What was the finest film comedy of the last 20 years?

[Bossy Monkey]

I've been unplugged from popular culture for a very, very long time, and am feeling receptive. As the purpose of this is to add to my Netflix queue, feel free to extend the question to TV shows that are likely to be on DVD. I like Family Guy and MST3K; I'm not sure any movie has really made me laugh since "Bigger, Longer & Uncut." But don't worry about my preferences; what do you think was the funniest movie of the last two decades?

[MrScorpio]

1. The biggest laughing fit that I've ever had to a movie was to...

The Spy Who Shagged Me


But that's just me

[latebloomer]

23. "The Bird Cage" is one of my faves

One of the few movies I can watch repeatedly.

[gratuitous]

2. A couple of good ones

"My Favorite Year" with Mark Linn Baker and Peter O'Toole.

"Nobody's Fool" with Paul Newman.

Were they the funniest movies? Not by a long shot. But both of them have good bits, good characters, and good hearts.

[Sanity Claws]

9. My Favorite Year is about 30 years old

I remember seeing it in the theatre. It truly is funny but it is considerably older than 20.

[gratuitous]

11. I suppose they don't fit in the time frame

But both movies have been largely overlooked, and it's likely the OP isn't aware of them. Even if you've seen them before, though, they definitely reward a second and subsequent viewing, unlike a lot of popular movies which are completely forgettable before the closing credits have crawled by.

[Bossy Monkey]

13. 30 years is fine. I was aware of both, but never saw either. Thanks! n/t

[kentauros]

19. "My Favorite Year" is one of my favorite comedies

:D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7z-M92N4L8&feature=related

"This is for ladies only!"
zip!!!
"And so is this, Mum, but every now and again I have to run a little water through it."

:rofl:

[gratuitous]

35. I'm not an actor, I'm a movie star!

I also really like the scene where King and Boss Rojack are sitting on the sofa, and King's mimicking Rojack's moves, getting the character down just right.

[kentauros]

40. "California? You can't write comedy in California! It's not depressing enough!"

:rofl:

That movie was full of great actors, many from TV, yet still brilliantly played. Who will ever forget Selma Diamond? :D

[flvegan]

3. Office Space is up there.

I also thought that the Austin Powers flicks were very funny in their time. I also loved Best in Show (yeah, dogs...go figure).

I think that for plot and writing as well as laughs, I'd also add the Get Shorty and Be Cool movies.

[gratuitous]

4. For some more sick, demented laughs

"Fargo" and "The Lady Killers" by the Coen Brothers.

Oh, and "Little Miss Sunshine."

[cemaphonic]

44. Hmm, I love the Coens, but I thought "The Ladykillers" was weak

both in comparison to the original and to their other movies.

The bit where Hanks' character (a Poe enthusiast) is getting visibly worked up at the notion of walling up the old lady in the tunnel - that was priceless though.

Also, I'm not sure I would call Fargo a comedy, though there are lots of of funny bits in it, of course.

[mitchum]

5. "Happiness"

[Bossy Monkey]

16. I'm pretty sure the best laugh I'm going to get out of this whole enterprise

will be from clicking on "Search Google for Happiness." :hi:

[cemaphonic]

41. I often find myself in sync with your tastes...

But Happiness isn't even the best comedy of 1998 with Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ben Gazzara.

Plus, I don't usually mind movies full of unsympathetic characters, but that movie was just a little bit relentlessly unpleasant.

[Brigid]

6. "O Brother Where Art thou?"

Funniest movie ever! :rofl:

[Bossy Monkey]

14. I actually saw that one and found it delightful. Thanks! n/t

[MajorChode]

22. Perhaps not ever, but at least since Airplane! came out

[darkstar3]

30. Oh NO, NO NO!

Worst attempt at butchering The Odyssey I've ever seen.

[Yavin4]

45. Go to Sleep You Little Baby

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY5v9tt62IY

"I seen 'em first!"

[Demoiselle]

7. Best in Show, Fargo and My Favorite Year, for sure....and...

if you make it a 30 year span, I have to vote for "The In Laws." (The FIRST one, with Alan Arkin and Peter Falk.)

