Here at Movie Wiseguys, comedies get their own category because you go in to the theater wanting something different than a drama, action, horror, or any other genre. You want those movies to be cool. Cool in the sense that you really love what they did with the effects, acting, story or whatever. In comedies you just want to laugh. Sure, a good story or acting performance would enhance the movie going experience but if you are laughing nonstop then who the hell cares if the story is silly. So we branched off Comedies from all other films and each created a Top 5. Here’s mine…

5. Forgetting Sarah Marshall – released earlier in the year but not forgettable. Jason Segal made a name for himself in the comedy world since he wrote the damn thing and was the lead actor. The Dracula Musical will now be classic. And with Kristen Bell and Mila Kunis heating up the screen, what more could you ask for? Oh yeah I know, funny performances by Russell Brand, Paul Rudd, Jack McBayer, and Bill Hader. It did have a sappy love story but still much better than a Hugh Grant movie.

4. Tropic Thunder – this may be a surprise that it’s not higher on my list. The mega project from Ben Stiller was definitely one of the best comedies of recent times but I just didn’t laugh as much as I did during other movies on this list. It took a while for me to really get into it. Simple Jack is hilarious though. Robert Downey Jr is genius. Jack Black starts getting better as the movies goes on. And Ben Stiller is still Ben Stiller but I don’t mind the guy. Definitely above and beyond anything he has done lately.

3. Burn After Reading – I’m a huge Coen Brothers fan. I love when they write their own material. And I especially love when they write black comedies. Black or Dark Comedies are funny movies that still have some type of tragic moment usually involving death. This is such a unique movie with tons of elements relating to my favorite movie of all time, The Big Lebowski. Brad Pitt steals the show but Clooney and Malkovich are pretty impressive in their own right. It wont appeal to everyone but in my books, its one of the Coens’ best.

2. Role Models – this was really the surprise hit comedy of the year for me. I’m a big Paul Rudd fan. I just think the guy has a natural comedic ability with every single sentence that comes out of his mouth. I don’t care much for Seann William Scott but he wasn’t too over the top in this one. I laughed so much at this movie. The supporting cast was even hilarious. The story was absolutely ridiculous but it doesn’t matter because I was laughing almost nonstop. David Wain wrote and directed and I’m glad to see him stray away from his totally off the wall comedies because this one was a success.

1. Pineapple Express – written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the guys who wrote Superbad. Their writing is comedy gold. And James Franco was the comedy hit of the goddamn year with this performance. Also Danny McBride takes another step up the ladder on his way to stardom. I’m a fan of stoner movies, and this one is a stoner action comedy. What more can you ask for? There’s car chases, fights, AND LAUGHS! This was definitely my favorite comedy of the year and I look forward to much more from this writing team.

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