Comedies from the 2010s

My Masterpiece (Mi obra maestra)
      2018 | Argentina | Laughs: 1.9 (Chuckle) | imdb: 7.1
      who was involved?

An ageing gallery owner tries his best to help his old friend, a once-famous painter who has become increasingly hard to deal with.

This movie by the same director as El Ciudadano Ilustre didn't have an overly predictable plot and its likeable characters made me chuckle a number of times. I enjoyed it.

(Last viewed: September 2019)

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The Twentieth Century
      2019 | Canada | Laughs: 1.8 (Smirk) | imdb: 7.0
      wikipedia | who was involved?

I was suckered into watching this movie by the ever-unreliable comedy label it bears on other movie sites. While it does nothing to deserve that label, its extraordinary strangeness could make it mesmerizing to some of those who are open to considering cinema as an art form sometimes free to stray away from mainstream representations.

The film is extraordinarily hard to describe: the most I can say is that the story is a wild adaptation of the path of a historical figure to becoming Prime Minister of Canada, represented with the use of a pythonesque blend of acting and animation.

As far as Canadian comedy goes, I'll take Jim Carrey or Corner Gas over this any day. Like it, hate it or be confused: you've been warned.



(Last viewed: March 2021)

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The Distinguished Citizen (El Ciudadano Ilustre)
      2016 | Argentina | Laughs: 1.8 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 7.5
      wikipedia | who was involved?

After winning the Nobel Prize for literature, an Argentinian writer who has spent his whole career in Europe agrees to receive a medal in the country town he has worked so hard to escape.

This was not a laugh-out-loud comedy, but I found it delightfully perverse and it make me smirk. Highly recommended. (Last viewed: March 2018)

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Spy Time (Anacleto: Agente secreto)
      2015 | Spain | Laughs: 1.8 (Don't Bother) | imdb: 6.1
      wikipedia | who was involved?

A grown man discovers that his father (i) is a secret agent and (ii) trained him to be a lethal weapon when he was a child without him realizing it.

The premise is not bad, but the movie is full of boring action scenes, making this short film twice as long as it needed to be. There are some funny moments, mostly thanks to the rare appearances of a secondary character played by Berto Romero, my favorite Spanish comedian at the moment — and protagonist of the wonderful podcast Nadie Sabe Nada with Andreu Buenafuente.

If the movie had been written for Berto, it would have been worth watching. (Last viewed: February 2019)

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Mr. Kaplan
      2014 | Uruguay | Laughs: 1.5 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 6.5
      wikipedia | who was involved?

This was the first Urugayan comedy I ever watched and it was a good surprise. Although it wasn't a laugh-out-loud comedy, it was entertaining enough considering how insipid the light-hearted category tends to be. I was surprised by how consistent the script and pacing was, given the tendency of movies from across the border to the left to sometimes ramble and lose the plot. (Last viewed: December 2018)

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Tammy
      2014 | USA | Laughs: 1.5 (Don't Bother) | imdb: 4.9
      wikipedia | who was involved?

A young woman who discovers her husband has been cheating goes on a road trip with her grandmother. Tammy's straight-shooting, foul-mouthed character is endearing and the movie is well meaning. But there are no laughs and the plot fails to generate enough interest to redeem the lack of laughs. Overall, I'd say the movie is about as weak as this review—that's how inspiring it was. (Last viewed: October 2015)

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The Tribe (La Tribu)
      2018 | Spain | Laughs: 1.5 (Don't Bother) | imdb: 5.8
      who was involved?

If you erased all his memory and changed his environment completely, could a 'bad person' turn into a 'good person'? That is an interesting question raised by this movie's premise — that a ruthless executive gets hit by a bus and goes to live with his biological mother, whom he'd never met before.

The sappy answer wasn't very convincing. Neither were the two biological brothers, who behaved in a most improbable way even according to the rock-bottom standards of comedy movie plots. And the movie's beginning was almost unbearably crass.

What good things are there to say? I enjoyed recognizing one of the baddies from the TV series Estoy Vivo; and I learned the meaning of the Spanish word lapa — and of its English equivalent lumpet, which for some reason had eluded me until now.

