So many people nowadays seem to try and define a generation or an era of art by the more serious works. Which is good, we need people to tell us which films best represent the struggles that created the world we have today, or which pictures gave us great leaps in CGI and style. But generally most people also want a film they can just collapse and watch for fun. Something you can play with your mates around and not feel like a snob, or be forced to watch every minute of it. So here are the five great comedy films that define our generation, ranging from 1993 to 2009. These may not be the best comedy films ever, the most acclaimed or the funniest, but they are the most representative of the five genres of comedy that exploded in this era which, above all, was a fun time for film.
1: The Hangover, 2009
Three friends wake up after a bachelor party only to discover that they have absolutely no recollection of what happened the previous night and the groom is missing. With a few remainders from the night before, they need to go about piecing together the events that led them to the odd situation they found themselves in to try and find where the groom is and get him back home in time for his wedding! This film may be over the top, far too action packed and full of implausible premises… but that’s just what makes it work. The crazy situation combined with down to earth, believable lead characters just sets up and environment that everyone can laugh at and enjoy.
2: The Big Lebowski, 1998
“The Dude” Lebowski is having a spot of trouble. Some debt collectors arrive at his house to claim an enormous debt he owes. Tiny issue: it isn’t him who owes it, it’s another, separate, Lebowski, who is a millionaire. What are the odds? But the debt collectors make a mess of his house and urinate on his rug. Seeking someone to pay back for the damaged rug, Lebowski hunts down his namesake. This film is brilliant because, like all Coen brothers films, it is just set up perfectly. A small misunderstanding, something gone wrong, sends the main character spiralling out of a mundane life into a world they never knew existed and the audience accompanies them as the naïve observer.
3: Not Another Teen Movie, 2001
A compilation film, following a vaguely stung together plot where the main purpose seems to be making fun of current popular teen movies? This is one of the best comedies of our era? Yes! The reason is very simple: topical comedy is hard. Really hard. And every era’s most successful films can be loosely divided into things that stuffy people find deep and things that teenagers find hilarious. And, for whatever reason, our generation was given the double whammy: a constant stream of inspirational films for teens that reinforce high school stereotypes only parents still believe. When Not Another Teen Movie parodied them it was calling out a massive decline in the quality of our generation’s films. With contrived romance and songs.
4: Little Miss Sunshine, 2006
Probably one of my very favourite comedies of all time, so admitting a bit of a bias here. Little Miss Sunshine follows one family’s trip to a child beauty pageant. They bundle themselves into a VW bus to drag everyone across the country to meet one little girl’s dream of being considered a beauty queen. Along the way a lot of things happen… which would be ordinary and even sombre, if it weren’t for the circumstances. Defining the genre of quiet, family, everyday comedy, Little Miss Sunshine is a must-see.
5: Groundhog Day, 1993
A weatherman who is, quite frankly, an ass, gets caught in the sort of time loop that we wish every ass found themselves in eventually. Destined to relive every day, he begins trying to make his day work out, but becomes sick when he realizes nothing works out as he wants it to. In an attempt to end the loops, he tries to end his life… but it doesn’t work. After a while he gives up on moping and finally does what he should have done long ago: he works on becoming a better man in his now endless time. This sort of comedy defines the end of the era where even comedies had some sort of a moral to them and is really one of the best in its style.