I confessed on the ‘Do you really like that? Honestly?’ thread, (which sits comfortably at the top of the charts), that I didn’t understand why people liked ‘Laurel and Hardy’. Tediously unfunny, imho.
OOAA, as was very evident – masters of their art, precursors of much of successive comedy, a gift that their performances are captured for posterity. Such were the responses of the cognescenti.
Each to their own. But then I was challenged by the good @Douglas to come up with my top 5 films. Not having one to hand, I hastily scanned various online polls to see if there were any I had seen or enjoyed actually remember laughing at. There were very few, but I just about scraped together a list that passed his muster.
I was troubled. Did this mean I have no sense of humour? Or just don’t like slapstick? Maybe the answer is to put it to the Massive:
Here I sit, arms folded. ‘ Entertain me!’ I bellow. If the prospect doesn’t discourage you, please would you post some clips from movies you can’t help laughing at, and I’ll let you know if I can uncover a funny bone under my middle-aged spread.
Thank you kindly!
Try this………..
Nice one to start this off with, Dave, thanks! There was a warm smile of recognition for me on seeing this clip. I used to find the Pink Panther films delightful, and remember the billiards scene well. There was a lot of comedy in that, but it was the straight acting, the silly dialogue and the deadpan and almost corpsing facial expressions that made me laugh, not the slapstick with the cues and balls, which is just hard to watch (speaking as a clumsy oaf, myself).
I love this:
“Telephone call, Monsieur, for Inspector Cleauseau”
“That’ll be for me”.
Thanks, rocker. I was going to say it’s a no from me. Eddie Murphy looks good as all those different characters – inhabits them well – but it all seemed such broad comedy on first viewing.
Then I watched it again, and again, and though I couldn’t make out all the dialogue, I thought it was pretty good, just would have been funnier with other actors performing it straight, not gurning for the camera, as it appeared. Mind you, it was just a clip – possibly, having got to know the characters first, it might have been more natural.
I liked the salacious uncle, though – pretty much the only character you could see interacting with the girlfriend meeting the family.
I’ve just realised. Are you my Dad? Lives in N Ireland, 83 years old? Dad it’s you isn’t it? C’mon admit it. I’d no idea you even knew about this blog.
I think that’s Colin H you’re referring to – we’re the same age, so it’s easy to get muddled up.
Duck Soup.
I heart this.
Sweet, imaginative, cleverly contrived, but didn’t make me laugh.
Is of course the right answer. The only answer, perhaps?
God I hope not. Its even less funny than “Who’s on first?”
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: Ruprecht goes to the bathroom
Rigid, I think you know the route to my tickle zone, for DRI is indeed one of my 5 comedy film favourites, as much for the savage putdowns between Martin and Caine, as for this particularly joyful scene.
This won’t make you laugh, because you’re clearly defective, but I’m going to post it out of sheer self indulgence because it tickles me every single time…..
I must admit, Bingo, your comment made me laugh out loud, in a way that the clip, as you rightly pointed out, didn’t. It’s only the Candyman that stops this from being a horror film. I mean, fuck, there’s a bloody great bear, and there are kids, and it’s only the idiot’s skin-deep sangfroid that’s preventing everyone in that scene screaming their tits off in hysteria.
Any film with John Candy in is good in my experience – he’s so lovable. But it’s only Trains Planes and Automobiles, with the icy juxtaposition of Steve Martin that makes me laugh (2 down, 3 to go of my top 5)
Heh. I love the Great Outdoors.
You’re quite right that Planes Trains is peak Candy, but TGO holds a special place in my heart.
Here’s another great moment…
It also has the best credits sequence of any movie ever made.
That was pretty good, yeah – reminds me of this:(http://www.mrlovenstein.com/images/comics/116_deep_into_that_darkness_peering.png).
I can’t take Dan Ackroyd as anything other than his svelte Andrew Eldritch persona in the Blues Brothers, though.
How’s your French? Le petit baigneur always makes me laugh.
Well, most films starring Louis de Funes actually:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFQu36aO91k
Je suis très heureux pour toi. Malheureusement, je trouve que ce clip est plus irritant que amusant.
