Comedy Movies

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Features:

"Ace Ventura" Film Series (1994-2009)
"Austin Powers" Film Series (1997-2002)
"Blondie" Film Series (1938-1950)
"Cheech & Chong" Film Series (1978-?)
"Clue" (1985)
"Colossus and the Amazon Queen" (1960)
"Dorf" Film Series (1987-?)
"Emergency Landing" (1941)
"Ernest" Film Series (1987-1998)
"Keystone Kops" Film Series
"Laurel & Hardy" Film Series
"Li'l Abner" Film (1940)
"Li'l Abner" Film (1959)
"Ma & Pa Kettle" Film Series (1947-1957)
"The Marx Brothers" Film Series
"Matt Helm" Film Series (1966-1969)
"The Three Stooges" Film Series (1930-1970)
"Wild on the Beach" Film (1965)
"Wild Wild Winter" Film (1965)

Quick Reviews:

"Bringing Down the House" (2003)
"Invasion of the Star Creatures" (1962)
"Kangaroo Jack" (2003)
"The Love Guru" (2008)
"McHale's Navy" (1997)
"Nine to Five" (1980)
"The Pink Panther" (2006)
"Six Pack" (1982)
"Stay Tuned" (1992)
"Tooth Fairy" (2010)

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Bringing Down the House (2003)-  This is a very funny movie with a great cast and an interesting story.  Queen Latifah plays Charlene Morton, a woman wrongfully convicted of a crime she did not commit.  She enlists the help of a very reluctant lawyer, Peter Sanderson (played by Steve Martin), to clear her name.  In the meantime, Sanderson's life is turned upside down while at the same time, brought together.  The entire cast is excellent.  Queen Latifah and Steve Martin sound like an unusual pairing, but they really worked well together and have a great onscreen chemistry.  Other standout performances include Eugene Levy as the nerd lawyer with a fascination for chunky black women (he refers to Queen Latifah as the "Cocoa Goddess"), Missi Pyle as the abrasive, golddigging ex-sister-in-law of Steve Martin, Joan Plowright as the wealthy, uptight, racist old woman that Steve Martin has to cater to, and Betty White as Steve Martin's racist old lady neighbor (and sister of his boss).

Cast:

Steve Martin as Peter Sanderson
Queen Latifah as Charlene Morton
Eugene Levy as Howie Rottman
Joan Plowright as Virginia Arness
Jean Smart as Kate Sanderson
Missi Pyle as Ashley
Betty White as Mrs. Kline
Kimberly J. Brown as Sarah Sanderson
Angus T. Jones as Georgey Sanderson
Steve Harris as Widow
Jim Haynie as Ed Tobias
Michael Rosenbaum as Todd Gendler
Linus the Dog as William Shakespeare

Director- Adam Shankman
Writer- Jason Filardi

Alternate Titles:

In the Houze [US; working title]
Jailbabes.com [US; working title]

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Invasion of the Star Creatures (1962):  FUN LITTLE MOVIE, BUT CERTAINLY NO MASTERPIECE!

Frankie Ray as Private Penn
Bob Ball as Private Philbrick
Gloria Victor as Professor Tanga
Dolores Reed as Dr. Puna
Mark Ferris as Colonel Rank
Trustin Howard as Sergeant Glory (credited as Slick Slavin)

    This is a good story and interesting premise, but hampered by poor execution.  It was written by Jonathan Haze, who is best known as playing Seymour in the original "Little Shop of Horrors" film.  It was originally intended that Haze play a lead, but that never happened.  It's also been said that Dick Miller was going to play the other lead.  That would have been great, because they were both very schooled actors.

    No one in this film was real strong on acting talent and it shows.  That's not a terrible thing within itself, but this was a purposely over-the-top comedy that needed comic timing...and didn't get it!  This should have been toned down.  What could have been funny or otherwise cute moments was greatly over-played.

