As with any genre, a great comedy feels fresh even when we revisit it decades later — or maybe reveal new layers upon each revisit. Here's a list of eight must-see comedies.
In arguably the greatest buddy comedy of all time, Robert De Niro proved himself capable of doing comic situations with a terrific set of co-stars in the form of Charles Grodin, John Ashton, and Yaphet Kotto.
This Mel Brooks masterpiece concerns a Black man who, in a strange turn of events, becomes a Sheriff in a town dominated by unscrupulous white men. And that ending.... no one sees it coming!
A superb comedy with immense repeat value. Those who have only seen Joe Pesci in Martin Scorsese's intense gangster dramas will see a refreshingly lighter side of the actor here. And, oh, Marisa Tomei!
This Richard Linklater film moves like a breeze, with nary a dark or negative moment. It's the perfect hangout movie, with characters thrust into hilarious situations and exchanging witty lines.
Here's another hilarious Robert De Niro performance as a gangster struck suddenly with panic attacks and performance issues. It's a character nicely complemented by an excellent Billy Crystal as his therapist.
Guy Ritchie made his debut with a gangster comedy made colourful by an assortment of delightfully eccentric characters who dare to make some absurd decisions and cross paths in the most unexpected ways.
Guy Ritchie followed up 'Lock, Stock' with another laugh riot that essentially follows that film's basic template but with different characters and situations. Once again, Ritchie demonstrates his incredible talent with wordplay and humour.
John Travolta, Rene Russo, Danny DeVito, Gene Hackman, Delroy Lindo and James Gandolfini circle a brilliantly written script adapted from the book of the same name by dark humour master Elmore Leonard.