I thought that with the near absence of truly funny movies in the last few years, we could all start off 2012 by sharing our laughs with each other and explore what we find funniest in film. Remember: humour, like beauty, is different to us than others so don't get critical at others. After all, I'm not a huge Caddyshack fan and I know for a fact a LOT of people on this site worship that film. My pick for funniest is still (and probably will always be) the Coen brothers' Raising Arizona. An homage to screwball comedy that turns out to be the greatest screwball comedy, if not greatest comedy ever made. It has amongst its never-ending arsenal of irony and slapstick the most finely-edited, creative and hilarious chase scene ever filmed. I could listen to that music score for the rest of my life:
My vote goes to Brain Donors. Quite possibly John Turturro's best film. It doesn't matter how many times I watch it I still hurt afterwards from laughing so hard.
I don't think there's a single movie that produces more out-loud laughs collectively than The Naked Gun: From The Files of Police Squad. I saw it with my parents as a kid in the theatre. People were having cardiac arrest. I mean, from O.J relentlessly getting fucked to to verbal exchanges the redefine "left field" to humour to dry you think the screen will crack: The gags just keep coming at pretty much a machine gun pace and the momentum doesn't even THINK of slowing down during the classic baseball game finale. Timeless. Absolutely fucking timeless. I love that scream O.J. makes when he falls overboard:
The Jerk is, without argument, one of the funniest and most influential comedies of all time. Filmed during the height of Steve Martin's stand up years, it captured him at his peak. Saddly, Steve Martin lost his taste for slap stick comedy not long afterwards, stopped doing stand up, and focused on familly friendly comedies. I have a lot of respect for Steve Martin, but I can't help but sigh when I think of how great it would have been if Steve Martin had made a few more hard R comedies like The Jerk.
"Johnson, Navin R. Sounds like a typical bastard" haha it is hard to top that movie for comedy but Who's Harry Crumb comes close. Probably one of the most laugh out loud movies I have seen besides The Jerk and Dumb and Dumber. If you havent seen it. here is John Candy at his finest(Uncle Buck is a worthy contender though)
Oh man, I love "Who's Harry Crumb?" What a completely underrated and overlooked comedic gem! I also agree that it's the finest performance of John Candy's sadly brief life. (Which is saying an awful lot, too) The scene you posted is a classic, but I love this one the most (sadly, can't find a clip on Youtube); Spoiler Mrs. MacIntyre: [looking at photos of her husband cheating on her] You idiot! These pictures are of me! [Harry Crumb falls backwards in his chair] Harry Crumb: What? Let me see those. Mrs. MacIntyre: Give them here. Harry Crumb: Not so fast. I've had my eye on you for a while, lady. I knew you were up to something, and here's my proof: it was you who was having an affair with your husband all along! Mrs. MacIntyre: What? Harry Crumb: I've uncovered some pretty low schemes in my time. But secretly hiring me to take pornographic pictures of you and your sleazeball husband is as low as it gets! Mrs. MacIntyre: I don't believe this! Harry Crumb: Believe what you want, lady. But don't believe it here. Mrs. MacIntyre: You are a poor excuse for a human being! Harry Crumb: Says you!
Count me in for Naked Gun as well. Very few movies have me laughing each time I watch it, that series is one of them. Another personal favorite: This movie is probably controversial, as I know people who think its hysterical and others who don't at all. It's not a goofball, slapstick flick by any regard. The humor lies in the idiosyncrasies of the characters and I pickupon something new each time I watch it.
My personal favourite is This Spinal Tap. Almost entirely improvised and made all the more credible as all the members of the 'band' actually wrote and played all the songs themselves, leading a large number of people believing the band was real. I wouldn't go as far to suggest that it is the perfect comedy, but it is certainly a shining example of the genre. The dvd commentary is just as good, with all the lead actors staying in complete character throughout the commentary, which is just as, if not more hilarious than the film itself.
Probably top favorite scene for me. When he starts using the violin. Pauses...... and tunes the violin. Cracks me up every time.
"The Naked Gun" series is high quality, I also loved "Coming to America." A few to add: "Airplane" "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to The Forum." "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" "Blazing Saddles" "The Great Race"