Tout de même, merci d’essayer, Criquet!
Jive talkin’
For sheer hit rate, that made it into my top 5. You guys are good. But (unless you peek at my comment on the other thread), the other two films are less mainstream.
Of course you really need to see the whole thing.
Another of the good guys, Gene Wilder. I’m very fond of his films, though I’d say they make me grin fondly, rather than laugh out loud. Thanks for posting. Young Frankenstein is one I haven’t seen in ages.
Well it made me laugh.
Jackpot! The Simpsons, not that I’ve watched it in years, is one thing that is almost guaranteed to make me laugh. That whole clip was good, from Homer being an outrageously bad father, through the Austin Powers-style coincidental genital coverage, and even more when reversed, but it was the ending that tipped me over the edge – Flanders, who else?
Was that from a recent show, do you know?
Oh, and thanks for posting!
Ooh, I’m glad it hit the spot – it’s actually from The Simpsons Movie, so qualifies as a film clip too.
The actual series hasn’t been worth watching in years – possibly as much as 20 years depending upon your yardstick. But at its finest it was pure gold.
The scene in Toni Erdmann where he turns up at his daughter’s (rather unconventional!) party for her colleagues had me crying with laughter. But if I posted it here, I can’t imagine anyone even being mildly amused. Context is everything.
It is not often that I laugh out loud a lot these days.
Both the Jump Street reboots are very amusing. In the second, the two bumbling cops go undercover as college students. In the first scene, they are reporting to their boss.
I don’t suspect it will make you laugh out loud, but this is superb comedy of embarrassment and Ice Cube is magnificent.
Go on, KFD, post the Toni Erdmann! I’m defective enough to probably enjoy dat shit.
That was a pretty funny clip you just posted. I saw the first Jump Street remake (can’t think how, but I did), so I kind of knew the characters. It didn’t start well, which was probably good, as it let my guard down for the restaurant scene, which did have me laughing out loud – at the extended silence. Sometimes less is more with comedy, and giving it a bit of time to sink in made the pay off for me. The rest of it was pretty meh, though – the tantrum and the juvenile response from his partner.
Still, maybe there’s hope for me yet.
Thanks for posting!
Glad you enjoyed that. Agree with you about the partner’s unfunny, juvenile response. And definitely agree that Less is more in comedy.
Sorry! Not posting that Toni Erdmann clip in isolation. It will make no sense at all. You’ll have to see the whole film. Which everyone should anyway. It’s not a comedy though. Do not expect a rib-tickling, Teutonic laughathon. A German, or indeed Swedish, comedy is usually a contradiction in terms!
Swedish TV comedy! Aaaargh! Do not get me started.
We had Norwegian friends, both now late friends sadly, who used to maintain that the Swedes had no sense of humour. Can you confirm this, @kaisfatdad?
The problem I found with the Toni Erdmann film was they didn’t seem to know when to cut a scene. Things went on for far too long, a bit of quality control wouldn’t have gone amiss.
“Sorry dear, I was miles away.”
One of my favourite films, but it’s the comedy of recognition for me – happy smiles, rather than laugh out loud funny.
The repartee (is that a better word than banter?) between Pegg and Frost is so natural and so enjoyable, that it makes me snigger, particularly the more playful, childish conversations – you can tell it’s just the tip of the iceberg of their unfilmed interactions.
And it’s always good when Dylan Moran’s character gets picked on.
Thanks, Gary!
This keeps getting moderated as one long post, so imma break it up a bit…
Stir Crazy (two comedy geniuses)
https://youtu.be/L5ylel-imFg
Super Troopers (classic stoner comedy)
Oh my WOW! You have been busy, Bingo! Thanks for your contributions – I shall enjoy them at leisure (maybe not all in working hours, then), and report back verbosely and long-windedly, as I seem to do. (Fortunately, people can skip those bits and just enjoy the clips)
The Stir Crazy clip was a bit flat – I’m sure there are funnier clips from the film. I do like Silver Streak, so I think I’d like that one too.
Super Troopers was excellent – I’d like to see that. I t looks like a riot. It was hard to know what was going on. And I did laugh out loud (comedy of recognition) at the multiple scene with the police at the car door.
