Comedy movies to watch before you die

In the dark and grisly world of today, who doesn’t want to enjoy a couple of laughs in the evenings? And considering that the attention span of people seems to be exponentially decreasing with the passage of time, watching comedies seems to be a far practical option than reading them. So if you are looking for some unbridled fun this weekend, go grab these DVDs and spend a hilarious time with some popcorn and your couch for company.

1. The Monty Python Trilogy

The British comedy group Monty Python did much more than movies including live shows and even had their own TV series. But they will forever be remembered for the three fantastic comedies they brought alive on the big screen viz. Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Monty Python’s Life of Brian  and Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life . You will hardly ever come across a list of top comedies which doesn’t feature one of the above three movies.

2. Airplane!

Another classic, Airplane! is a movie that will leave you in splits irrespective of your age and like/dislike for comedies in general. The fact that the movie is still hilariously funny in spite of having been released in 1980, goes on the show the genius of the makers. The very basic premise of the movie, where the air crew get ill and the only one who can land the plane is a former pilot who is scared to death of flying, is funny to boot.

3. Borat

Sacha Baron Cohen as an actor has been described from being eccentric to revolting to insanely funny. For a person who can garner such diverse reactions, Borat  seems to be the perfect movie. Although you will surely find a lot of jokes and situations in the movie extremely inappropriate, you will nevertheless find it impossible not to burst out laughing at them.

4. The Hangover

If the last two movies of the trilogy left a bad taste in your mouth, make sure to go back to the first one that came out in 2009. While the jokes started to become more and more unfunny and stupid with each passing movie, the original The Hangover  is no doubt, a one of a kind of comedy that you will come across only once in your lifetime. Not only was the casting perfect, but also was the direction and editing, which ensured that there was never a quiet moment throughout the entire film.

5. Bruce Almighty

Jim Carrey has delivered some of the greatest hits in the genre of comedy down the years which include amongst others, Ace Ventura , Dumb and Dumber , The Mask, and a whole lot more. To select the best from this list is a Herculean task but whoever has seen Bruce Almighty will tell you that it deserves the honour to feature in the list of the greatest comedies ever. It’s not that the movies features many gags, but the ingenuity of the concept and the amazing Jim Carrey is what makes this movie worth a watch.

6. O Brother, Where Art Thou?

A lesser known classic from the stable of the inimitable Coen brothers, O Brother, Where Art Thou?  is in a league of its own. Who knew that the uber stylish George Clooney could fit into a western comedy, although he does portray a love for applying gel on his hair from time to time in the movie, which itself is hilarious considering the setting of the scenes. Besides, there hardly has ever been a more perfect comedy cast apart from in The Hangover.

7. The Great Dictator

Who says that the silent movie stars couldn’t deliver in talkies? Charlie Chaplin’s double role as the crazy dictator Hynkel (based on Hitler) and a poor Jewish barber, is one of the best of his lifetime. And the way he delivers his speech and his mannerisms in every shot that he is in will leave you spellbound. If there is ever a title of “God of Comedy” given to anyone, Charlie Chaplin undoubtedly deserves it.

8. Annie Hall

There has never been a director who has delivered such countless classics with such regularity as Woody Allen has. And there will also never be another person in the film industry who excels in the multiple roles of director, writer and actor as Allen. The fact that “Annie Hall” is counted as his masterpiece is enough to establish the greatness of the movie. There has hardly been a better romantic comedy made in the history of movie-making.

9. American Pie series

Well, I had to think twice before including American Pie in the same list that included classics like The Great Dictator  and Airplane. But no matter how much you hate the slapstick comedy of the American Pie  series, you can’t ignore the impact these movies have had on the movie aficionados of present times. Especially amongst the youth, there is almost no one who will draw a blank when you mention American Pie .

10. Cornetto trilogy

An unexpected entry into the list but an entry well deserved all the same, the Cornetto trilogy or the Three Flavour Cornetto trilogy  is famous for the acting duo of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, and of course the director Edgar Wright. While both Shaun of the Dead  and Hot Fuzz have been fantastic, everyone is now looking forward to the final movie of the trilogy The World’s End , and given the track record of the makers, it’s definitely not gonna disappoint the Cornetto fans.

 

Image sources

1. Monty Python and the Holy Grail: http://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/12200000/holy-wallpaper-monty-python-and-the-holy-grail-12295299-1024-768.jpg

2. The Hangover: http://www.tasteofcinema.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/the-hangover-poster.jpg

3. Cornetto Trilogy: 

http://cdn.amctheatres.com/Media/Default/images/MKT_1862_cornetto_trilogy_Onesheet.jpg

Surojit Chakraborty

Writer, HR, Bibliophile, Polyglot, Optimist

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