Movies or TV Shows you've NEVER watched but everyone else has

[ThaVirus]

OK, OK.. so, gun to my head, top 3 favorite comedy movies..

I'm goinggggg...

Trading Places
Friday
Dumb and Dumber

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

OK, OK.. so, gun to my head, top 3 favorite comedy movies..

I'm goinggggg...

Trading Places
Friday
Dumb and Dumber

Trading Places is a masterpiece of modern comedy. I still occasionally say something about the "GI Joe with the Kung Fu grip", even though no one gets the reference any more. I think most people would say that Coming to America was Eddie Murphy's peak, or maybe Beverly Hills Cop, but I think it's Trading Places.

I've never seen Friday. Looking at a plot synopsis, I can see why, because I'm typically turned off by plots that revolve around drugs. But hey, if Harold and Kumar can pull it off, I may have to give Friday a try. And I liked Chris Tucker.

I can appreciate Dumb and Dumber even if it's not near the top of my list. It's in the cateogry of those Leslie Nielson movies where the movie is 100 percent comedy with no attempt at being anything else. I think I prefer a little more meat on the plot bones.

It makes me realize that I have no Jim Carrey movies at the top of my list. He has a lot of movies that I've liked, but none that I've loved, other than maybe Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which is a different animal.

[ThaVirus]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

I do think part of what imbeds a movie in our minds is how it compares to expectations. I saw Napoleon Dynamite completely blind right as it came out. I'd never even heard of it, and for some reason my wife and I went to see it just because we were in a moviegoing phase. So I had no expectations at all, and loved it as a result.

Yep, 100%. I had a similar issue with another on your list in The Hangover. I spent months hearing about how funny the movie was, best thing since sliced bread, yada yada. I also missed that one in theaters so the hype just continued to build.

I finally watched it on DVD and I'm like.. "... That's it?"

In fairness, that one actually has really grown on me since that moment. That's one I'll pretty much always turn to if I find myself channel surfing.

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Trading Places is a masterpiece of modern comedy. I still occasionally say something about the "GI Joe with the Kung Fu grip", even though no one gets the reference any more. I think most people would say that Coming to America was Eddie Murphy's peak, or maybe Beverly Hills Cop, but I think it's Trading Places.

I've never seen Friday. Looking at a plot synopsis, I can see why, because I'm typically turned off by plots that revolve around drugs. But hey, if Harold and Kumar can pull it off, I may have to give Friday a try. And I liked Chris Tucker.

I can appreciate Dumb and Dumber even if it's not near the top of my list. It's in the cateogry of those Leslie Nielson movies where the movie is 100 percent comedy with no attempt at being anything else. I think I prefer a little more meat on the plot bones.

It makes me realize that I have no Jim Carrey movies at the top of my list. He has a lot of movies that I've liked, but none that I've loved, other than maybe Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which is a different animal.

OK, lots of thoughts here:

I agree that Trading Places was the peak and it holds a special place in my heart. Just something about it. It's so perfect. Coming to America and Beverly Hills Cop are classics in their own right. Hell, I also loved The Golden Child, Boomerang, and Life. 80s/90s Eddie Murphy is in the Hall of Fame, for sure.

So.. fair warning. Friday is definitely a "black comedy" and I don't mean that in the classic sense. I'm black myself, I grew up around black people so the humor from the culture is all good to me. I know it's just not everyone's bag of tea. At any rate, I think it's great, as are the sequels Next Friday and Friday After Next. Ridiculous plots, classic characters, big name actors, extremely quotable (you've probably heard the expression "Bye, Felicia" at some point within the last 5 years or so- that line came from the original Friday). It's got everything I look for in a comedy.

You're right about Dumb and Dumber. I'd generally give extra points for "more meat on the bones", but sometimes I just like to put on a movie and laugh and I'm not sure any movie does that better than Dumb and Dumber. That 90s Jim Carrey had a direct line to my funny bone. Ace Ventura, Liar Liar, The Mask, The Cable Guy- all great.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

...

