You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll hurl! (Comedy)

Member Name: Scott Fowler

Product:	Comedy
Date:	16/06/02 (180 review reads)
Rating:

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Comedy is such a subjective thing, one mans chalk is anothers cheese and so on. So bearing that in mind the following are my favourite ten comedies.

In no particular order:

1)National Lampoons Vacation - Starring Chevy Chase as Clarke Griswold, the father from hell, who has planned his family vacation in the form of a road trip from their home in Chicago to "Walley World" in California. The road trip doesn't start well - when Clarke goes to pick up the new car the wrong one has been deilvered and is infact a hideous green station wagon, but to set the tone for the film they have to keep it as their old car has already been crushed. As the film rolls on we slowly see cracks appearing in the family and Clarke gradually going insane. The scene with Clarke a sandwich and Christie Brinkley is just genius. Also starring John Candy as the inept security guard at "Walley World" this is real treat.

"What do I think? I think you're all F***ed in the head!"


2)The Blues Brothers - Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi star in this very musical comedy as Jake and Elwood Blues.... The Blues Brothers. The film revolves around Jake and Elwoods mission (from god) to save their old orphanage. They need to raise $5000 to pay back taxes and what better way to do this than re-form their old rythm and blues band "The Blues Brothers". Belushi and Aykroyd are great as the brothers, taking everything thrown at them in their stride, when their "hotel" is destroyed by an irate Carrie Fisher, they simply dig themselves out of the rubble, brush themselves down and go to work. Some fantasic camoes from the likes of John Lee Hooker, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and James Brown give the film some memorable musical numbers, while the chase to find the Blues Brothers, by the police, The Illinois Nazis, The Good Ole Boys, Bob (owner of Bob's Country Bunker) and a very annoyed Carrie fisher provide the laughs
. I simply cannot tire of this film.

"It's 105 miles to Chicago,we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes it's dark and we're wearing sunglasses"
"Hit it"

3)Grosse Point Blank - John Cusack is Martin Blank the hit man who has lost his appetite for his profession in this dark comedy. He finds himself back in Grosse Point, his home town, to attend his ten year high school renunion and complete one last job, while hopefully making peace with his high school sweetheart (Minnie Driver). A lot has changed though since he was last in Grosse Point (his mother is in a nursing home and the family home is now an "Ultimart" for starters), and with rival assasin (Dan Aykroyd) on the scene will he complete his simple goals and get out alive or will something perhaps go wrong? If you don't know or can't guess give this one a shot I'm sure you'll like it.

"What have you been doing with your life?"
"Uh, Professional Killer"
"Oh, good for you. It's a growth industry"


4)Planes, Trains and Automobiles - Neal Page (Steve Martin) has a simple goal.... get home in time to spend thanksgiving with his family. Things start to go wrong though when his flight is cancelled due to bad weather conditions and he has to make alternative travel plans. Things go even more pear shaped though when he is joined on his travels by Del Griffith (John Candy), the shower curtain ring salesman who always has something to say. Following the pair on their seemingly cursed travels across America makes for a very entertaining couple of hours.

Special mention has to go to the scene where their car has a "small" fire.... brilliant.

"Was that seat hot or what? I feel like a Whopper. Turn me over, I'm done and ready. I'm afraid to look at my ass. There'll be grill marks"

5)So I Married an Axe Murderer- Pro
bably my favourite Mike Myers film edges out the Austin Powers films because of the setting.... San Francisco - every time I watch the film I'm reminded of a holiday spent there.

Anywho... Myers is Charlie Mackenzie a man with a problem with commitment. He breaks up with women for bizarre reasons - Pam smelled like soup - beef vegetable soup. When he meets Harriet Michaels (Nancy Travis) all this changes... he is determined to make this one work, but could she be the mysterious axe murderer his mother has been telling him about? No, surley that's ridiculous. Or is it?

Special mention to Charlies father (Myers also) and his opinions of Charlie's little brothers head size.

"Heid, move!"

6)The Naked Gun - Leslie Nielson is incompetent cop Lt. Frank Drebin, who somehow has to foil an attempt on the life of Queen Elizabeth II. Vincent Ludwig(Ricardo Montalban) is the man with the assasination plot, which revolves around brainwashing innocent poeple to do his bidding and Jane Spencer (Priscilla Pressley) provides the love interest for Drebin.

With all the regulars from Police Squad in tow (including the jokes!) this is a wonderfully silly comedy with Leslie Nielson playing Drebin down to a tee.

"Hey, nice Beaver!"
"Thanks, I just had it stuffed"

7)Monty Python and the Holy Grail - won't go into character listing as the team play various different charachters and it would take too long to list them all.

The film centres around King Arthur and his knights in their search for the Holy Grail. There are so many moments in this that are worth a mention - the following are but a few.

the low budget lack of horses - their replacement being servants clicking coconut shells together

"Brave Sir Robin ran away, bravely ran away away."

the french soldiers taunting of King Arthur.

the knights who say "Ni"


Genius, simply genius.

8)There's Something About Mary - Ben Stiller is Ted. Ted has had a crush on Mary (Cameron Diaz) since high school, and after 13 years he decides to track her down with the help of sleazy private detective Pat Healy (Matt Damon). Unfortunately Pat also falls for Mary with (as I'm sure a review must have said somewhere) hilarious consequences. Some of the set pieces in this are hilarious, my particular favourite being Ted's arrest for, as far as he knows, picking up a hitchhiker.

Matt Damon handles his scenes failry well and Cameron Diaz is simply stunning!

"We've got a bleeder!"

9)Zoolander - The most recent addition to my top ten this seems to be a love it or hate it kind of film, and obviously I fall into the first category.

Ben Stiller is Derek Zoolander a male model who with his look "Blue Steel" has been at the top of the male model world for 3 years, despite his disability of not being able to turn left. However with new talent on the block in the shape of Hansel McDonald (Owen Wilson) Derek is on his way out, and following the death of his male model friends in an unfortunate pertol hose accident he begins to wonder if their is more to life than male modelling. He retires and tries to find his "roots". However he is soon back in the only world he knows - that of the male model - and wrapped up in a plot to assasinate the prime minister of Malaysia (the pm plans to end sweat shops - thus having a huge financial impact on the fashion indusrty) - thanks to fashion guru Mugatu (Will Ferrel)

Ben stiller is fantastic as Zoolander and really makes the film tick. The "walk off", adjudicated by none other than David Bowie, has to be the highlight of the film for me.

"Have you ever wondered if there was more to life, other than being really, really, ridiculously good looking?"

10)Airplane! - How could I po
ssibly leave this out?

Ted Striker (Robert Hayes) is an ex-navy pilot who has been afraid to fly ever since THAT incident. His long term girlfriend Elaine Dickinson (Julie Hagerty) has just dumped him, so like any metaly fragile bloke he follows her onto her flight (Elaine is a stewardess). When everyone who eats the fish dish (including the captain and his crew) becomes seriously ill it's up to Ted to land the plane. Can he do it? will he crack up? who knows, just don't call him Shirley.

Brilliant.

"Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?"

Well there you go my top ten comedies, any comments will be gladly received.

cheers.

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