Ten Great Comedy Movies

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Some of my Favourite Comedy Movies

I enjoy movies of all types but I particularly like comedy movies. Some of the best comedy movies make me laugh over and over, particularly those that have lots of little things happening in the background that might be missed first time around. I appreciate comedy movies that use sophisticated humour but also like slapstick and the just plain weird.

Here are some video clips from ten of my favourite comedy movies, I hope you enjoy them.

The Rough Guide to Comedy Movies 

For those of you who, like me, are fans of comedy movies, this guidebook to the genre will be of interest. Nice to see that one of my favourites is on the front cover.

The Rough Guide to Comedy Movies 1 (Rough Guide Reference)

Amazon Price: $10.19 (as of 11/11/2009) Buy Now

This is Spinal Tap 

I just love this film - I have watched it countless times and always seem to find something different to laugh at. For those that haven't seen it, this is a spoof documentary about a stereotypical rock group on a disasterous tour.

Some of the most famous and amusing scenes include midgets trampling on the "Stonehenge" set, the amplifier that goes to eleven and a piano solo called "Lick my love pump". I love the ending of the movie in which the lead singer explains that his namesake, St Hubbins, is the patron saint of quality footwear and the lead guitarist contemplates life working in a shoe shop.

The video clip here is where the band talk about the mysterious deaths of a string of drummers. The only clue to the death of their last drummer was a speck of someone's vomit, unfortunately the culprit was never found as Scotland Yard does not have the facility to dust for vomit! When I first saw this film I was working as a fingerprint officer in New Scotland Yard so this clip particularly amused me.

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Buy This is Spinal Tap 

Special edition of the great movie with bonus features.

This Is Spinal Tap (Special Edition)

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Bowfinger 

A very amusing fim about a director (Steve Martin) making a movie whilst his starring actor (Eddie Murphy) is unaware of featuring in it. The rest of the cast do not know that the star is participating without realising it and chaos ensues.

One of the most amusing scenes is when Steve Martin's character is obtaining a film crew and goes to the Mexican border where illegal immigrants are running away from border control and are ushered into the back of the director's van. I also love the scene where Eddie Murphy attempts to cross a busy road having been told that the "stunt drivers" will miss him. of course there are no stunt drivers, just a very busy road full of speeding traffic.

Although much of the humour here is unsophisticated, Bowfinger is a very funny movie, with a suitably silly ending.

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Buy Bowfinger 

Buy your own copy of Bowfinger and enjoy it again and again.

Bowfinger

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Monty Python's Life of Brian 

It would be almost inconceivable not to include this movie on a list of comedy films. Ridiculous and hilarious from start to finish this is the story of Brian, mistaken as the Messiah by a large number of people.

Accused of being blasphemous by Christian leaders when released, the lead character, Brian, in fact consistently says he is not the Messiah until his followers declare that only the true Messiah would deny himself. Faced with this logic Brian states for the only time that, "I am the Messiah" which results in further devotion by his unwanted followers. This is included in the video clip below.

With so many memorable moments it is difficult to choose favourite scenes. Amongst the most famous are the scenes about "What have the Romans ever done for us?", which results in a huge list including law and order, wine and aqueducts, the reverse haggling scene is another and the Roman Govenor with a speech impediment is yet another of the most popular scenes.

There are so many small moments of comedy in this film that one can find something different to laugh about each time. Personally I love the moment when Brian's mother tells a crowd that they shouldn't follow trends and that they should be individuals, to which the crowd replies in unison, "we are individuals", followed by a lone devotee who mutters, "I'm not!". Brilliant.

Funniest bit of 'life of brian'

This the funniest bit out of the Monty python film 'Life of brian'

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Buy Life of Brian 

Get your own copy of this hilarious movie: choose from two different editions.

Monty Python's Life Of Brian - The Immaculate Edition

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Borat - Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan 

Borat is a spoof reporter from Kazakhstan making a documentary about American culture and the comedy works at two levels: viewers can enjoy the ridiculous antics and cultural faux pas of Borat and also be amazed at the reactions he gets from the people he meets unaware that he is a comedy character.

