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Little Miss Sunshine
Release Date: 2006-12-19
Sales rank: 208
Despite their individual problems and disappointments, the Hoovers decide to support young daughter Olive's dream of competing in a California beauty pageant.
Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: R
Release Date: 5-FEB-2007
Media Type: DVDPile together a blue-ribbon cast, a screenplay high in quirkiness, and the Sundance stamp of approval, and you've got yourself a crossover indie hit. That formula worked for Little Miss Sunshine, a frequently hilarious study of family dysfunction. Meet the Hoovers, an Albuquerque clan riddled with depression, hostility, and the tattered remnants of the American Dream; despite their flakiness, they manage to pile into a VW van for a weekend trek to L.A. in order to get moppet daughter Olive (Abigail Breslin) into the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant. Much of the pleasure of this journey comes from watching some skillful comic actors doing their thing: Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette as the parents (he's hoping to become a self-help authority), Alan Arkin as a grandfather all too willing to give uproariously inappropriate advice to a sullen teenage grandson (Paul Dano), and a subdued Steve Carell as a jilted gay professor on the verge of suicide. The film is a crowd-pleaser, and if anything is a little too eager to bend itself in the direction of quirk-loving Sundance audiences; it can feel forced. But the breezy momentum and the ingenious actors help push the material over any bumps in the road.-- Robert Horton
Beyond Little Miss Sunshine 
More Dysfunctional Family Comedies | 
More films from the stars of Little Miss Sunshine | 
More Independent Films Turned Sleeper Hits | Stills from Little Miss Sunshine |
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It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Release Date: 2003-10-07
Sales rank: 448
Spencer Tracy heads a hilariously zany cast that stars Hollywood's greatest comedians (Milton Berle Sid Caesar Buddy Hackett Ethel Merman Mickey Rooney Dick Shawn Phil Silvers Terry-Thomas and Jonathan Winters) and features cameo appearances by every joker and jester in the business from Don Knotts and Jerry Lewis to The Three Stooges. Nominated* for 6 Oscars® It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World is "an explosive motion picture experience" (Variety)!On a winding desert highway eight vacation-bound motorists share an experience that alters their plans and their lives! After a mysterious stranger divulges the location of a stolen fortune they each speed off in a mind-bending car-bashing race for the loot and the most side-splitting laughfest in history.*1963: Sound Effects (won) Cinematography Sound Song Score Film Editing.System Requirements:Running Time: 154 Min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: G UPC: 027616902740 Manufacturer No: 1006051Stanley Kramer's sprawling 1963 comedy about a search for buried treasure by at least a dozen people--all played by well-known entertainers of their day--is the kind of mass comedy that Hollywood hasn't made in many years. (Another example from around the same time is Blake Edwards's The Great Race.) After a number of strangers (including Milton Berle, Jonathan Winters, Sid Caesar, Phil Silvers, and others) witness a dying stranger (Jimmy Durante) identify the location of hidden money, a conflict-ridden hunt begins, watched over carefully by a suspicious cop (Spencer Tracy). The ensuing two and a half hours of mayhem has its ups and downs--some bits and performers are certainly funnier than others. But Kramer, who is better known for socially conscious, serious cinema (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?), is in a mood for broad comic characterization, and some of his jokes are so intentionally obvious (Durante literally kicks a bucket when he dies), they'd have a place in Airplane! Watch for lots of cameo appearances, including Jerry Lewis (who had called Kramer and asked him why he hadn't been invited to participate). --Tom Keogh |
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The Birdcage
Release Date: 1997-03-26
Sales rank: 555
Lies and deception -- its all in the family when Robin Williams must convince conservative in-laws Gene Hackman and Dianne Wiest that he is as upstanding and uptight as they are in this raucously funny comedy. Armand (Williams) and Albert (Nathan Lane) have built the perfect life for themselves tending to their successful and gaudy nightclub on the Miami strip. But their pastel tranquility is suddenly shaken by the arrival of Armands son... who is getting married to the daughter of ultra-conservative Senator Keeley (Hackman). Whats more the Senator and his wife (Wiest) are on the way over for dinner and expecting to meet Mr. and Mrs. Family Values!Starring: Robin Williams Gene Hackman Nathan Lane Diane Wiest Dan Futterman Calista Flockhart Hank AzariaDirector: Mike NicholsProduced by Mike Nichols Marcello Danon written by Elaine May; running time of 119 minutes; Closed Captioned. Copyright: 1996 MGM/UASystem Requirements:Interactive Menus Theatrical Trailer Video Format: Widescreen (no AR specified) Enhanced for 16x9 TVs Subtitles: English Spanish and French Track Info: English: Dolby Digital Surround Spanish: Dolby Digital Surround French: Dolby