[Mojambo]

8. Borat made me laugh harder than any other film I've seen in the last 20 years.

I literally fell out of my seat.

[Bossy Monkey]

15. Borat killed me, but then I saw it again with my then-girlfriend

Can you say 'lead balloon'?

[Mojambo]

18. Yeah, those are one time laughs.

But oh man were they big laughs.

[styersc]

10. Maybe not a classic but I saw "Zombieland" with my daughter

this past weekend. Very campy and clever. Billy Murray's cameo is classic Murray.

[Beaverhausen]

12. The Hangover was pretty dang funny

As was 40 year old virgin and Superbad (I can't believe I'm admitting to liking that)

Also:

Tropic Thunder
Meet the Fokkers

[Initech]

17. Here are my nominations:

Movies:

Office Space
Idiocracy
Bad Santa
The Big Lebowski
The Hangover
Fight Club
Borat
Little Miss Sunshine
Anchorman

TV:

Seinfeld
Curb Your Enthusiasm
The Office
30 Rock
The Daily Show
Reno 911
Futurama
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia

[CreekDog]

20. L.A. Story is 19 years old

it's brilliant.

Steve Martin wrote it.

[jobycom]

36. Beautiful movie. Always amazes me how subtle Martin can write, but how unsubtle

his routines are.

[Initech]

53. Steve Martin is great. One of my favorites of his is the heavily underrated "Bowfinger".

That movie was fucking genius and very under-appreciated. Eddie Murphy as a crazed conspiracy theorist was genius.

[CreekDog]

57. I think it was better aimed satire that even Tropic Thunder

and that's saying a lot.

"We are going to get the best crew we can afford!" (shot of them smuggling immigrants across the border)

to an auditioner: "Are you a member of the union?" who responds "Yes..." (and is thrown out)

and Mindhead as a takeoff on Scientology

even the part about how actors tell them their secrets and those organizations use the secrets to control the actors.

that is such a great movie. hilarious. :rofl:

[NNadir]

21. Groundhog Day was one of the wittiest movies of that period.

[Enrique]

24. There's something about Mary

Brett Favre's best work. :thumbsup:

[MrSlayer]

25. South Park had me crying it was so funny.

Something about Mary was also very, very funny the first time I saw it.

[Bucky]

26. I don't remember the name of it, but it had Vin Diesel blowing up a lot of shit.

Awesomeness distilled down to its very essence.

[Danger Mouse]

38. You mean the Iron Giant, right?

[pitohui]

27. clerks had even my parrot rolling on the floor laughing his ass off EOM

,

[Yavin4]

50. "Thirty-Seven?!"

Any Clerks fan knows this line.

[Initech]

52. I'm 37???????

Kevin Smith's movies are fucking hilarious. I'm actually going to a Kevin Smith speaking gig later this month.

[fNord]

56. at least I'm not "36"

doesn't that make you feel better?

[LeftinOH]

61. The sequel, 'Clerks II' from 3 or 4 years ago took it to another level; funnier-

and pretty gross, too.

[Orrex]

28. Woody Allen's "Husbands and Wives" is tremendously funny

But it's a sort of sad, uncomfortable kind of funny...

[old mark]

29. "Bad Santa". It is the filthiest christmas movie ever made and I

really laughed till I could not stand it anymore. It has some rather slow and sappy spots, but the humor is generally surreal and biting and not the warm glowing christmas story that makes me want to plotz.

Flawed, but very funny.

mark

[JTG of the PRB]

31. Anchorman. I have never, EVER laughed as hard as when I first saw that movie.

I was with a couple good friends, and the theatre was absolutely packed, and everyone was in hysterics. I've never laughed that hard since. My sides hurt the next morning from it.

[darkstar3]

32. The first time I watched

The Simpsons Movie I liked it so much that I watched it again two days later. That's a record for me.

As for other movies...
Over the Hedge
Grumpy/Grumpier Old Men
Liar, Liar
Anything Monty Python or Mel Brooks

And even though it's not a comedy, Gone in 60 Seconds (the remake) is something I laugh at every time I watch it.

