1. The Birdcage

Nathan Lane and Robin Williams as a gay couple that co-own a drag queen night club…Need I say more haha. These two are absolutely hilarious while also sharing some truly lovely moments during the course of a messy few days. Nothing pleases me more than seeing Gene Hackman as an ultra conservative senator at the beginning, then dressed fully in drag dancing to Sister Sledge by the end. The lunch scene with WIlliams trying to teach Lane to act like a man is absolutely hysterical. Hank Azaria as butler Agador Spartacus also adds some unforgettable moments. He is a very underrated player in this film…even though he didn’t make an entree. 

  1. Blazing Saddles

Few people can get away with comedies like Mel Brooks. This movie is no exception. Co-written by the legendary Richard Pryor, this comedy western perfectly makes fun of how idiotic bigots and racists truly are, by going way over the top. Cleavon Little delivers some of the best comedic moments of all time throughout this film. One of my favorite moments is when he holds himself hostage at gunpoint. Gene WIlder is hysterical as the Waco Kid. I laugh just thinking about him grabbing the chess piece from across the room. This film certainly could not have been made today, but it still lives on as a comical mashing of sensitive topics that should be uncomfortable, that somehow become hilarious. It’s classic Mel Brooks. 

  1. The Producers

Though I am a fan of the original, I absolutely love the 2005 version of this film. I feel like the humor is faster and more polished. Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick make a perfect pair of awful broadway producers. Both have wonderful voices and it’s wonderful to hear them signing such crazy words so beautifully.  From “Along Came Bialy” with a team of dancing grandmas with walkers to “Keep it Gay” with a team of fashion designers parading around a dance studio, this movie has everything I didn’t know I wanted to see. I still don’t fully understand how Mel Brooks made a  stage full of nazis singing “Springtime for Hitler” funny….but he did. And it’s perfect. This is definitely one of my family’s favorites of all time. In fact, my mother bought me a signed picture of Will Ferrell, Nathan Lane, and Mathew Broderick dancing “der guten tag hop-clop” for my birthday last year.

  1. The Naked Gun

Leslie Neilsen is one of the funniest actors of all time, even though almost all the lines he delivers are done straight and serious. 

I’m a huge fan of movies investing a lot of time, setup, and money just for a small funny payoff or dumb joke. The Naked Gun series is exactly that in its entirety. The baseball game toward the end of the movie is legendary. Nielsen trying to sing the National Anthem has me in tears every time. I adore all of the stupid puns, slapstick moments, and ridiculous lines in this movie. This type of humor has carried on into every dumb dad joke I make now.

  1. Spy 

Melissa McCarthy is always hilarious, but I think this is her best comedy. The supporting cast also adds some serious laughs. Rose Byrne plays a villain really well and delivers some majestically offensive lines and Jason Statham is amazing as the rogue spy that always seems to get in the way.  His role is a great deviation from his usual grittier action self. But I think the greatest supporting player here is definitely Peter Serafinowicz as Aldo. ”Like the shoe store in American malls!” This movie is massively quotable. Some really amazing insults are thrown around. 

  1. Wayne’s World

This is my favorite SNL movie of all time.  Where do I go to get my autographed Crucial Taunt album!? Its irreverent, dumb and yet quite lovable. Rob Lowe as the bad guy is always a good idea. At its heart this movie is a buddy comedy, but it also has a solid story. It’s stupid of course, but sometimes you need some funny nonsense in your life. And I need Wayne’s World now and forever.  Also there is Cassandra (purring sound) A hot leading lady, yes, but also a certified rock and roll badass. Overall I give Wayne’s World 5 stars and a Schwiiiing….even though they are Blackhawks fans. 

  1. The Nice Guys

Krissen and I saw this one on a whim, and it was a delightful surprise. It’s offensive, dramatic, satirical, and everything in between. Ryan Gosling is not only a great dramatic actor, but the guy is pretty hilarious too. He and Russell Crowe are a perfect duo in this 70s buddy cop comedy. I thought it was quite an original story and it takes us on a roller coaster of action/hilarious moments. I still laugh out loud watching Gosling fumble with his cigarette, while trying to keep a bathroom stall door open in one scene. I could watch this movie a thousand times and still laugh. Side note: Gosling should do more comedies and Chubby Crowe is the BEST Crowe. 

  1. Hot Fuzz

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are always gold, but this is my favorite of the Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy. It’s a  great buddy comedy with some dark secrets.  The acting is terrific especially with Timothy Dalton playing his best villainous role since The Rocketeer. Hot Fuzz is a lovely slow building, dark comedy, with action sequences and one-liners that are truly “off the f***ing chain!” British action comedy at its absolute best as only these two could pull off.

  1. Sideways

Ever since George of the Jungle, I have thought that Thomas Hayden Church is hilarious and should be in many more things. His role as the rich dumb actor is perfectly contrasted with Paul Giamatti’s more serious writer role in this film. It’s a perfect blend of sex jokes and sophisticated humor. It showcases some beautiful landscapes in Napa Valley, and glimpses into some intricate relationships, while also somehow managing to be a buddy road trip comedy. We quote the dinner scene with Miles, Jack, Maya, and Stephanie all the time.  I highly recommend this Oscar-nominated film to drama and comedy lovers alike.

  1. Mrs. Doubtfire

Robin. F***in. Williams. Enough said. A terrific acting talent, and undeniably one of the funniest men to ever live. I’m not sure if any movie fully captures him as well as this one does. He shows raw emotion, slapstick humor and heart-warming family moments, all while convincingly appearing as an old english woman.  The legendary man really shines when he is let loose and able to improvise, and this movie is a perfect example. Very 90’s, but it never gets old watching him insult Pierce Brosnan’s manhood after ripping the hood ornament of his Mercedes. 

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