Comedies from the 1990s

The Inheritance or Fkoffguysgoodday (Dedictví aneb Kurvahosigutntag)
      1992 | Czech Republic | Laughs: 0.5 (Don't Bother) | imdb: 7.8
      wikipedia | who was involved?

A man who lives like a bum on his tiny farm inherits a vast sum and dispenses his riches among the village folk whilst staying constantly drunk on plum liquor. Going by the high imdb rating, Czech speakers must enjoy the movie immensely, but what good it has was lost in the translation. Till the end we kept hoping this rather loud movie would turn around, but it never happened. Culturally interesting and depressingly bad—unless you're into cult movies, in which case it is stellar. (Last viewed: August 2017)

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The Miracle of P. Tinto (El milagro de P. Tinto)
      1998 | Spain | Laughs: 0.5 (Broken Comedies) | imdb: 7.2
      wikipedia | who was involved?

An aging couple adopt two adult but short aliens and a giant psychopath. This movie is so offbeat (from the script to the visuals and the soundtrack) that it is a mission to watch, a painful mission because it is loud too. I see how this could be someone's cup of tea, perhaps someone who's into Mel Brooks. Good luck. (Last viewed: December 2017)

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Arizona Dream
      1993 | USA | Laughs: 0.1 (Don't Bother) | imdb: 7.3
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A young man moves into a country house with two unstable women: that's about as far as I'd dare describe the plot of this plotless film.

This movie may deserve its "Comedy" classification in the sense that it's not serious, but don't expect it to make you laugh. Although I've watched Kusturica's work since seeing Time of the Gypsies in the theater in 1988, some of his pieces are too chaotic for me, and this is one of them. Honorable mention for Jerry Lewis, by far the best component of the movie. (Last viewed: June 2018)

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Dazed and Confused
      1993 | USA | Laughs: 0.1 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 7.6
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After the last day of high school, students cruise around town over the course of a long afternoon and its ensuing night.

I believe that this movie owes much of its popularity to its presence on Quentin Tarantino's list of top-ten films—no doubt a list well worth studying for little-known gems. There is no doubt that it captures something and will resonate with many who attended high-school in the United States in the 1970s, but as a lover of funny movies I found little of interest. The movie lost me at one of its many stops along the endless evening it depicts, and I struggled to keep my eyes open till the end. (Last viewed: June 2018)

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Shuroo
      1990 | Israel | Laughs: 0.0 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 6.8
      who was involved?

This is a decent little movie about a depressed scammer starting a small cult. It's misclassified as a comedy, so don't watch it if you're expecting to laugh. (Last viewed: July 2014)

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Forrest Gump
      1994 | USA | Laughs: 0.0 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 8.8
      wikipedia | dmoz | who was involved?

If the focus of this site were light-hearted movies rather than laugh-out-loud comedy, this film would rank pretty high, although it does get heavy at times, especially towards the end. On the laughter dimension, I came out empty-handed on this second viewing after a twenty-odd year gap, although I did chuckle once.

The movie shows us the world through the eyes of a man with a low IQ (I'll refrain from adding "but high sensitivity"). At first I got the impression that the film was going to be about the wisdom of the fool—the eternal theme of the simple man having a deeper understanding of life than his brethren. Fortunately, there was more to it than that, otherwise the nearly-three-hours of reels would have been unbaringly preachy.

Part of the comedy lies in the fact that unwillingly, our character gets to play a part in frontline events and achieves some outstanding deeds—without seeming to care one bit about the ensuing glory. By and large, he does things because he feels like doing them.

Although the movie is sappy at times, it is a real treat in other moments. Overall, I would place it on the shelf of the guilty pleasures of American cinema. Let the record state that I am glad that shelf exists. (Last viewed: May 1994 April 2018)

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Alice in Wondertown (Alicia en el Pueblo de Maravillas)
      1991 | Cuba | Laughs: 0.0 (Just Awful) | imdb: 6.7
      who was involved?

A young woman moves to a very strange town where she has been hired as a drama teacher. I was excited to try a Cuban movie but couldn't understand why this one is classified as a comedy—it starts out like a horror movie and only gradually lightens up. I wanted to persevere out of respect for Fidel and cultural curiosity but was simply unable to get past the 27th minute. However, the film has a decent imdb rating, so some people must like it. (Last viewed: July 2014)

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Les Grands Ducs
      1996 | France | Laughs: 0.0 (Just Awful) | imdb: 5.9
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The first fifteen minutes of this film are so excruciatingly bad that I had to give up in disgust. The plot apparently follows three seniors whose theatrical career has seen better days as they embark on a tour of small French towns with a low-quality play. The opening scenes were noisy and over-theatrical in a grand old French tradition—or perhaps it is a Franco-English tradition, as the same moronic display can be found in Monty Python's worst skits, to take only one example. Avoid at all cost. (Last viewed: December 2013)

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Herod's Law (La ley de Herodes)
      1999 | Mexico | Laughs: N/A | imdb: 8.0
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An honest man is made mayor of a small village, where power soon corrupts him.

This movie started out well but soon turned out heavy and tiresome.
(Last viewed: November 2020)

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My Cousin Vinny
      1992 | USA | Laughs: N/A (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 7.6
      wikipedia | dmoz | who was involved?

Four stars. An excellent, fun, even funny movie, but not the kind that has you in stitches. A New York lawyer (Joe Pesci) travels to Alabama with his fiancee to defend his nephew and another youngster, who have been falsely accused of murdering a grocery store clerk. It's always pleasant to see justice triumph—hopefully, it doesn't only happen in the movies. (Last viewed: August 2010)

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The Big Lebowski
      1998 | USA | Laughs: N/A (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 8.1
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A Los Angeles "unemployed long-hair cool dude" gets embroiled in a kidnapping story involving the wife of a millionaire who shares his last name, Lebowski. He gets the well-intentioned but ineffective help of his bowling buddy. Fun but not laugh-out-loud. (Last viewed: Dec 1998 October 2010)

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Cosi
      1996 | Australia | Laughs: N/A (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 6.6
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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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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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The Hudsucker Proxy
      1994 | USA | Laughs: N/A (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 7.2
      wikipedia | who was involved?

A good film, just not one that makes you laugh out loud. As often, the Cohen brothers have created a cartoonish world, one that I found visually engaging, though not so pleasant on the ear as several of the characters speak in phoney accents at twice the normal speed. It's New York in the 1950s, and a recent graduate from a small college gets an instant promotion from the mailroom to president of a large corporation, a scheme devised by the board to temporarily drive the stock down to later repurchase it cheaply. Unfortulately for the board members, the presumed dunce invents the hula-hoop. (Last viewed: April 2012)

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Muriel's Wedding
      1994 | Australia | Laughs: N/A (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 7.2
      wikipedia | who was involved?

Everybody tells Muriel she's "daggy" (Aussie for uncool). By the end of this underdog story, she's made a place for herself, at least in her own heart. Featuring Australian archetypes and classic shots of the Gold Coast: required viewing for serious students of Australiana. (Last viewed: April 2010)

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