Note: I wanted to take a break from politics today and write something about another passion of mine, movies. If this is not your thing don’t worry I will get back into politics and international issues in the next article, but if you are into movies here are 10 hilarious comedy films to take your mind off the state of the world for an hour and a half to two hours.
One thing I enjoy doing when not writing articles about politics or socializing is watching movies. I’m a big fan of deep filmmakers David Lynch and Ari Aster but one of my favorite guilty pleasures is to shut my brain off and laugh at a ridiculous comedy film. Unfortunately, sometimes it feels like I have seen every classic and popular comedy movie so many times that I could almost recite every line before they are said. This is why I try to go out of my way to find funny films that are not beloved or well-known to find hidden gems.
This article is not going to be listing films like Airplane!, Anchorman, or Spaceballs that I’m sure the majority of readers have seen 100 times but movies the majority of you have most likely never even heard of let alone seen, but that are as good as the beloved classics. I hope some of you will watch some of these films and hopefully find them as funny and enjoyable as I do.
10. Blood Diner (1987) Dir. Jackie Kong
If you are a fan of campy horror-comedy or exploitation movies such as Peter Jackson’s “Dead Alive” or “The Toxic Avenger” then you will adore this movie. Directed by Jackie Kong, it is an ostensible remake/sequel of the 1963 exploitation film “Blood Feast” but ends up being more of a parody of the exploitation genre.
As a conventional film, it fails on almost every level: the effects are terrible, the acting is even worse, the lines are often clearly dubbed over and the plot is completely nonsensical. But these elements make the film even funnier. It’s full of slapstick, gore, nudity, and a long string of genuinely funny gags.
I find myself coming back to the film every couple of years and end up laughing just as hard every time, partly out of disbelief at what I am seeing on screen but also because the jokes are surprisingly clever and well-written for an extremely low-budget horror film.
The film is certainly not for the faint of heart and the humor is often very dark, those who do not like horror films will probably not enjoy it but for those who enjoy laughing at campy comedy/horror films, this one is one of the best.
9. High Anxiety (1977) Dir. Mel Brooks
Full disclosure, there is not one Mel Brooks film I do not love. I think my all-time favorite comedy film is either “The Producers” or “Blazing Saddles”. “Spaceballs” and “Young Frankenstein” also never fail to make me laugh. High Anxiety however is one of his films that never gets the same attention as the others despite being one of his funniest.
In High Anxiety, Brooks takes on the Alfred Hitchcock films in typical Brooks fashion playing up everything from “Psycho” to “The Birds” to “Vertigo”. The film stars Mel Brooks himself along with many of his regulars such as Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman, and Cloris Leachman.
In my opinion, it is one of Mel Brooks’s funniest films with some of his most clever gags and an endless stream of great jokes. If you are a fan of Mel Brooks’ work or parody films in general this film will be right up your alley.
8. Withnail and I (1987) Dir. Bruce Robinson
While this film is certainly a cult classic and was a smash hit in Britain, it does not get nearly as much love as it deserves.
The film stars Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann as two D minus list, alcoholic, actors down on their luck who decide to take a vacation in the British countryside where everything that could possibly go wrong does.
The film is laugh-out-loud funny, sad in parts, deep, weird, and all in all is not only one of my favorite comedies but one of my favorite films of all time.
The film shares many similarities to “Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas” in that it is set in 1969 and is meant to represent the lost feeling many felt at the end of the ‘60s.
Like many British comedies, the humor can be incredibly dark and some may find the film’s outlook too cynical but for fans of dark humor, this will be one of your all-time favorites.
7. Wag The Dog (1997) -Dir. Barry Levinson
This is a movie I think people in my regular audience will really enjoy. It stars Robert De Niro as a top presidential aide who hires a famous film director played by Dustin Hoffman to stage a fake war with Albania in order to distract from a presidential sex scandal.
The film in my opinion is on par with Dr. Strangelove in terms of political satire films, and brilliantly satirizes how the American government manipulates public opinion. The film is so on point in parts I am honestly shocked it was even allowed to get made.
The film came out in 1997 but is just as on point today as it was back then, maybe even more so.
Anyone who enjoys political satire- especially those who like this outlet and its discussions around official foreign policy deceptions and manipulations- will adore this movie.
6. Four Rooms (1995) Dir. Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell, Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino.
This one is a fairly strange experimental film from the 90s. It stars Tim Roth who plays a bellhop at a luxury hotel. The film follows his character around on one New Year’s Eve Night where he visits four rooms. Each room he visits is a different segment done by a different director, the first by Allison Anders, the second by Alexandre Rockwell, the third by Robert Rodriguez, and the final by Quentin Tarantino.
