Top Comedy Movies of 2008

1. Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay

I am alone with this pick, I know it. I don't care. This movie embraced the absurd journeymen story of the first but increases the scope and the nature of the comedy. White Castle is equally pot-based but sticks to how stupid Asian prejudice is. Guatanemo Bay examines blacks, rednecks, Arabs, civil liberties and everything in between. There's a lot of needless nudity and pot humor, but the first one had a cheetah getting high, so slow your role and shut your mouth about the second being too broad or out there. Besides, NPH is even more prominent this time around. Lastly, the "Dude choose your movie" feature on the DVD tickles me to death.

2. Role Models

From the guy who brought you Wet Hot American Summer and The Ten is a movie that is finally financially viable. He's using a lot of the same actors, but their stars have risen and he managed to get some decent funding this time around. A cast consisting of regular Apatow contributes and at least one American Pie alum, Paul Rudd specifically gets his chance to shine. The movie doesn't overstep where it needs to go with tone, themes, and subject matter while still being funny, and anytime you combine Kiss with LARP, you are good in my book.

3. Pineapple Express

This was somewhat of a let down after Rogen and Golberg did Superbad the year before. Still a very good movie, but tonally much different than their last project and the writing is not as refined.

4. Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Apatow productions hit maximum saturation in the market this year. I like Jason Segel in a lead role and it works best when it's on his own terms like this. I believe that's the only reason why the puppets are in Mr. Muppet's first major starring role.

5. Tropic Thunder

Jack Black isn't always a safe bet even in an ensemble (See "Year, The Big"). Ben Stiller is a reasonable draw, even still. I'm saying the big coup hear was Robert Downey Jr. in black-face and Tom Cruise in a far suit. I don't know how they put that cast together, but I'm glad they did. Even as I'm writing this, I realize the only reason it isn't higher on my list is because I own the four movies above it.

6. Step Brothers

After Semi-Pro and Walk Hard showed Ferrell and Reily were getting stale alone, shake things up by bringing them back together. A couple man-children are always fun to watch when played by either man.

7. Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Whenever the View Askewniverse and the Apatow crowd come together, how can great things not happen? Sure, it wasn't a financial success. It had the word "porno" in the title. This is by no means Smith's greatest work. It's still good though,


HONORABLE MENTION

Get Smart
Perhaps the best TV remake in quite some time. Anne Hathaway does comedy better than people give her credit for and Steve Carell puts on the comedic goof persona like it's nothing. Still, being the best TV remake is like being the tallest midget.

You Don't Mess with the Zohan
This might be Adam Sandler's hardest sell ever. We're talking since Going Overboard stupid. The thing is, the good people at Happy Madison are a well oiled machine. They can churn out these movies like it's nothing. As a result, you get a movie much better than the previews make it look.

Yes Man
Different plotline, but it feels lazily close to Liar, Liar. Still, I liked Liar, Liar and Zooey Deschanel is always a draw.

Baby Mama
I love Tina Fey and Amy Poehler but they both work best on TV. They seem more comfortable there and they are definitely funnier in that arena.

Burn After Reading
The movie is overall a bust. Not horrible, not brilliant. It does claim one of my two favorite slow laughs. I've never heard a theater grow in laughter so slowly and loudly as I did with the scene at the end when they recap the situation.

Definitely, Maybe
What you have here is a pretty standard RomCom. I do appreciate the attempt to tell it in a more mysterious way. Could never get past how they didn't ever try to make any of the characters age. I'm sorry, but without makeup, Ryan Reynolds looks too young to be Abagail Breslin's father.

Run, Fat Boy, Run & How to Lose Friends and Alienate People
Kind of a make or break year for Simon Pegg. Largely, I'd say "break". Both were good, but neither really wowed me when it comes to Pegg as a lead. He's a very good writer and great in an ensemble and Shaun of the Dead even proved that in just the right setting, he can lead a movie.

In Bruges
I'm writing this on my own time, so I could go back and read a couple reviews of this and see why people love it. I watched it once and thought it was fine. Don't remember it being any better than that.