Comedies from the 1990s

Son in Law
      1993 | USA | Laughs: 2.0 (Watch Once) | imdb: 5.9
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After her first semester of college in L.A., a Midwestern girl brings an outrageous young man from school back to the farm for Thanksgiving so she can get out of committing to her old boyfriend from high school.

This was pretty bad, but almost "good bad", and I confess to chuckling a few times. Don't make this your evening's main entertainment, but on a two-movie night this might be the perfect piece to wind down. (Last viewed: May 2018)

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The Ref (a.k.a Hostile Hostages)
      1994 | USA | Laughs: 2.0 (Don't Bother) | imdb: 6.9
      wikipedia | dmoz | who was involved?

A thief on the run takes two hostages, a husband and wife who cannot stop bickering. While seeing Kevin Spacey in a comedy was refreshing and the premise was fun, execution was mediocre and the movie failed to deliver laughs. (Last viewed: March 2015)

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Mousehunt
      1997 | USA | Laughs: 2.0 (Don't Bother) | imdb: 6.5
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Renovating a valuable house in view of auctioning it, two brothers are pitted against a formidably clever mouse. Some people rave about this movie, going so far as describing it as "genius". That made me eager to watch it, but I'm sorry to report that I had to force myself to sit through it till the end. Much of the humor had to do with one of the brothers getting hurt in one way or another. I think I had outgrown finding that kind of movie funny around the time I reached ten. (Last viewed: June 2015)

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Grosse Pointe Blank
      1997 | USA | Laughs: 1.7 (Just Awful) | imdb: 7.3
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A hitman travels back to his hometown for his ten-year high-school reunion. Great eighties music, no laughs, lots of bullets and yawns. (Last viewed: December 2008)

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The Waterboy
      1998 | USA | Laughs: 1.6 (Just Awful) | imdb: 6.2
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Adam Sandler plays a slightly "slow" grown man who dispenses water to the players of a football team. Painful, had to stop after twenty minutes. Maybe I missed the good part. (Last viewed: September 2010)

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Career Opportunities
      1991 | USA | Laughs: 1.5 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 5.9
      wikipedia | who was involved?

In this 1990s movie that feels as though it belongs to the 1980s, a young man and a young woman spend a night together inside a Target supermarket where the former works as a janitor and the latter fell asleep while shoplifting. Light-hearted but very low-cal in the laughs department. (Last viewed: June 2021)

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The Cable Guy
      1996 | USA | Laughs: 1.3 (Just Awful) | imdb: 6.1
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A lonely cable guy (Jim Carrey) decides he wants to become one of his customers' best friends. Starts out silly (with some good laughs), ends up psycho. I wanted to watch a comedy, mama, not a stalker movie! Only watch if you're ready to zap. (Last viewed: June 2010)

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Election
      1999 | USA | Laughs: 1.2 (Smirk) | imdb: 7.2
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A school election provides the chance to look deep into the personality of several characters — from an unsavory model student to a frustrated teacher.

At first this movie looked as harmless as apple pie, but I was surprised at how heavy it hit every once in a while. There were no actual laughs, but it was a pleasant-enough watch laced with a few chuckles.

(Last viewed: January 2019)

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Love and Other Catastrophes
      1996 | Australia | Laughs: 1.0 (Don't Bother) | imdb: 6.3
      wikipedia | who was involved?

Over the course of a day, several university students wrestle with their respective anxieties over relationships before coming to a temporary resolution. I enjoyed seeing one of the lead actors from the terrific TV series Rake. What else can be said in favor of this movie? The acting is decent; it's cute; it has a terrific title. (For some reason I always thought this was a Hugh Grant movie. If you can explain the connection, please post a comment.) Sadly, this film is also extraordinarily boring and should be viewed only by those who have a personal reason for doing so — for instance if their mom was one of the lead actors. (Last viewed: December 2014)

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Coming Soon
      1999 | USA | Laughs: 1.0 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 4.4
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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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Empire Records
      1995 | USA | Laughs: 1.0 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 6.7
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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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On Peut Toujours Rever
      1991 | France | Laughs: 1.0 (Don't Bother) | imdb: 5.1
      who was involved?

To change things around, a billionaire captain of industry hires a streetwise barber. This "odd-couple" movie is watchable but entirely forgettable. They gave Pierre Richard a serious role, and on the humor side the movie is extremely flat. (Last viewed: July 2014)

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Mafalda
      1993 | Cuba | Laughs: 0.9 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 6.4
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This cartoon by a Cuban director is based on the famous comic by his Argentinean friend Quino. Although barely over 70 minutes long, it may be too much to attempt over a single sitting as it is relentless, each of the 104 vignettes running into its neighbor(s) without transition.

I was often struck by the skillful collision of worlds—for instance that of children with that of adults, or that of reality with that of soap operas. One striking element is the presence of television (and cartoons) without the cartoon. Adult preoccupations such as ecology and political regimes sometimes intervene.

I didn't think that such bare graphics would keep me interested, but they did. I didn't laugh, but the cartoon did make me smile for its constant quirkiness, and I enjoyed it.

(Last viewed: February 2019)

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Mouth to Mouth (Boca a Boca)
      1995 | Spain | Laughs: 0.8 (Just Awful) | imdb: 6.4
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As much as I like Javier Bardem—and I've been a fan since Jamon, Jamon—I can't think of a single reason to recommend this movie. First off, I despise movies about actors or film-making. Does the world revolve around the film industry? Thousands of script writers seem to think it does.

This film features a sorry plot about an aspiring actor (Bardem) having to take work for an adult phone line before an important audition, a job that has him exclusively servicing male clients. When a female customer calls in, he gets drawn into a murder plot.

It's always hard to pull off a combination of genres (Comedy x Crime). When both sides are weak, the weakness compounds into a dud. (Last viewed: February 2017)

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Planet Blue (הכוכב הכחול / Ha-Kochav Hakachol)
      1995 | Israel | Laughs: 0.8 (Don't Bother) | imdb: 5.8
      who was involved?

This movie was classified as a comedy, but I'm not sure what made it so. Indeed I'm entirely sure what the whole film was supposed to be about. I stuck with it, partly for the cultural value, partly because I was overdue for an experimental film, but certainly not for the laughs.

The movie follows a young man on some kind of mixture of treasure hunt and spiritual journey. The color orange is present in almost every frame, which is somewhat unpleasant on the eyes. Apart from that, there is nothing to dislike. The shanti atmosphere and slow unfolding lend themselves to watching the film over several days, which we did. I don't think I could have taken it in one sitting.

Overall, the movie is not much more mature than a film school project, so unless you love dreadlocks and experimental cinema, you can safely skip this one. (Last viewed: March 2014)

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