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Our Favorite Intelligent Comedies
A reader of ours, Carrie S., wrote to us recently to complain about the state of movie comedies, which have lately been preoccupied with raunch and shock in order to cook up a few laughs. She asked if we would mind posting a list of our favorite intelligent comedies that offer something a little more substantive. Each of our critics has chosen five favorites for you to check out on your next trip to the video store:
Matthew Prins
There is a scene in Errol Morris' 1978 film "Gates of
Heaven" that is among my favorite scenes in any film. It's
a static image of an elderly woman speaking rather ordinary
statements about her life, but in an amazing feat of
deftness, we know virtually nothing about her at the end of
her soliloquy. Slowly and subtly, she manages to
contradict nearly everything she says.
It's a very funny sequence, but something "Gates of
Heaven" always makes me re-evaluate that scene and many
others I find nearly as humorous: "Gates of Heaven" is a
documentary. Remember the contradicting woman? She's a
real person, and she's probably not aware of the extent of
her bipolar statements. On the other hand, the laughter I
have — and the laughter that Morris is trying to create, I
believe — comes not from condescension of the participants,
but a love for them. I'd be interested to have
conversations with nearly everyone onscreen, and their
inadvertent humor only makes them more appealing. Even
this viewpoint I'm not completely comfortable with, though.
Perhaps that's what I love most about "Gates of Heaven":
I'll never see the film through the same point of view
twice.
Oh. And the film's about pet cemeteries. Yes, really.
Don't give me that look.
My other choices are more straightforward as both comedic
and intellegent. "The Shop Around the Corner" (1940, Ernst
Lubitsch) gets my vote as the best romantic comedy ever to
come to fruition; it's much better than its recent cousin,
"You've Got Mail." Last year's "Autumn Tale" (Eric Rohmer)
might be my favorite recent smart comedy, although "Being
John Malkovich" is certainly hailing a Mensa cab nearby.
And you ought to already be aware of "This is Spinal Tap"
(1984, Rob Reiner) and "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned
to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" (1964, Stanley
Kubrick); each has a moment that turns a common event —
getting lost in the former, making a pay-phone call in the
latter — into something sublime.
Jeff Diaz
1. Noises Off — Come on! Dream Cast and such wit
both within the play and between the actors. Some of
the greatest physical comedy you will see.
2. Clue — If for no other reason than because of
Madeline Kahn's portrayl of Ms. White
3. Hannah and Her Sisters — While Woody Allen is not
the model for family in real life, he truly gets to
the heart of the matter with this movie. At times
both touching and plain funny this movie searches what
it means to be in a family and how those relationships
define you.
4. Waiting for Guffman — Theater Charm at its best.
5. Annie Hall — This classic has the best scene with
subtitles in the history of film.
Amanda Caldwell
Sense & Sensibility — This is one of the best Jane Austen adaptations. It's one of the best adaptations of a novel, period. And if you see Jane Austen in that first sentence and wince, much funnier than you'd expect. Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson in particular are masterful at underplayed humor. If you saw Jane Austen and smiled, you'll enjoy what this movie does with the novel and how it brings to life the characters.
Much Ado About Nothing — This is one of the best Shakespeare adaptations, and what a great play in the first place! Humor, intrigue, drama, love ... I can take or leave the young-lovers story of Claudio and Hero, but the Beatrice and Benedick match takes the cake (with great acting by Emma Thompson, again, and Kenneth Branagh). You'll die laughing over their rocky path to romance -- it has undertones of passing notes in junior high. Keanu Reeves' performance as Stock Evil Man will leave you laughing in another way.
Monty Python & the Holy Grail — Do I really need to say why this is one of the best comedies ever? If you haven't seen it, you must have recently immigrated. If you have seen it, you've watched it at least 15 times, at sleepovers mostly, and you can quote more than half the script verbatim: It's an intelligent film because of the memory work involved. And, logically, if the movie weighs the same as a duck, that's a comedy.
Rushmore — This was an unusual movie, funny and charming and unexpected. I kept expecting the movie to be over, and it kept surprising me (and delighting me, thankfully) that it wasn't. It had several different moods, and each one left me guessing. I don't know if that will get you to see it, so I'll try a little exposition: The main characters are a beautiful and beloved teacher (Olivia Williams — also the wife in "The Sixth Sense," if you watch her and think, "Where in the world have I seen her before?" as I did during The Sixth Sense), a somewhat tormented local factory owner (Bill Murray), and a very unusual student (Jason Schwartzman). Forget the exposition. Just watch it. You'll enjoy it.
Steve Lansingh
Groundhog Day — Bill Murray is at his best in this witty gem, and the underlying themes of free will, death, change, and joy give it an equal measure of wisdom. I love how Murray's newfound life without consequences eventually leads him away from self-indulgence; it's a nice parallel to the Christian's freedom in Christ, which lets us act as we wish but is most fulfilling when we live for others.
The Princess Bride — Ties with "Grail" as the most quotable movie ever. Anybody want a peanut?
Toy Story — Funny on three levels: through its straightfoward wisecracking, its subtle riffing on American icons, and the cheerfully demented viewpoint of inanimate objects.
City Slickers — Most comedies are hit-and-miss, but this one's hit-and-hit; nary a punchline falls flat. It also contains deep truth; I particularly like Curly's complaint that city folk spend 50 weeks a year getting knots in their rope and then expect two weeks will unravel them. It's a clear metaphor of how we must weave the things important to us (like time with God) into our daily lives.
The Full Monty — As insightful about the pain of relational nakedness as it is side-splitting about the embarassment of physical nakedness. Bonus: lawn gnome humor.
Rich Kennedy
1.Shakespeare in Love. The only funny film I can think of that continually provides something fresh every time I see it. Best late '90's film.
2.Kiss Me Kate. If shown at a revival house in 3D, drop everything and see with a full crowd.
James Whitmore and Ed Wynn deserve pantheon status for this film alone. Plus Bob Fosse before he was FOSSE.
3.LA Love Story. Two intelligent people lost in the silliness that is Los Angeles and the silliness that is love at first sight. The closest thing to Steve Martin wearing his heart on his sleeve that we will ever see.
4.Any of the "Thin Man" series
If Noises Off, Monty Python, and Clue can be considered intelligent, it opens up the field:
Stef
Joshua Tanzer
sandi
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