Digital SurroundFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: R UPC: 027616603395 Manufacturer No: M100538The great improvisational comedy team of Mike Nichols and Elaine May reunited to (respectively) direct and write this update of the French comedy La Cage Aux Folles. Robin Williams stars as a gay Miami nightclub owner who is forced to play it straight and ask his drag-queen partner (Nathan Lane) to hide out when Williams's son invites his prospective--and highly conservative--in-laws and fiancée to a meet-and-greet dinner party. Gene Hackman and Dianne Wiest play the straight-laced senator and his wife, and Calista Flockhart (from television's Ally McBeal) plays their daughter in a culture-clash with outrageous consequences. May's witty screenplay incorporates some pointed observations about the political landscape of the 1990s and takes a sensitive approach to the comedy's underlying drama. Topping off the action is Hank Azaria in a scene-stealing role as Williams's and Lane's flamboyant housekeeper, "Agador Spartacus." --Jeff Shannon |
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Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Special Edition)
Release Date: 2001-10-23
Sales rank: 608
Monty Python And The Holy Grail is a hilarious send-up of the Middle Ages as told through the story of King Arthur and framed by a modern-day murder investigation.This two-disc special edition includes a widescreen presentation of the film along with commentaries by directors Terry Gilliam & Terry Jones behind-the-scenes photos you've never seen before and much more!Bonus Features:Disc One: On-Screen Screenplay: Read The Screenplay While You Watch The Film Enlightening Commentaries by Terry Gilliam & Terry Jones Plus General Complaints and Back-Biting by John Cleese Eric Idle & Michael Palin Extraordinary Animated Menus Scene Selection Exciting "Follow The Killer Rabbit" FeatureDisc Two: Three Mindless Sing-Alongs Join Michael Palin and Terry Jones in their Special Documentary: The Quest For The Holy Grail Locations How To Use Your Coconuts (An Educational Film) Monty Python And The Holy Grail In Lego! "On Location with The Pythons" (18 min.) An Interactive Cast Directory Tons of Terry Gilliam's Original Sketches Plus Posters Behind-The-Scenes Photos A Load Of Rubbish - A Surprise Package of Mystery Items Specially Included for the Mentally Challenged. Unused Locations! How The Directors' Recce Used Up The Budget! Theatrical Trailers WeblinksSystem Requirements:Starring: Graham Chapman John Cleese Terry Gilliam Eric Idle Terry Jones and Michael Palin. Directed By: Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones. Running Time: 89 Min. Color. This film is presented in "Widescreen" format. Copyright 2001 Columbia TriStar.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: PG UPC: 043396052765 Manufacturer No: 05276Could this be the funniest movie ever made? By any rational measure of comedy, this medieval romp from the Monty Python troupe certainly belongs on the short list of candidates. According to Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide, it's "recommended for fans only," but we say hogwash to that--you could be a complete newcomer to the Python phenomenon and still find this send-up of the Arthurian legend to be wet-your-pants hilarious. It's basically a series of sketches woven together as King Arthur's quest for the Holy Grail, with Graham Chapman as the King, Terry Gilliam as his simpleton sidekick Patsy, and the rest of the Python gang filling out a variety of outrageous roles. The comedy highlights are too numerous to mention, but once you've seen Arthur's outrageously bloody encounter with the ominous Black Knight (John Cleese), you'll know that nothing's sacred in the Python school of comedy. From holy hand grenades to killer bunnies to the absurdity of the three-headed knights who say "Ni--!," this is the kind of movie that will strike you as fantastically funny or just plain silly, but why stop there? It's all over the map, and the pace lags a bit here and there, but for every throwaway gag the Pythons have invented, there's a bit of subtle business or grand-scale insanity that's utterly inspired. The sum of this madness is a movie that's beloved by anyone with a pulse and an irreverent sense of humor. If this movie doesn't make you laugh, you're almost certainly dead. --Jeff Shannon |
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9 to 5 - Sexist, Egotistical, Lying Hypocritical Bigot Edition - Widescreen
Release Date: 2006-04-04
Sales rank: 1357
In this witty satirical farce secretaries Dolly Parton Jane Fonda and office manager Lily Tomlin live every female worker's dream after discovering they share the same resentment towards their egotistical sexist boss (Dabney Coleman). When they get an unexpected chance to take revenge they turn their male controlled workplace into a modle office - even as their scheme spins wildly out of control.Episodes-Bonus Features:Feature - Pan Scan and Widescreen format available.Inside LookCommentary by Producer Bruce Gilbert and actors Jane Fonda Dolly Parton and Dabney ColemanNine @ 25 Featurette10 Deleted ScenesRemembering Collin HigginsGag ReelSinging Nine to Five KaraokeOriginal Theatrical TrailerSystem Requirements:Running Time 110 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: PG UPC: 024543231523 Manufacturer No: 2233152With a nod to Preston Sturges's classic dark comedy Unfaithfully Yours (about a man who fantasizes about murdering his possibly philandering wife), this 1980 cotton-candy-feminist-vendetta film concerns a monstrous boss (Dabney Coleman) whose more capable underlings dream of ways of punishing him. That much of the film is particularly fun, but the rest of it descends into silliness when the women stumble onto a real-life opportunity to teach him a lesson. Fonda, the biggest star in the film at the time, takes a back seat to Parton's and Tomlin's showier roles. Written and directed by the late Colin Higgins (who made a lot of people happy in the '70s with his script for the beloved Harold and Maude). --Tom Keogh On the DVD