[kwassa]

33. another vote for Groundhog Day, also My Cousin Vinny

I think Groundhog Day is a profound little movie, as well as being hilarious. Bill Murray is at his best.

Vinny is about what happens when you make bad decisions, then keep choosing to make worse ones. Hilarious.

[Bossy Monkey]

34. Thanks everybody! I'll add all (or all I haven't seen) of these to my queue

eventually. The "eventually" is because there's something odd going on at Netflix; when I add something to my queue, they take something else off. I have no idea why or even how, but I don't think I'm going to mess with them any further tonight. Regardless, thanks for all the awesome suggestions. I'm bookmarking the thread.

[jobycom]

37. A couple of Will Ferrel--that's right, Will Ferrel-- movies.

Talladega Nights was the funniest movie I've seen in ten years, as far as laughing until you fall out of your seat comedy goes. Also had Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat). Hilarious, and a little smarter than it would seem from the previews.

Another Ferrel movie that wasn't as uproarious but very smart film was "Stranger Than Fiction." Will Ferrel, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifa, the guys from the Sonic commercials... Amazing, underrated film.

[Danger Mouse]

39. Step Brothers was the funniest shit ever. Failing that, Idiocracy was also awesome.

[Lindsey]

42. Yea, something is up with Netflix...I'm watching a moive now

I never ordered (but love it anyway - the newer Wuthering Heights - tragic - not a comedy) and I got it one the same day I sent my last Netflix movie back. As far as comedies:

Office Space
Best in Show
Waiting for Guffman
Election
There's Something about Mary
I'm sure there are many more that I'm not thinking of and you're getting some good ideas on this thread....

[armyowalgreens]

43. The Big Lebowski

However, the greatest comedy of all time is Dr. Strangelove.

[Yavin4]

47. "Hey, careful, man, there's a beverage here! "

Donny: Are these the Nazis, Walter?
Walter Sobchak: No, Donny, these men are nihilists. There's nothing to be afraid of.

[armyowalgreens]

48. "We believe in nothing, Lebowski. Nothing. And tomorrow we come back and we cut off your chonson."

[pokerfan]

46. I was going to say Planes, Trains & Automobiles

but realized that it's 22 years old.

[alphafemale]

58. You're going the wrong way!

"They're drunk. How could they know where we're going?"

Love that movie.

Gawd, I miss John Candy.

[JonLP24]

49. There are many choices in this thread so I'll add a couple

Bowfinger(Best Murphy movie since the Reagan administration)
Pineapple Express
/flame away

I can't think of others but those two movies had me laughing uncontrollable.

[armyowalgreens]

51. You just got killed by a Daewoo Lanos Mothafucka

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJjeuGc3LzQ

FUCK THE POLICE!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=io1XmcfXUoM&feature=related

[fNord]

54. Brain donors...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103872/

the funniest movies I have ever seen....and no one have ever herd of it.

I cant begin to describe it....but I recommend it to any one who loves a good laugh.

[Heidi]

55. "Waiting for Guffman" would have to be among them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwRVebPZaXU

[Orsino]

59. Possibly...A Mighty Wind, or O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Does Fargo count?

[CBGLuthier]

60. Little Miss Sunshine or There's Something about Mary

There's Something about Mary was funnier but Little Miss Sunshine was a perfectly made and cast film.

[PRETZEL]

62. I always liked

What About Bob,



Classic Bill Murray

[Glorfindel]

63. "As Good as it Gets" - fabulous movie, screamingly funny

and also deeply touching. It deserved all those Oscars.

[joeybee12]

64. Makes me realize how few really good comedies there have been...

...Bigger, Longer and Uncut is great, and also Best in Show, Mighty Wind.

[Rabrrrrrr]

65. Beavis and Butthead Do America - that's the movie I laughed my ass off the most

I struggled for air at times, I was laughing so much.

[frogmarch]

66. Bridget Jones's Diary might not be

the finest film comedy in the last 20 years, but I always get a kick out of it, regardless of how often I watch it.

[PassingFair]

67. I agree, and the sequel, too. Plus, I can watch Zoolander over and over....

and still find funny things that I missed the first time.