The film was hated by critics when it first came out, it only has a 13 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While the film is certainly an acquired taste, I think overall it is one of the funniest films of all time.
While some segments work better than others (the first segment is basically a softcore porn film) Tim Roth is consistently funny throughout the entire movie making it always enjoyable.
The third segment directed by Robert Rodriguez is one of the funniest things I have ever seen in a movie and makes me laugh out loud every time I watch it even though I have seen the film five or six times.
The film will certainly not be for everyone and it is uneven in bits but overall makes me laugh out loud and entertains me every time.
5. Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead (2006)- Dir Lloyd Kaufman
This is hands down the most offensive movie ever made -and I love it. The best way for me to describe it would be a live-action version of the “South Park” movie.
The film is directed by Lloyd Kaufman, the head of the “Troma” production company known for making extremely low-budget exploitation comedies full of gore, nudity, and extremely offensive humor.
Of all of his films, this one is by far my favorite. It is a Musical about a Zombie-Chicken invasion that takes place at a fast-food restaurant.
By the end, the film finds a way to offend every racial, religious, and political group on earth. A lot of people will despise this movie. The humor is extremely offensive so those easily offended will hate it. The gross-out humor in the film is so extreme it makes Hollywood gross-out movies look like Disney Channel originals. It is also extremely gory and is certainly in no way for the faint of heart.
If you are into very dark and very offensive humor you will love this film, if you are not stay far away. If you are a fan of South Park or Adult Swim shows this will probably be a film you love.
4. Four Lions (2010) -Christopher Morris
If the three stooges joined ISIS- the result would be this film, Four Lions. The film follows a British wannabe Jihadist group hell-bent on committing a terrorist attack- with only one major problem- they are complete bungling morons.
From accidentally blowing up their own training camp in Pakistan to accidentally detonating explosives they manage to screw everything up.
From the description, I know the film just sounds offensive and bizarre but trust me it works. The film is in no way propaganda for the “war on terror” (the film’s star, Riz Ahmed has been extremely outspoken in opposing the genocide in Gaza) but actually contains some brilliant satire and commentary on Western foreign policy and the nature of the so-called “war on terror”.
It also has way more depth than one might think, there is some real character development and some very deep and sad moments in it.
Aside from those moments, it is hands down one of the funniest films I have ever seen and I end up laughing even harder each time I watch it.
It is also packed full of smart and fast-paced jokes so it is the type of movie where you catch new jokes on every rewatch.
The humor is obviously extremely dark given the subject matter but if you can handle dark humor, and making light of heavy topics, it is in my opinion one of the greatest comedies of all time.
3. Flirting With Disaster (1996) Dir. David O. Russel
This film stars Ben Stiller as an adopted man who goes out on a journey to find his real parents. That is all I want to say about the plot because I fear saying any more will give too much away, but trust me when I say this movie is hilarious.
The film is very farcical with an endless stream of mix-ups, slapstick, and of course, everything going wrong and increasingly becoming more disastrous for the characters.
The best way to describe this film would be the outline for a typical Ben Stiller comedy but with a darker side and more edge.
The film is full of twists and turns you will not see coming as it gets darker, more convoluted, and funnier as it goes along.
2. Death at a Funeral (2007) -Dir. Frank Oz
As you can probably tell from the films on this list, I am a big fan of pitch black comedy. And this movie is a perfect example of it: it is a farcical, slapstick comedy set at a funeral.
The film follows a series of characters and their mishaps at a funeral: one is tripping on acid after accidentally taking it, another is dealing with a blackmail plot from someone who has damaging information on their now-dead father, and so on.
The film is one of the funniest I have ever seen, another film that gets darker and funnier as it goes along.
For fans of dark humor, this is undoubtedly going to become one of your all-time favorite movies.
1. Election (1999) - Dir Alexander Payne
This film is criminally underrated. It follows a high school, school presidential election, and all the politics, relationships, and grudges surrounding it.
The film is somewhat cynical, almost all the main characters are self-serving narcissists. But this makes it not only a great dark comedy but a fantastic representation of real-world politics.
The jokes are hilarious, the plot is fantastic, the acting is great and the writing is brilliant. If you have not seen this film, I would recommend it to almost anyone who enjoys movies, it will almost certainly become one of your all-time favorites.
Check these films out
Hopefully, there is at least one film on this list that you have not seen, and hopefully, you will check one out that will end up being one of your favorites.
Check out Bad Boy Bubby (1993) and Sante Sangre (1990) for some pitch black comedy
In honor of the Christmas season, I recommend “Trapped In Paradise” for a great comedy watch.