I love to laugh, don’t we all? As much as I love a good drama with an emotional story, a great action movie with big explosions or a top notch scary film that scares the [expletive deleted] out of me, nothing makes me happier than a good comedy. So what qualifies a film to make the top ten comedies of the 2000’s?
I think in comedy more than any other genre, the film must be seriously rewatchable. A good comedy should be just as funny the 30th time as it was the first time, if not funnier. Some films such as Napoleon Dynamite were among my favorite upon release, but grew a little stale after several viewings. Thusly, every movie on this list is one I own and indeed watch over and over again.
As my fellow writer and editor, Kubryk has pointed out in the past, a good comedy really need to be quotable. You should be able to throw down a line at any given time and make you friends laugh, because they know what you’re talking about. And if they don’t, then sit them down and make them watch the movie so they’ll learn, damn it!
A classic comedy also has to be comic gold through and through with few if any dud jokes. Nothing takes the wind out of a comedy’s sails like a bad joke. The Ten almost made the list, but one of the ten shorts just wasn’t funny at all to me and because of that it didn’t make the cut.
So with those thoughts in mind, here are my Top Ten Comedies of the last decade.
10. Borat
Sacha Baron Cohen introduced England to his characters, Ali G, Borat and Bruno in 2000 with Da Ali G Show. In 2003 those episodes began airing on HBO and his star began to rise. He then exploded on the scene with his second film, Borat. (His first film was Ali G Indahouse, but it’s best we don’t talk about that one.) With the Borat film he expanded on his Kazakhstani character and sent him on a cross country trip to learn about American culture and insult as many people as possible along the way. It’s hard to judge a film like this on acting as Cohen was one of a few actors in the film. Most people were victims to his character and in the end none to happy as to how they were portrayed in the film, which is evident from the many lawsuits that followed. Regardless, Cohen managed to create easily one of the funniest films of the decade. Upon release it probably would have been higher on the list, but has lost some of it’s initial punch over the years and squeaks onto the list at number 10.
9. Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back
This might seem an odd choice for a top ten list, as I do know a lot of people who didn’t like this film, but it makes me laugh harder every time I watch it. It’s very much one huge in joke for Kevin Smith fan’s so naysayers of his work will probably hate this one more than others, but really is a fantastic film. Will Farrell gives a brilliantly hilarious performance as Federal Wildlife Marshal Willenholly. In fact until I saw this film I really had a hatred of Farrell (entirely based on his SNL career). But after this film, Old School and Anchorman (both farther down the list) he quickly became one of my favorite comedians. Sure, it’s a very silly film, sure it’s basically just Kevin Smith and his friends having fun and goofing off. But Smith invites us all along for the ride and if you’re willing to ride along, then you’re sure to enjoy number 9 on my list.
8. Burn After Reading
Few filmmakers can switch seamlessly between comedy and drama the way the Coen Brothers have. And following their magnum opus, No Country For Old Men they delivered another classic Coen Comedy with Burn After Reading. It’s not as classic as Lebowski or Raising Arizona, but then you can’t expect it to be, but it’s still a very funny film. Burn is a unique comedy in that it’s made like a serious political thriller. The film’s score alone sets the very serious ton which adds a nice layer to the humor. See the joke is that all the characters in this film a really stupid and either don’t realize how serious it’s supposed to be or try to make it more serious than it is. Like Lebowski, this is a film were nothing really important happens. I know a lot of people who weren’t to keen on this film and I really don’t understand why, I rewatched it again recently and perhaps laughed even harder than I did in the theater. Some might think O Brother Where Art Thou? a funnier Coen film, but Burn makes my number 8.
7. Old School
There is a lot of good that can be said about this film. Vince Vaugn is hilarious, Luke Wilson is pretty good too, and Jeremy Piven plays a great jerk. But none of that would be enough for this film to make this list. No this film locks in at number 7 for one reason only Hank “The Tank.” Again Will Farrell steals the show. He runs naked down the street, gets beaten up by Andy Dick and shoots himself in the next with a blow dart. In the last decade the “bromantic comedy” has really come into it’s own as a genre and while much of that is contributed to the Apatow machine, it’s roots can certainly be seen here, just two year earlier.
