Humor Resources – My Top 10 List of Hilarious Movies
When I started dating my wife, Lynnae, one of the first things I told her was that I didn’t have an original bone in my body. I told her this because I am prone to quoting lines from movies if the situation calls for it (granted, because my timing is excellent ((humbly, I admit that)), it usually comes off fresh and funny).
It was kind of like having a plagiarism insurance policy. What if I was caught in my piratical mode? No problem, I already confessed up front. (Way to cover your funny…I mean, fanny).
There are a few movies out there that I like to quote from, and hundreds that I love to watch just for the laughs.
So, I thought that I would share with you, MY Top Ten List of movies that make me laugh.
Disclaimer: I know that my sense of humor may not be the same as yours (most of the movies on this list are parodies and spoofs…these are generally referred to as “dumb” comedies, but there are a few “smart” comedies on this list…I’ll point them out), so my Top Ten may different from your Top Ten, but I wanted to share these with you because if your sense of humor is close to mine, and you feel like a GREAT, side-splitting, eye-watering, cheek-hurting, belly-busting laugh, then check these out.
Unlike the late, great David Letterman (no, he’s not dead, he’s just late night), I’m not going to start with number 10 and work my way to number 1…that would be too difficult. If I’m in a certain mood, one of these movies may be rated #1 in my book, but if I’m in a different mood, another one may be my favorite…so you just get the list in no particular order.
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I think that most of Jim Carrey’s comedies are drop dead funny, but this is the one that made me laugh till I cried. When Jim Carrey gets to add Jim Carrey to a character (and I’m talking about the comic slapstick, the vocal inflections, and the perfect timing), you’ve got a top notch, roll-in-the-aisle movie.
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It will be mostly the men who are with me on this one. I don’t know that I’ve ever heard a woman quote this movie, but we men have been quoting this British farce since before we could talk…(aaaaaaaaaarrrggh!!) (k-niggits) (nee)!! With the fierce bunny, the running gag about the swallows, the knights riding “horses” while their squires bang coconuts together, the Terry Gilliam animations, and naughty, naughty Zoot; you’ve got a very irreverent but hilarious film!!
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The sheen of Sheen shines in this movie spoof of Top Gun. Long before 2 ½ Men hit the airwaves (cablewaves, dishwaves, etc.waves), Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer were together in this movie about a top jet fighter pilot who has his father’s eyes…literally (he keeps them in a small case). Carey Elwes, Lloyd Bridges, and Valerie Golino round off this cast of incredibly hysterical actors…with a cameo by Ryan Styles that gets me giggling even as I write. This is one of those movies that I quote a lot!!
Maybe this is cheating, but I’m combining these two movies into one to put onto my top ten list. When Mel Brooks is “on”, his comedy is perfect. Remember earlier when I said that there were “dumb” comedies and “smart” comedies? Well, even though these movies are spoofs, they are so well written, and so well performed, and so well directed, that I consider these “smart” comedies!! They are very clever. If you are a fan of Alfred Hitchcock movies (Psycho, North by Northwest, The Birds, Dial M for Murder, etc.) then High Anxiety will knock your socks off. If you love the monster movies (Frankenstein, Wolfman, Dracula, etc.), then Young Frankenstein will send you into convulsions. I had originally grouped Blazing Saddles with these two movies, too, but I’m not going to recommend any movies that are rated R or higher (or lower?).
When it comes to spoofing music, you think of “Weird Al” Yankovic, right? Well guess what…he made a movie that spoofs television shows, commercials, and movies…and it is a scream!! Long before Michael Richards showed up on Seinfeld as Kramer, he played a character named Stanley Spadowski in UHF. He is the heartbeat of the show, though he is also surrounded by a fabulous cast of people like Fran Drescher, Billy Barty, Victoria Jackson, and, of course, “Weird Al” himself!! (See if you can find the scene with Dr. Demento in it…for you hard-core music spoof fans)!
Brain Donors is somewhat of a remake of a Marx Brothers movie called A Night at the Opera. It’s been altered to a different “fine art” medium…that of the ballet. And though the plot has been contemporized a bit, there are still scenes that remind you of the original Marx Brothers movie. John Turturro is the Groucho character, Roland T. Flakfizer; Mel Smith it the Chico character, Rocco Melonchek; and Bob Nelson (Nelson Shmelson) is the Harpo character (although he does speak throughout the movie, he is still definitely the physical comedy specialist…just like Harpo). If you can make it to the end of the movie, there is a ballet scene that you can’t miss. Every time I watch it, it has me on the floor, curled up in a ball, crying my eyes out because I’m laughing so hard….
I’ve watched this movie more than any of the other movies that I’m recommending. It’s corny, but if you can handle corn (or thrive on it…like I can) then this is the one that you should watch!!
This is another one of those “smart” movies that I was telling you about. The characters are fresh, the plot is delightful, the lines are VERY quotable, and even the
music is catchy. Peter Falk and Alan Arkin (well, their characters) are about to become in-laws so they need to get to know each other better. For Alan Arkin’s character, it is “too much information” and it gets them into comical situations that will have your sides splitting. This is one of those movies that is as close to perfect as you can get!!
What, you didn’t actually think that I wouldn’t get a musical in there somewhere, did you? Well to tell you the truth, Gilbert and Sullivan didn’t write musicals, they wrote operettas. This one stars Kevin Kline, Linda Ronstadt and Angela Lansbury. It is full of conundrums, paradoxes and oxymorons (there’s actually a song about paradoxes). At one point they sing at the top of their lungs about how quiet they are being. Kevin Kline is masterful in this part…it inspired me to want to play the pirate king…and I did…in 2 different productions.
An all-star cast includes Peter Sellers, David Niven, Maggie Smith, James Coco, Alec Guinness, Peter Falk, Eileen Brennan, and James Cromwell. It is one of Neil Simon’s funniest pieces of work. And you can tell the cast had fun making this movie. It’s a murder mystery where the host, played by Truman Capote, invites 5 of the world’s best detectives (and guest), to his home for a weekend. There’s going to be a murder and the best detective wins. This whodunit is filled with riotous times!! Don’t miss it!!
I debated between putting this Tim Allen movie on the list or Galaxy Quest. They are both funny and top notch, but Big Trouble is more of a “smart” comedy, and so it won out. But what do you expect from one the country’s top humorists, Dave Barry. He wrote the novel and they turned it into a movie. This is one of those movies whereat the beginning, none of the characters know each other, but as the movie moves along, their lives start to intermingle into a scenario of international intrigue, Martha Stewart, and the love of Fritos. You’ll have to watch it to get it, but DO watch it.
Well, that’s ten…there are so many other movies I wanted to put on the list, but maybe these will keep you laughing for a while.
