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Blazing Saddles. The Naked Gun: From the Records of Police Squad. Some Like It Hot. The RoomThese are all films that are widely considered comedic classics, so you might already be familiar with them, and that’s fine. Well, perhaps not.The RoomIt’s just as amusing as some of those true masterpieces, but whether all the humor is deliberate is open to discussion. Or perhaps it doesn’t really matter. Laughter is laughter.
Speaking of humor, and speaking of excellent films, these are all funny and great movies, butthey aren’t as famous as some of the most iconic comedies around. If you’ve actually come across most of these before, then congratulations, you are quite intelligent. Additionally, if there are movies you believe should be included that were left out, perhaps they were overlooked by the person who compiled this list.Ironic.
‘Real Life’ (1979)
It’s quite simple to make a callReal Lifeahead of its time, as it effectively satirizes reality television long before the concept of reality TV, as we know it today, existed. Well, okay, its premise was a way to mock a documentary series from the 1970s calledAn American Familybut things become even more extreme and absurd inReal Life, which gives it an oddly fitting resemblance to how reality TV would evolve by the start of the 21st century.
Due to that, you don’t need to have knowledge ofAn American Family to find humor in Real Life. It’s absurd, and effectively places a filmmaker with endless ambitions against a seemingly ordinary family, whose members gradually lose their sanity due to his demands for a project that involves documenting their lives.It’s still genuinely quite humorous, and it’s among the best.among the least appreciated comedies in history, so it’s definitely worthy of more recognition these days.
‘Crab Goalkeeper’ (2006)
There is a film titledCrab Goalkeeper, and what else do you need? Just watch it. It’s about a crab that dreams of playing soccer, or football, if you prefer, particularly as a goalkeeper, as the title clearly states. Once again, that title is all you need. This is a sports film that mostly plays like a…conventions of the sports genre directly, but the protagonist is a large crab.
The film writes itself. Crab Goalkeeperhas one joke that it stretches over 92 minutes, but fortunately, that joke is powerful enough and truly remains fresh. There’san absurdity and a genuine approach toCrab Goalkeeperthat is difficult to resist. It’s transcendental cinema, or as close to transcendental as cinema can be with a budget of roughly $7.20. And you happened to have the crab costume available, in this imagined scenario.The crab outfit seems to have cost no less than $6.70. We can’t really double the budget all at once right now., can we?
‘Windy City Heat’ (2003)
Like Crab Goalkeeper, there’s a single primary joke that can be found throughoutWindy City Heat, but it’s a great one. Essentially, the whole movie is a long joke – or a set of jokes – aimed at a man namedPerry Caravellosomeone who dreams of becoming a renowned actor, yet lacks the social skills and talent required to succeed. His so-called friends trick him into believing he’s the lead in a film, using it as an opportunity to mock him, all under the guise of “creating” a “movie.”
Caravello isn’t particularly likable in Windy City Heat, making it somewhat simpler to laugh at some of his hardships.
Which gives the impression of being in poor taste, and perhaps it is, but Caravello isn’t particularly likable throughout, whichmakes it a bit simpler to laugh at some of his suffering.It depends on the situation.. Windy City Heatis extremely humorous if you’re open to finding it amusing, but no offense if it’s too much for your taste.
‘Two Hands’ (1999)
The best-known Heath Ledger movie of 1999 is 10 Things I Dislike About You, which is somewhat the one that helped make him a star, but just as deserving of focus is the slightly smaller – and overall more rugged –Two Hands. This one qualifies as a type of comedy, even if it’s not as light-hearted as10 Things I Dislike About Youwas, as that movie was a romantic comedy, andTwo Handsis more of a humorously dark crime film.
Also, Two Handsseems somewhat similar to an early Guy Ritchie film in terms of atmosphere, visual style, and character development, and the storyline centers around a young man fleeing from some criminals, along with a pair of younger children who discover the missing money (the funds that have landed the main character in trouble with those same gangsters).Two Handsmoves smoothly, appears quite ingeniously constructed, and is genuinely underappreciated, overall, considered one of the finest films Ledger was part of during his sadly brief acting journey.
“Apollo 10 and a Half: A Space Age Childhood” (2022)
Even though some of his films are highly recognized (see those thatmake up the Before trilogy, as well as the famously ambitious Boyhood), Richard Linklaterstill feels mostly unrecognized. For instance, his films often receive positive to excellent reviews, yet many of them seem to pass by without the attention they merit, and his work in the 2020s has shown this especially clearly.
Like, Apollo 10½: A Childhood in the Space Age, Hit Man, and Nouvelle Vaguewere all quite good and easy to warm up to, but none of them really delivered the impact you might have anticipated. Anyway,Apollo 10½: A Childhood in the Space Ageis likely the most humorous of the group, which is whythat specific coming-of-age animated film is being highlighted here, but this location could have been assigned toHit Man or Nouvelle Vague as well (as for Blue Moon, that’s likely a bit more of a drama than a comedy, but still went largely unnoticed overall).
‘The Funeral’ (1984)
The film that is most commonly admireddirected by a renowned Japanese filmmakerJūzō Itami remains Tampopo, but honestly, The Funeralis better. It’s equally humorous, but it also functions as a drama exploring loss (not surprisingly, given the title) while also being a comedy, so it provides more to enjoy. There are emotional highs and lows that make the absurd comedic moments ultimately more impactful.
The main funeral and the associated events span several days, with the family members present at the funeral being quite dysfunctional, resulting in a lot of disorder, often presented humorously and at times seriously.The Funeralmaintains constant engagement, is admittedly unusual, and ultimately makes a significant impression in the realm of dramedies, and it’s unsurprisingly simple to suggest to anyone who might have appreciated whatTampopo was going for.
‘The Hot Rock’ (1972)
A film that markets itself quite effortlessly,The Hot Rock is a comedic heist movie starring Robert RedfordIn one of his finest (and perhaps least appreciated) performances. He portrays one of several burglars attempting to steal a highly valuable item from a museum, only to discover the task far more challenging than anticipated, resulting in numerous tries at the same heist, which is where much of the humor originates.
At times, The Hot Rockis slightly suspenseful, but ultimately leans more towards comedy than excitement. Nevertheless, it’s good that it finds a middle ground, offering some toughness while keeping things enjoyable all along.It has a very strong pace for a film that is over half a century old., and it’s anyone’s guess why more people don’t discuss it more frequently. There isn’t much to criticize here, withThe Hot Rock, in all honesty.
‘Going in Style’ (1979)
At the risk of appearing somewhat dull,here’s another humorous heist filmfrom the 1970s that’s largely overlooked:Going in Style. This one was released at the end of the decade, in comparison toThe Hot Rock, and it’s a somewhat slower movie overall, given that the characters attempting to carry out a robbery are all elderly. There is humor in this concept, at least initially, with some older men who are clearly out of their element trying to rob a bank.
Though Going in Stylechallenges your expectations and becomes more daring in tone during its second half, surpassing what the first half may have suggested. It functions as a dramedy, with the drama possibly being more powerful and moving than the humor, but the key point is that a strong balance is achieved here, and thatwhen Going in Stylewants to be humorous, and it is, and then when it wants to become a bit melancholic, it manages to do so as well.