    Bob Ball and Frankie Ray did pretty reasonable and were easily the best male actors in the film.  Ball's Private Philbrick was a more interesting character.  Between the two, he was the goof, and at times he talked, and acted, similar to Curly from The Three Stooges.  Frankie Ray's Private Penn was an interesting straightman.  And they both looked like comedians.  Onscreen, they were pretty fun to follow.

    Trustin Howard, credited in this movie as Slick Slavin, played the hip, slang-talking Sergeant Glory.  This was a funny, likable character full of the early 1960s beatnik jive.  We don't see too much of him, but he was memorable in a good way.

    Mark Ferris as Colonel Rank was too, too over-the-top, and not funny.  Memorable in a bad way.  I just found Rank annoying.  Ferris was trying too hard, and he should have toned it down.  A more subtle bumbler, like Peter Sellers' Clouseau, would have been much funnier.  Ferris' actions were good and funny, but he just talked too much and too loud.

    The sexy spacewomen characters...okay, THIS is the reason to watch the movie right here.  First of all...WOW!  Tall and racy.  The names of Puna and Tanga are also pretty novel, if you get the joke.  I'm surprised it was allowed in this movie, but this WAS an independent film.  Gloria Victor is the statuesque brunette, Professor Tanga.  Dolores Reed is the well-proportioned blonde, Dr. Puna.  They're not bad actresses, either, but they're definitely not trained.  They present incredible visuals, however, and are likable.

    The only reason the awful special effects are even a little bit tolerable is because this was a comedy spoof on 1950s sci-fi movies.  Even at that, the plant men are bad.  Real bad.  And stupid.  The scenes where the two bumblers are running away from the plant men are too awful to watch in their entirety.  It would have been better just to show big men with green makeup as plant men, rather than guys in idiotic costumes made of stockings, burlap bags, and ping pong balls.  They weren't scary...they weren't funny...they were nothing.  They should have showed the girls more.

    And was there any reason for the Indians?  They didn't move the story, or effect the outcome in any way.  What was their purpose?  I'm not at all a believer in "political correctness", but this, I think, would be pretty racially offensive to American Indians.  White guys in Indian outfits act retarded, get drunk, and that's it.  There's nothing to it, and it's only filler.  They weren't even believable as Indians.

    This film has NEVER been favored highly by critics.  And it pretty much killed the acting careers of most in the cast.  This was the last movie for Frankie Ray, Trustin Howard, and Dolores Reed.  It was the second-to-last for Gloria Victor, and the only film for Mark Ferris.  Bob Ball, who played the outlandishly silly Private Philbrick, did do quite a bit of acting through 1992, and in many top television and movie projects.  It's not surprising that he did the best of anyone, because he does display the most acting talent in this film.  Still not top-shelf material, but he was only in acting a few years up to this point.  It's sad that this movie was made so duddy, because the lovely starlets Gloria Victor and Dolores Reed deserved better.  They should have had a chance to star in a lot more shows.

    One thing that ticks off film critics and movie watchers is the misleading title.  "Invasion of the Star Creatures" sounds more legitimate than what it was...like a real sci-fi thriller!  Cool title, but misplaced.  A title more befitting of the light-hearted sexiness would have been better.  Even a slight switch to "Invasion of the Star Dames" would have been good.  Another upset was the poor acting and very weak budget.  Even a sci-fi comedy is befitting of a better spectacle.  The hot-bodied women carried the movie, that's for sure.

    The only cool story device in this movie is the interplay between the two male and two female leads.  I like it that the spacewomen are tamed by the "sweet little gentlemen" and become their wives at the end of the film.  Overall, this is a fun little movie that's great for late-at-night, casual viewing.  It certainly won't appeal to everyone.  You have to like wacky comedy and sexy women characters to get into it.

Photos:

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Kangaroo Jack (2003)-  I love this movie!  It's so much fun!  It's kind of like watching a live-action Road Runner cartoon with an interesting back story.  I enjoyed the whole cast, but Anthony Anderson is definitely the life of the party.  Without him, there wouldn't have been a movie.