6. Role Models
Number 6 on my list is another fine example of the bromatic comedy. I’ve been a huge fan of Paul Rudd since 200 Cigarettes and it’s exciting to see him finally becoming a leading man. This was director David Wain’s first studio comedy and he succeeded admirably in making it very much his own while at the same time making it more widely acceptable then some of his other ventures (See The Ten and Stella). Where else can you see KISS and “LAIRE” come together in such an amazing way? Seann William Scott is even funny in this and I usually find him pretty annoying. Everyone in this film turns the laughs up to eleven. From the kids, Christopher Mintz-Plasse (who is even funnier here than he was in Superbad) and Bobb’e J. Thompson to all the smaller roles including Jane Lynch and Ken Joeng amongst many, many others will leave you in stitches and make it looks so damn easy.
5. Pineapple Express
In the last couple years Seth Rogan has quickly grown from that guy on Freaks and Geeks to unlikely Hollywood star. He’s had a lot of films come out in a short amount of time and while they’ve all been at the very least, pretty good, the best example of his work hands down is Pineapple Express. This film perfectly blends the action and comedy genres. I often describe it to people who haven’t seen it as “Cheech & Chon meets Hot Fuzz. It’s laugh out loud funny through and through and at times very shockingly violent. Rogan and James Franco have amazing chemistry together (bromance strikes again!) and new comer Danny McBride rounds out this perfect cast. The fight scene between the three of them in Red’s house is one of the funniest things I’ve seen in years and alone is enough to make this film number 5.
4. The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou
Not all movies are love at first sight. The first time a saw Zissou I liked it, but I didn’t love it. And I found that disappointing as I’d loved all Wes Anderson’s films previous. However, when I bought the Criterion upon release and watched it again the subtle brilliant humor that is Life Aquatic began to reveal itself to me and it soon became one of my favorites of Anderson. Bill Murray is easily the funniest man alive and proves that once again in this film. But he’s not the only funny one here. Willem Dafoe gives Murray a run for his money as Klaus. Top all that off with some fantastic Portuguese covers of David Bowie songs by Seu Jorge along with Anderson’s signature gorgeous cinematic style and you’ve got yourself number 4 on the list.
3. Hot Fuzz
As much as I loved Pineapple the be all end all of action comedies is without a doubt Hot Fuzz. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost make a prefect team on screen. Hot Fuzz is brilliant because it manages to pay homage to the action genre, with lots of action and gore and maintain a more subtle, but no less funny, comedic style than Pineapple. In fact, both films make for a fantastic double feature, but you have to end it with Hot Fuzz, because when push comes to shove, it’s simply the better film. Some may argue that Shaun Of The Dead should have been the choice between it and Fuzz. And you can trust that it was a very hard decision. But Fuzz is simply a funnier film.
2. Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy
You often hear people say “I laughed so hard, it hurt.” Well, that is what this film did to me, literally. During the big gang fight between all the different news teams, I laughed so hard my sides ached and tears rolled down my face, but I could not stop the laughing. This film is Will Farrell at his absolute finest. Everything he’s done since has either tried to mimic this magic, or just paled in comparison. That’s not to say all his film are bad, many of them are very funny. But they all linger in the shadow of this comic behemoth. Throw in uproarious performances by Paul Rudd, Steve Carell and Christina Applegate and you’ve easily got the second funniest film of the decade.
1. I ‘Heart’ Huckabees
Wow, the funniest film of the decade. That’s a lofty statement that can only be attributed to a handful of films. But for me it really was no contest at all. I paid to see Huckabees two times in the theater and my broke ass NEVER does that. Not only is this film brilliantly, laugh-out-loud hilarious, but it’s a very smart comedy as well. It talks about deep philosophical ideas which may turn some people off. But it’s a breath of fresh air from all the dick and fart jokes that are floating around out there. Jason Schwartzman, Lily Tomlin, Dustin Hoffman Naomi Watts, Jude Law and Isabelle Huppert are all fantastic in this (there’s even a cameo of a very young Jonah Hill), but it’s Marky Mark himself who steals the show. Tommy Corn could easily be the funniest character of the decade and it’s a shame Wahlberg didn’t win any awards for this performance. (He did, however, at least get two nominations.) His delivery of the line “Word!” alone should have won him the Oscar. If you’ve seen the film you know what I mean. It is the combination of all the genius in this film from acting to writing to cinematography that makes this film hands down the best comedy of the first decade of the new century.
