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A good dumb comedy movie can be just the tonic you need after a long and tiring day. They allow us to switch off our brains and simply enjoy whatever silly amusements they have in store for us. But, while there have been plenty of stupid comedies which we get a few giggles from and then forget all about, there have also been a few which have us laughing all the way through and keep us coming back for more.
While they may seem like typical silly movies, beneath their exteriors of crude humor and low-brow appeal there lies a creative brilliance that is easy to overlook. From satirical masterworks to the gold standard of stoner comedies, the characters in these films may be dumb, but don’t go thinking the movies themselves are too.
‘Zoolander’ (2001)
Ben Stiller is certainly no stranger to exaggerated spoofs of eccentric entertainment industries. His 2001 hit Zoolander still stands as one of his best pictures, focusing on two rival male models and an elaborate plot to assassinate the Malaysian Prime Minister in a film that can be viewed as both silly escapism and a scathing jab at the fashion industry.
Making the absurd story work around the constant jokes within its 89-minute runtime is an impressive feat on its own, but it’s in the dialogue where Zoolander’s true genius resides. Not only is it endlessly quotable, but it’s so unbelievably, perfectly stupid that it’s easy to underestimate how brilliant it actually is.
‘MacGruber’ (2010)
Of all the 2000s movies adapted from Saturday Night Live sketches, MacGruber has been something of a brilliant outlier. A raw and unbridled parody of the 80s series MacGyver, it prods at action movies and espionage thrillers, often in the most glaring and grotesque way possible.
Beneath its shocking humor though, there is a lot going on in terms of deconstructing genre tropes and critiquing the machismo of the action hero. It’s not the most skewering satire by any stretch, but there’s no small amount of pointed parody which makes MacGruber’s (Will Forte) battle with Dieter von Cunth (Val Kilmer) all the more enjoyable.
‘Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping’ (2016)
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is one of the most underappreciated gems of the 2010s. Coming from the minds of The Lonely Island, the mockumentary follows eccentric musician Connor Friel (Andy Samberg), the lead member of a pop rap group who desperately clings to his celebrity status when his debut solo album becomes an abysmal failure.
With its gross-out body humor, obscene language, and dozens of celebrity cameos, the parody excels in its most ridiculous moments of shallowness and vanity. It’s hilarious, recklessly inappropriate, way over-the-top, and a perfect parody of some of the social media-infested, popularity-stunting music stars of the modern day.
‘Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle’ (2004)
A subversive hit of stoner comedy, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle transcends the tropes of its subgenre with an intelligence it has never been given enough credit for. Not only does it master its craft as a simple but effective comedy, but it was also ahead of its time in breaking down stereotypes of its leading duo.
Starring John Cho and Karl Penn, most other comedies of the era would have exploited their ethnicities for laughs to the point of exhaustion. The Harold & Kumar series, however, never had to stoop so low to get audiences in hysterics. At the same time, it never shied away from the wickedly offensive gags which made the stoner comedy so popular in the first place.
‘Wayne’s World’ (1992)
If it’s stupid, but it works, is it really stupid? Wayne’s World was released 30 years ago now and has been a hallmark of the comedy genre ever since. Inarguably the best film to come from a Saturday Night Live skit, it follows two rock ‘n’ roll lovers as their public access television program is pursued by a producer to make the transition to cable TV.
What makes the film so brilliant is the proven ability of its pop culture relevance to endure for decades and cross seamlessly from one generation to another. From re-quoting some of the film’s funniest lines to head-banging in the car to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”, the genius of Wayne’s World somehow, amid all the stupidity, just works so ridiculously well.
‘Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure’ (1989)
From one iconic rock ‘n’ roll-loving duo to another, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure was similar to Wayne’s World in its ability to master comedic stupidity. The excellent adventure follows high school bandmates Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted’s (Keanu Reeves) journey through time when a time traveler comes to help them pass their history class.
Accumulating an impressive range of historical figures, ranging from Napoleon Bonaparte (Terry Camilleri) to Socrates (Tony Steedman), the film’s juvenile basis in history is central to its everlasting charm. Reeves and Winters’ perfect chemistry works a treat as well, making the movie an ingenious masterpiece of the dumb comedy genre.
‘Dumb and Dumber’ (1994)
A comedy classic, Dumb and Dumber has come to be viewed by many as the pinnacle of dumb comedy done right with its idiotic leading duo going from one ridiculous mishap to the next. Lloyd (Jim Carrey) and Harry (Jeff Daniels) unwitting come into the possession of a briefcase of ransom money and, with honorable intentions, try to return the case to the woman who purposefully left it in Lloyd’s limousine.
The film has become a comedy classic and is elevated well above most other dumb comedies thanks to its fantastic leading men. Carrey, as is so often the case, exudes comic brilliance every time he’s on-screen while his chemistry with Daniels gave the film more heart than it has ever been given credit for.
‘Borat’ (2006)
The pinnacle of controversial cringe comedy, Borat follows Sacha Baron Cohen’s titular character, a journalist from Kazakhstan who journeys to the “US and A” to make a documentary about American society. While its situational comedy and critique of Bush-era America have made Borat age phenomenally, it was the actual production of the movie which made it so brilliant.
The majority of its scenes were unscripted and, rather than hiring actors, gave participants little to no warning of what they were in for. The end result is, at times, difficult to watch and often impossible to comprehend, but it also made for one of the most jarring and impactful comedies so far this century.
‘Tropic Thunder’ (2008)
One of the most polarizing films of this century, Tropic Thunder is a comedic tour de force that parodies American war films while offering scathing satire of Hollywood stereotypes. Taking aim at everything from egomaniacal method acting to dangerous and insane film producers, the skewering masterpiece didn’t sit well with everyone, with many viewing the movie as a crude comedy going from one offensive joke to the next.
To an extent, those people are right. The film aims to be provocative and pulls no punches in its endeavor to lampoon the film industry and much of the potentially harmful self-indulgence within it to devastating effect. But therein lies Tropic Thunder’s true comedic genius.
‘Airplane!’ (1980)
An 87-minute-long onslaught of gags that could make your dad groan, Airplane! is the enduring masterpiece of on-the-nose humor that has stood the test of time and is still regarded as one of the finest comedies ever made. Coming from the comedic talent of the Zucker Brothers, it was the first and best in a long line of parody films which came to be adored for their wonderful wordplay and their slapstick charm.
Not only did Airplane! become an iconic hit of the genre, but it also surpassed many of the disaster films it poked fun at, with the masses unable to get enough of Leslie Nielson’s fittingly ridiculous performance. Packed with quotable lines and unforgettable gags, Airplane! is a phenomenal work of juvenile humor that is yet to be bested.
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