Road Trip (2000)

Comedy Rated R

There are a few moments of inspired lunacy in this American Pie rip-off, but none of the self-deprecating honesty that made that outrageous sex comedy such a sweet surprise. Only MTV’s Tom Green, as a perpetual college student obsessed with feeding his friend’s boa constrictor, stands out among the gimmicky cast.

Big Trouble (2002)

Comedy Rated PG-13

If you don’t find at least one amusing thing in Big Trouble, then you’re either having a really bad day or you should admit to being a professional crab. This is a movie packed with about 15 story lines, 14 main characters (played by the likes of Tim Allen, Rene Russo and Dennis Farina) and

Chalk (2007)

Comedy Rated PG-13

"…will convince anyone who almost went into teaching that they made the right decision. Even if they’re currently on unemployment."

Man of the Year (2006)

Comedy Rated PG-13

What looks to be a farce about a Jon Stewart-type comedian who runs for President is mostly a political thriller about an election conspiracy. The entire project is at odds with itself, and the producers know it. They don’t, however, know what to do with it, which is why the commercials focused on Robin Williams’

Wild Hogs (2007)

Comedy Rated PG-13

“…a cast composed of actors who are bad enough on their own, and who together amount to something unholy.

Good Year, A (2006)

Comedy Rated PG-13

Watching Russell Crowe attempt comedy here is a bit like watching a dancing bear at the circus. He makes the right moves, but the rhythm is all off. It’s admirable that an established, accomplished dramatic presence such as Crowe would take this sort of risk. I just wish he had done it in a riskier

Thank You For Smoking (2006)

Comedy Rated R

As it targets Big Tobacco – a soulless cigarette lobbyist (Aaron Eckhart) is its protagonist – this satire indulges in the sort of relentless cynicism that is only born of defeat. Directed by Jason Reitman and based on Christopher Buckley’s novel of the same name, Thank You essentially takes us on a tour through the

Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (2005)

Comedy Rated R

Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo is a living, breathing example of the comedy principle discussed in The Aristocrats. That documentary reveals obscenity can be funny in the right hands – it features nearly 100 comedians telling the same crude joke – but in the wrong hands it’s simply obscene. Suffice it to say Rob Schneider, who

BachelorMan (2003)

Comedy Rated R

This independent comedy is far more ambitious than necessary, with computer-animation, slick special effects and an ensemble cast all in service of a sitcom script. David DeLuise (son of Dom) stars as Ted, an unrepentant ladies’ man who meets his match when he falls for his new neighbor (Missi Pyle). The ensuing comedy mostly consists

School for Scoundrels (2006)

Comedy Rated PG-13

Starring Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) as a bullied traffic cop who takes a course in self-confidence from a boorish womanizer (Billy Bob Thornton), this means to trace Heder – and his character’s – transformation from lovable loser to just plain lovable. Yet the movie’s gooey pursuit of that goal works in direct opposition to the