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The trends that influence movies and help shape the film industry shift and evolve every decade, but a common stigma that remains is that broad comedies are not synonymous with high art. It’s not impossible to make a smart, entertaining movie that’s a comedy, but audiences have almost come to expect that television is better suited for comedic storytelling.
Another stereotype that’s invaded cinema is that the raunchier and more “mature” comedies can be entertaining, but that they’re not the type of movies that win over critics. These movies may be in the minority, but they still exist, and there are plenty of options for those that want a wilder comedy that’s still big in critics’ circles.
10 Animal House Remains A Slacker Classic That’s Inspired Generations Of Comedy
One of the biggest comedic triumphs in cinema during the late ‘70s was National Lampoon’s Animal House, a wild celebration of juvenile tendencies that’s scripted by genius humorists. John Landis directs this comedy that effectively positions humorous troublemakers against society’s refined vision of perfection.
Animal House is full of messy chaos and characters that don’t strive to be role models, but the counterculture comedy connected with critics and helped launch some monumental careers in comedy. Animal House is the type of comedy that seems easy to replicate, but is actually a deceptive difficult tightrope walk in tone.
9 Borat Is A Masterpiece Of Satire That’s An Indicting Depiction Of America
Sacha Baron Cohen is one of the hardest working and smartest satirists of this generation. His efforts to catapult his Da Ali G Show characters to the big screen were mixed bags, but Borat finally connected and turned into a cultural phenomenon.
Borat’s minimalist and “unscripted” style results in absurdist scenarios that are truly stranger than fiction. The movie is fearless in its execution and critics were able to see above its crude nature and applaud it. Against all odds, Cohen’s 2020 sequel, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, is arguably even better and pushes a stronger message, which is really saying something.
8 Superbad Is Far More Than A Hormonal Buddy Comedy
The 40-Year-Old Virgin helped usher in a brand new era of adult comedies that attempted to prioritize characters just as much as crude setpieces. One of the most rewarding Apatow-produced projects to follow in 40-Year-Old Virgin’s wake is Superbad.
On its surface level there’s nothing remarkable about a comedy where a group of teen friends are desperate to illegally obtain alcohol to improve their social standing at a party. Michael Cera and Jonah Hill have incredible chemistry and their performances elevate Superbad to a special movie where the duo’s friendship properly resonates over all of the sex-fueled antics.
7 There’s Something About Mary Rises Above Its Crude Context
The Farrelly Brothers built a reputation on wild and raunchy comedies that push the envelope. The sibling filmmakers have plenty of misfires that come out of their run of comedies from the ’90s and 2000s, but There’s Something About Mary is their breakthrough movie that managed to work for both mainstream audiences and critics alike.
Curiously, There’s Something About Mary isn’t that much deeper than their other movies and its message revolves around lying and manipulation. However, the comedy hit at the right time with the right cast and there are enough outrageous setpieces that helped it remain in the public consciousness.
6 Team America: World Police Is A Triumph Of Satire & Puppetry That’s A Sight To Behold
There were plenty of detractors that were quick to accuse Trey Parker and Matt Stone of being as crude as their adult animated series, South Park. Decades later, South Park is one of the most revered satirical comedies on television and Parker and Stone’s The Book of Mormon has become one of the biggest and most award-winning modern Broadway musicals.
Team America: World Police is another example of their limitless work ethic. Team America is ridiculously funny, but the fact that it’s all carried out with silly-looking marionettes is a level of artistry that’s nearly impossible to replicate.
5 Bridesmaids Is An Important Step Forward For Female-Led Adult Comedies
There’s an unfortunate double standard that exists across comedy where men are allowed to be unscrupulous and lead sex-filled comedies while women are largely depicted as supporting players or their objects of conquests. Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo’s Bridesmaids shatters these preconceived notions and forces crucial change in the genre.
Bridesmaids is a deeply funny rom-com at its core, but it’s not afraid to get messy and derive comedy from how its female characters are unpolished and genuine, not endlessly proper. Bridesmaids’ emotional moments are just as layered as the gags that it sets up.
4 Bad Santa Plays Against Conventions To Build The Perfect Anti-Hero
Some ideas are so simple that they can be sold on the pitch alone or distilled down to two effective words, like Bad Santa. The idea of a mall Santa who’s the poster image for dysfunction and failure is inherently funny in a dark way, but it’s enhanced by Billy Bob Thornton’s grizzled performance in this role.
The structure of the movie isn’t anything unique, but there’s just such bliss to be had while Thornton’s Santa tears everything down. Critics could appreciate what’s going on in this black comedy, but the 2016 sequel ends up squarely on the naughty list.
3 Tropic Thunder Is Sprawling Meta Comedy Where Everyone Has So Much Fun
Ben Stiller doesn’t get enough credit for his directorial efforts, yet he’s deeply committed to his craft. Tropic Thunder is so brilliant that it’s easy to forget just how good of a movie it is.
The perfect plot of a bunch of actors who wind up in the height of warfare through a sublime misunderstanding is comedic bliss, but it turns into an increasingly layered and meta masterpiece in parody. Tropic Thunder is full of death and inappropriate humor, but it’s such a critical darling that Robert Downey Jr. even received an Academy Award nomination for his performance.
2 This Is The End Throws Comedy A-Listers Into An Apocalypse
There’s such a consistent stable of actors in the various Judd Apatow-produced comedies that audiences built a familiarity with them all as an ensemble. This is the End capitalizes on that energy with a risky endeavor that should have failed, but instead is a rare triumph. The movie chronicles the comedic and disastrous aftermath as Armageddon itself ravages the world.
Rather than disappear into other roles, the cast play exaggerated versions of themselves, which works so well. It’s not easy to combine broad comedy with big-budget special effect spectacles, but This is the End uses this dissonance to its advantage.
1 Sausage Party Eschews Pixar & Disney To Create An Adult Animated Classic
It’s already a difficult task to create an unabashed R-rated comedy that’s also able to connect with critics, but that target becomes even harder to hit when it’s an animated effort that lampoons children’s films.
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg have gotten increasingly ambitious with the scope and style of their projects. Sausage Party takes a Toy Story-esque perspective and anthropomorphizes food in a sex-driven animated movie that’s colorful and looks kid-friendly. Sausage Party absolutely nails the tone of this experiment and it results in a winner, albeit one that hasn’t had many successful imitators.
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