Thursday, February 26, 2009

Ask Abbi: Top Five Schtick Flicks

Chris of cynical-c.com writes:

What are your top 5 favorite comedy movies?

#5: The Princess Bride (1987)


What this says about me: I'm a romantic. I put romance before comedy. But I also put grandparents before romance. And video games before grandparents. I peeked into my older cousin's room while she watched this with her friend, and it forever became the movie that meant I'd be as cool as my cousin when I saw it. Then after I saw it, I couldn't wait until I understood all the jokes. Or anything Andre the Giant said.

#4: The Jerk (1979)


What this says about me: I love Steve Martin. But I don't love dated references and disco soundtracks enough to make this my favorite comedy of all time. As a kid, this movie tied in my brain with Three Amigos, Little Shop of Horrors, and Roxeanne, also known as whatever Steve Martin is in. So it does not exactly signify comedic brilliance at an early age. It's just the one that made me laugh the hardest. "He hates these cans! Get away from the cans!"

#3: Coming to America (1988)


What this says about me: I want to knock Samuel L. Jackson on his butt with a mop handle for making Lakeview Terrace. And if you're really a prince, I'll marry you.

#2" So I Married An Axe Murderer (1993)


What this says about me: I think Anthony LaPaglia missed his calling as a comedic sidekick. He needs to stop wasting time as a serious cop with a fake Brooklyn accent and start wearing pimp suits, getting punked by Charles Grodin and being frightened by Steven Wright...while speaking with a fake Brooklyn accent.

#1: Clue (1985)


What this says about me: I am thrilled and delighted by murder-mystery comedies. I grew up on them in 30-minute televised installments. Angela Fletcher, Benjamin Matlock...ever since Columbo made it okay to laugh at blood stains on shag carpet. I just couldn't fit Haunted Honeymoon (1986) and Murder by Death (1976) on here, because they need to be saved for Top 5 Murder-Mystery Comedies that Take Place in a Mansion. I also reserved Chevy Chase and Bill Murray for top 5 Christmas Comedies. Then there are the Top 5 Muppet Comedies, the Top 5 Julia Roberts Dramadies...

Feel free to post your questions for Abbi in the comments section, to be answered in a later post, or write curlycomedy (at) yahoo.com with "Ask Abbi" in the Subject.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Kind of floored with your #2 pick. It's a much better movie than most people think but....

Ahhh. The Jerk. "You mean I'm going to stay this color???"

Abbi Crutchfield said...

But nothing! I love that movie. When Meyers gets a bowl full of coffee: "Excuse me, there must be some mistake. I believe I ordered a LARGE? Hello!" I never get tired of watching it. How about when Rose offers him this huge breakfast rattling off pancakes, fresh-squeezed orange juice...and they cut to her pouring Froot Loops. "I ran out of that other stuff."

Prepare to be floored anew: I don't care much for Dumb and Dumber.

Anonymous said...

Does Caddyshack make the top 10? Bill Murray firing on all cylinders, Rodney taking apart the room during dinner, hell, even Chevy Chase's pricktitude is kept in check.

And Ted Knight should have received an Oscar for his portrayal of Judge Smails.

Granted, that damn woodchuck almost ruined the entire movie but still!

Mo Diggs said...

Loved The Jerk

Probably my fave along with Vacation

Abbi Crutchfield said...

@ Chris: I see your Caddyshack, and raise you Back To School. By the way, the animal-driving scene in Groundhog's day tells me Murray is the one who thinks rodents = comedy gold.

@ Mo: is that your passive-aggressive way of telling me my other choices stink?

Anonymous said...

Are you kidding me?!? Airplane wasn't even in the top 5?!?!? One of the greatest schtick movies of all times!! I'll give you a break, though. You DO live in kind of a small town and may have never heard of it before ;o)

Abbi Crutchfield said...

Airplane featured bare breasts, and therefore belongs on my Top Five Rooty Tooty Naked Booty Comedies. If you don't have a classification system, you drown in chaos Erin!