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Comedy films you wish had a bigger impact

Started by armful, April 11, 2017, 07:31:36 PM

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zomgmouse

The 'Burbs gets a lot of attention here so I'm surprised it's not been mentioned yet.
My go-to "more people need to see this" is Rubin & Ed. Crispin Glover plays a platform-shoe-wearing, Mahler-loving introvert whose cat dies and his mother makes him go out and bury it and on the way he meets a failing travelling salesman and they join up to go bury the cat and it's all fucking bizarre. Glover went on Letternan as this character and demonstrated his karate knowledge and nearly kicked Letternan in the face. It's the only interview Letterman walked out of. I'd wager more people have seen this clip than the film.

Quote from: Shit Good Nose on April 11, 2017, 10:42:22 PM

Leningrad Cowboys Go America - a Finnish comedy is probably a hard sell, but it's just wonderful. 


Not hard to sell at all. Just say it's an absurd Finnish comedy about a Russian rock and roll band that travels to America to make it big and they all wear massive quiffs and winklepicker boots. Okay maybe that's not the biggest sell. But I love it. The sequel is also great though not as great as the original.

Dr Syntax Head

Quote from: up_the_hampipe on April 11, 2017, 11:57:18 PM
I thought The Other Guys was the best work from both Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg. That might not be saying much to some of you, but with Anchorman and Step Brothers often lauded as Ferrell classics, this one doesn't get nearly as much love. I think it's hilarious. Might prefer it to Hot Fuzz in terms of buddy cop comedies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWZTTtE5_zQ

Love this film.

zomgmouse

Others:

- A New Leaf.
- The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother
- anything by Max Linder, easily the most overlooked of the silent giants
- Soviet comedies like Gentlemen of Fortune or Kidnapping Caucassian Style

Brundle-Fly

Quote from: zomgmouse on April 12, 2017, 01:46:10 AM

- The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother


Oh Yes. The "stealing chocolates" scene is one of the funniest moments ever in cinema.

armful

Quote from: Shit Good Nose on April 11, 2017, 10:42:22 PM
Another Freaked freak here.

I would also add:

UHF - only getting the nods it has long deserved in the last few years.

Stir Crazy - people lament about Silver Streak.  They are wrong.  Richard Pryor has about 15 minutes screen time, even less of it with Gene Wilder.  Take out the (admittedly amazing) Wilder blacking up scene, and you are left with nothing more than a mediocre comedy thriller with very few laughs.  If you can ignore the abysmal ending, Stir Crazy represents the best Wilder/Pryor collaboration, and the best film Sidney Poitier directed.  That it generally generates such a mixed response to this day is bewildering.

Cannibal the Musical, Orgazmo and Baseketball - largely overlooked in the Trey and Matt canon, but no less worthy.  Baseketball scores extra points for mixing classic Trey and Matt with on-form David Zucker.

Cheech and Chong's Next Movie - much as I love Up In Smoke, Next Movie is arguably more consistent.  Hardly anyone else has seen it, though, and it's even less well known than the subsequent Cheech and Chong films which followed it, which were all dreadful.

Airport 2 - yeah, okay it's nowhere near as good as the first one, but it really doesn't deserve the sheer hatred it has received over the years.  If nothing else, William Shatner's scenes rank among the greatest comedy cameos of all time.

Silent Movie - I love most of Mel Brooks films, but Silent Movie rarely gets mentioned in the same breath as even the over rated (in my opinion) High Anxiety.  James Caan's wobbly caravan (later borrowed by the Chuckle Brothers) and Sid Caesar's "slapstick is dead!" scenes are masterful.

Office Space - popular for a time with "those in the know" but, along with Mike Judge's other works that aren't Beavis and Butthead or King of the Hill, quickly forgotten (Extract, anyone?).  Diedrich Bader a particular highlight.

Matchstick Men - like Office Space, after a brief dalliance with some minor critical acclaim, everyone then forgot that Ridley Scott made a decent and genuinely funny comedy film.

Leningrad Cowboys Go America - a Finnish comedy is probably a hard sell, but it's just wonderful. 

