Our Top Five Comedy Blu-Ray Movie Picks
These are our top five Blu-Rays that we love in the Comedy Category.
5 Stars = Outstanding 4 Stars = Very Good
Will Smith, Charlize Theron, Jason Bateman, and Jae Head (Blu-ray - 2008)
Hancock turns the standard superhero movie inside-out: The title character (Will Smith) can fly, has superstrength, and is invulnerable, but he's also a sloppy, alcoholic jerk who causes millions of dollars in property damage whenever he bothers to fight crime. When he saves the life of a public-relations agent named Ray (Jason Bateman, Arrested Development), Ray decides to improve Hancock's image--starting by having Hancock surrender himself to the authorities and go to prison for his lawless behavior. The idea is that once he's in prison, the crime rate will go up, and people will start to realize Hancock might be of value after all. This is only the first act of Hancock--from there, the movie takes several clever turns that shouldn't be revealed.
Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd, and Romany Malco (Blu-ray - 2008)
CCult comic actor Steve Carell--long adored for his supporting work on The Daily Show and in movies like Bruce Almighty and Anchorman--leaps into leading man status with The 40 Year-Old Virgin. There's no point describing the plot; it's about how a 40 year-old virgin named Andy (Carell) finally finds true love and gets laid. Along the way, there are very funny scenes involving being coached by his friends, speed dating, being propositioned by his female manager, and getting his chest waxed. Carell finds both humor and humanity in Andy, and the supporting cast includes some standout comic work from Paul Rudd (Clueless, The Shape of Things) and Jane Lynch (Best in Show, A Mighty Wind), as well as an unusually straight performance from Catherine Keener (Lovely & Amazing, Being John Malkovich).
Starring Chris Farley and David SpadeBlu-ray (Dec 16, 2008)
Before his death, comedian Chris Farley made a pair of surprisingly successful comedies that teamed him with Saturday Night Live colleague David Spade. Their relationship in each film was pretty much the same, but then so was Abbott and Costello's or Laurel and Hardy's (not that Farley and Spade are in their league). In Tommy Boy, Farley plays the ne'er-do-well son of a successful auto parts manufacturer (Brian Dennehy). When Dad drops dead just after marrying a young new wife, it's up to Tommy (aided by sarcastic bean-counter Spade) to rescue the company by taking over for his father. Black Sheep features a slightly different plot: This time, Spade is hired by Farley's brother (Tim Matheson), a candidate for governor, to keep Farley (an accident-prone buffoon) out of sight until after the election. Farley has a likable quality that is exploited by continuous slapstick centered on his clumsiness, both physically and sociallyons.
Jon Heder, Efren Ramirez, Jon Gries, and Greg Hansen (Blu-ray - 2009)
I love independent films, but the truth is that some of them
you have to cut a tiny bit of slack due to their lack of
resources. But not NAPOLEON DYNAMITE. Seeing this was one of the
most delightful, unexpected pleasures that I have had in a movie
in a long, long time. Most high school comedies dealing with
school nerds are a bit of a cheat, because the nerds are never
really as nerdy as the ones we all knew or (or perhaps were) in
high school. My favorite TV show is BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER,
but I could never really buy the ultra-cute Alyson Hannigan as a
school nerd. But not so Napoleon Dynamite, his friend Pedro, or
Deb, the reserved and shy girl he has a crush on.
Jennifer Aniston, Diedrich Bader, Gary Cole, and Todd Duffey (Blu-ray - 2009)
I'm not sure it is essential to have worked in an office to enjoy this film, but I'm certain it will hit home for those who have. The movie was a complete bust at the box office, which utterly mystifies me, because it is hysterically funny and reflects the experience of millions of people across the United States (and I assume elsewhere). In an age where companies are seeking to lay off workers at any possible opportunity, this film has perhaps even more relevance now than it did when it came out in 1999.
