Great Comedies to Discover by Craig Hammill (SMC Founder)
20th Century (1934, dir by Howard Hawks, USA)
Howard Hawks directed a trio of hilarious screwball comedies in a roughly 7 year period that stand as some of the absolute best of all American comedy. While Bringing up Baby and His Girl Friday are the better known (and two of this programmer's favorites), his earlier 20th Century is the real discovery since so many folks haven't seen it. A hilarious comedy that mostly takes place on the train "20th Century" as a ham director (played to the hilt by John Barrymore) tries to win back the on-again, off again romance he's had with his leading actress (played by one of America's greatest comediennes Carole Lombard). The dialogue comes fast like a prohibition gangster's tommy gun. The chemistry between Barrymore and Lombard is palpable. And Hawks has the brilliant talent of finding ways to have running jokes in the foreground and the background. There's a strange mousy man who keeps plastering stickers all over the train and he's treated as a great throwaway joke the entire movie. Barrymore also has one of the greatest HAM lines I've ever had "I close the iron door on you. . ." I sometimes do that line and people look at me confused and have no idea what I'm doing. It's funny to me though! Watch this movie immediately if you want to have a great time and a lot of great laughs.
Heaven Can Wait (1943, dir by Ernst Lubitsch, USA)
Henry Van Cleve (a wonderful Don Ameche) enters a great office and tries to convince the Devil that he, Henry, deserves to go to hell. The Devil has doubts. We get Henry's life story. There are so many amazing Lubitsch comedies: The Marriage Circle, The Love Parade, The Shop Around the Corner (this programmer's personal favorite). Billy Wilder famously had a huge poster above his desk that said "What would Lubitsch do?" This refers to the Lubitsch touch which was always a cinematic way of conveying a joke (often very naughty) that let the audience realize 1 + 1 equaled 2 rather than just saying "The answer is 2!" which a lot of comedy does. For instance, when Henry enters the Devil's office, he says he's there because many people in his living life often told him to go there. . .One of the great things about this movie is the wonderful irony we become aware of immediately: Henry thinks he's a much worse person than he clearly actually was. A very knowing human ironic comedy like a delicious vintage wine. Lubitsch found a way to bring a touch of class and yet make very sexually adult comedies his entire life. One of the absolute masters of all of cinema.
One Two Three (1961, dir by Billy Wilder, USA)
Speaking of Billy Wilder, one of this programmer's absolute favorite Wilder movies is his 1961 take no prisoners cold war satire farce One Two Three starring Jimmy Cagney (in his last starring role). Coca Cola executive McNamara (Cagney) stationed in a divided Berlin has just a few days to convert the boss's daughter's new East Berlin husband from an ardent Communist to an acceptable Capitalist. YEAH! At the height of the Cold War, Wilder decided to make a comedy making fun of ALL SIDES. The movie is so fast and farcical that Cagney himself felt it needed more down time. But this programmer feels it is exactly the movie's take no prisoners pace and hilarious jaw dropping skewering of absolutely everyone on all sides of the political spectrum that makes it one of the great comedies of all time. To this day, it's hard not to slap yourself when Wilder dares to show Communist politicians going crazy over Cagney's secretary while paintings of Khrushchev fall off the wall to reveal paintings of Stalin. The funny thing about political comedies is they only work if EVERYONE is fair game. This is a movie where everyone is FAIR GAME.
Smiles on a Summer Night (1957, dir by Ingmar Bergman, Sweden)
Bergman's hilarious yet ultimately surprisingly moving comedy of manners where famously independent actress Desiree invites former lover Frederik, his new young wife, his adult son infatuated with the new wife, Desiree's current lover, his wife all to a weekend at her house. Possibly Bergman's first, unqualified, international out and out masterpiece. The movie is so perceptive yet hilarious it almost makes you mourn that Bergman didn't feel in this frisky mood more during his career. The movie moves with all the great plotting of a Shakespearean comedy and yet, at the end, comes to a surprisingly modern and affecting conclusion. In many ways, this programmer holds this comedy, Renoir's The Rules of the Game, Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, and Shakespeare's A Midsummer's Night's Dream as the examples of how adult sex comedies (in all the important senses of that genre) can be masterpieces.
The Boss of It All (2006, dir by Lars Von Trier, Denmark)
Ravn, the head of an IT firm, pretends he's actually the second in command and blames all bad decisions on the non-existent "boss of it all" Svend. But when Ravn wants to sell his company to an Icelandic firm, he has to hire an actor to play Svend to seal the deal. This ingenious movie has a dynamite hook that actually delves into how destructive passive-aggressive personalities are when they don't take responsibility for their actions. On top of this, Von Trier directed the movie with the help of a computer that would "frame the shots" so you get really weird compositions and Von Trier from time to time pops in as a voice over narrator. There's also this great comedy having to do with how the Danish and the Icelandic hate each other (which you find in Von Trier's The Kingdom as well only there it's the Swedes and the Danes) but how the Danish always seem to forget they were actually the aggressors in history. Von Trier makes a hilarious comedy that says something profound yet delivers everything with the sweet punch of a pie in the face.