Given that this movie had been sold to me as the Spanish comedy of the year, I was disappointed. Honestly, don't waste your time: I don't feel this "cheap" kind of production (however much it actually cost) should be encouraged.

(Last viewed: January 2019)

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Crystal Fairy (a.k.a Crystal Fairy & The Magical Cactus and 2012)
      2012 | Chile | Laughs: 1.5 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 5.8
      wikipedia | who was involved?

As this is a light-hearted movie rather than the kind of comedy that makes you laugh, it does not rank high on this site. That being said, I found the movie far more enjoyable than the IMDB rating would suggest. An American in Chili travels with some local friends to a remote beach for a psychedelic session with the San Pedro cactus. The character development is superb. Michael Cera plays an excellent jerk as he interacts with a young lady who calls herself Crystal Fairy. The movie will not appeal to all, but anyone who has attended rainbow gatherings will be able to attest that the character and culture of Crystal Fairy are absolutely authentic—and that was enough to make me smile. I'm not qualified to say how true to type the Chileans were, but they looked very real too. In many ways this is as much a documentary as a tale. The landscapes are beautiful but I'm glad someone was doing the traveling on my behalf. (Last viewed: December 2013)

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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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Tel Aviv on Fire (תל אביב על האש)
      2018 | Israel | Laughs: 1.5 (Smirk) | imdb: 6.7
      wikipedia | who was involved?

A soap opera writer who commutes between Israel and the occupied territories is coerced into modifying the flick's script to satisfy an army commander, who in turn seeks to please his own wife, a fan of the show.

No masterpiece, but a pleasant little piece that made me smile a good deal.

(Last viewed: March 2020)

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They Call Me Jeeg (Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot)
      2015 | Italy | Laughs: 1.5 (Smirk) | imdb: 7.0
      wikipedia | who was involved?

After falling into a drum of toxic waste, a petty criminal acquires superhuman strength, which he uses to satisfy his base urges until a growing infatuation sends him on a different path.

Not a laugh-out-loud comedy, it may not even make you chuckle, but it's a good film and an exemplary show of what can be done with superpowers on a low budget. (Last viewed: May 2022)

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Chinese Puzzle (Casse-Tête Chinois)
      2013 | France | Laughs: 1.5 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 7.0
      wikipedia | who was involved?

To me, this third installment in the series of light-hearted movies that began with The Spanish Apartment is necessary—much like the sequels in Michael Apted's Seven Up series—, and just as it is necessary, it is predictably less interesting. In the first film, the characters are all standing on the edge of the cliff, at the beginning of adult life, about to take flight. At forty, life tends to be more ponderous. That being said, if you're interested in the series, you'll still want to watch it, and you'll be entertained. It's not a laugh-out-loud comedy—but you already knew that. (Last viewed: August 2014)

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El Narco (El Infierno)
      2010 | Mexico | Laughs: 1.5 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 7.8
      wikipedia | who was involved?

Although this movie is really a dark story of drug-related gangsterism in an impoverished part of Mexico, it has light moments in the midst of the gruesome background, probably the reason why the 'comedy' tag was added to its classification.

There are no laughs (at least none that I could find), but the first part has some good moments, and if you're a fan of the genre, you won't be disappointed.

Favorite quotes:
1. Even the flies don't stop here (to describe an out-of-the-way place).
2. Trusting is good. Not trusting is better. (Last viewed: February 2018)

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Perfect Strangers (Perfetti sconosciuti)
      2016 | Italy | Laughs: 1.5 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 7.8
      wikipedia | who was involved?

At a dinner party, a group of friends agree on a dare to share with the table all messages and calls that come in on their mobile phones. While the movie may be entertaining and effective as a warning signal about privacy, it's certainly not the kind of comedy that makes you laugh out loud. To watch is you're part of the world of social networks. (Last viewed: February 2018)

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The Noble Family (Nosotros Los Nobles)
      2013 | Mexico | Laughs: 1.5 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 7.4
      wikipedia | who was involved?

Seeing that his grown-up kids behave like brats, a wealthy business man fakes bankruptcy to give his progeny a taste of the working life. While the premise was good and the production excellent, the laughs were absent, at least for me. Still, an entertaining watch. (Last viewed: March 2018)

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