Sideways (2004)

Comedy Rated R

The drudgery of everyday existence gets another gentle tweaking at the hands of writer-director Alexander Payne (About Schmidt). A priceless Paul Giamatti plays a neurotic English teacher and would-be novelist who takes his mismatched best friend (Thomas Haden Church) on a trip to California wine country to celebrate the friend’s impending marriage – a journey

For Your Consideration (2006)

Comedy Rated PG-13

For those of us who treasure the brilliantly improvised mockumentaries of Christopher Guest and company – Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind – watching this complete flop is a depressing experience. A spoof of Hollywood’s awards season, in which the shooting of a hokey melodrama succumbs to silly hubris when Oscar rumors

Deck the Halls (2006)

Comedy Rated PG

What if someone wanted their Christmas decorations to be so bright that they could be seen from outer space? What if a studio thought that concept alone would make for an uproarious holiday film? The answer to the latter question would be Deck the Halls, one of those dreadful, pandering, seasonal pictures that sneaks into

Shanghai Noon (2000)

Comedy Rated PG-13

This is the giddy and gimmicky action comedy that Wild Wild West should have been. Hong Kong sensation Jackie Chan teams up with low-key comic Owen Wilson (Bottle Rocket) for a free-spirited farce about the adventures of a Chinese Imperial Guard in the Old West. This might not be the stuff of which masterpieces are

Shanghai Knights (2003)

Comedy Rated PG-13

This sequel to 2000’s delightfully goofy action comedy offers mostly lukewarm leftovers, as Owen Wilson’s wannabe outlaw and Jackie Chan’s Chinese Imperial Guard find themselves in Victorian England. Shanghai Knights is no I Spy, and it’s certainly not The Tuxedo, but both Wilson and Chan have done far better work. In fact, it’s called Shanghai

Shaolin Soccer (2001)

Comedy Rated PG-13

An Asian import that blends kung fu with one of the world’s most popular sports, Shaolin Soccer is insane, almost literally. The movie is manic, at least tripolar and desperately in need of help. Of course the screw-loose tone is the picture’s true appeal. The story of a Shaolin martial-arts enthusiast (Stephen Chow, who also

Sorority Boys (2002)

Comedy Rated R

This imbecilic college comedy about three fraternity buddies (Barry Watson, Michael Rosenbaum and Harland Williams) who dress up as coeds predictably revels in misogyny – there are awful jokes about everything from menstruation to date rape – but what’s most galling is the moral hat the movie also tries to wear. Our ostensible heroes, you

I Think I Love My Wife (2007)

Comedy Rated R

This remake of Eric Rohmer’s Chloe in the Afternoon is an ambitious project for talented writer-director-star Chris Rock, but it never lives up to his lofty intentions. By focusing exclusively on the good husband and father (Rock) who is nonetheless considering embarking on an affair, the movie reduces its feminine characters – including the shrewish

Scary Movie 2 (2001)

Comedy Rated R

This flimsy horror movie spoof offers more infantile humor, lazily delivered. Considering three early gags involve urinating, defecating and vomiting, you could save yourself $8 and find equal entertainment by spending an evening in a public restroom (and this is coming from a guy who found redeeming qualities in Tom Green’s Freddy Got Fingered).

School of Rock (2003)

Comedy Rated PG-13

As a questionably talented bar-band guitarist who passes himself off as a substitute teacher, Jack Black has found the signature role for his singular talent. Black has made a career out of flailing his hair, limbs and devilishly gleaming eyes in all directions – in short, acting the way the rest of us wish we