Recently in Comedy pg.4 Category

Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo. Starring: Matt Dillon, Owen Wilson, Kate Hudson, Michael Douglas, Seth Rogen. Comedy/Romance. Synopsis: A newly married businessman deals with his new marriage, disapproving father in law who is also his boss at the same time he invites his immature lifelong buddy into his home.

You just look the cast for this one and know it should be good. Good actors, funny actors, and a story line with plots and subplots that almost anyone can identify with...if we haven't been there ourselves, we probably know someone who has.

The setup for the story line is fairly simple but brilliant in the way its used for our story. Owen Wilson and Matt Dillon (Crash) are life long best friends who know each other about as well as they know themselves. But, they are not two peas in a pod. No, sir. Matt Dillon's character is driven, serious, and moderately successful in his career. Most importantly, he is about to be married to the love of his life, Molly( Kate Hudson, The Skeleton Key) And, it just so happens that his boss (Michael Douglass) is her father.

Owen Wilson (Dupree, as you might guess) is a thirty-something going on 16 who places nothing above having a good time. After making his belated appearance in Hawaii for the wedding as his friend's best man, we soon find out that Dupree has been a little down on his luck. "Down on his luck" to the tune of being homeless, unemployed, and having no money. Not that this seems to worry him as much it would-say, me or you-but it is a slight issue for him.

Well, his best friend gets wind of this and tells his slightly surprised new wife that Dupree will be staying with them...just for a while. Well, as you might guess, the idea of a guy so dedicated to the bachelor lifestyle moving in with his best friend and his new bride gives us plenty of opportunity for laughs. The good thing is that, even though we have seen some of this and/or no what's coming, its still plays as funny and fresh and does not lapse into comedy cliche.

There is another layer in the film, too, and that is the growing tension between Matt Dillon and his father-in-law, Michael Douglass. Douglass is hilarious, one of those actors who can be very funny in his "straight" roles without overtly trying to be (see Al Pacino, Burt Reynolds). He is the super successful, wealthy businessman who just does not want to completely let go of his little girl....especially when he is not too particular about her choice of a man. In fact, it kind of seems that, believe it or not, he actually kind of likes Dupree (whose stay, as you knew from the minute he moved in, lasts more than a few days) a lot better.

And, of course, Dupree's lovable shenanigans coupled with his friend's growing paranoia lead to a kind of role reversal towards the end of the story. Nice touch. For a film like this to work, there needs to be a connection between the two best friends, and Dillon and Wilson do it well. You really like and empathize with both of them, because we all have a best friend. And, for us guys anyway, its likely that we have had at least one friend like Dupree...you know, the kind of buddy your mom or girlfriend or wife wasn't to happy to have around. Not because she didn't like him, but because he always has a way of dragging you into something.

Kate Hudson has the toughest job here. You know, the one staple character in any good comedy that is chock full of other zany and over the top characters while she seems to be the only one who has it all together. What makes this character tough is to do it and still add to the comedy and she does. Seth Rogen is a significant minor character, basically reprising a more economically viable version of his oversexed and hilarious character in the 40 Year Old Virgin. 

You, Me, & Dupree is one you won't want to miss if you are a fan of any of the four main actors or if you just want to laugh. So, I'd say give it a shot.

But that's your call. 

Directed by Mike Nichols. Starring John Travolta, Emma Thompson, Billy Bob Thornton, Kathy Bates, Adrian Lester, Maura Tierney, Larry Hagman, Diane Ladd, Tony Shalhoub, Paul Guilfoyle. Comedy/Drama/Political.  Synopsis: A governor from a small southern state makes an unlikely bid for the Presidency, but his public persona does not always match up with his private life.

I've seen this one several times, and I think it is the best use of a heavyweight laden ensemble cast that I have ever seen. As the politically astute among you might recall, the novel of the same name by "anonymous" (turned out to be well known political writer Joe Klein) caused quite a stir around Bill Clinton's Washington, D.C. in the mid 90's and, for reasons that I could never understand or take seriously, the filmmakers insisted on denying that President Clinton was the inspiration, in any way, for the film.

Uh, yeah, o.k. I also believed the officials from Hooters when they say their logo is just about the owl, nothing else. Anyway, getting back on tract, Primary Colors is the story of the campaign of governor Jack Stanton (John Travolta The General's Daughter)  who is making his run for the Presidency. We jump right into the-as you might guess from the title-primary season as the governor, his wife Susan (Emma Thompson Stranger Than Fiction), and his staff with newly hired Henry (Adrian Lester The Day After Tomorrow) land in New Hampshire for the beginning of the long road to the White House.

Right away, it seems that the gregarious and empathetic Stanton is not as wholesome as he appears to be and political aficionados will recognize all of the stories, true and otherwise, from came from the Clinton years: the womanizing, allegations of past drug use, suicide of a key long time supporter, allegation of a teen pregnancy, and so on. There is also the ability to make common folks feel so much a part of the campaign, the "he cares about people like me" thing that almost all successful candidates for office have.

