Best Recent Comedy Movies

[BoomBoomMancini]

Thanks for those suggestions!
I haven’t seen any of those.

Yes, I know what you mean about too much praise of the good old days. I do like movies of the 30s, 40s and 50s - and I’m young enough that it’s not nostalgia (they’re new to me). But each generation has its good and bad art work. True.

I think some people just like to assume the “I’m so scandalized” pose. Like, if you know that beer and fart jokes aren’t your thing, then don’t go see a movie marketed at 19 year old males. But you don’t have to sit in the back of the room with your arms crossed, tut-tutting about how everything is garbage and why can’t we all just watch The Sound of Music for the hundredth time. I don’t even think those people want to find good art, they just want the pleasure of complaining and being affronted.

If you like to watch movies that are so bad they’re good, The Room is the ultimate find. They’re actually making a movie that tells the story of it’s filming. It’s one of the most bafflingly incompetent movies ever made, which makes it hilarious to watch with a critical eye.

 

[Joe_5859]

The suggestion of “Elf” was good - but that was 2003. The closer you get to 2017 the more you realize current comedy s*.

Is it really that old? Man, time flies. In my defense, 2003 still seems “recent” to me. Pretty much anything after 2000 is recent to me.

Let’s see, if I can think of a few more recent ones:

Parental Guidance (2012) with Billy Crystal, Bette Midler and Marisa Tomei (PG). Crystal and Midler baby-sit their seldom visited grandchildren.

The Intern (2015) with Robert DeNiro and Anne Hathaway (PG-13). DeNiro comes out of retirement to be an intern.

 

[reggieM]

I think some people just like to assume the “I’m so scandalized” pose. Like, if you know that beer and fart jokes aren’t your thing, then don’t go see a movie marketed at 19 year old males. But you don’t have to sit in the back of the room with your arms crossed, tut-tutting about how everything is garbage and why can’t we all just watch The Sound of Music for the hundredth time. I don’t even think those people want to find good art, they just want the pleasure of complaining and being affronted.

Ok, I really didn’t want to get into this argument, but I guess there’s no option.
First, it’s not “beer and farts” that are the problem.
Secondly, I was 19 years old at one time, and I didn’t like pornographic jokes back then either. Just because something is marketed to “our generation” doesn’t mean we have to be defined by it. What we end up with is Hollywood telling everybody what a “normal 19 year old man” is supposedly all about. I’ve seen it in my own generation - Hollywood attitudes destroyed a Christian, masculine image in the name of feminism and lust. No, I don’t think the average 19 year old guy is walking around lusting all the time and spewing out obscenities with his friends. Wait a minute - we are talking about a generation of young men who carry hard-core pornography with them 24/7 on their cell phones - so perhaps they are indeed defined by lust after all ??? – if so, the gray-hairs are quite right to tut-tut this culture. But just because each age has some movies, doesn’t mean those movies are necessarily good. But we have more time when we’re young, so we watch movies more. As you rightly said before, we’ll forget the bad ones and remember the good.

Ok, there’s my spiel on it. I could go on and on – I’ve watched many frat-house movies, and many supposed mainstream comedies filled with the most disgusting sexual “jokes” imaginable and just quite a lot of unfunny, poorly written and poorly acted films that our culture today considers “great” and “hilarious”.

But there are some good ones also - and that’s what I’m looking for.

I’m trying to find the best of what’s there. No, I’m not talking about watching the Sound of Music exclusively.

If you like to watch movies that are so bad they’re good, The Room is the ultimate find. They’re actually making a movie that tells the story of it’s filming. It’s one of the most bafflingly incompetent movies ever made, which makes it hilarious to watch with a critical eye.

I’ve heard about that. Thanks!
I do enjoy those so-bad-it’s good movies.

 

[reggieM]

Is it really that old? Man, time flies. In my defense, 2003 still seems “recent” to me. Pretty much anything after 2000 is recent to me.

