The film version stars Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson, and Steve Buscemi, and basically reminds people that even introverts need people too. Terry Zwigoff directed this brilliant 2001 adaptation of the comic book of the same name by Daniel Clowes. It’s a perfectly calibrated comedy with phenomenal performances all around, including Rene Russo, Danny DeVito, Delroy Lindo, and Gene Hackman too. Everyone remembers the comeback with Pulp Fiction, but this one really allows Travolta’s incredible ‘90s charisma to shine. Barry Sonnenfeld directed one of the best adaptations of an Elmore Leonard novel in the history of the great author and anchored it with one of John Travolta’s best performances. There’s not nearly enough silent cinema on the streamers, so take this chance to watch one of the best ever while you can. Enjoy one of Keaton’s best films in the 1926 classic inspired by the Great Locomotive Chase.
The Generalīuster Keaton has a bit of a moment in 2022 with two excellent books about his career and the news that James Mangold is making a movie about his life. Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, and Ian Holm star in the film that introduced thousands of people to The Shins. The writer/director from Scrubs also stars a young man dealing with a quarter-life crisis when he returns home to attend his mother’s funeral. It’s kind of become the poster boy for the worst of Sundance indie clichés, but Zach Braff’s 2004 dramedy is a better film than its reputation. It was actually the highest grossing film of 1968 and won Streisand an Oscar for Best Actress. Barbara Streisand gave arguably her most beloved performance as Fanny Brice, reprising her role from Broadway. Funny GirlĬlassic musical comedy! The William Wyler 1968 film was adapted from the stage musical of the same name that had been a hit on Broadway just a few years earlier. It may not sound like an appropriate subject for a comedy, but Four Lions is a satire about homegrown terrorists in Yorkshire, England, and how generally misguided and incompetent they are. Four LionsĬhris Morris co-wrote and directed an incredibly clever 2010 dramedy that introduced the world to future Oscar nominee Riz Ahmed. The Coens won Best Original Screenplay and Frances McDormand took her first Oscar home for playing the unforgettable Marge Gunderson, a Minnesotan cop who gets entangled in a car salesman’s deeply inept foray into the criminal world. Joel and Ethan Coen’s 1996 masterpiece is only one of the best films ever made, a story of violence and redemption in the great American North. It’s a great example of a talented comedy ensemble elevating a mediocre script. It’s a funny flick, the story of an underdog team of dodgeball players that includes great supporting turns from Rip Torn, Justin Long, Stephen Root, and Alan Tudyk too. Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller starred in a fan favorite from 2004 that turned everyone’s favorite middle school sport into a physical comedy. Cohen brilliantly plays with how much harder it was to make a Borat film now than everyone recognizes the character, while also digging deep into the issues of 2020 like response to the pandemic, the increasingly vocal racism of the country, and the grossness of Rudy Giuliani. Sacha Baron Cohen returned to his most iconic character in 2020 with this sequel to his smash hit Borat, and it instantly became one of the most talked-about films of the year. It’s arguably better! Not only do Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, and George Carlin reprise their roles but the great William Sadler joins the party as death himself. There’s an appropriate amount of love out there for Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure but also sometimes a false impression that the 1991 sequel was somehow a letdown. You kind of have to be an asshole not to like it. It’s really as crowd-pleasing as comedies get. Gordon loosely adapt their own story, with Nanjiani starring alongside Zoe Kazan. It’s not common for a breakthrough comedy to be so acclaimed and popular that it actually becomes an Oscar nominee for Best Screenplay, but The Big Sick is not a typical comedy (and Holly Hunter was robbed of a nomination too, by the way). It may be tough to separate what we know now about Allen from his best work, but this is still an important part of movie history.
The public opinion of Woody Allen has certainly changed over the years, but this 1977 romantic comedy remains one of the most essential American films of its era, winning Oscars for Best Picture, Actress, Director, and Screenplay.