a lighter touch than the hectic finale, as with a great number of movies. I didn't laugh out loud, but I probably chuckled and grinned for a good part of the film. To me the comparison with Peter Jackson is inevitable, but I enjoyed this a good deal more. That being said, it is so offbeat that it won't be to everyone's taste. (Last viewed: October 2017)

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House Party
      1990 | USA | Laughs: 4.0 (Watch Once) | imdb: 6.5
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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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Pappa Ante Portas
      1991 | Germany | Laughs: 3.8 (Broken Comedies) | imdb: 7.9
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Forced to retire prematurely and spend his days at home, an executive becomes a bother to his wife. This highly-rated German film probably has more appeal for those who were raised in the German culture, as they will find humor when the main character subtly deviates from the local social norm. For foreign audiences, the movie is not without charm, yet I see no compelling reason to sit through it—unless you were going to write a review. Skip. (Last viewed: July 2012)

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Big Daddy
      1999 | USA | Laughs: 3.8 (Broken Comedies) | imdb: 6.4
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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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Pros & Cons
      1999 | USA | Laughs: 3.5 (Chuckle) | imdb: 5.8
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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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I Was a Teenage Intellectual (short) ((Byl jsem mladistvým intelektuálem)
      1999 | Czech Republic | Laughs: 3.5 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 7.2
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Two TV-watching teens run into a group of intellectuals—whose curse can be caught is the same way one becomes a vampire. This 16-minute short has a few chuckles—worth a watch for cultural value if you can get your hands on it. (Last viewed: July 2014)

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Straight into the Wall (Droit dans le Mur)
      1997 | France | Laughs: 3.5 (Watch Once) | imdb: 4.9
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As he rehearses for a minor theatrical role, a formerly successful actor has a hard time juggling his jobs, the girlfriend he is unable to dump, and his wife with whom he would like to reconcile. Although this is hardly Pierre Richard at his best, the movie is far more entertaining than the dismal imdb rating would suggest. Indeed, the actors perform well, and the plot is not noticeably weaker than in many better-known French comedies. Worth watching once if you're a fan of the lead actor—otherwise definitely skip. (Last viewed: July 2014)

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Clerks
      1994 | USA | Laughs: 3.3 (Broken Comedies) | imdb: 7.7
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A black-and-white film purporting to present a day in the life of two clerks in a convenience store and the attending video store. Clerks didn't make me laugh when it came out, but in the coming years it attained something of a cult following, so I thought I'd give the movie another shot. It still doesn't make me laugh. The dialogue sounds like it's out of a book, clashing with the "realistic" images of the store. (Last viewed: Jul 1995 October 2010)

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Bowfinger
      1999 | USA | Laughs: 3.2 (Broken Comedies) | imdb: 6.4
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There are a few laughs in this movie, but the pain you must endure to earn those isn't worth it. I'll admit that I'm highly prejudiced: with rare exceptions, I can't stand movies that deal with movie-making—as though the whole world revolved around Hollywood. The premise of this one is that a desperate director decides to shoot a movie without telling a movie star he will feature in it. Sadly, it's much worse than it sounds. There's lots of screaming, chaos, and terrible music to cover up the images. It might just be bad enough to qualify as a cult movie, but you'd have to ask someone who's interested in such things. (Last viewed: July 2015)

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The Wrong Guy
      1997 | Canada | Laughs: 3.1 (Watch Once) | imdb: 6.9
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A young executive who discovers the body of his murdered boss wrongly believes that he is the prime suspect and runs from the police—in the same direction as the real killer. Although the movie didn't make me laugh, I found it consistently funny. It features the same kind of understated humor from the Kids in the Hall TV series in which Dave Foley also stars. (Last viewed: September 2014)

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Home Alone
      1990 | USA | Laughs: 3.1 (Broken Comedies) | imdb: 7.6
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I resisted watching this much-liked movie for over twenty years. (Please don't burn me for saying this, but I'm just not interested in kids.) After several people on the site recommended it, I finally buckled up to see if it would make me laugh. This was not a case of "wow, what have I been missing all this time". No, it was exactly what I had been expecting (for once)—a cute kid trying to defeat some not-particularly clever baddies. This is really a kid's movie. If you're into kids, then by all means, give it a shot. (Last viewed: August 2012)

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Secrets & Lies
      1996 | U.K. | Laughs: 3.0 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 8.0
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A cute U.K. light-drama about an educated woman who sets out to meet her biological mother, who turns out to be far from her both socially and ethnically. If you can stand another lesson about transcending social and racial boundaries, this is a good pick. (Last viewed: July 2012)

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The Wedding Singer
      1998 | USA | Laughs: 3.0 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 6.8
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For his entire life, a young man who sings at weddings has been dreaming of getting married, but his fiancee walks out on him on his big day. Meanwhile, a young woman who waits tables at the weddings he sings at is about to marry the wrong guy. This movie belongs more in the romance genre than with romantic comedies, but it has a few chuckles and it's extremely cute. The soundtrack is a bit of a 1980s best-of, which I am never sad about. It's also a treat to see Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore together "again" after 50 First Dates—which in fact won't be made for another six years. (Last viewed: Apr 2007 October 2012)

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