The Man with Two Brains
M
United States of America, 1983
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Science Fiction
Language: English
Director: Carl Reiner
Starring: Steve Martin, Kathleen Turner, David Warner, Paul Benedict, Richard Brestoff, Randi Brooks, James Cromwell, George Furth
What's it about?
Steve Martin is at his bumbling best in this throwback to Mad Scientist movies of Golden Hollywood. He plays a brilliant brain surgeon who is stuck in a bad marriage to a gold digger (Kathleen Turner), but plots an unconventional way to solve his marital problems, when he falls for a disembodied brain in a pickle jar.
Sleepwalk with Me
M
[country], 2012
Genre: Comedy
Language: [language]
Director: Mike Birbiglia
Starring: Mike Birbiglia, Lauren Ambrose, James Rebhorn, Carol Kane
What's it about?
Matt (Mike Birbiglia) is a promising stand-up comedian struggling with the stress of a stalled career, a souring relationship with girlfriend Abby (Lauren Ambrose), and the wild episodes of severe sleepwalking he is desperate to ignore.
[link title="Sleepwalk with Me: Ira Glass interview" url="node/1443"]
[link title="Sleepwalk with Me review: Wannabe 'Annie Hall' benefits from big name backing" url="node/6153"]
A Mighty Wind
PG, 2000
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Mock-umentary
Language: English
Director: Christopher Guest
Starring: Larry Miller, Fred Willard, Parker Posey, John Michael Higgins, Bob Balaban, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Ed Begley, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Jennifer Coolidge
What's it about?
The Waiting For Guffman, Best in Show team turn their mockumentary lens to folk music in this story of a reunion concert that really probably shouldn't be staged. On the death of folk music manager Irving Steinbloom in 2003, his son Jonathan (Bob Balaban) orchestrates a memorial concert at New York’s Town Hall to reunite perfomers who Irving helped make almost famous in the '60s. The romantic duo Mitch & Mickey (Eugene Levy & Catherine O’Hara) are no longer on speaking terms but they agree; The Folksmen (Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer) are no longer good looking youngsters, but they also agree; and so do the scattered members of the colour co-ordinated 'neuftet’ The New Main Street Singers (featuring John Michael Higgins, Jane Lynch and Parker Posey).
Boy
M
New Zealand, 2010
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Director: Taika Waititi
Starring: James Rolleston, Taika Waititi, Te Aho Eketone-Whitu, Mavis Paenga
What's it about?
Taika Waititi broke out with his story of the '80s, a deadbeat dad, and Michael Jackson. Boy (James Rolleston) is a dreamer who loves Michael Jackson, and who lives with his brother Rocky, and yearns to meet his real father, Alamein. When Alamein comes home after seven years away, Boy is forced to confront the man he thought he remembered, find his own potential and learn to get along without his imaginary hero.
[link title="Boy review: A rose-coloured ode to the '80s" url="node/5152"]
The Guard
MA15+
Ireland, 2011
Genre: Comedy
Language: English
Director: John Michael McDonagh
Starring: Don Cheadle, Brendan Gleeson, Liam Cunningham, Mark Strong, Rory Keenan
What's it about?
Don Cheadle and Brendan Gleeson are the ultimate opposites in this brilliant Irish comedy. Three drug-dealers are planning to land half a billion dollars’ worth of cocaine off the west coast of Ireland. The only men standing in their way are a straight-laced FBI Agent Everett (Cheadle) and a hard-living Galway Guard (Gleeson).
[link title="The Guard: John Michael McDonagh interview" url="node/670"]
[link title="The Guard: Crime comedy, Irish style" url="node/13863"]
Happy-Go-Lucky
M
United Kingdom, 2008
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Language: English
Director: Mike Leigh
Starring: Sally Hawkins, Eddie Marsan, Alexis Zegerman, Samuel Roukin, Karina Fernandez
What's it about?
Poppy (Sally Hawkins) is a life-loving, irrepressibly cheerful, Pollyanna-type primary school teacher who is 30, single, and infinitely optimistic, but has her patience tested by a repressed driving instructor with anger management issues (Eddie Marsan).
[link title="Happy-Go-Lucky review: Colourful, carefree and irrepressibly cheerful" url="node/4485"]
Broken Flowers
M
United States, 2005
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Mystery
Language: English
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Starring: Bill Murray, Jessica Lange, Sharon Stone
What's it about?
The resolutely single Don (Bill Murray) has just been dumped by his latest lover, Sherry (Julie Delpy). Don yet again resigns himself to being alone and left to his own devices. Instead, he is compelled to reflect on his past when he receives a mysterious pink letter from an anonymous former lover and informs him that he has a 19-year-old son who may now be looking for his father. Don is urged to investigate this "mystery" by his friend and neighbour, Winston (Jeffrey Wright), an amateur sleuth and family man. Don reluctantly embarks on a cross-country trek in search of clues from four former flames (Sharon Stone, Frances Conroy, Jessica Lange and Tilda Swinton). His unexpected visit to each of these women holds a new surprise for Don as he haphazardly confronts his past and, consequently, his present.
[link title="Broken Flowers review: An exemplary performance from Bill Murray" url="node/2644"]
The Grump
Finland, 2014
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Language: English, Finnish, Russian
Director: Dome Karukoski
Starring: Antti Litja, Mari Perankoski, Petra Frey, Ilkka Forss
What's it about?
A stubbornly traditional 80-year-old farmer with prehistoric social attitudes, raises hell when he is forced to move in with his mopey son and domineering daughter-in-law, in this hilarious social satire based on the wildly popular novel by Finnish author Tuomas Kyrö.