    Charlie Carbone (Jerry O'Connell) and Louis Booker (Anthony Anderson) go to Australia to run an errand for Charlie's evil gangster stepfather, Salvatore Maggio (Christopher Walken).  They are to deliver $50,000 to hitman Mr. Smith.  What they didn't count on was hitting a kangaroo with their rented Jeep.  Believing the kangaroo was dead, the two idiots have fun dressing him up and taking photos.  They didn't expect the kangaroo to wake up and run off.  The worst part of it is that the kangaroo has the $50,000 in the coat pocket.

    The rest of the movie is a hilarious, Road Runner type chase where every attempt to catch the kangaroo backfires.  Add a wicked Australian hitman and his gang to the mix, along with Maggio's gang members and a whole score of colorful outback characters, and you have a really interesting action-comedy the whole family can watch.  The kangaroo is named after Jackie Legs, a gangster Charlie knew who had an uncanny resemblance to a kangaroo.

    One last thought, I really enjoyed Estella Warren in this movie.  She's attractive and a great personality.  I also think she's great in the "Planet of the Apes" film (2001).  Warren does have a respectable acting resume, but I was really hoping she'd reach superstar status.  Why don't we hear more about her?

Cast:

Jerry O'Connell as Charlie Carbone
Anthony Anderson as Louis Booker
Estella Warren as Jessie
Christopher Walken as Salvatore Maggio
Michael Shannon as Frankie Lombardo
Marton Csokas as Mr. Smith
Bill Hunter as Blue
David Ngoombujarra as Sr. Sgt. "Mr. Jimmy" Inkamala, Australian Police
Dyan Cannon as Anna Carbone

Director- David McNally
Writer- Steve Bing, Barry O'Brien, Scott Rosenberg

Alternate Titles:

• Down and Under [Australia; working title]

Fun Facts:

• This movie was not a flop, but it was panned widely by critics.  On a budget of $60 million, the film grossed nearly $89 million in theaters worldwide, not including money made from DVD sales and rentals.  It was also #1 on its opening weekend.
• "Kangaroo Jack" inspired one other film, not necessarily a sequel.  It was an animated feature in 2004 called "Kangaroo Jack: G'day U.S.A.!"
• Dyan Cannon had a very small, non-talking cameo in this film as Charlie's mother.  It's unusual for such a high-profile actress to have such a meager part in a film.
• It's believed that this movie is based on an urban legend.  As the story goes, two college students from Boston were on break in Australia.  They accidentally hit a kangaroo with their Land Rover.  As a joke, they put a Boston Red Sox jacket on the kangaroo and took some photos, thinking the kangaroo was dead.  The kangaroo woke up in the middle of the picture-taking and ran away, with the keys to their Land Rover in the jacket's pocket.
• Producer Jerry Bruckheimer added a couple scenes where the title kangaroo talks in "dream sequences".  He was inspired by the 2002 Disney film, "Snow Dogs", which used a similar gag and was a hit.  It should be noted that six months after this film was released, and after the release of "Bad Boys II", Bruckheimer started working exclusively for the Disney company.  It was also these two "talking kangaroo" moments that inspired the animated feature a year later.
  

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The Love Guru (2008)-  This movie is kind of like watching a hyperactive kid; funny at first, but it gets old quick.  This isn't a bad movie, but it certainly isn't a comedic milestone.  There's lots of funny little gags, but the movie, as a whole, is way too over-the-top.  So much ridiculous stuff happens, just one thing after another, and it's not all funny.  I can understand why this movie bombed.  A lot of people aren't going to like the various bits of weirdness in the movie.  I'm a huge Mike Myers fan, but I do admit he was trying too hard on this one.  Justin Timberlake was a BAD casting choice.  I don't like to get negative in the Den, and I wanted to like him in this movie, but the guy is not an actor.  A middle schooler could play a French-Canadian just as well.  Plus, he really didn't do anything funny.  The funniest thing about Timberlake's character was his name, Jacques "LeCoq" Grande, and his rooster logo.  They really should have gotten more of an actor for that part.

