Comedies from the 2000s

She's the Man
      2006 | USA | Laughs: 6.5 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 6.3
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When her twin brother elopes to London, a girl pretends to be him for the first two weeks at his new high school so she can play on the soccer team. I liked this movie a lot. When women play men's roles, to me it usually feels phony in a really bad way. But for some reason, perhaps just great acting, for once it was very funny. By the way, what is it with movies about young women wanting to play soccer? They're really good! Actually I've only seen two. Bend it like Beckham was funny too, but this is funnier. I'll be looking for more films with Amanda Bynes. And young women who want to play soccer. (Last viewed: September 2012)

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Rat Race
      2001 | USA | Laughs: 6.5 (Watch Once) | imdb: 6.4
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A casino owner pits six people in a race to retrieve two million dollars from a train station locker in New Mexico. The movie's weakest point is probably the gross misuse made of the British talent (John Cleese and Rowan Atkinson). It still had excellent moments and deserves a watch if you're a comedy fan. (Last viewed: July 2015)

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Superbad
      2007 | USA | Laughs: 6.5 (Watch Once) | imdb: 7.6
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I tend not to enjoy films where grown-up males spend their time talking dirty about women, such as The 40-Year-Old Virgin. But when the dirty talkers are youngsters who have not yet experienced adult activities, as in Superbad, I tend to chuckle. Two kids who were dreaming of their high-school graduation party somehow find themselves at a party with 25-year-olds, and in other situations in the "grown-up world". For what it is, this movie is well put together. If you have a stomach for adult themes and foul language, you will laugh at least once and smile a lot. (Last viewed: February 2012)

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Orange County
      2002 | USA | Laughs: 6.5 (Watch Once) | imdb: 6.2
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When his college counselor sends in the wrong transcript, the straight-A class president of a preppy Orange County high school gets turned down by Stanford University. As he tries to reclaim what is rightfully his, it seems to him that neither his drama-loving mom nor his authoritarian dad, surfer buddies, sweet girlfriend and stoner brother really want him to get in. For a movie involving high-school characters, this one is refereshingly low on vulgarity but features a cute story and good laughs. (Last viewed: March 2012)

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Philantropy (Filantropica)
      2002 | Romania | Laughs: 6.4 (Watch Once) | imdb: 8.5
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An astonishingly accomplished movie for a country (Romania) that is not known for its cinema, at least not in my village. At a time of great income divides while the country transitions toward capitalism, a school teacher longs for a young woman who moves in the world of fast money. To pad his wallet, he agrees to participate in a variety of scams that hinge on one principle: people's good heart—hence the title. I smiled throughout and found the actors likeable, the plot original and the setting interesting (never having traveled to Romania). A good watch for those who aren't allergic to subtitles. (Last viewed: May 2012)

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Role Models
      2008 | USA | Laughs: 6.3 (Watch Once) | imdb: 6.8
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To avoid spending a month in jail, two buddies sign up for a mentoring program: each will be the "role model" for a troubled kid. Full of foul language and adult themes, but good natured… You forgive everything because of the several hard laughs. (Last viewed: May 2010)

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Priceless (Hors de Prix)
      2006 | France | Laughs: 6.1 (Watch Once) | imdb: 7.0
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A bellboy in a ritzy hotel on the French Riviera falls in love with a gold digger. I delayed watching this movie as I am not as taken with the actress of Amelie as many people seem to be, and it was a good surprise as it was full of chuckles. The movie also confirmed my fondness for the lead actor, Gad Elmaleh, whom I had just seen in The Valet.

Edit: the second viewing twelve years did not disappoint.

(Last viewed: Oct 2010 September 2022)

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Shut-Up (Tais Toi)
      2003 | France | Laughs: 6.0 (Watch Once) | imdb: 7.1
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French title: "Tais-Toi". A hardened gangster is forced to share his prison cell with a simple-minded, kind-hearted thief bent on being his friend. After the many laughs of the first half, the film develops a lifeless car-chase and shoot-them-up plot—yawn. Well worth watching more than once if you stick to the jail sequence. This is the second time director Francis Veber uses Depardieu in a "botched-robbery-duo", but the first time around (in The Fugitives) Depardieu played the hardened bank robber. (Last viewed: August 2011)

