American Film Institutes top 100 comediesby Tim Wick
So, since I haven't had a chance to get to a movie lately (and haven't a
clue when I will next be able to get my butt into a theatre), I am reduced
to writing about other peoples movie lists. Oh, I would like to get the
Titan A.E., Shaft and Love's Labors Lost this weekend, but let's be
realistic. I envy real critics that get free passes and special "critics
showings" so they can see movies before the rest of us and gloat about it.
So now that I'm all depressed, I'd like to pep myself up by talking about
the newest list to come out of the American Film Institute (AFI).
I don't know a lot about the AFI. I know they are dedicated to "advancing
and preserving the moving image" - it says so on their web site. They have also been producing lists for people
to argue about lately. They produced a list of the 100 greatest films and
100 greatest actors/actresses in the last couple of years. Those lists have
been fodder for endless arguments ever since. Who voted on these lists?
Why weren't foreign films included (because its the AMERICAN Film Institute,
silly)? Who can really say if Citizen Kane was better than Casablanca
or Gone With the Wind or even
Star Wars?
Who cares? The point is that the AFI has just put out a new list for all of
us to argue about and I don't want to be left behind.
This year's list was the 100 "greatest comedies" of all time. Now, before I
go into too much detail, let me just say that I have probably only seen
about half the films on the list. I regularly point out that my knowledge
of film prior to 1977 is somewhat lacking. I've seen a lot since then and
I've heard of a lot of movies that were made before then. I haven't seen a
lot of them.
So what is at the top? Some Like it Hot. I don't have a problem with
this movie at all. Enjoyed it. Really need to buy it for my wife on DVD
(when they release it). I wouldn't rank it as my favorite comedy, but I'm
not going to complain too much.
Rounding out the top five is Tootsie, Dr. Strangelove, Annie Hall and
Duck Soup. I liked Tootsie, but It's not in my Top ten either. I never
did develop a taste for the Marx Brothers (so Duck Soup is out) and I
really think Woody Allen has made funnier films than Annie Hall (#80,
Sleeper, being a good example). That pretty much means the top five don't
work for me.
But at #6 we do have Blazing Saddles. I think that Young Frankenstein
(#13) is a funnier film but I'm not going to argue too much since both
movies would make my top ten.
The biggest omission here is anything by Monty Python. Of course, those
were British films, but a list of the 100 greatest comedies that does not
include Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a list that is not worth
publishing. They also included the Coen Brothers darkly hysterical Fargo
but didn't include the equally funny Pulp Fiction. Nothing by the Three Stooges
was included (though I could care less, really), either.
Private Benjamin is on the list, but not the far funnier Stripes. Is it
because the AFI was trying to avoid gender bias? I don't know, but that's a
really interesting choice.
A lot of movies I love are on the list somewhere. The Philadelphia Story,
Harvey, Singin' In the Rain (a strange choice), A Fish Called Wanda
and Ghostbusters just to name a few.
Still, it comes down to a simple fact that lists like this are misleading.
I think a lot of us feel that because this list was voted on by a bunch of
"Experts", they have to be right and we have to be wrong. Well it doesn't
work that way. I know tons of people that thing Dumb and Dumber is
hysterical. I just didn't feel that way. I think that Undercover Blues
is a riot. I know plenty of people who would disagree with me (neither film
made the list, by the way).
What is the really nice thing about the list? It helps me decide what
movies I might want to rent the next time I go to the video store.
Because we are an opinionated lot, we'll work our own top ten list on this
subject. For now, check out the full list on the AFI web site.
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