Highlights:

• I like the "9 to 5" song at the beginning.  That was a funny, colorful way to open the movie.
• The elephant is neat.  Later in the movie, they show a "girl" elephant as well.
• I like the gag of the elephant in the pet carrier.
  
• Ben Kingsley did a good job as the cross-eyed guru master.  It's amusing to see him in one of these "way out" roles.
• Verne Troyer was the standout of the cast.  If he wasn't in this movie, it wouldn't be nowhere near as funny.  His character takes a lot of abuse, but he has it coming.
• The greeting, "Mariska Hargitay", is funny.  I also like it when the real Mariska Hargitay pops in for a cameo.

Not-so-good Things:

• Jessica Alba was great in this movie but, come on, she's a bit too young for Mike Myers.  That wasn't a good onscreen matchup.
• A bit too much of the sex jokes.  I'm no prude, but nothing is funny when it's done over and over again.
• The chicken fight between Pitka and the guard rooster.  It was kind of funny until they showed the beheaded chicken.  Why did they do that?
• The barfight was also a bit tasteless when they show the guys pulling things out of their bodies afterwards.
• I'd have to say the pee-soaked mop fight scene was a bit gross.
• The elephants fornicating scene was just not set up right.  The basic idea of it could be a funny joke, but it just wasn't delivered right.
• I normally like Stephen Colbert, but he was just annoying in this movie.  See for yourself.

    Overall, this could have been a great movie if it had a bit better direction.  This also serves as an example of how important good editing is to a movie.  There's a lot of stuff that could have been taken out.  It's still worth seeing as a rental, or if you can find it for under $10 on DVD (I did), but don't kick yourself if you haven't seen it yet.

Cast:

Mike Myers as Guru Pitka/Himself
Jessica Alba as Jane Bullard
Romany Malco as Darren Roanoke
Meagan Good as Prudence Roanoke
Verne Troyer as Coach Punch Cherkov
Justin Timberlake as Jacques "Le Coq" Grande
Ben Kingsley as Guru Tugginmypudha
Stephen Colbert as Jay Kell
Jim Gaffigan as Trent Lueders
John Oliver as Dick Pants
Manu Narayan as Rajneesh
Telma Hopkins as Lillian Roanoke
Deepak Chopra as Himself
Jessica Simpson as Herself
Val Kilmer as Himself
Kanye West as Himself

Alternate Titles:

Fun Facts:

• The character of Pitka was originally an idea for a character in "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" (1999).  The character did not make the final cut of that film, (he was going to be Austin's love guru) so he was developed into his own feature (this film).
• There was a real man named Jacques Lecoq, an actor dubbed "the father of modern pantomime".

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"McHale's Navy" (1997)-  Forget the critics and forget the box office, I love this movie!  I put this up against the TV series any day.  It's bright, colorful, funny, and has lots of action.  The cast and the story is awesome!

    This movie is basically a modern-day reworking of the TV series, originally set in WWII.  I think the movie didn't do so well because a lot of people didn't know what "McHale's Navy" was. 

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"Nine to Five" (1980)- I love this movie!  It was made over 30 years ago, and the ONLY thing different is that computers have replaced typewriters.  As long as there are a**holes like Franklin Hart, Jr. making the workplace a living hell, this movie will have appeal.  I think a ton of people can relate to this comedy film.

    I've enjoyed this movie since I was a little kid.  You couldn't get a better cast of funny women at the time: Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton.  This was really a unique team-up, but it worked well.  The writing and acting for this movie were top-notch.

    Three secretaries battle their evil boss, and win!  This is a must-see!