From start to finish this film is full of ludicrous acts and statements from Borat who is from a culture completely at odds with the western world. Some may find him offensive, but only the most sensitive, for the jokes are supposed to be on the cultural expectations of the viewer and on the foolish people he meets.

My favourite moments from the movie include when Borat turns up at a children's park in an ice cream van, with music playing. A crowd of kids run cheering towards the van only to run away screaming when a bear pokes its head out of the window. Another highlight is when Borat enters a new age church where people are speaking in tongues and leaping around in suits while the preacher spouts cliched dogma. Borat needs to do very little by the way of comedy as the antics of the churchgoers are funny enough on their own.

Another strange moment is this deleted scene below where Borat visits the cheese counter of an American supermarket.

For Borat Fans there is also a guidebook to Kazakhstan: Borat - Touristic Guidings to Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.

borats cheese shopping

borat goes cheese shopping

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Buy Borat - Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan 

Get the DVD with deleted scenes.

The Time Bandits 

The Time Bandits has been one of my favourite movies since I was about 7 years old and I still love it. The movie follows a group of midgets who are on the run from the supreme being, having stolen his map of time holes: holes which are the result of the shoddy workmanship of creating the world in just seven days. This map of time holes is misused by the group of midgets -used to go back in time to rob rich historical figures, hence "Time Bandits".

Many of the Monty Python team were involved in this movie and consequently the humour bears a close resemblance to other Monty Python movies, but the sheer weirdness of this movie is impressive moving from Napoleonic France to Sherwood Forest, to ancient Greece but it is not until the bandits approach the fortress of ultimate darkness that things get to their most bizarre.

My favourite moments from this movie include when the bandits walk into an invisible barrier and one of the group says, "so that's what an invisible barrier looks like" and the ending when two characters touch a piece of concentrated evil and are instantly vapourised. This is a silly movie full of comic asides and works well for kids and adults alike.

The following video clip shows the moment when the Time Bandits perform "Me and my shadow" for Napoleon Bonaparte.

Time Bandits - " Me & My Shadow" (Comedy-Fantasy)

What a great fun film by terry gilliam.

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Buy Time Bandits 

Time Bandits on DVD.

Time Bandits (Special Edition)

Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 11/11/2009) Buy Now

Austin Powers 

All three Austin Powers movies are funny if somewhat crude in places. This British spy from the 1960s embarks on three adventures alongside three different beautiful women in these James Bond spoofs.

All three movies make use of visual and verbal jokes and rely heavily on sending up the James Bond series, and the character of Dr Evil is possibly one of the most memorable and ridiculous comedy characters ever created.

Some of the funniest scenes involve visual gags depending on silhouettes where, in one movie, the viewer apparently sees Austin Powers give birth to a baby whilst standing up and, in another, a string of sausages and an umbrella is pulled from his bottom.

The scene below shows Austin Powers being given back his belongings after a period of cryogenic freezing. Having denied knowledge of a Swedish Penis Pump he is the given a book entitled "Swedish Penis Pumps for beginners - that is my bag baby yeah! by Austin Powers", a cheap joke relying on a catchphrase but funny all the same.

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Buy Austin Powers DVDs 

Get all three Austin Powers movies.

Austin Powers in Goldmember

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Napoleon Dynamite 

This is a snapshot of the life of a geeky college kid and his friends and family, all of which are as strange as he is. The humour in this film is largely reliant on bizarre happenings and lines that are delivered in unusual contexts. It is also funny to see the world through the perceptions of an ultra nerd and how he befriends people.

This movie has become something of a cult with certain people and lines such as "you freakin' idiot" have become something of a catchphrase. This is an unusual and humourous movie with some of the most bizarre characters ever, similar to the movie "Rushmore".

Napoleon Dynamite culminates in him doing a most out of character dance, in the clip below, in order to help his friend Pedro be elected school president.

Napoleon Dynamite Dance Scene

Mr. Gateway 2005 Talent Portion

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Buy Napoleon Dynamite 

Amuse your inner geekiness by watching Napoleon Dynamite.

Napoleon Dynamite

Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 11/11/2009) Buy Now

Monty Python and the Holy Grail 

Another Monty Python movie and another full of laughs from beginning to end. The quest of King Arthur and his knights for the Holy Grail becomes quite ridiculous as they go from one comic obstacle to another.