But, don't make the mistake of thinking that this is strictly a political comedy...it is, but there is so much more elements of drama and really a reflection on what we as voters get from our politicians based on what we demand, I said before that it was wonderful use of an ensemble cast, but that does not take away from the brilliance of Thompson and Travolta. They both nailed their respective "Bill" and "Hillary" roles. Adrian Lester is more or less the eyepiece through which we see this happening and he is the only one in the film we root for the whole time.

Billy Bob Thornton (Chrystal, The Man Who Wasn't There) is brilliant as Richard, the unorthodox campaign genius who is a direct take off of the real James Carville. Likewise, Kathy Bates (Failure to Launch) does a great turn as the manic Libby, the most tragic character in the film. And, there is so much more talent, all put to good-if sometimes short-use: Allison Janney, Rob Reiner, Larry Hagman, Maura Tierney, Robert Klein, Mykelti Williamson, Gia Carides, and Paul Guilfoyle to name a few. Personally, my favorite star cameo was Tony Shalhoub (Monk) who is the source of Governor Stanton's deliverance from his most powerful rival in the primary season.

Quick moving, hard hitting, entertaining, and funny. If not for the heavy contemporary political overtones, you have to think this one might have been nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. It was that good.

But, that is just my opinion.  

This one is really, really funny. Not the slapstick or over the top humor, but the tongue in cheek kind of humor where you will find yourself chuckling thoughout the movie, only stopping to laugh out loud.

The plot is fairly intricate for a comedy, but when you have an ensemble cast this talented, it flows very nicely and is easy to follow. The story focuses on a group of middle and near middle age folks living in the D.C. area, who are-to some degree-dissatisfied with their current lot.

We first meet an arrogant CIA analyst (John Malkovich The Libertine) who hits the bottle too much and is in a marriage to a doctor (Tilda Swinton) that is short on love and long on irritation.Things immediately go downhill when he quits instead of taking a demotion, then somehow loses a computer disc containing information he was going to use to write a memoir.   

Into that breach come two employees (Frances McDormand Fargo, Brad Pitt Seven)  at an upper scale fitness center who happen upon the disc and decide, by golly, they are going to cash this ticket since McDormand's character has a serious hankering to pay for some cosmetic surgery.

And, of course, no comedy would be complete without the cad and, in this flick, its played by George Clooney (From Dusk 'Til Dawn) who loves the ladies, in addition to his wife, and two of his gal pals are, you guessed it, Tilda Swinton and Frances McDormand.

Suffice it to say, when the blackmail plan goes awry and cheating hubbys and wives are exposed, the plot thickens and its hilarious. What makes Burn After Reading work so well, as you would think, is the acting. Clooney, Malkovich, McDormand, and Swinton are all fantastic, all very funny in their understated way, though you will probably expect what you see from McDormand, an actor more associated with comedic roles than the others. Pitt deserves special mention, however. He is side splitting playing a less-than-astute geek, I challenge you to not laugh at any scene he's in when you see the flick. 

I also liked the fact that the film was not afraid to portray these characters, including two of the bigger hearthrobs of the past decade or so, as vulnerable, not so tough, not so smart, and therefore, easy to laugh at and with. I also need to say how refreshing it was to see 40 something leading men paired with 40 something leading ladies, something you don't see as often as you'd think as big Hollywood films look for the hot 23 year old to pair opposite 70 something Sean Connery 60 something Michael Douglas. 

So, those of you who might go into this one thinking your primary reward might be some Clooney/Pitt beefcake, you'll be disappointed, though Pitt does look like someone who works in a fitness center. Just understand that this movie is not about eye candy.

The heavyweight big name stars are not the only ones who deliver, either. Richard Jenkins (Stepbrothers) is good as the manager of the fitness center who just can't seem to get McDormand's attention and J.K. Simmons (Spiderman) is hilarious as the mysterious CIA big wig who simply reacts to the circus of events that unfold with the missing disc.

This film is hard to briefly describe, but trust me, if you like any of these excellent actors and you don't need over the top slapstick or bodily function humor to make you laugh, I can pretty much guarantee you'll like Burn After Reading.    

Directed by Richard Shepard. Starring Pierce Brosnan, Greg Kinnear, Hope Davis, Phillip Baker Hall. Comedy.  Synopsis: A burned out hit man on the last legs of his career meets a businessman still grieving over a personal loss and business setback. They strike up an unusual partnership and end up helping each other.

The Matador is the kind of dark humor film that so many of us often prefer to slapstick comedy. It tells the story of a burned out hit man named Julian Noble (Pierce Brosnan) who has a chance meeting in a Mexico bar while on "assignment" with a Denver businessman named Danny Wright (Greg Kinnear) who is south of the border trying to turn his business fortunes around by snaring a big client.

After a very interesting first couple of drinks, the two find themselves hanging out together in Mexico City, with Danny not knowing exactly what it is that Julian does. Julian tells him at a bull fight, hence the title of the film, I guess. The scene shifts back to Denver months in the future with Danny and his wife (Hope Davis) getting ready to celebrate Christmas when there is a  knock on the door from you-know-who.

