Need to Laugh?? Watch These Movies!

Building upon yesterday's blog which was all about my favorite tearjerker movies, I thought I'd post my favorite comedic movies. There are very specific movies that if I'm in the mood to laugh, I simply must watch. It was really hard to narrow this list down to just 5, but I did my best. There is one crossover movie - both tearjerker and laughter!  Every film on this list are movies in which I could probably quote every line from start to finish and yet still find myself laughing my tuchus off!  These are not listed in any specific order.

1. Young Frankenstein (1974): Pretty much any Mel Brooks movie would fit into this category, but Young Frankenstein is my favorite of all of Brooks's movies. This movie is arguably the most perfect spoof ever filmed. The cast is chockablock with comic geniuses: Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Marty Feldman, Cloris Leachman, Teri Garr, Madeline Kahn, and Gene Hackman!  Does it get funnier than that?? Inga: "He vould have an enormous schwanzstucker." Frederick: "That goes without saying."  Inga: "Voof."  Igor: "He's going to be very popular."
2. A Fish Called Wanda (1988): If it has John Cleese and Kevin Kline in the film, then it's probably funny - let alone adding Jaime Lee Curtis and Michael Palin into the mix. I am a huge Kevin Kline fan and adore pretty much every movie he's been in but this one stands out as one of his funniest (along with Dave, In & Out, Soapdish...).  Otto: "It's K-K-K-Ken! C-c-c-coming to k-k-k-kill me! How you gonna c-c-c-catch me, K-K-K-Ken?"
3. Much Ado About Nothing (1993): As I mentioned yesterday, Much Ado is my favorite Shakespearean comedy and Branagh's version is just hilarious - in addition to being beautifully shot and wonderfully cast (except for Keanu Reeves). Seriously, Kenneth, what were you thinking?? Keanu Reeves cannot act his way out of a wet paperback while holding scissors and having him speak the Bard's words is a sacrilege! Benedick: [hearing Balthazar sing] "An he had been a dog that should have howled thus, they would have hanged him."
4. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986): My adolescent and young adult years were spent watching every John Hughes movie and quite frankly, like Brooks, I could probably put every John Hughes movie on this list, but Ferris Bueller will always standout as my favorite.  Matthew Broderick is perfect in this movie.  Supporting Matthew is Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Jeffrey Jones, Jennifer Grey (before the weird plastic surgery), Charlie Sheen (before he went nuts), Ben Stein, and Edie McClurg. Whoa! What a great cast!  Ferris: "Pardon my French, but Cameron is so tight that if you stuck a lump of coal up his ass, in two weeks you'd have a diamond."
5. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975): Similarly, I could place all of the Python movies on this list, but Holy Grail is perhaps my favorite... although it was a toss up between this one and Life of Brian (1979). Monty Python consists of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin - arguably the best comedy troupe ever created.  French soldier: "I don't want to talk to you no more, you empty headed animal food trough wiper. I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries."

As I said, narrowing this list to 5 was incredibly difficult so I need tell you my honorable mentions: Trading Places (1983), Bringing Up Baby (1938), Caddyshack (1980), Airplane (1980), Ghostbusters (1984), The Princess Bride (1987), and last but certainly not least, Animal House (1978).  I am quite certain that I missed some, but really this is a hard list to narrow down to just a few titles.

So which did I miss of your favorites??  (What's next?? Favorite action, sci-fi, animation, mystery?? Check back tomorrow to find out!)