Let’s see, if I can think of a few more recent ones:

Parental Guidance (2012) with Billy Crystal, Bette Midler and Marisa Tomei (PG). Crystal and Midler baby-sit their seldom visited grandchildren.

The Intern (2015) with Robert DeNiro and Anne Hathaway (PG-13). DeNiro comes out of retirement to be an intern.

Thanks! Haven’t seen either of those. I like Anne Hathaway.

 

[reggieM]

I thought The Guilt Trip (2012) PG-13 - Seth Rogen and Barbara Streisand was funny and good.

 

[BoomBoomMancini]

Ok, I really didn’t want to get into this argument, but I guess there’s no option.
First, it’s not “beer and farts” that are the problem.
Secondly, I was 19 years old at one time, and I didn’t like pornographic jokes back then either. Just because something is marketed to “our generation” doesn’t mean we have to be defined by it. What we end up with is Hollywood telling everybody what a “normal 19 year old man” is supposedly all about. I’ve seen it in my own generation - Hollywood attitudes destroyed a Christian, masculine image in the name of feminism and lust. No, I don’t think the average 19 year old guy is walking around lusting all the time and spewing out obscenities with his friends. Wait a minute - we are talking about a generation of young men who carry hard-core pornography with them 24/7 on their cell phones - so perhaps they are indeed defined by lust after all ??? – if so, the gray-hairs are quite right to tut-tut this culture. But just because each age has some movies, doesn’t mean those movies are necessarily good. But we have more time when we’re young, so we watch movies more. As you rightly said before, we’ll forget the bad ones and remember the good.

Yeah, I’m sorry for derailing the thread. I didn’t mean you specifically. I totally agree that a lot of the beer and fart joke genre of comedy is juvenile and not particularly funny. There are clearly more examples of people attempting to make a raunchy comedy and failing than there are of people doing it well.

 

[reggieM]

Yeah, I’m sorry for derailing the thread. I didn’t mean you specifically. I totally agree that a lot of the beer and fart joke genre of comedy is juvenile and not particularly funny. There are clearly more examples of people attempting to make a raunchy comedy and failing than there are of people doing it well.

Thanks. And most especially, thanks for the good suggestions!

 

[janeway529]

I recently saw Going in Style (2017), and that was good. Last Vegas (2013) was good too.

 

[reggieM]

I recently saw Going in Style (2017), and that was good. Last Vegas (2013) was good too.

Thanks! Had not heard of either - looking forward to both!

When I saw the first title I immediately thought of the old version and was ready to say “wait, just new ones!” – didn’t realize they re-made it.

 

[edwest2]

Ok, I really didn’t want to get into this argument, but I guess there’s no option.
First, it’s not “beer and farts” that are the problem.
Secondly, I was 19 years old at one time, and I didn’t like pornographic jokes back then either. Just because something is marketed to “our generation” doesn’t mean we have to be defined by it. What we end up with is Hollywood telling everybody what a “normal 19 year old man” is supposedly all about. I’ve seen it in my own generation - Hollywood attitudes destroyed a Christian, masculine image in the name of feminism and lust. No, I don’t think the average 19 year old guy is walking around lusting all the time and spewing out obscenities with his friends. Wait a minute - we are talking about a generation of young men who carry hard-core pornography with them 24/7 on their cell phones - so perhaps they are indeed defined by lust after all ??? – if so, the gray-hairs are quite right to tut-tut this culture. But just because each age has some movies, doesn’t mean those movies are necessarily good. But we have more time when we’re young, so we watch movies more. As you rightly said before, we’ll forget the bad ones and remember the good.

Ok, there’s my spiel on it. I could go on and on – I’ve watched many frat-house movies, and many supposed mainstream comedies filled with the most disgusting sexual “jokes” imaginable and just quite a lot of unfunny, poorly written and poorly acted films that our culture today considers “great” and “hilarious”.

But there are some good ones also - and that’s what I’m looking for.

I’m trying to find the best of what’s there. No, I’m not talking about watching the Sound of Music exclusively.

I’ve heard about that. Thanks!
I do enjoy those so-bad-it’s good movies.