Cast:

Lily Tomlin as Violet Newstead
Jane Fonda as Judy Bernly
Dolly Parton as Doralee Rhodes
Dabney Coleman as Franklin M. Hart, Jr.
Elizabeth Wilson as Roz Keith
Henry Jones as Mr. Hinkle
Lawrence Pressman as Dick Bernly
Marian Mercer as Missy Hart
Roxanna Bonilla-Giannini as Maria Delgado
Peggy Pope as Margaret Foster, the lush
Sterling Hayden as Russell Tinsworthy
Honorable Mention:
Jeffrey Douglas Thomas as Dwayne Rhodes, Doralee's husband
David Price as Josh Newstead, Violet's son

Alternate Titles:

• 9 till 5 [Sweden]
• 9 to 5 [alternate spelling]
  

Fun Facts:

• This movie is spelled widely as "Nine to Five" or "9 to 5".  The later TV series, however, is ONLY spelled as "9 to 5".
  
• The exteriors of the office building were filmed at Pacific Financial Center on West 6th Street, Los Angeles, California.
• This was Dolly Parton's first film.  She not only committed her part to memory, but that of every other actor in the film as well.
• Dolly Parton's extremely popular title song, "9 to 5", was nominated for an Oscar.
• Plans for a sequel were considered throughout the 1980s decade, but no storyline was ever settled upon.
• This popular film inspired the TV series "9 to 5", which ran for three seasons between 1982-1988.  The first two seasons ran on ABC from 1982-1983.  The third season ran in first-run syndication from 1986-1988.
• The TV series never had the acclaim of this film.  In the series, Lily Tomlin was replaced by Rita Moreno (1982-1983), Jane Fonda by Valerie Curtin, and Dolly Parton by Rachel Dennison.  Jeffrey Tambor (for four episodes), then Peter Bonerz replaced Dabney Coleman as Franklin Hart (1982-1983).  Jean Marsh replaced Elizabeth Wilson as Roz Keith (1982-1983).
• Rachel Dennison, who later played Dolly Parton's part in the TV series, is, in fact, sister to Dolly Parton.
• Jane Fonda acted as executive producer for the first two seasons of the TV series (1982-1983), but left after a dispute over the direction of the show.
• The last season of the show was a major retooling of the series, as the characters played by Rita Moreno, Peter Bonerz, and Roz Keith were completely written out and replaced with new characters.  Only the characters of Judy Bernly (Valerie Curtin) and Doralee Rhodes (Rachel Dennison) remained from the film version's line-up.
• The title song and opening sequence to this film was parodied in the notorious dud, "The Love Guru" (2008).
  

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The Pink Panther (2006)-  This is NOT a continuation of the Peter Sellers' Pink Panther films.  Nor is it a prequel to those movies.  This Pink Panther film is a brand new thing, set in present-day, and hopefully the first in a new generation of PP films.  My interest in the old Pink Panther films was always lukewarm.  After seeing previews of this movie, I was greatly curious as to how they did it and looked forward to seeing it.  Then when I saw it, I was blown away.  I actually like this a LOT better than the Sellers' films.

    Steve Martin, as infamous sleuth Jacques Clouseau, is not trying to imitate Sellers' portrayal.  He does it his own way and it's brilliant.   This Pink Panther movie moves much quicker than any of the previous films and is easier to watch in that respect.  I think it's filmed brighter and better, where the old films seemed a little drab (even when they were still fairly young in the 1980s).  The comedy is lightning-paced and constant.  Something is always happening.  It's great physical comedy.  The fact that the story is so good is another plus.  I really was wondering who the killer was, and in most serious mystery shows I can figure it out.  This movie had me guessing.  I like how in the climax in the movie we discover Clouseau isn't a complete putz.

    I enjoyed the cast in its entirety.  I'm not even going to single anyone out because they were all wonderful.  Even the bit players were appropriate.  This is an absolutely great comedy movie that everyone must see!

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