Many of us are spending a lot more time at home this spring and with that comes the opportunity to dive into some new entertainment or visit some old favorites. Given the reason why we are all sticking closer to home, we at Scoop wanted to share some movie suggestions – and what better way than with some comedy! Here are just a few suggestions, some more familiar than others, to tickle your funny bone.
Hold That Ghost
In the 1940s and 1950s Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were kings of comedy. Their established method of having Costello as the comedic foil to Abbott’s straight man led to some of the funniest routines and movies of the time period. Included among them is 1941’s Hold That Ghost.
Directed by Arthur Lubin (Black Friday), Abbott and Costello play Chuck and Ferdie, two goofy gas station attendants who inadvertently inherit a gangster’s estate, including a rundown tavern where he supposedly hid money. They get stranded at the property with several strangers, not realizing that one was part of the gang who is looking for the money. Strange things start happening in the dilapidated house, some weird – Ferdie’s room transforms into a hidden casino – and scary – the ladies see what they think is a ghost.
The horror-comedy capitalizes on the spooky house troupe that was popularized by Universal monster movies of the period. As far as their horror-comedies, Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein is their most famous, but this gem has some hilarious moments, especially when hapless Ferdie (played by Costello) is tormented by a mysteriously moving candle.
The cast is rounded out by Joan Davis, Evelyn Ankers, Richard Carlson, Marc Lawrence, and Mischa Auer, along with cameos by Ted Lewis and the Andrews Sisters, bringing some musical entertainment to the table.
How to Marry a Millionaire
Hollywood has produced many talented actresses, though few are regarded with the same level of respect, fondness, and reverence as Marilyn Monroe, Lauren Bacall, and Betty Grable. The dynamic trio of early film headliners collaborated in 1953 for the cheeky comedy, How to Marry A Millionaire.
The movie, directed by Jean Negulesco (Titanic), revolves around three women who move into a lush apartment with the goal of attracting and marrying millionaires. David Wayne, Rory Calhoun, Cameron Mitchell, and William Powell play the objects of their affection.
Bacall plays the resourceful ringleader Schatze, Monroe steps in as the ditzy self-conscious Pola, and Grable portrays the energetic Loco. As these three beauties pretend to have their own money by renting a luxurious penthouse in New York, their attempts at finding Mr. Financially Right is rife with miscues, disappointments, and exasperations. Grable’s all-American charm wins over the audience, Bacall used her sultry confidence to entice and intimidate in each measure, while Monroe was given room to flex her comedic chops.
See No Evil, Hear No Evil
The talents of two great comedic actors of the ’70s and ’80s converge in See No Evil, Hear No Evil. Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder riff off of each other in the 1989 movie about a deaf man and a blind man who are the only witnesses to a murder.
Pryor plays Wally, a blind man who applies to work at a concession shop in New York, run by Wilder, as Dave a deaf man. Unfortunately, one morning at the concession shop, a murder is committed – which Dave and Wally witness…sort of. After a hilarious police interrogation, the men end up on the run from the killers and the police, which necessitates a rescue attempt from the estate of the killer’s boss.
Arthur Hiller (Love Story) directed Pryor and Wilder who are brilliant in this movie. Their well-executed reactions, vocal intonation, and physical comedy make it a side-splitter as they navigate the precarious situation and try to avoid getting shot themselves. The comedians play off of each other so fluidly that the interrogation scene or Wally attempting to drive a car can be watched dozens of times and still elicit the same amount of laughter.
Noises Off
Plays have proven to be excellent source material for great movies, including 1992’s Noises Off. Based on the Broadway hit, the movie is a play within a play about a director who attempts to encourage top shelf performances from a group of bumbling, distracted actors. Based on Michael Frayn’s play, it was directed by Peter Bogdanovich (Paper Moon).
The ensemble cast is filled with the comedic genius of Michael Caine as the frustrated director, Carol Burnett as a fading star, John Ritter as the hot-headed lead, Christopher Reeve as the dim heartthrob, Nicollette Sheridan as the nearsighted leading lady, Marilu Henner as the bubbly performer, and Denholm Elliott as an alcoholic character actor. The cast is rounded out by Mark Linn-Baker and Julie Hagerty as crew members who work frantically behind the scenes to keep everything moving.
Like the source material, the movie is told in three acts. The first is the final dress rehearsal which shows the actors forgetting their lines, missing cues, and messing up with props, all the while their personal issues and backstage relationships set the stage for disaster. The second act shows their barely together rendition with actors on stage attempting to perform while backstage they are feuding. In the third act they perform the show again, which is a complete disaster.
The story concept is funny on its own, but the hilarious performances of the cast, all of whom have well timed delivery, and physical gags make this a comedic gem that incites laughs even in the toughest of times.
Big Trouble
It seems strange how quickly our lives have changed recently and, in some cases, the odd ways that people are reacting. Those points are the main story elements in 2002’s Big Trouble.
The lives of several unrelated Miami residents intersect during a humorously bizarre situation in this movie directed by Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black) and based on the novel by Dave Barry. It begins when teenager Matt (Ben Foster) plays a prank on his classmate Jenny (Zooey Deschanel), at the same time that hitmen are at her house to assassinate her stepfather Arthur (Stanley Tucci). The police are called, as is Matt’s dad (Tim Allen), who immediately becomes attracted to Jenny’s mom (Rene Russo). Realizing that he was a target, Arthur visits an arms dealer and is inadvertently sold a nuclear bomb. Things spin completely out of control when a pair of moronic thieves, a homeless tree-dweller, FBI agents, and a hallucinogenic toad get involved.
The story is entertaining in its absurdity as stream of consciousness seems to dictate the events as much as plot planning. So many ridiculous things happen that simultaneously crack up the viewer while making them wonder what could possibly happen next.
Allen delivers a standard performance of suburban exasperation, Tucci is over the top frantic, and there’s boatloads of dry humor with great delivery from Deschanel and Foster, as well as Janeane Garofalo and Patrick Warburton as the cops.
Since there are so many funny movies worthy of attention, here are a few more suggestions of longtime favorites to revisit, newer options, and lesser known examples: Swing Time, The Philadelphia Story, Some Like It Hot, It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, The Odd Couple, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Caddyshack, 9 to 5, The Toy, Back to School, Spaceballs, Coming to America, Mrs. Doubtfire, Office Space, Shaun of the Dead, Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, The Heat, and Girls Trip.
-Amanda Sheriff
