More Underrated Comedies to Add to Your Queue (Vol. 7)

Published by Interrobang Staff at November 17, 2015

SMALLER COMEDIES ADD TO YOUR QUEUE

You’ve seen the blockbusters, and all the Oscar contenders, but you still are looking for something to watch. Maybe something you missed. There are so many films that didn’t make a big splash, earn a lot of money or garner a lot of awards, or maybe don’t get quoted by your friends, but they are worthy of being at the top of your queue. Ten smaller comedies that definitely worth watching. And as always, more to come.

The Big Picture (1989)

This is the forgotten Chris Guest comedy simply because it’s scripted and not an improv. It may be Martin Short’s best movie role and a much better parody of the ruthless Hollywood machine than Guest’s 2006 film For Your Consideration.

Head Office (1985)

Can it be considered a great comedy if the third act completely goes off the rails? Ummmmm …sure. There are so many great comedy characters in this blast of Ronald Reagan’s corporate America that unfortunately rings true today. Micheal O’Donoghue, Rick Moranis, Bruce Wagner, and Wallace Shawn all shine.

The Party (1968)

When people think of Peter Sellers’ best comedic roles, Pink Panther and Dr. Strangelove always seem to come up first, but one of his most hilarious performances was in the incredibly funny and very overlooked 1968 Blake Edwards film, The Party. This is a comedy movie that could never be made today considering its broad stroke Indian stereotypes, yet some how it remains timeless in its humor. The film relies heavily on Sellers genius improvisation and an almost silent film style slapstick. Though often overlooked, The Party is simply of a fall out funny masterpiece.

The Girl Next Door (2004)

The Girl Next Door, would have been easy to dismiss; another early aughts teen comedy movie with a hot girl on the poster. If you were lucky enough to stumble across the movie you would have been in for a very pleasant surprise. With a somewhat scandalous plot for a teen movie about a high school student who falls in love with a former porn star, the humor takes it farther than the easy jokes and has stand out comedy performances from Timothy Olyphant, Paul Dano, and Emile Hirsch.

Club Dread (2004)

Everyone knows The Broken Lizard guys and their big hit, Super Troopers. But their follow up film, Club Dread, is seriously underrated. Easily their best film outside of Super Troopers, Club Dread was an absurd farce turned comedic slasher film using the back drop of a Club Med type vacation getaway. All slasher film tropes show up along with a hysterical performance by Bill Paxton as Coconut Pete, a Jimmy Buffet rip off with hits like Pinacoladaberg and Ponytails, Cocktails. Though it’s really hard to tell which are parodies and what could really be Buffet songs.

Matinee (1993)

This is a John Goodman film all of his fans should, but a lot haven’t. Goodman plays a film maker/promoter/carnie who takes advantage of the fear around the Cuban Missile Crisis in Key West to open his new film, MANT – featuring a half man/half ant monster. Goodman carries the whole film as the over the top and brilliant Lawrence Woolsey. It’s also a perfect send up of the B-movies of the 1950’s and the gimmicks like 3-D that began in those days to try and get people into the theater. Except Woolsey used “Atomo-Vision” and “Rumble-Rama”.

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2010)

This is the funniest horror-comedy you’ve never heard of. Tucker & Dale is a lower-budget comedy that was written and directed by Eli Craig. What sells it is both the fact that the main characters are genuinely likable and originality of the plot. Maybe the killers in the movies aren’t actually bad guys? Maybe their just misunderstood? Those are the questions that center around Tucker & Dale vs. Evil. The movie is more of a one note comedy, but it’s a very funny note, and takes the often poorly executed horror-comedy genre in a completely new direction.

The Trouble with Harry (1955)

One of the most underrated comedies was directed by someone who didn’t even focus on comedy films. Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense, directed The Trouble with Harry, where four characters in a small Vermont town each mistakenly think that they are responsible for a death, when they find the dead body of a man named Harry. The four band together to decide what to do with the corpse in a film that has a great concept, well-executed, and really funny. If Mel Brooks or the Marx Brothers had made this comedy, it would have been considered a classic. Instead, it’s a fun, mostly-forgotten comedy.

Back To School (1986)

The comedy is appreciated by Rodney fans, but it should be must-see viewing for anyone who calls themselves a fan of comedy. This film should be quoted more than Anchorman, Borat, or Ferris Bueller. Rodney Dangerfield’s funniest movie — and that includes Caddyshack — features one of the funniest comics ever at his peak. Countless funny lines and classic scenes from Rodney’s Thornton Mellon character. CEO of the company Tall & Fat, competing in a high-diving contest, hiring a team to complete his homework like he’s running a Fortune 500 company, Rodney is hilarious in every scene as a college student who enrolls to keep his son in school. The movie also has incredibly funny performances from Sam Kinison, Burt Young, Robert Downey Jr., and even a cameo from Kurt Vonnegut. One of the best.

What We Do In The Shadows (2014)

Vampire movie seem to be cyclical in American culture. The pattern follows this basic timeline – new find appreciation for vampires, over-saturation on the market of said vampires, and finally, parody vampire movies. For this current cycle the World has finally nailed the last mark with “What We Do In The Shadows”. This very clever parody film shows the concerns of the everyday vamp may have, which is more than just steaks in the heart and sunlight. Who pays the rent each? What if one of the flatmates won’t do their chores? Vampires have it pretty tough too, you know. The movie was shot on a shoe-string budget and written by brilliant the New Zealand comedy duo of Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement (of Flight of The Concords). It flies under most peoples radar, but completely worth the viewing.

Read about more Underrated Comedy Movies in the first edition of Add It To Your Queue: The Comedies featuring Kung Pow Enter the Fist, Run Ronnie Run and More!

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