The Money Pit - one of those films that everyone has seen, but most don't think much of.  Never understood why - peak comedy Hanks, plenty of memorable moments.  Infinitely better than the likes of Big.

Waiting For Guffman - still the jewel for me in Christopher Guest's writer-director comedy crown, but largely ignored to this day on account of a disastrous cinema run in the States and going straight to video in most other countries.

Fear of a Black Hat - Rusty Cundieff does not have the greatest of track records but this, his one great film, is much better than (the admittedly still not bad) CB4, which remains the more well known and popular thanks to Chris Rock's subsequent rise to stardom.

Whilst we're on the subject of Chris Rock - I'm Gonna Git You Sucka and, albeit to a slightly lesser degree, Don't Be A Menace to South Central-etc-etc - two films from the, shudder, house of Wayans, but both great.

Canadian Bacon - in the very long run, it may prove to be Michael Moore's best, most honest and most balanced film.  As it currently stands it still remains very unpopular with most critics, with only a small cult who think it worthy.  But give it time...

Spies Like Us - I'm a big Chevy fan anyway but, whilst the likes of Fletch, the Vacation films, Funny Farm and the two early Goldie Hawn films have long been considered as the "Chevy films it's okay to like", people have generally been less favourable about Spies Like Us.  I fucking love it - cameos galore, "doctor...doctor...doctor...doctor...", training, cheating at the exam and Vanessa Angel.  What's not to like?!??!?!

And,to finish off, another Chevy film - Fletch Lives.  Now, most people think Fletch is okay, but watch it again and refresh your memory - like the aforementioned Silver Streak, Fletch is for the most part actually a rather straight ahead thriller with a few laughs thrown in.  Fletch 2, on the other hand, includes the comedy lacking from the first.  Hated almost universally by critics when it came out, and still rarely mentioned among the good Chevy films now.


Probs loads more I could come up with...

I watched office space as a random choice last year and was surprised how good it was. Cannibal the musical is a cult classic amongst my friends

armful

Quote from: Alberon on April 11, 2017, 11:07:28 PM
Val Kilmer's finest hour (and a half). Though admittedly he's not in either of these gifs.





That never bothered me. Having the French resistance battling pseudo-nazis in communist era East Germany deliberately makes absolutely no sense and I'm perfectly happy to go with it.

Thats right. When it was recommended to me I remember thinking I can't imagine Val Kilmer in a comedy role

Shoulders?-Stomach!

QuoteThe Money Pit - one of those films that everyone has seen, but most don't think much of.  Never understood why - peak comedy Hanks, plenty of memorable moments.  Infinitely better than the likes of Big

Just no.

Bit of the house falls down. Then another bit of the house falls down. Then an.. bored yet? Predictable, repetitive plot, poorly paced and with no dialogue and little chemistry between the central characters.

Big is so so so much better than that, but there had to be one person alive who thought differently, and that must be you.

Fun with Dick and Jane - the last funny Jim Carrey movie. It was unfairly judged against the original film, which it wasn't trying to be anyway. It compares well with some of his best stuff, while there are some strong supporting performances too. It also has a pleasant anti-corporate anti-materialist message.

Phil_A

Quote from: Shoulders?-Stomach! on April 12, 2017, 07:27:32 AM
Just no.

Bit of the house falls down. Then another bit of the house falls down. Then an.. bored yet? Predictable, repetitive plot, poorly paced and with no dialogue and little chemistry between the central characters.


You must've turned it off halfway through, then? Pretty much all the house-falling-down slapstick happens in the first half of the film. There's a lengthy subplot about the wife having an affair because their marriage is falling apart(just like the house, ahhh). I actually prefer the first half because I enjoy lengthy sequences of things falling down one after another.

No dialogue? Really? Have you tried watching it sober?

If a man can't appreciate Shelly Long in her prime then I despair.

armful

Another seemingly unloved comedy I remember enjoying was Whoops Apocalypse ( film) I was only one year old when it came out so not sure how it did then, but I never hear anybody speaking about it now.

