Top Comedy Movies of 2005

1. The 40-Year-Old Virgin

It is only a slight exaggeration to say this is the movie that brought comedy movies to where it is now. Judd Apatow and the associated actors have their hands in virtually every cookie jar these days and [along with Anchorman] it all started with this hilarious star-maker for Steve Carell. The interesting part about this movie is how it manages to have as much heart as it does despite the premise.

2. Wedding Crashers

I consider this a prequel to The Hangover, due to how massive a success it was and also sharing the wedding backdrop. One of those movies everyone has seen, it either solidified your Frat Pack love or confirmed that nothing was going to get you to love Vince Vaughn or Owen Wilson.

3. The Producers

There aren't many chances to include a Mel Brooks movie on a list of newer movies these days. A remake of his first parody project, his musical adaptation of the play hits all the right notes (get it?) with the impossible to hate Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick. It also has Will Ferrell in once of his rare over-the-top roles that doesn't feel like a creation of his own. As it turns out, that is really hard to do.

4. Bad News Bears

Surprise factor plays a large part to this high rating. Seeing anything with the Disney branding with Billy-Bob Thornton doing his best Bad Santa impersonation is a pretty big success. This is kind of like Hard Ball if Hard Ball didn't suck. One of the more underrated remakes of the past decade in my humble opinion.

5. Mr. & Mrs. Smith

While satire on suburban life is old hat, satire on both suburban life and the spy genre is totes new hat and brilliantly so. The biggest shame is that most people think of how it broke up Brad and Jen.

6. Waiting...

A disgusting gross out comedy. You either can't watch it because you want to be able to eat out again or you don't want to remember your time working at a food place. Basically, it was a who's who of people not in Judd Apatow movies. I think we can all agree it's perhaps Dane Cook's greatest role ever: small and one note.

7. The Longest Yard

Say what you will, but this is the first real Happy Madison production that doesn't follow the traditional boy meets girl and weird things happen plot. In fact, we barely see the girl, and she's a bitch (Sorry Courtney, we love you). Remaking a lower profile movie, it achieved that good balance of audiences and avoiding a chorus of purists attacking it for not being the original. Good touch keeping Burt Reynolds involved.


HONORABLE MENTION

Hitch
Some people hate how Will Smith forces every project he does to work around him being "Big Willy Style". I think it works more often than it doesn't. This movie didn't aspire to anything great, so it isn't.

Kicking and Screaming
Someone finally realized that if you take the swearing out of Will Ferrell's delivery, he is perfect for a kid's movie.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
I've watched this movie, but honestly, I took nothing away from it. I sat there, completely sober and as focused as I ever am with a movie, and it is largely a blank in my mind.

The Ringer
I was so ready to pan this movie. Then I watched it. The jokes are standard. The acting doesn't challenge anyone. The gem in this is the surprisingly sweet treatment of the mentally challenged characters. They were legit characters and quite funny (as characters, not punch lines).