Sunday, July 17, 2011

The funniest movies ever have been made in the last ten years

I cannot help but notice nearly all of my favorite comedies have been made in the last ten years.  Comedy central ran 40 Year Old Virgin, Talladega Nights, and Walk Hard:  The Dewey Cox Story consecutively today.  I can watch these movies over and over and snortle out loud even when I am by myself.  All that was missing was Anchorman.  It is easy to say that what I laughed at ten or more years ago (The Great Outdoors, Chevy Chase, Brewsters Millions) are from a different era.  Different things were considered humorous then.  I think that may be the case in some respects.  Watch a Laurel and Hardy movie.  Somehow they became internationally famous by something hitting one of them on the ass (understatement of comedic role, but really, this is more than a lietmotif of Laurel and Hardy movies).  I believe this to a certain degree, but mainly I feel that comedy has evolved into a turbo geek fart joke based on the ever expanding collective pop culture everyone that watches these movies knows all too well. 

I realize there are certain comedies are timeless.  If you have any entries that arent by Mel Brooks let me know, and I will probably agree.  However, it seems like the most hilarious movies have come out of the last decade (please dont mention The Hangover).  Take Dewey Cox, which may be my favorite comedy ever.  It is a premise based on various rock biopics like the Doors, Ray, and Walk the Line, which somehow documents the passage of Dewey's whole life in a Gumpian sort of way assuming the garb and attitudes of different decades easily discernible to the average pop culture initiate.  The music in the movie is surprisingly good despite and because of the terrible/hilarious lyrics.  The movie takes the cliche, troubled segments of these biopics to hyperbolic, solo belly laughing extremes.  Somehow it has taken all that infused pop culture and intelligently spoofed it to the lowest brow.  Basically, this stupid movie is pure genius.


Here is a youtube clip of one of my favorite parts.
  Paul Rudd playing John Lennon is sort of brilliant.  I could not find a clip of the interview with Jane Lynch, but that is also hilarious.

1 comment:

  1. Have you seen Horrible Bosses yet? I laughed the entire time.

    ReplyDelete