Life Is Sweet (1990, dir by Mike Leigh, UK)
This programmer's personal favorite Mike Leigh movie (along with Topsy Turvy). A surprisingly delicate and graceful comedy about a period of time in the life of a quirky family. The twin daughters have sex and eating issues while the parents work to realize their dreams which aren't always the most realistic. Life Is Sweet has scene after scene of awkward, self-destructive, confused human behavior that nevertheless more times than not resolves itself in understanding, forward movement, and love. The movie has the distinction (not often pointed out) of having almost all of Leigh's core ensemble cast (Jim Broadbent, Alison Steadman, Timothy Spahl, David Thewlis) in one movie. It's also a wonderful bit of moviemaking because it shows a family where the members all basically love each other profoundly and have each other's backs. Like a lot of great British comedy, the laughs also come with some pain of recognition of embarrassing behavior. But here, you laugh, cringe, cry, then laugh again with the recognition of human folly and nobility.
Seven Chances (1925, dir by Buster Keaton, USA)
A young man discovers his grandfather has left him millions if he marries by 7pm on his 27th birthday. Which of course happens to be the same day the will is read. Buster Keaton finds endless ways to ratchet up the comedy, chaos, and visual spectacle of this dynamite premise. It's funny (no pun intended) that often a great comedy needs a simple premise and a brilliant mind like Keaton's that can think up endless ways to riff off that premise. Here Keaton actually has a sweetheart but she thinks him crass for wanting to marry that same day for money. A colleague publishes Keaton's predicament in the newspaper and suddenly he's flooded with women who want to marry him. So the tension becomes Keaton running away from thousands of women he's not in love with while the love of his life changes her mind. But will Keaton find out in time? Tons of great visual comedy including a justly famous final avalanche scene (you have to see it). Keaton at the top of his game.
Together (2000, dir by Lukas Moodysson, Sweden)
Elisabeth and her two children move into her brother Goran's 1970's left-wing commune when things get rocky at home with heavy drinker husband/father Rolf. Elisabeth and her kids who are definitely more middle of the road are fish out of water as they try to adapt to the commune's constant left wing arguments, rules, and 1970's experimentation. This hilarious and heartwarming comedy hits that sweet spot of great premise and brilliant social observation. Nobody is a caricature here. Not the commune. Not Rolf. Not anybody. Moodysson has that brilliant ability like Renoir to be both bitingly comedic in his observations of everyone's hypocrisies while at the same time clearly loving all his characters. The result is a movie that captures a very specific time (the early to mid 1970's) and shows that when our ideologies get stuck in the mud of reality, we can either scream in the car at the mud or get out and push and find a middle path.
What Have I Done to Deserve This (1984, dir by Pedro Almodovar, Spain)
Long suffering wife Gloria has to do everything to keep her philandering husband, two sons (one selling heroin, one having gay relationships with much older men), mother afloat. During a particularly trying time, Gloria interacts with prostitutes, a telekinetic girl in her apartment, lizards, and finally a murder. Almodovar is so well respected and universally considered one of the greatest living directors that it's hard to remember that he started out as an underground punk provocateur in 70's/80's Madrid. This movie serves, in many ways, as the prototype for everything that makes Almodovar great: a real love and sense for suffering and folks who endure suffering, a wonderfully absurd sense of the comic, and the willingness to do shocking and left-field things that somehow enhance the story (rather than detract from it). This programmer will never forget the moment we meet the kid with psychic powers. Nothing in the movie prepares you for this story twist. But somehow it is both hilarious and totally fitting that this will be yet another thing Gloria has to deal with.
Bamboozled (2000, dir by Spike Lee, USA)
One of Spike Lee's greatest and most underrated movies, Bamboozled tells the story of a frustrated black TV exec who pitches “Mantan”, a horribly offensive modern minstrel show where black actors wear blackface and play the kind of stereotypical characters they hate, in an effort to get fired. Instead, the white TV bosses love the idea, green light the show, and it becomes a huge hit. All the black team involved have to deal with the fallout of what they've created. There is a group of American comedies so sharp and painful that as many people want to look away as watch them. Wilder's Ace in the Hole, Kazan's A Face in the Crowd, Chayevsky's Network, and Lee's Bamboozled have all been so incisive in diagnosing the sickness and distortion of the American desire for media attention, fame, wealth that they make you laugh and cry simultaneously. Along with Do the Right Thing, Clockers, and He Got Game, Bamboozled is the most brilliant mirror Lee has ever held up to our modern American society.
