The best comedy movies of 2008 weren’t the big box office films that everyone flocked to theaters to see. Not to me anyway. My favorite comedy movies of 2008 were the movies that came out on DVD rather quickly and got far less publicity than say Forgetting Sarah Marshal and You Don’t Mess With the Zohan. Here’s a few titles that I think were pretty darn funny in 2008.
Dana Carvey: Squatting Monkeys Tell No Lies –
Rated R
Release Date: August 19, 2008
This was certainly not your standard 2 hour long comedy movie. No sir, it was an hour long laugh fest that made me shoot iced tea through my nose and cackle until my sides split wide open. Nobody does funny like Dana Carvey and now that he’s older he’s gotten so much funnier. The best thing about the Dana Carvey: Squatting Monkeys Tell No LIes is that you don’t even have to buy the DVD. It was aired as an HBO special and I’m sure it will air again.
If you can’t seem to catch this special on HBO then check with your locat Target store for the DVD.
If I had to chose one part of Dana Carvey’s Squatting Monkeys Tell No Lies routine it would have to be when he talks about getting older and seeing the doctor. What he says is so true and relatable that if you can’t laugh about it you need to get a new sense of humor.
Leatherheads –
Rated PG-13
Release Date: April 4, 2008
Leatherheads is one of those lighthearted, pleasant comedies that you just enjoy watching for no other reason than its pleasantness. It isn’t laugh out loud funny, even though it definitely has its moments. Leatherheads is set in the 1920’s when professional football was new to the country.
Clooney’s character, Dodge Connolly is a middle aged football player who’s only ambition is to keep a rag tag team of guys together long enough to win enough games to stay a team. I have to say his character reminded me of a cross between the characters he played in O’ Brother Where Art Thou and ER. Although we’ve seen these characters before Clooney once again makes them work in the film Leatherheads.
Zelwieger plays Lexi Littleton, a hot to trot newspaper reporter that’s trying to dig up the truth about Carter Rutherford, the team’s quarterback and an American war hero. Her character is all about stirring up trouble and we love Zelwieger for that.
Zelwieger and Clooney’s character’s fall in love along the way as Connolly and Rutherford become rivals and vie for Lexi Littleton’s attention.
Mad Money –
Rated PG-13
Release Date: January 18, 2008
Mad Money is the story of a woman who’s desperation to maintain her financial status drives her to steal money from the bank she works at after her husband is downsized and loses his job. Diane Keaton’s Character consipires with Queen Latifa’s Character to steal the bank’s money when she discovers that the bank shreds thousands of dollars every day.
Ted Danson plays Diane’s husband and throughout the movie he willingly goes along with her scheme. The funniest thing about Mad Money is that the coconsipiritors eventually come to think of their criminal activities as normal which leads to some pretty odd statements on the character’s parts like when Ted Danson says “Just one more time.
Hancock –
Rated PG-13
Release Date: July 2, 2008
Although the movie Hancock isn’t classified as a comedy it definitely has its humorous moments. Will Smith’s character is a dried up, bumbling super hero that always manages to land on the community’s bad side because even though he saves the day he always leaves a huge mess in his wake.
Jason Bateman plays opposit Will Smith and his cool demeanor only adds to the comedic element. I love seeing these twon on the big screen together.
The humor in this movie is what makes Will Smith’s character likeable and gives the film a sense of lightheartedness that otherwise would have ended up as just another stupid super hero flick.
As a side note I did catch a blooper. During one scene a TV reporter says that Hancock is being taken to Los Angelas General Hospital but when the hospital itself is shown, the sign above the door reads Mercy General Hospital.
Space Chimps –
Rated PG-13
Release Date: July 18, 2008
Space Chimps is an adorable family comedy. While it isn’t a movie most adults will want to run out and rent it is definitely worth the watch.
The animated film tells the story of a couple of chimp’s first trip to outer space. Kids love the juvenile bathroom humor.
The three cimps crash land on an alien planet (including one chimp who’s voice belongs to Jeff Daniels) and lose the abilty to communicate with the team on Earth. A crazy Senator wants to leave the chimps stuck in outer space. Determined to find a way back to earth the chimps are chased and shot at and one is even eaten. Throughout all of this the chimps resort to name calling that is amusing enough for even adults to get a kick out of.