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Me, Myself And Irene
      2000 | USA | Laughs: 6.0 (Watch Once) | imdb: 6.6
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A State trooper who has let others walk all over him for too many years acquires a split personality disorder. His other self is rather rough, which is handy when time comes to rescue a damsel in distress. Even funnier than Jim Carrey's decent performance is the dynamics between his three black kids. There's lots to like in this movie, though it's a little too unpolished to embrace whole-heartedly. (Last viewed: October 2012)

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Dead Weight (Le Boulet)
      2002 | France | Laughs: 6.0 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 6.0
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To retrieve his lotto earnings, an escaped convict must partner with his dim-witted warden on a car rally in Africa. This film is a fine example of French comedy's infatuation with the "odd couple" formula, and although it's not as accomplished as Knock on Wood (La Chèvre), it made us smile a lot and laugh a few times. Some of the action scenes were impressive without derailing the comedy. This won't rise to the top of anyone's list, but if you're after a couple hours of comedy and entertainment, you won't be sad to have watched it. (Last viewed: April 2016)

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Van Wilder
      2002 | USA | Laughs: 6.0 (Watch Once) | imdb: 6.4
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The most popular man on campus, who is so in love with college that after seven years he still doesn't want to graduate, falls for the girl who has been assigned to interview him for the school paper. Despite a few gross-out scenes, this movie is not crass by today's standards. I found it quite pleasant. I enjoyed seeing Ryan Reynolds, whom I'd only recently discovered in The Change-Up, as well as Kal Penn from Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. Well worth a watch. (Last viewed: October 2012)

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Tu La Conosci, Claudia?
      2004 | Italy | Laughs: 6.0 (Watch Once) | imdb: 6.3
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Three men are in love with the same woman, who happens to be married to one of them. The male actors are the famous trio from Three Men and A Leg. It's probably quite funny, but the subtitles on the version I watched were horrendous, so I can't really vouch for it. (Last viewed: July 2014)

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Whatever Works
      2009 | USA | Laughs: 5.8 (Watch Once) | imdb: 7.1
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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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The Hangover
      2009 | USA | Laughs: 5.6 (Laugh and Smile) | imdb: 7.7
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Edit (2019)
I watched The Hangover again after ten years and stand corrected. The movie aged well, stands to be watched again, and is one of the most memorable movies of the decade — even though it's far from the funniest on the pure measure of laughs.

I find it both significant and delightful that several of the actors involved went on to have successful careers in various genres. Seeing all of them once again at their peak is a treat, something that of course could not be said or anticipated in the original review.

Zach Galifianakis has created a strong body of work in comedy. Bradley Cooper has disgraced himself by directing a film in which he presents a psychopath killer as a hero — and the scary part is that many lapped it up. Boo, Mr Cooper, you won't catch me watching one of your movies again. Ed Helms seems to have disappeared from comedy features, and I miss him. Paul Rudd was never in The Hangover to start with (what was I thinking all this time?) but he probably should have been.

Watching the movie today, I loved how it incorporates secondary characters: there are several strong ones, but you don't see too much of them. Many people were probably left feeling they could have had more of Heather Graham, Mike Tyson, Ken Jeong, Bryan Callen, Jeffrey Tambor. I particularly appreciate that today, considering that by now I've watched several movies where there was definitely far too much of some of these guys.

On the first watch, I don't think I enjoyed the way the movie was cut. This time it didn't bother me at all, and I found the pacing excellent, with barely a missed beat in the whole story.

I'm sure you're already aware of this movie, which has now become a classic: hope you enjoy revisiting it as much as I did.

Original Review (2009)
The morning after a bachelor party, three men wake up in a Vegas room. There's a tiger in the bathroom and a baby in a closet. They don't remember a thing from the night before, and the bachelor has disappeared. Occasionally foul but never revolting—enough laughs to keep you watching once. Don't bother with the sequel.

(Last viewed: Sep 2009 December 2019)

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The Closet (Le Placard)
      2001 | France | Laughs: 5.5 (Watch Once) | imdb: 7.0
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To avoid being made redundant, a dull accountant lets his employers believe he is gay to make them worry of being accused of discrimination. The modern French office building where most of the film is shot makes the film visually unstimulating. You may chuckle but you are unlikely to laugh hard. (Last viewed: Oct 2002 June 2011)

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