Hey, I can still watch the oooold Three Stooges and get a laugh.

Ed

 

[reggieM]

There are a lot of good oldies - comedy tv shows also.

Also, there’s another category in comedy movies that I really don’t consider “movies” as such, although they’re long enough - and that is stand-up comedy specials.
There are some very funny ones, but it’s really just a stand-up routine and not really a movie.

I saw a recent one with Dana Carvey - very funny impersonations and good jokes. Jim Gaffigan also.

 

[Tuxedo_Mark]

“Jenny’s Wedding” is a good, cute romcom (and I’m generally not a romcom person). I saw it on Netflix recently. Katherine Heigl and Alexis Bledel make a cute couple. My only criticisms are 1) the other characters seem to be two steps behind the audience at all times, and 2) Bledel, even though she’s playing Jenny’s bride, doesn’t seem to get a lot of screen time. Still, definitely worth checking out.

 

[BoomBoomMancini]

“Jenny’s Wedding” is a good, cute romcom (and I’m generally not a romcom person). I saw it on Netflix recently. Katherine Heigl and Alexis Bledel make a cute couple. My only criticisms are 1) the other characters seem to be two steps behind the audience at all times, and 2) Bledel, even though she’s playing Jenny’s bride, doesn’t seem to get a lot of screen time. Still, definitely worth checking out.

That’s the problem with rom-coms. They depend on the characters being kind of dim. Just about every rom-com ever has a misunderstanding that the characters COULD clear up with a simple conversation, but they don’t, thus setting in motion the inevitable breakup->grand gesture->reunion.

 

[Joe_5859]

“Jenny’s Wedding” is a good, cute romcom (and I’m generally not a romcom person). I saw it on Netflix recently. Katherine Heigl and Alexis Bledel make a cute couple. My only criticisms are 1) the other characters seem to be two steps behind the audience at all times, and 2) Bledel, even though she’s playing Jenny’s bride, doesn’t seem to get a lot of screen time. Still, definitely worth checking out.

I hadn’t heard of this movie before (so I had to look it up), but you do realize that plugging a romantic comedy about two women getting married is probably not what Catholics have in mind when seeking out clean films, right?

 

[reggieM]

I hadn’t heard of this movie before (so I had to look it up), but you do realize that plugging a romantic comedy about two women getting married is probably not what Catholics have in mind when seeking out clean films, right?

True - not what the OP is looking for. In fact, that one is more a tragedy than a comedy.

But thanks, Tuxedo Mark for the suggestion! Any others more Catholic-friendly?

 

[Tuxedo_Mark]

True - not what the OP is looking for. In fact, that one is more a tragedy than a comedy.

Well, everyone’s entitled to their opinion, I guess. I still love the film, though.

But thanks, Tuxedo Mark for the suggestion! Any others more Catholic-friendly?

thinks Nothing comes to mind. I generally don’t watch comedies. It’s more fantasy and sci-fi for me. Would “Sabrina Goes to Rome” and “Sabrina, Down Under” count? They’re not recent, though.

 

[reggieM]

thinks Nothing comes to mind. I generally don’t watch comedies. It’s more fantasy and sci-fi for me. Would “Sabrina Goes to Rome” and “Sabrina, Down Under” count? They’re not recent, though.

I was hoping for within 7 years or so - but I think we’ve run out of options there already. So we’ll go back farther - yes, I haven’t heard of either of those. Thanks!

 

[janeway529]

I was hoping for within 7 years or so - but I think we’ve run out of options there already. So we’ll go back farther - yes, I haven’t heard of either of those. Thanks!

Have you seen ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ (2014)? It’s one of my favorites.

 

[reggieM]

Have you seen ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ (2014)? It’s one of my favorites.

Yes – good suggestion! I like that director. Rushmore. Moonrise Kingdom.

 

[janeway529]

I was at Big Lots today and came across ‘The Incredible Burt Wonderstone’ (2013). It’s fun and comedic, but can be corny for some people.