So, no and a big yes to those two.
FYI – Super Troopers 2 (which was crowd funded. Is that the right term?) opens early next year:
Duck Soup (the lemonade stand)
Boomerang (Grace Jones names perfume)
Nope. Not a squeak.
I’ve never seen a Marx Brothers film. And I don’t think I ever will.
Giving a perfume an outrageous name? It’s par for the course, these days, isn’t it?
Groucho’s one liners, speedy turns of phrase and machine gun delivery are the highlights. Harpo always creeped me out
Is he the silent one? In which case, yes – typical case of the evil clown. TBH, I hated that scene – cruel and bullying.
Maybe post some Groucho? I think he’d be more to my taste.
The Three Amigos (the bad men arrive)
Naked Gun Two and a Half (codeword)
Chevy Chase and Steve Martin, and still not that funny? Definitely something wrong, somewhere.
Leslie Nielsen is, of course, funny,. I think he was better in earlier films when his deadpan wasn’t such a big thing, Ii kind of became expected, whereas the joy was that such an ordinary schmo could generate those laughs. From the same film, this was funnier for me – the cumulative effect of the assault of Richard Griffiths and then the detail of the changing newspaper headline
“I don’t expect you to understand, but I have my penis stuck to the vending machine.”
You’re right. I don’t. Nice try, though.
Jackass (still the most I’ve ever laughed in a movie, not proud)
Home Alone 2 (perfect performances)
Sorrry. Stoneface at both of those. I remember Jackass from the TV with those middle-aged parents (with one other fat bloke as well) getting pranked by gigging kidults – lamely reacting to obvious self-indulgent, and pretty spiteful tricks. Loathsome and unimpressive on every level. The silly things Steve-O and co did to themselves were OK, though. Much less malice involved.
And Tim Curry? Did he need the money? Home Alone may be funny for hermetically-sealed, spoiled rich kids, but that just made me want to slap ‘Kevin’ and tell the other ‘actors’ to give up (as if those were perfect performances),
Tell me you really like this stuff, Bingo, because it feels like you’re just posting to provoke.
This thread is classic Afterword. Love it.
Allow me a middle-aged “harrumph!”
*stretches out stiff legs and groans a little at the effort*
And last but not least, the greatest standup performance of all time. Not a single funny joke, but his delivery is absolutely incredible and the audience reaction is brilliant.
It sounds like the audience are applauding his self-confidence – which I must admit is pretty awesome.
Don’t make me laugh, though.
“You give love to other people and you get love back.”
Satire may be clever, but it rarely makes me laugh.
It often makes me uncomfortable, which may be the point.
Can’t beat a bit of bodily functions.
Thanks, Retro. I haven’t seen this film as a whole yet, but the scenes I have seen were best when you can see the barely-concealed enmity between the two main bridesmaids (I think the two with the sugared almond). Gross-out humour is a bit meh for me, though there isn’t much better than the gradual build towards the climax of this scene:
it’s not from a movie but…
This is one of those examples of something that is so funny, just mention of it makes me chuckle. Although Frasier is primarily for me a comedy of sharp cracks and putdowns, the well-created and lovable characters make this slapstick scene the genius creation that it is. It’s Niles’ reactions to what happens to him, more than the accidents themselves that is so funny.
Laurel and Hardy were such unsympathetic buffoons, I just wanted them to stop their coy affectations, whimpering and*goshdarnit,welllookatme* overreactions to their pratfalls.
Thank you for posting a reminder of the sublime joy that is Frasier. (God, I sound like him).
naw you’re welcome. I took out the ironing board last evening and this popped into my head. I had to delay ironing for 10 minutes as i scouted out this clip for a watch. DHP probably deserved an Emmy for this five minutes alone.
Heck, the dog probably deserved one as well.
“Heck, the dog probably deserved one as well.”
Yeah, a nice performance from Eddie. Understated.
Oh all right then – I’ll post this one…
Oh my God – it’s the Dear Leader.
I don’t know whether I should laugh or stay solemn out of respect.
Excellent dancing girls – cast of thousands, by the look of it.
Well, it made me laugh, anyway!