Woman of the Year (1942, dir by George Stevens, USA)
Tess, a highly accomplished journalist, and Sam, a sports writer, meet, fall in love, and marry. But they have to contend with their different expectations of what they thought the marriage would be and with Tess's all-consuming career which she has no intention of giving up. This is one of those comedies that while definitely a product of the 1940's is still surprisingly modern in its identification that there are no easy answers when you have two very motivated career driven folks in a loving relationship. George Stevens, while celebrated, is one of those undersung directors of Hollywood who made hit after hit in every genre with a supple and thrilling understanding of editing/structure/jokes. Gunga Din, Woman of the Year, A Place in the Sun, Giant all crackle with a brilliant craftsmanship that is thrilling to watch. And let's get right to it: Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy fall in love ON CAMERA ON FILM right before our very eyes. This movie very closely mirrors what may have been their own personal (though complicated to say the least) romantic relationship. Hepburn clearly loves that Tracy is no wilting lily. But Tracy equally loves that Hepburn is never going to give up her fire for anyone. And one of the last scenes of the movie is played for such extended comedy it becomes a mini masterpiece in its own right.
Catch Me If You Can (2002, dir by Steven Spielberg, USA)
Teenager Frank Abagnale Jr cons his way around the world impersonating pilots, doctors, lawyers, and counterfeiting money. Meanwhile a determined FBI agent devotes his life to nabbing Frank. I'm always curious if Spielberg holds this movie in as high regard as I do. I think this is one of Spielberg's absolute best movies and possibly his most autobiographical. His lifelong themes of fathers & sons, broken families, fantasy, hustle all come together here in a hilarious comedy made all the more stunning because everything actually happened in real life. Spielberg also directs here with an energy and enjoyment that is so infectious the movie feels like the sudden 2nd wind by a master. Leonardo Di Caprio, Tom Hanks, and Christopher Walken all deliver career high performances. I probably watch this movie once a year and marvel at how it marries entertainment and personal filmmaking so seamlessly.
After Hours (1985, dir by Martin Scorsese, USA)
Paul Hackett travels down to Soho in Manhattan for a date; a Kafkaesque series of mishaps and misunderstandings finds him just trying to survive the night and get back home. After Hours proved Scorsese could go lean and independent again and be hilariously funny. Although the movie has real bite and a very dark undercurrent, it also is filled with a wonderful gonzo comic strangeness. When Cheech and Chong show up near the end of the movie, it somehow all seems of a piece. Scorsese had just had his 1st attempt to make The Last Temptation of Christ fall through. He's often said After Hours saved him. He was able to re-discover his love of cinema, make a movie on a lean budget, and still turn in a wildly stylish piece of work. This also marks Scorsese's 1st collaboration with German cinematographer Michael Ballhaus (who had shot much of Fassbinder's movies in the 70's). Ballhaus more than any other Scorsese cinematographer was able to get Scorsese all the shots he wanted, in the way he wanted them, on schedule. It's no wonder this team would go on to make The Color of Money, The Last Temptation of Christ, and Goodfellas.
The Player (1992, dir by Robert Altman, USA)
Hollywood loves a movie about itself! So lifelong iconoclastic director Robert Altman gave them just that. Studio Exec Griffin Mill receives death threat postcards and, in the heat of an argument, accidentally murders the frustrated screenwriter he thinks is sending them. Mill then has to continue green-lighting pitches and staying one step ahead of the police. Altman made the ultimate acidic Valentine to the industry that had both revered and reviled him. The movie is hilarious for how many famous celebrities agreed to do cameos so that you really do feel like you're spending a few weeks in early 1990's Hollywood. For anyone who has worked in the industry (or tried), the movie is painfully on target in how strange the system is. Many talented hard working folks get the shaft. Many entitled smarmy folks seem to get away with. . .well murder. Altman manages to be simultaneously noiry, blackly comic, and pointedly observant.
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944, dir by Preston Sturges, USA)
Small town girl Trudy drunkenly marries a soldier off to fight WWII. When she sobers up the next day, she realizes she's pregnant and can't even remember who he was. Local 4-F young man Norval, who has always been in love with Trudy, steps up to the plate to help out. Yes. That's the premise. The real miracle of Morgan's Creek is that Preston Sturges somehow got this premise past the censors and then was able to milk it for all it's worth. The movie pulses with the strange dual tone of being wildly adult screwball and genuinely heartwarmingly sweet. When you watch the great Sturges comedies you see so much DNA that would later be imparted to the likes of the Coen Brothers and David O. Russell both of whom love to traffic in dark, dark comedy that is somehow also surprisingly good hearted. Another asset of Sturges' comedies is the fact that he never minded taking crazy left turns in the middle and the end of his movies that no one else would dare to take. Consequently the actual "Miracle" of Morgan's Creek turns out to be something quite hilarious you may never guess at until the final minutes. If you're looking for that classic Hollywood comedy that also has a shockingly modern wink and heart, check out this Sturges gem!
Written by Craig Hammill. Founder and Programmer of Secret Movie Club.