The Movies That Made Me Laugh the Most.....

I think comedies are the hardest type of movies to make. If you make a drama, it's all about the story. Either it's good or its not. Action films these days are all about special effects. But comedies are very personal. It depends on your taste in comedy. There are some very popular, and rich people, that have starred in comedies that leave me flat.  Jim Carey and Will Ferrell to name a couple. (Although I loved Talladega Nights).

Sometimes it's just the way a character is written that makes me laugh. Sometimes it's the situation. Sometimes it's from an actor that's not known for comedy. All I can say is that these movies made me laugh. A lot.

The following list is just how I feel today. Tomorrow it might be totally different. I'll try to leave some links at the end because some of these are VERY obscure.

Emergency! Everybody to git from street!
  • 5. The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming! Talk about obscure. I can guarantee most of my readers have never even heard of this 1966 movie. This is a cold war era movie starring Alan Arkin, Brian Keith, Carl Reiner, and an All-Star cast. A Russian submarine goes aground on tiny Gloucester Island, Massachusetts. The Russians come ashore, and hi-jinx ensue. Hilarious situations, and hilarious characters. It's hard to find, but if you're in the mood to laugh, look for it.
  • 4. Animal House -  This National Lampoon classic from 1978 starred John Belushi, Tim Matheson, and Steven First. The reason this movie works is because anyone whose been to college has been to these parties, been on the road trips, and knows about these situations. The movie puts those situations to the extreme, but we have seen them happen. But all of us have met a Kent Dorfman, Doug Niedermeyer, and John Blutarski.
  • 3
    The Soggy Bottom Boys
    . Oh Brother Where Art Thou - This 2001 movie is from my favorite directors, the Coen brothers. It stars George Clooney, John Turturo, and Tim Blake Nelson as three prison runaways during the 1930's. This comedy is loosely based on Homer's Odyssey. Sounds crazy, but it works. The Cyclops, (John Goodman), and the Sirens make an appearance. A big part of this movie is the soundtrack. It's loaded with great old-timey, American bluegrass songs. You really get a feeling for the time and place. Most of the lines I have memorized. My favorite is when Governor "Pappy" O'Daniel yells at his dumpy son, "Thank God your Mama died giving birth. If she hadn't, she'd have died of shame!"
  • 2.
    "You were involved in the Bay of Pigs?" "Involved, hell it was my idea"
    The In Laws - This 1979 classic stars Peter Falk and Alan Arkin. Falk is Vince Ricardo, a goofy government agent, who gets Arkin, as Sheldon Kornpett, the dentist, involved in international intrigue. On top of that, their kids are marrying each other. In the movie you don't really know if Ricardo is legit, or just plain nuts. Sheldon originally is just concerned for his daughter, then is concerned just staying alive. Funny characters, funny situations.
  • 1. Raising Arizona - Another Coen brothers movie from 1987. It stars Nicholas Cage as looser H.I. McDonnough and Holly Hunter as his newlywed, but infertile wife. They decide to kidnap a local businessman's baby. They reasoned that since the baby was one of quintuplets, he was probably more than they can handle. Very well written, well acted. Great characters. I've also have several lines memorized from this one. When asked what the baby was wearing when abducted, dad Nathan Arizona asks, " What do you think he's wearing, a dinner jacket? He was wearin' jammies with Yoda's n' shit on' em!"
There's a million more movies I could name, but these are truly some of my favorites. Most comedies can make you laugh the first time you see them. The true test is when you know what's coming, and you still laugh like it's the first time. So have a good laugh today. You'll feel better.
Here's some links:

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