Peter Cook generally gets a bad rap for his movie work ( apart from Bedazzled and his cameo in Princess Bride) but I think his performance in  Whoops Apocalypse is really funny and he manages to hold it throughout the film. His best scenes in the movie are dealing with unemployment and the Bath assassination. I think of that bath scene every time I take a bath ( about once a year )

Rik Mayalls cameo in this film is what you would expect loud and violent but I like that about Rik.

A good comedy lost in the midst of time.

samadriel

I remain greatly saddened at the sheer megaton bomb that was Art School Confidential, both on its own merits (it's a hilarious sendup of the art world and art school life, plus even the non funny bits are quite compelling) and because it absolutely destroyed Terry Zwigoff's career. I still love you, Terry. Great work by Daniel Clowes too.

Black_Bart

Combat Academy and Vamp. George Clooney a man who betrayed his talent.

Shit Good Nose

Quote from: armful on April 12, 2017, 09:25:14 AM
Another seemingly unloved comedy I remember enjoying was Whoops Apocalypse ( film) I was only one year old when it came out so not sure how it did then, but I never hear anybody speaking about it now.

Peter Cook generally gets a bad rap for his movie work ( apart from Bedazzled and his cameo in Princess Bride) but I think his performance in  Whoops Apocalypse is really funny and he manages to hold it throughout the film. His best scenes in the movie are dealing with unemployment and the Bath assassination. I think of that bath scene every time I take a bath ( about once a year )

Rik Mayalls cameo in this film is what you would expect loud and violent but I like that about Rik.

A good comedy lost in the midst of time.

I also love the film, having seen it long before I ever saw the (admittedly better) TV series.  To be fair, the film's rep has improved significantly in recent years, I think because its more obvious links with 80s alternative comedy have probably aged better and endeared it more to younger audiences, whilst the TV series is definitely more "old school alternative".

Shit Good Nose

Quote from: Black_Bart on April 12, 2017, 10:28:40 AM
George Clooney a man who betrayed his talent.

On that note, the Killer Tomatoes films, particularly Return of, are much better and more enjoyable than the general opinions would have you believe.  Admittedly Strike Back and Eat France are really only watchable because of John Astin, whilst Attack and Return have other things going on as well.

Mr Banlon

Quote from: Captain Yep on April 11, 2017, 11:04:22 PM
I wish Brain Candy had been more successful, although I didn't particularly enjoy it at the time, and haven't had the opportunity to watch it since.
Side Effects ripped-off it's plot from Brain Candy

Black_Bart

QuoteOn that note, the Killer Tomatoes films,

Which reminded me of Elvira MOTD, another of those "just-not-quite-cult-enough" films. Watched it recently and still made me laugh.

Dr Rock

This Is The End. One of the best comedy films of the last ten years.


Yeah and Dirty Work also. Bachelor Party has not reached the level of status it deserves.

Oh and Showgirls!


Sal Vicuso

Super Troopers is fairly unknown I think, made by the Broken Lizard comedy group. Silly but very funny, one of those films I can watch over and over

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-9D2qUHN-E

Shit Good Nose

Quote from: Dr Rock on April 12, 2017, 11:04:20 AM
Bachelor Party has not reached the level of status it deserves.

I'd personally disagree there.  Always one of those films you remembered as being great when you were young, but watched back as an adult you find yourself waiting a LONG time for genuine laughs.  I can think of other middling/forgotten Tom Hanks comedies that are better in every way - The Man With One Red Shoe and Volunteers for example.

Small Man Big Horse

Quote from: samadriel on April 12, 2017, 10:25:48 AM
I remain greatly saddened at the sheer megaton bomb that was Art School Confidential, both on its own merits (it's a hilarious sendup of the art world and art school life, plus even the non funny bits are quite compelling) and because it absolutely destroyed Terry Zwigoff's career. I still love you, Terry. Great work by Daniel Clowes too.

I really enjoyed that when I saw it, thought it was a superb film with a great cast. Plus you get to see Sophia Myles naked so I genuinely don't know why it wasn't a massive hit or why it had such an effect on Zwigoff's career. Still, according to imdb he just directed one of the recent Amazon pilots, Budding Prospects, so hopefully he'll make another film soon.

