Comedy

I've been watching a lot of comedy movies lately; most of them recent, some good, some...not so good. I thought I'd share a few here:

Zach and Miri Make a Porno: This one was cute. I wouldn't say it was hilarious, but it had it's moments. It's obvious from the title that there are a lot of sexual elements to the movie, but in this day and age, most people are pretty numb toward movie nudity anyway, so I wouldn't consider it a big deal. Jason Mewes plays an interesting part, (considering he's pretty much been "Jay" from "Jay and Silent Bob" forever.) For all of it's perversion, it's a sweet movie, but I dunno if I'd watch it again.

Funny People: Oh my, this one had to have been my least favorite. In fact, it was awful. I love both Eric Bana and Jason Schwartzman, but Jason's character was embarrassingly effeminate, and you have to sit through an hour and a half before you see Mr. Bana in all of his Aussie splendor. Not only was it way too long, but the bits that were supposed to be funny, (ie the standup,) were inconsistent and, well, boring. Great cast, but bad writing! It almost felt like the audience was intruding, which had to be its only redeeming quality--it's realistic depiction of life. But in that sense, it worked better as a drama than it's suggested title.

The Hangover: Everyone I talked to raved about this movie, so I had a momentous comedy built up in my head when I sat down to watch it. I must say that the first half of the movie is hilarious! The main characters are all well written, and the whole idea of backtracking through a long night of partying is a pretty unique idea. It's worth watching to the end, if only for the picture reel during the credits. I was just a little disappointed once everything started coming together...And perhaps that sprung from the build up in my head, but I just felt it lost it's consistently funny moments after about an hour. But I'd watch it again!

I Love You Man: This one was suggested to me by a girlfriend, and I found it pretty humorous. The boyfriend's overall response was that it was "gay," I suppose because Paul Rudd goes on "man dates" throughout the movie, but I really didn't get a chick-flick vibe from it. In fact, I thought it was endearing. I particularly liked the way Rudd's character coined random phrases and words such as "totes my goats." It's a cute coming-of-age kinda story, and it definitely has some great moments.


Role Models: This one by far was my favorite! (And I was so surprised when I realized it was directed by none other than David Wain!) The movie was not only consistently funny, but it was a sweet story that revolved around more than just a typical romantic relationship. It was smart, humorous, and had a great cast, (including an awesome performance by Jane Lynch as a former cocaine junky-turned child advocate.) There are so many great subtle jokes in the movie, that you have to watch it a second time to catch everything. I highly recommend it!

On a side note: I thought it was awesome that Seth Rogen's character wore an "Upright Citizen's Brigade" shirt in Funny People, and then Matt Walsh from said show appeared in Role Models, as well as I Love You Man. Plus Reno 911!/The State actors made cameos in a few of the movies...It's neat to see actors that started out doing bizarre humor on the big screen.