{"id":20461,"date":"2018-06-08T05:00:55","date_gmt":"2018-06-08T09:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/craigzablo.com\/?p=20461"},"modified":"2018-06-03T10:37:53","modified_gmt":"2018-06-03T14:37:53","slug":"the-50-greatest-comedies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/craigzablo.com\/?p=20461","title":{"rendered":"The 50 Greatest Comedies"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Empire Magazine took a look at The 50 Greatest Comedies<\/a>.\u00a0 Using just their list, here are my top three with their rankings & comments as well as mine…<\/p>\n

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12. Dr Strangelove<\/h2>\n

Stanley Kubrick<\/a>‘s jet black comedy famously stars\u00a0Peter Sellers<\/a>playing three separate roles and wildly improvising in all of them. He’s the buttoned-down British Group Captain Lionel Mandrake; the ineffectual US President Merkin Muffley; and the mechanically-armed cartoon ex-Nazi Dr Strangelove (real name “Merkw\u00fcrdigliebe”) who can’t quite get out of the habit of calling the president “Mein Fuhrer”. Sellers was also supposed to play Texan Air Force Major TJ “King” Kong, but injured himself and couldn’t work in the fighter plane’s cockpit (he was replaced by Slim Pickens). Devastatingly deadpan, this has the darkest of all imaginable endings, which is all the more impressive given that it originally climaxed with a pie fight. Kubrick, wisely, thunk again.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Dr. Strangelove<\/em> is the perfect mix of comedy and drama with a strong message that will leave you laughing at the absurdity of nuclear escalation.\u00a0 Dr. Strangelove<\/em> is played straight which makes it all the funnier.\u00a0 Some comedies aren’t as funny on repeat viewings but Dr. Strangelove<\/em> offers increased pleasure with each visit. And remember, “There’s no fighting in the war room!”<\/p>\n

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35. Young Frankenstein<\/h2>\n

Slap bang in the middle of\u00a0Mel Brooks<\/a>‘ 1970s run of movie parodies,\u00a0Young Frankenstein<\/em>\u00a0is obsessive in its devotion to the Universal take on Frankenstein’s monster (down to using the same props and lab equipment as the 1931 film) but also willing to go to any length for a gag. Physical humour brings the wordplay to life, and there’s even a legendary dance number in ‘Puttin’ On The Ritz’. Brooks and co had so much fun shooting that the writer-director even added scenes near the end of production just so they could keep on going, resulting in a disastrously long first cut that required a marathon editing session to bring down to the swift, 106 minute final running time.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Young Frankenstein<\/em> is the perfect merging of two genres (horror and comedy) to create a classic.\u00a0 Brooks was at his best with a cast in sync with his vision.\u00a0 Blazing Saddles<\/em> was released around the same time as Young Frankenstei<\/em>n, but while Blazing Saddles<\/em> seems a bit dated, Young Frankenstein<\/em> is timeless.<\/p>\n

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34. Step Brothers<\/h2>\n

Will Ferrell<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0John C. Reilly<\/a>\u00a0play pampered fortysomethings whose juvenile worlds collide when their single parents get married, in this classic\u00a0Adam McKay<\/a>\u00a0comedy. Often overlooked as the difficult third album following\u00a0Anchorman<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Talladega Nights<\/em><\/a>, it can actually hold its head high in that company, and Reilly is great Ferrell foil. The pair are currently at work on Etan Cohen\u2019s\u00a0Holmes And Watson<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

I absolutely love this movie. This pairing of Ferrell and Reilly is perfect. So many laughs and stuff that would just get eye-rolls from other actors.\u00a0 Sure, I’ve seen this same pairing in other comedies, and they’re ok.\u00a0 Step Brothers<\/em> rules.<\/p>\n

Since we’re talking comedies, I have to give shout-outs to 3 movies that I saw in crowded theaters and the audiences (myself included) roared with laughter throughout the viewings:<\/p>\n