Live! From New York........
Sep 05 '01
The Bottom Line ........It's The 10 Best Comedy Films from the cast of Saturday Night Live!
Figured I'd do a list with a twist, and here it ist! The 10 Best Comedies from Saturday Night Live cast members. You'd expect such a comedic institution as SNL to produce a lot of talented comedians, and you'd be right. Here are my favorites, from past and present cast members - (as usual - in no particular order - just casually presented for your leisurely perusal)
Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999) -R
Starring Rob Schneider and featuring Norm McDonald in a very brief cameo appearance. This is a thoroughly enjoyable 'geek-makes-good' movie. Schneider is a pool-cleaner who becomes a gigolo out of necessity, and along the way helps, heals, and finds true love.
Lots of gutter humour, foul language, and sexual content and innuendo are in the mix, but it is all done with an affectionate and truly funny flair that will have you laughing out loud at the misadventures of this fledgling 'man-ho'.
Wayne's World (1992) -PG13
This is the classic bit by Mike Myers and Dana Carvey spun out very successfully to feature-film length. Wayne and Garth are underground sensations discovered by the big studios, and they fight to remain true to themselves and their fans. This film has so many classic scenes that it is hard to pick a favorite, but if I had to, I would choose the sing-along to Queen's classic hit; 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. A lot of very funny material, and this is also the film that helped to rehabilitate the career of Rob 'I like 'em young' Lowe, who plays a manipulative producer.
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) -PG13
Here, we find Mike Myers enjoying huge success with this spoof of the classic spy-film genre. Will Ferrell appears as 'Mustafa', but this is really Mike Myers' show. His Austin Powers character battles Dr. Evil. Myers plays both characters, and reaches new levels of criminal stupidity as Dr Evil! Good fun. Elizabeth Hurley represents his partner/love interest in this film, and that alone is one good reason why any man with a pulse should see this film!
Caddyshack (1980) -PG
This movie features Bill Murray and Chevy Chase in one of the funniest movies ever about one of the most boring sports in existence! Also featuring Ted Knight and Rodney Dangerfield, it's a classic match-up with the 'Haves' going up against the 'Have-nots'. Bill Murray is brilliant as a deranged grounds-keeper. Puerile, silly humour is the rule and these guys take it to the limit. Think of it as 'Airplane', or 'Major League' but on a golf course.
The Jerk (1979) -R
This is, without a doubt, the funniest movie that Steve Martin has EVER made. Also features Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner, Bernadette Peters, and Mabel King. Steve Martin plays Navin Johnson, a white guy adopted at a young age by a black family. Navin isn't the most intellectually-gifted person on the planet, but he means well, and has a driving ambition to succeed. He leaves home, finds love, fame and fortune, loses it all, and ends up back at home with his family. Navin's misadventures are brilliantly conceived and played, and this is a definite comedy classic.
48 Hours (1982) -R
Was it really so long ago?! This was the breakout film for a younger, much funnier Eddie Murphy than the one we have to endure nowadays. This version of Eddie Murphy was raw, brash, and willing to take chances with risky/risque material. Nowadays, all we get is 'The Nutty Professor, Part 23', or crap like 'Dr. Doolittle'. Of course, he doesn't have to push the envelope much anymore - he's more content to just pick up a paycheck for garbage comedies that will never match up to his earlier films.
In 48 Hours, he plays Reggie Hammond, a convict sprung temporarily by a cop (Nick Nolte) to help him find a cop-killer who is on the loose. Murphy and Nolte are a good pairing and work well on the screen. Their chemistry is effortless, the comedy is scathing, and it is still hard to believe that this was Murphy's first film.
Trading Places (1983) -R
Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd star in this 'reversal of fortunes' type comedy. The lives of two young men from vastly differing backgrounds are manipulated by two old tycoons, who drop their Ivy league nephew into the life of a street hustler, and vice versa. The two eventually figure things out, and cook up their own plot to get even with the old coots. James Belushi makes a brief appearance, as do Al Franken and Tom Davis.
Dogma (1999) -R
Kevin Smith directed, and appears in this film that raised the hackles of religious intolerants everywhere. It has been accused of being anti-Catholic, anti-Christian, and anti-'good taste'. Well, the only one that I think is true is the 'good taste' angle. You want 'good taste'? Rent a Sandra Bullock flick. If you want a hilarious exploration into the sometimes self-contradictory world of the Catholic faith, then check out 'Dogma'.
By the way, Mrs.Britguy is a Catholic herself, and she greatly enjoyed this film (not just because Matt Damon is in it!).
This film makes the list due to the fact that both Chris Rock and Janeane Garofalo have good parts to play. Other actors of note include: Alan Rickman, George Carlin, Ben Affleck, Salma Hayek, and Linda Fiorentino. It's not so much a satire of the Catholic faith, as it is an affectionate nitpick at some of the more trivial issues that the church itself has with things, and that it's followers and detractors have with it. I suspect that casting George Carlin as a cardinal, and Alanis Morrisette as God were probably the two things that most upset the watchdogs over at Catholic headquarters.
A Night At The Roxbury (1998) -PG13
SNL regulars Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan get to strut their braindead stuff in this light comedy that centers on the trivial short-term goals of two moronic brothers who just want to party every day (and night!), to the consternation of their father who wants them to grow up and get with the real world. Molly Shannon also appears.
Big Daddy (1999) -PG13
While I normally hate Adam Sandler, and every film he's been in, I actually enjoyed and laughed along with this one. It's lowbrow barroom humour for the most part, but for a change, Sandler does it well. He even manages to elicit sympathy in his quest to adopt his roommate's illegitimate son. Mixed in with the barroom humour, there is a heavy sprinkling of toilet humour, Sandler's strong suit, it would appear.
It's a semi-cute, foul-mouthed, not-too-bad comedy.
Honorable Mentions:
The Blues Brothers(Dan Aykroyd & John Belushi)
Ghostbusters(Dan Aykroyd & Bill Murray)
Scary Movie (Cheri Oteri)
1941 (John Belushi, Michael McKean, and Dan Aykroyd)
Boomerang (Eddie Murphy & Chris Rock)
Memoirs of an Invisible Man (Chevy Chase & Michael McKean)
National Lampoon's Vacation (Chevy Chase & Randy Quaid)
Stripes (Bill Murray).
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Epinions.com ID:
britguy
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Member: Ken
Location: Yonkers,New York
Reviews written: 52
Trusted by: 30 members
About Me:
Raised in England
Living in America
Wife and 2 kids
Lab Technologist and Photographer
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