What's on the "Sexist, Egotistical, Lying Hypocritical Bigot Edition" DVD of one of the more enduring comedies of the 1980s? The cast were obviously delighted for the opportunity to travel down memory lane, providing a commentary. Dolly Parton and Lily Tomlin recorded their bits in one city while Jane Fonda recorded hers simultaneously in another city, as they watched the movie again together. The three leads--one, Parton, a rookie actress--made for a well-balanced comedic team whose friendship has endured off-screen for 25 years, a friendship that comes across in their banter. A "Nine At 25" featurette finds the cast and producer dishing such tidbits as the fact Parton came to the set having memorized the entire script, everyone else's parts included. A "9 to 5" karaoke feature may entertain depending on how many drinks one has had at the office party, but the words don't always seem in sync with the music. To celebrate the release of this edition of 9 to 5, the cast, sans Dabney Coleman, reunited in Los Angeles for a party in which Dolly sang the theme song, memories were shared, and actresses dressed as '80s office workers acted busy in cubicles and reception desks. The Cast of 9 to 5 Celebrate 25 Years of Sticking It to the Boss (click for larger image) |
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Super Troopers
Release Date: 2002-08-06
Sales rank: 818
Always looking for action, five over-enthusiastic, but under-stimulated Vermont State Troopers raise hell on the highway, keeping motorists anxiously looking in their rear view mirrors. Between an ongoing feud with the local cops over whose you-know-what is bigger and the state government wanting to shut them down, the Super Troopers find themselves patrolling the boundaries of good taste as they hilariously and unwittingly skid towards solving the crime of their lives.The fine art of handing out a freeway speeding ticket gets a deviously funny twist in this smart-alecky farce written and performed by the comedy troop Broken Lizard (consisting of Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske). These pranksters in patrol cars (led by their long-suffering commander Brian Cox) are little more than overgrown frat boys in a campus rivalry with the brawling Vermont bullies of the local police force, and they know how to have fun on the highway patrol. This skit-like collection of comic moments clumps from one scene to another like a variety show, but the gags are more hit than miss, thanks largely to terrific ensemble work and inspired motorist mind games. With a nod to such 1970s comedies as Animal House and Caddyshack, this "boys in blue just wanna have fun" farce is hardly sophisticated, just clever, raucous fun. --Sean Axmaker |
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Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Release Date: 2001-12-04
Sales rank: 989
One s got a sophisticated suave and debonair con act. The other s got...well an act. Together Steve Martin and Michael Caine are Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and they re absolutely ruining the Riviera in this hilarious battle of wits and double-crosses (Boxoffice) that couldn t be more delightful (The Wall Street Journal)! Martin is Freddy Benson a small-time con man sleazing his way through Europe on whatever handouts he can scam. Caine is Lawrence Jamieson an impeccably dressed and high-minded artiste who thinks Freddy is giving him -- and all con men -- a bad name. At first Lawrence agrees to help Freddy spruce up his talents and his wardrobe. But when it becomes apparent that the Riviera isn t big enough for the both of them they make a winner-take-all wager over the fortunes of a naive American soap heiress (Glenne Headly): The first one to clean her out can make the other clear out -- and keep the Riviera and its unsuspecting tourists to himself!Special Features:Audio Commentary with Director Frank Oz Behind-The-Scenes FeaturetteTeaser TrailerOriginal Theatrical TrailerSystem Requirements: Running Time 110 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: PG UPC: 027616869272 Manufacturer No: 1002729Freddy Benson (Steve Martin) is a crass, loud American. Laurence Jameson (Michael Caine) is a suave, urbane European. Their common ground is that they both are confidence men, and they meet in a train compartment as Benson is scamming his way across Europe, taking advantage of women's generosity. The two are forced into a rivalry, which culminates in a wager to see who can be the first to bilk $50,000 out of American heiress Janet Colgate (Glenne Headly). Their game of one-upmanship is, of course, brought to ridiculous heights as things progress. Written by Paul Henning (the mind behind such TV shows as Green Acres and The Beverly Hillbillies), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is an uneven but funny mix of Martin's physical comedy and Caine's oily charms. Martin's first role as cohort is to assume the persona of Ruprecht, the "special" younger brother intended to scare off potential brides. As Ruprecht, he comes off as a cross between The Andy Griffith Show's Ernest T. Bass and Jerry Lewis; hilarious as it is, it doesn't quite fit with the rest of the film. Once the wager is on, though, Martin slips into his overly earnest mode as an American military man suffering from hysterical paralysis, with Caine as a psychologist who takes on his case. All in all, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (a loose remake of the 1964 film Bedtime Story with David Niven and Marlon Brando) is a droll, intelligent comedy, short on knee slappers but long on comic situations and characterizations. --Jerry Renshaw |
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Arsenic and Old Lace
Release Date: 2000-08-29
Sales rank: 252
You'll die laughing! Frank Capra directs Cary Grant, Raymond Massey, Peter Lorre and stellar cast in the hit Broadway farce about a nutcase family with well-intentioned homicidal tendencies.Frank Capra made this film in 1941 before he went off to make films for America's war effort, but it wasn't released until 1944. Adapted from the hit play by Joseph Kesselring, this frantic black comedy shows Capra at his best as a master of mood and timing. Actresses Josephine Hull and Jean Adair reprise their Broadway performances as two gentle old ladies who poison men with elderberry wine to put them out of their misery. Cary Grant plays one nephew, a normal guy who just gets wind of their little hobby and tries to get them to stop, while Raymond Massey plays another, a villain just escaped from jail. Capra encourages the cast, especially Grant, to give a somewhat more outsized performance than one might expect. But made during the war years as it was, this overstated comic approach to killing was probably cathartic. --Tom Keogh |
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Some Like It Hot
Release Date: 2001-05-22
Sales rank: 1289
When Chicago musicians Joe and Jerry witness a gangland murder they realize that their only escape is to dress as women and join an all-girls band on the way to a tour of Florida.
Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: NR
Release Date: 22-MAY-2001
Media Type: DVDMaybe "nobody's perfect," as one character in this masterpiece suggests. But some movies are perfect, and Some Like It Hot is one of them. In Chicago, during the Prohibition era, two skirt-chasing musicians, Joe and Jerry (Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon), inadvertently witness the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. In order to escape the wrath of gangland chief Spats Colombo (George Raft), the boys, in drag, join an all-woman band headed for Florida. They vie for the attention of the lead singer, Sugar Kane (Marilyn Monroe), a much-disappointed songbird who warbles "I'm Through with Love" but remains vulnerable to yet another unreliable saxophone player. (When Curtis courts her without his dress, he adopts the voice of Cary Grant--a spot-on impersonation.) The script by director Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond is beautifully measured; everything works, like a flawless clock. Aspiring screenwriters would be well advised to throw away the how-to books and simply study this film. The bulk of the slapstick is handled by an unhinged Lemmon and the razor-sharp Joe E. Brown, who plays a horny retiree smitten by Jerry's feminine charms. For all the gags, the film is also wonderfully romantic, as Wilder indulges in just the right amounts of moonlight and the lilting melody of "Park Avenue Fantasy." Some Like It Hot is so delightfully fizzy, it's hard to believe the shooting of the film was a headache, with an unhappy Monroe on her worst behavior. The results, however, are sublime. --Robert Horton |
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Old School (Widescreen Unrated Edition)
Release Date: 2003-06-10
Sales rank: 1487
Three men, bored with their lives, try to regain the joy of their college days by starting their own fraternity.
Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: UN
Release Date: 14-FEB-2006
Media Type: DVDWhen three thirtysomething friends with woman troubles (Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, and Vince Vaughn) decide to form a fraternity, it's supposedly to save Wilson from losing his house, which the nearby college is trying to claim for academic purposes. But really, Ferrell and Vaughn are desperate to return to the reckless, feckless days of beer bongs and hot chicks, and they drag Wilson along with them as they throw themselves into gathering frat pledges of all ages. Old School could have been just another string of bad jokes hanging on a flimsy plot, but the script and the cast have a jovial energy and just enough grounding in reality--at least, up until the obligatory beat-the-system ending, but by that point you'll forgive the excesses of this silly, cheerful, and frequently funny movie. Featuring Jeremy Piven and Juliette Lewis, with cameos by Snoop Dog, Andy Dick, and others. --Bret Fetzer |
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