NoSleep

Wise Blood (1979) by John Huston. Based on the novel by Flannery O'Connor. Starring Brad Dourif, Harry Dean Stanton, Amy Wright & Dan Shor. That line-up should have been enough to have brought a much wider audience to this film. Amy Wright is a revelation and someone who rarely gets the recognition she deserves.

Glebe

To be honest I really only recall bits of it, and it's certainly long due another look, but how about Marty Feldman's In God We Tru$t? It featured some fairly controversial (especially at the time) material, and, alongside Feldman as an unworldly monk, features Richard Prior, Andy Kaufman and Peter Boyle. Again, I can only recall some of it, but it seemed like an interesting film.

Also, don't know if it's 'underrated' exactly, but unofficial Kentucky Fried Movie follow-up Amazon Women on the Moon has some very funny scenes (and Andrew Dice Clay sadly, but there you go):

Son of the Invisible Man.

Bullshit or Not?

Quote from: Shit Good Nose on April 11, 2017, 10:42:22 PMCannibal the Musical

"Let's build a snowman!"

Also, I love the way the inevitable, obvious
Spoiler alert
"Fudge, Packer?"
[close]
joke is deliberately delayed.

up_the_hampipe

Grosse Pointe Blank just turned 20 years old. That's another underrated film, although it's not a barrel of laughs, it's just a good film that identifies as a comedy.

biggytitbo


Shit Good Nose

Quote from: NoSleep on April 12, 2017, 12:01:22 PM
Wise Blood (1979) by John Huston. Based on the novel by Flannery O'Connor. Starring Brad Dourif, Harry Dean Stanton, Amy Wright & Dan Shor. That line-up should have been enough to have brought a much wider audience to this film. Amy Wright is a revelation and someone who rarely gets the recognition she deserves.

Whilst I agree that it's a thoroughly excellent and under rated (by audients at least - all critics seem to love it) film, I've never classed it as a comedy.  I know it has a few humourous moments, and the official genre tag is comedy-drama, but in my book it's definitely more skewed towards drama.  Some of it is fairly depressing, too.


Quote from: Glebe on April 12, 2017, 12:02:12 PM
Amazon Women on the Moon

You left out THE best sequence - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHSoN8t6x3M


Quote from: up_the_hampipe on April 12, 2017, 12:11:51 PM
Grosse Pointe Blank just turned 20 years old. That's another underrated film, although it's not a barrel of laughs, it's just a good film that identifies as a comedy.

Not sure this has ever been under rated, by anyone - critics have always been unanimous in their praise and, whilst it was not a box office mega hit, it did quite well considering it didn't have a massive opening.

NoSleep

Quote from: Shit Good Nose on April 12, 2017, 12:19:43 PM
Whilst I agree that it's a thoroughly excellent and under rated (by audients at least - all critics seem to love it) film, I've never classed it as a comedy.  I know it has a few humourous moments, and the official genre tag is comedy-drama, but in my book it's definitely more skewed towards drama.  Some of it is fairly depressing, too.

It's dark as fuck and funny on that count. I see Eraserhead as a comedy film, too, though.


up_the_hampipe

Quote from: Shit Good Nose on April 12, 2017, 12:19:43 PM

Not sure this has ever been under rated, by anyone - critics have always been unanimous in their praise and, whilst it was not a box office mega hit, it did quite well considering it didn't have a massive opening.

Oh okay. I know it did well critically, but I don't hear people talk about it much. Minnie Driver is lovely.

Kane Jones

Quote from: up_the_hampipe on April 12, 2017, 12:28:22 PM
Oh okay. I know it did well critically, but I don't hear people talk about it much. Minnie Driver is lovely.

Grosse Pointe Blank is a great film. I love the fight scene in it too. Pretty brutal.

One of my exes looks exactly like Minnie Driver, even has the coathanger jaw and everything. Sigh.


Paaaaul

Quote from: Black_Bart on April 12, 2017, 10:28:40 AM
Combat Academy and Vamp. George Clooney a man who betrayed his talent.
Clooney isn't in Vamp. Maybe you're thinking of Return of the Killer Tomatoes.