The story then goes into the inevitable: Danny reluctantly helping Julian with his "last job". I'm not a huge Pierce Brosnan fan, but I've seen enough of him to appreciate what a very different role this is for him. Forgot the suave, debonair James Bond thing here, folks. Brosnan plays his character just like you might expect a big money hit man to be: gruff, profane, worldly, and coarse. Is he funny? Yes, he is, and I think that having an actor with the image of Brosnan in this role helps make it funny.

Greg Kinnear is the effective "straight man" for the film, and he is completely believable as a businessman trying to make his company go. Hope Davis was hilarious as Danny's supportive wife, the scene with the three of them in the living room is the funniest of the film, with Davis asking to see Julian's gun.

You'll also catch a small but important supporting role from Phillip Baker Hall in this one. He's one of those guys who is funniest when not playing a comedic role. The story is a little far fetched, of course, and on the surface you would wonder how we're supposed to buy the bond that develops between these two guys. But, they did a good job early in the film of showing just how alone Julian is, as he, after being reminded that it is his birthday, spends the evening in a drunken frame of mind as he desperately tries to call a friend to talk to...and realizes that he doesn't really have any. For a guy like that, meeting your new best buddy in a hotel bar over a couple of margaritas is entirely possible.

I think the biggest draw in this film is Brosnan. Fans of his will want to see him, no matter what, and take stock of him in such a different role. The film was o.k. as far as I was concerned. One of those flicks, in my opinion,  that you are not sorry you rented/bought, but you wouldn't tell somebody that there is anything that they just have to see.

I'm real interested to hear what hard core Brosnan fans thought about it. 

Directed by Aaron Seltzer. Starring: Alyson Hanigan, Adam Campbell, Tony Cox, Eddie Griffin, Fred Willard, Sophie Monk, Tony Cox, Carmen Electra.Comedy Synopsis: A comedic spoof of some popular romantic comedies, with the previously ugly duckling waitress in a Greek restaurant being transformed into an attractive woman to catch the man of her dreams, with some stiff competition from her boyfriend's ex-fiancée.

This is a film that many people are not going to like, and it is important that, before you see/buy/rent it, you realize what you are getting yourself into. I was drawn to it since it came from some of the writers of the Scary Movie franchise, which I think is hilarious. Date Movie is not nearly up to par with spoof movies such as that, or the Naked Gun movies. However, it does deliver some laughs, as well as some crude attempts at humor that just don't fill the bill.

Look, aside from hormone driven 15 year old boys, we should understand that the type of humor we are going to see here is of the variety that, if it makes us laugh, we will feel a little bit guilty at some level. Understanding that, I must say that Date Movie is not as good in its own spoof genre as I expected it to be, and the biggest reason may be that, unlike Scary Movie, it is mostly spoofing movies that were already funny. So, if the spoof is not funnier than the original scene, it suffers even more than it normally would have. If the spoof is not funny at all, then we've got serious problems.

I can say that I think there are some laughs in this film for most people that are familiar with the movies or parts of popular culture that are being spoofed. I picked up spoofs and/or homage to the following films in Date Movie, and by no means is this list supposed to be complete, since there are things I'm sure I missed. My Big Fat Greek Wedding, The Wedding Planner, When Harry Met Sally, Say Anything, Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers, Bridget Jones Diary, King Kong, Kill Bill, Hitch, My Best Friend's Wedding, Lord of the Rings, There's Something About Mary, The Sopranos, The Bachelor, and Michael Jackson.

The other main problem with this film is that there is not really a story of its own, it simply goes from scene to scene, trying to spoof or pay homage to scenes from other movies or TV. The basic storyline is that of grossly overweight Julia Jones (Alyson Hanagan) who is stuck working for her father (Eddie Griffin Undercover Brother) in their Greek restaurant, and yearns to win the affections of the man of her dreams (Adam Campbell). She undergoes a radical transformation after seeing relationship specialist Hitch (Tony Cox) and is well on her way to happiness and potential marriage until her boyfriend's ex-fiancée, Andy (Sophie Monk) comes into the picture as the "Best Man" in the wedding. Sound ridiculous so far? Well, it is, and there is a good bit of crude humor along the way.

Frankly, I don't understand the "gross out" humor, e.g. toilet scenes, noises from bodily functions, and consumption of inedible things (in this movie chest hair) for laughs. Yeah, those things may have been funny as hell in the fifth grade (and even then, not to everyone), but c'mon, haven't we grown up a little since then?

On the other hand, it will be hard not to laugh at most of Eddie Griffin's antics, or the hilarious portrayal of the Barbra Streisand character during the meeting of Julia's soon to be in-laws. And Hanigan shows she can act, easily the best acting performance in the film.

Unfortunately, a comedic talent as good as Fred Willard could have been put to more and better use as well, and Carmen Electra fans should be forewarned that she only appears in the last minute of the movie.

All in all, you should know what you are getting into when you choose to watch this film. It's not as funny as some others of its unique and narrow genre but, if you are not above laughing at things or people when you know you shouldn't, you'll get a handful of guffaws in this one. And that's pretty much it.