Not from film but ‘Peanuts’
Thanks, DFB. I’m sorry to say I rarely get Reeves and Mortimer, apart from their Mulligan and O’Hare sketches. Glad they were having a good time though. Maybe you had to be there?
This is a rare clip of British comedian Dickie Henderson on the Ed Sullivan show in the 60’s (ignore the bizarre Japanese subtitles!) I had vague memories of Henderson on 1970’s TV variety shows as a kid, but had no idea what a brilliant physical comedian he was, as seen in this hilarious pastiche of Frank Sinatra’s One For The Road
That is very good, Droogie. Thank you! It’s great how he manages to maintain sang froid and singing voice all while pratfalling with such elegance that every foot placed wrongly is placed exactly where it needs to go – and in time with the music. Every beat is there.
Indeed! He must’ve spent ages perfecting the stool acrobatics alone. Glad you like!
And if we are talking best ever stand up sets – no question. So many bits to choose from but I recall losing all bodily control (ironically) to
Thanks again, DFB. Probably conclusive proof that I have no sense of humour. Because I know from what you post that you do, and that you know your stuff. I don’t find Billy Connolly at all funny. I must be a sociopath.
Where Connolly wanders, Murray bestrode the canvas:
That is very funny. He has great timing, particularly for the last gag. Made me laugh, for sure, Thanks, Si!
This parody of swinging 60s films always makes me chuckle – it’s very well done.
“Why are you laughing?”
“I don’t know…”
I’m glad it makes you chuckle, Milkybarnick. It’s cleverly done, and I can spot some of the references, but I can’t say it passed the laugh test. Sorry.
@salwarpe
I’m with you on the Marx Bros and Billy Connoly.
How about Spinal Tap…that MUST make you laugh otherwise you’re gonna be ex-communicated from this site.
Some people just don’t have a sense of humour – Anne Widdecombe, Piers Morgan – absolute tin ear for comedy. Cant tell jokes or let the silly into their lives
I’m just as God made me, sir
In parts – some of the songs – Sex Farm, Big Bottoms, Stonehenge. But too much of the comedy depends on the stupidity of Nigel Tuffnell, who is particularly charmless.
But he’s meant to be charmless, surely?
None more charmless even.
It’s such a fine line between clever and stupid
He falls into the Laurel and Hardy category of people I’d rather not watch.
@dogfacedboy
I love that “I’m just as God made me,Sir” quote!
I think it’s one of the few quotes from Spinal Tap that doesn’t get rolled out every time. I use it loads at work and no-one ever ever gets it.
you twisted old fruit
Two clips that may not lead to a belly laugh but have me breaking out in a big smile.
It happened one night
Colbert is a spoilt brat millionaire’s daughter on the run from her dad. Gable is a down-at-heel journo helping her in the hope of a story.
Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – opening scene
Peter Quill and his motley crew prepare to save the galaxy yet again. And they are squabbling yet again.
No overblown bombasticism here. It’s the sort of conversation a quarrelsome family would have on their way to the mall. Hulking superheroes do not usually have over-sensitive nipples.
Not such a great strike rate with that post, KFD – the first one wasn’t funny at all. The second was ok, good-natured ribbing, rather than laugh out loud funny. Though I did enjoy the “Gardens of the Galaxy” exchange. I’m still giggling about that now, in fact.
It is fun trying to amuse you, Sal. Even if it doesn’t always work.
But once again, it is all about context.
A comedy sketch is one thing. A film in which characters develop, something else. The first clip is funny for me as the Colbert character has lived a life of such total sterile luxury: a bird in a gilded cage. Suddenly she starts to have fun in down at heel camping site.
Ace movie anyway.
Some of the above would make me laugh the first time I saw it but not repeatedly. This isn’t a film clip but will do it every time.
Really, Gatz? Maybe I’m missing something. I guess that’s pure slapstick. Thanks anyway!
Thanks for the mention @salwarpe – how about Woody from when he was funny?
One two, one two… Three four, three four
“What are you doing Saturday night?”
“Committing suicide”
“What about Friday night?”
I could go on and on
Just sublime.
