Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by Harmonia (A) on June 01, 2010 at 09:04:16

In Reply to: RE: Easily the most underrated American comedy (that's funny)? posted by tinear on May 27, 2010 at 07:36:19

The interesting thing about Broadcast News is that the film's warnings have all come true (long ago) and hardly anyone noticed. It has a wonderful cast with Albert Brooks, Holly Hunter, Joan Cusack, Jack Nicholson, William Hurt - easily Hurt's most relaxed performance ever - plus it's smart...and adult...and very funny. My favorite James L Brooks movie.

I never hear anyone talk about Albert Brook's Lost In America anymore, a comedy classic which still makes me laugh out loud. It's the baby boomer fantasy gone amok and a tour de force for Brooks who wrote, directed and starred. Who could ever forget Brooks explaining the "nest egg" principle to his wife (a hilarious Julie Hagarty), who has just blown their entire - OOPS - SPOILERS. Just see it.

Soapdish benefits from an excellent cast with crack timing (Kevin Kline, Sally Fields, Robert Downey Jr, Whoopi Goldberg, Kathy Moriarty), a fun script, swift direction from Michael Hoffman, who does this sort of broad comedy rather better than he does the artsy stuff. mpathus tags it down below and I agree. Not great art but a lot of fun.

Allow me to nominate three John Cusack films, two comedies which are both early directing efforts and the third one he co-produced himself: The Sure Thing (Rob Reiner's 2nd flick) and Say Anything (Cameron Crowe's debut); and Grosse Pointe Blank. Grosse Pointe Blank is kind of a glorious mess but I love its anarchic spirit and snappy one liners, plus terrific performances from Minnie Driver, Cusack and sister Joan as well as stalwarts of the New Crime ganag (Jeremy Piven, Steve Pink etc). The Sure Thing is a trifle, but sweet, and Say Anything is IMO the greatest teen comedy ever made.