Top Comedy Movies of 2009

1. I Love You, Man

Paul Rudd, awesome. Jason Segel, crazy. Put them together, crazy awesome. Most any list would have The Hangover above this one at the very least, but I think this is an overall more solid storyline. It has gloriously awkward moments expertly pulled off by Rudd. I get the feeling this is the closest character Segel has played to what he really is like and it shows by how comfortable he is the whole way through. Rashida Jones works really well with Rudd here (to the point that Our Idiot Brother put them together in a lot of scenes too). The rest of the supporting players have their intended affect, and it all comes together for a highly enjoyable comedy.

2. The Hangover

The big man on campus successor to Wedding Crashers. Something abut weddings is funny (hell, look at #1 on the list). This movie came out of nowhere and was the surprise smash hit of the summer of '09. Here we have a great example of maximizing your pieces for greatest comedic effect. Ed Helms and Zach Galifinakis are pretty one-note (in this movie, at least) and Bradley Cooper is enjoyable, but not a strong comedian, but the three are used  only as much as needed and plenty of cameos and small parts kept anyone from getting stale.

3. Up

Pixar's best movie to date*. Hilarious and heartfelt. I don't remember being so sad so early in a movie ever. Even if this was just a collection of talking dog jokes this could still crack my list. Russell + Dug = comedy gold for all ages. And, that's the real success of Pixar. They made a G rated movie that was this enjoyable to everyone.

4. The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard

Go big or go home sums up the story and the direction for this movie. Every jokes goes as big as it can. Every punchline hits as hard as it can. Every actor sells himself in the role he's asked to play with all he's got. The movie feels less polished than a lot of others, and the comedy is probably too "in your face" for everyone, but it is a pure comedy and aspires to nothing more, which I always appreciate.

5. Zombieland

The zombie infatuation the past few has had it's hits and misses (better track record than Vampires by my estimate). This was definitely a hit. It effectively uses the survival guide setup and puts together a gloriously eclectic cast. Jesse Eisenberg was largely unknown before this but plays a great neurotic. Emma Stone is awesome and always solid. Abigail Breslin brought the Oscar talent (funny how she's the youngest). The touch of genius though, was Woody Harrelson, who has a Gary Busey-like ability to play crazy when needed. Hard to believe how far he's come from his days on Cheers. And, Bill Murray has the best cameo role this side of Half-Baked.

6. (500) Days of Summer

There's no debate about if this is a good movie. Zooey Deschanel and Jospeh Gordon-Levitt are both fantastic. Chloe Mortez is Hollywood's go-to swearing child actress. The rest of the cast is pretty nameless but good. Although it is billed as one, I can't honestly bill this as a comedy. That's the only thing working against it on the list.

7. Funny People

Ok, if we are bringing up movies that were greatly mislabeled, look no further. With each of his directorial efforts, Judd Apatow gets more dramatic, hitting critical mass with the ironically named "Funny People". Adam Sandler plays massively against character as an asshole. Seth Rogen plays his normal deadbeat but one that wants to not be. Overall, there's a lot of unlikeable characters. If tthis wasn't given the backdrop of stand-up comedians, it wouldn't classify as much of a comedy. When watched with the correct expectations and ignoring that it's way longer than it needs to be, there is an enjoyable and sometimes funny movie.

*Opinion stated as fact.


HONORABLE MENTION

The Proposal
Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds are always delightful. I think this movie formally kicked off the resurgence of Betty White. For that, we thank it.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop
A stupid, family, January hit. Can't say much more about it.

Julie & Julia
Meryl Streep excels at anything she does. She even manages to play the over the top character of Julia Child in an oddly grounded and human way. I don't know how she does it. It's a shame the Amy Adams part wasn't as good.

Men Who Stare at Goats
It's tough for me to like a cast much more. It was a little too out there at times and maybe too much of the comedy was too subtle for me to appreciate.

Observe and Report
It's nice seeing Seth Rogen try something a little darker and a somewhat different kind of character.

The Invention of Lying
It doesn't matter how many favors Ricky Gervais called in. This movie was clever, but the gimmick could not sustain an entire movie.

Adventureland
The accidental successor to Zombieland. As a result, it was trounced by movie-goers. Rightfully so, thanks to the marketing. Another of these more dramatic movies misbranded because it involved a lot of comedy people. There were some laughs, but then Kirsten Stewart would show up on screen.

Extract
Since Office Space, Mike Judge has done Idiocracy and this. Idiocracy was too blunt to compare. Extract takes a lot of the same elements that made Office Space great and served them up in a too familiar dish. Maybe it was too dark by comparison, but it is hard to watch this without focusing on how it doesn't stack up.

Away We Go
I like John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph. The movie has a few good laughs. Mostly, it meanders like a gypsy without a compass, moving around but never reaching it's point.