So.. fair warning. Friday is definitely a "black comedy" and I don't mean that in the classic sense. I'm black myself, I grew up around black people so the humor from the culture is all good to me. I know it's just not everyone's bag of tea. At any rate, I think it's great, as are the sequels Next Friday and Friday After Next. Ridiculous plots, classic characters, big name actors, extremely quotable (you've probably heard the expression "Bye, Felicia" at some point within the last 5 years or so- that line came from the original Friday). It's got everything I look for in a comedy.

...

Yeah, I was skirting that matter, but honestly it makes the movie a bigger risk if I didn't grow up in the culture to understand the underpinnings of the humor.

But this makes me laugh, because I wonder if it's part of why I like Napoleon Dynamite so much when you're meh on it.

You grew up in a black culture, and I grew up in a rural yokel culture. That's what Napoleon Dynamite is built on, so I really identify with it. Maybe I'm off base if you also grew up in a yokel culture, but there'a a whole lot of Napoleon Dynamite that I recognize from my youth, so the humor really resonates with me.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

So.. fair warning. Friday is definitely a "black comedy" and I don't mean that in the classic sense. I'm black myself, I grew up around black people so the humor from the culture is all good to me. I know it's just not everyone's bag of tea. At any rate, I think it's great, as are the sequels Next Friday and Friday After Next. Ridiculous plots, classic characters, big name actors, extremely quotable (you've probably heard the expression "Bye, Felicia" at some point within the last 5 years or so- that line came from the original Friday). It's got everything I look for in a comedy.

More or less so than 'Black Knight'?

My buddy and I went and saw that in the theater and man, that was an experience. My friend and I were just laughing our asses off at these poor classically trained Shakespearian actors with their over the top received pronunciation accents just being the butt of all these god-awful Martin Lawrence jokes.

[ThaVirus]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Yeah, I was skirting that matter, but honestly it makes the movie a bigger risk if I didn't grow up in the culture to understand the underpinnings of the humor.

But this makes me laugh, because I wonder if it's part of why I like Napoleon Dynamite so much when you're meh on it.

You grew up in a black culture, and I grew up in a rural yokel culture. That's what Napoleon Dynamite is built on, so I really identify with it. Maybe I'm off base if you also grew up in a yokel culture, but there'a a whole lot of Napoleon Dynamite that I recognize from my youth, so the humor really resonates with me.

Funny you mention it, my mom is actually white as the driven snow from Smalltownville, OH (her high school graduating class had like 16 people) and my dad's from DC so I dabble in both cultures.

Napoleon Dynamite definitely gave me more rural Iowa vibes than rural Ohio vibes. Sounds like a small difference but I feel like there is something to be said there.

I'm going to shoot straight with you, the Friday franchise probably won't be up your alley, but I will stand by my claim that they're very entertaining comedies and maybe your life will be a wee bit enriched having stuck your toe in the culture lol

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

More or less so than 'Black Knight'?

My buddy and I went and saw that in the theater and man, that was an experience. My friend and I were just laughing our asses off at these poor classically trained Shakespearian actors with their over the top received pronunciation accents just being the butt of all these god-awful Martin Lawrence jokes.

Ha- have you never seen any of the Fridays, DJ? I'm shocked. I thought you were like mid-to-late 30s, figured that one would have been in your catalog.

I haven't seen Black Knight in years so it's tough to remember all of it, but the entire cast of Friday is either black or Hispanic. Like, they literally don't even leave the neighborhood during the movie so I don't think a white person gets a single second of screen time in that movie. Whereas, Black Knight is kind of the opposite based on my memory. It's basically a black dude telling jokes around a bunch of 1500s white folk.. so I guess I'd have to imagine Friday leans a little more into the black humor..? Though I will say that Chris Tucker's humor definitely seems to be a bit more mainstream than Martin Lawrence's so maybe it's the opposite.