Thanks, Douglas. That was my first Woody Allen film, and along with Sleeper, I think is the one I found funniest – great too be reminded of it. Social embarrassment, nervousness and klutzy behaviour just make that scene. What was he doing to that wall?
Sleeper is great, you’re right – even just thinking of that whole section where he’s the robot butler makes me giggle.
The inflatable suit. The orb. The instant pudding.
“Checking the cell structure….”
Top stuff.
Not a movie, but Les Dawson’s wonky piano playing always makes me do a lol. This clip from a ’70s Parky features the great organ-botherer Harry Stoneham falling about laughing in the background.
I preferred him in Blankety Blank, tbh, Mini, but I’m glad that clip does the trick for you.
This always makes me laugh…
He looks like he’s in pain, Jack. Just one of life’s experiences I have missed out on, I guess.
Life of Brian stoning scene. Doesn’t matter how many times I watch this. Always makes me laugh.
I must admit to a little giggle at the Gillianesque massive boulder ran up at double speed at the end of that otherwise overfamiilar sketch.
Thanks, Askwith!
Let’s be having this bit as well
Good ones for Ruprett, Three Amigos and George’s Peanut.
For me, Anything from Blazing Saddles, and this:
I did like the reductio ad absurdam towards the junkie scene – that was surprising and made me laugh. Thanks, TrypF!
As with the earlier clips – if you know the characters, it’s funnier, but this makes me laugh every time l’ve seen it. Moss from the IT crowd gives evidence. He’s slightly nervous.
Just for the “Thank you, m’love”, that made me laugh, Thanks!
Surely, this Chaplin scene must make everyone laugh:
It certainly worked on me, Locust! That was very good, manic comedy – never seen it before, but makes me wonder if I should see Modern Times,
Modern Times is probably my favourite Chaplin film. I envy you for having the opportunity to see it for the first time!
Anchorman. All of it.
Sorry. Almost none of it for me. It comes into the same category as Laurel and Hardy, and to an extent, Spinal Tap – stupid, arrogant people with no self-awareness getting their comeuppance. Rarely funny.
You’re beyond help….
Not film, but this clip from One Foot in the Grave with Victor Meldrew “answering the phone” does it for me!
Never really liked One Foot In The Grave, and that clip was seriously overplayed first in an advert for the TV Licence, and then as part of UK Gold’s Top 100 Pant Wetting Moments.
In recent years though, I’m beginning to see it as a biopic of my life
(and wry smiles and chuckles abound)
Short, but sweet. I hadn’t seen that clip before, but, a bit like Rigid, the comedy of recognition is slowly taking over from the tedium of self-indulgent obviousness that I used to think of OFITG
He does go on a bit doesn’t he? I’d seen it before, so I went straight for the nothing song – which makes me laugh because it’s so silly, so absurd. Otherwise it feels like the comedy of endurance, as he painstakingly ad methodically steps back through history, dismantling all human progress,
The talk of Sleeper upthread reminded me of Bananas, which is a very uneven film but the court scene is great, peaking at around the 4 minute mark here when Woody’s character cross-examines himself.
“Are you being coy, Mellish?”
Thanks, MtM. I found that a bit uneven – lots of wisecracks which made me smile slightly, but the highlight was Brian Murphy drinking out of a fishbowl – that made me laugh.
I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who contributed to this thread. I enjoyed watching everything you posted, even if I didn’t laugh at all I saw. I think I do have a bit of a tin ear for comedy, but I’m glad there are some things that can make even me laugh.
It was a terribly self-indulgent thread, but I hope others also enjoyed the clips (and ignored the snarky little sheep in between).
Snark on Sheepy! That was great fun! And raised all kinds of interesting questions about what makes something funny. Thanks to this, I’m currently planning a new thread on Favourite Siberian Sitcoms. It will be a hoot.
Football, Salwarpe, perchance?
Thanks, @Declan. I’m a bit late in responding, but Python’s intellectual juxtapositions are dryly entertaining what-ifs (both the Life of Brian and the Philosophers’ football match) rather than guffaw-inducingly silly. There’s only one recent football-related sketch that made me laugh and that was this one:
Always loved this one.
A vulnerable old lady…