This movie also makes use of the famous Monty Python style animation which adds to the surrealism of the story which is full of jokes and incidents that one may not notice on the first view.

The most famous scenes in this movie are the Knights who say "Ni" who send King Arthur on a quest for a shrubbery, the dark knight who continues to fight after losing all his limbs and French soldiers abusing King Arthur's band by saying that their fathers smelt of elderberries. However, my favourite moment is in this video clip where Robin the not-so-brave is followed by his singing minstrels into an encounter with a three-headed knight, but he ends up "chickening out and buggering off".

Monty Python and the Holy Grail has one of the daftest endings of any film when a hoard of knights charge at a castle but are prevented from storming it when they are arrested by the police who stop the movie by turning off the camera.

Brave Sir Robin

Brave Sir Robin is followed by his favourite minstrels who sing odes to his great brave deeds. Singalong from the Deluxe Edition DVD to Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

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Buy Monty Python and the Holy Grail 

Get the special edition.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Special Edition)

Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 11/11/2009) Buy Now

Monty Python and the Holy Grail 

Stir Crazy 

Stir Crazy stars Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor as two guys wrongly convicted of a bank robbery. Sentenced to hundreds of years of hard labour they decide to escape whilst riding at the prison rodeo.

There are a number of truly hilarious moments in this film including the clip below where the two stars are thrown into a jail cell full of hardened criminals. Some of the funniest moments come when Gene Wilder is abused in order to persuade him to ride in the rodeo - on one occasion he is locked in a hot, dark box for three days with no food or water and pleads for just one more day on his release.

A great film with two great comedy actors.

Stir Crazy Gene Wilders Best Bits

The two funniest things that Gene Wilder does in Stir Crazy

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Stir Crazy 

Stir Crazy

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The Meaning of Life 

Another Monty Python movie, although it is more a series of themed sketches than a movie. Many of these sketches are very funny but it has to be said that some don't quite come up to the mark and the scene involving Mr Creosote is quite disgusting.

The best parts of this movie are the songs which area catchy as well as funny and through humour some thought provoking ideas are introduced. I particularly like the scene where the headmaster is attempting to teach sex education but the students won't concentrate and the answers they give are lambasted by the teacher. Eventually the teacher's wife enters to give a demonstration.

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The Meaning of Life 

Find out all the answers to life's greatest questions - yeah, right!

Monty Python's The Meaning of Life

Amazon Price: $10.49 (as of 11/11/2009) Buy Now

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Happy Gilmore (Full Screen Special Edition)

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Comments 

Your comments on this lens and the ten movies are welcome here.

nickupton wrote...

Yes, Spinal Tap is the best, I just bought a new copy on DVD - I only had it on VHS before.[in reply to geothermalminnie]

ReplyPosted September 06, 2009

geothermalminnie wrote...

Spinal Tap is classic. Thank you for including it!
Minnie

ReplyPosted August 20, 2009

Lensmaster

i am the ZOHAN wrote

i think that the best 15 comedy movies ever made were:

1. yes man (jim carrey)
2. tropic thunder (ben stiller, jack black, robert downey jr.)
3. me, myself, & irene (jim carrey)
4. I, spy (eddie murphy, owen wilson)
5. zoolander (ben stiller, owen wilson)
6. you dont mess with the zohan (adam sandler, rob schneider)
7. the love guru (mike myers, jessica alba)
8. senseless (shawn wayans, david spade)
9. liar liar (jim carrey)
10. dodgeball (vince vaungh, ben stiller)
11. Dumb and dumber (jim carrey)
12. bruce almighty (jim carrey)
13. hancock (will smith)
14. bad boys (will smith, martin lawrence)
15. hot rod (andy samberg)

But the only comedy movie above i agree with is the "austin powers" movies

Reply Posted July 04, 2009

jembie wrote...

Interesting choice. Thanks for sharing :)

ReplyPosted May 12, 2009

kab wrote...

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ReplyPosted April 29, 2009

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Lensmaster nickupton, aka nick upton, has been a member since June 23 2007, has rated 144 lenses, favorited 71, and has created 63 lenses from scratch. This member's top-ranked page is "The Sneetches by Dr Seuss". See all my lenses

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