The 8 Best "Guilty Pleasure" Comedies of All-Time
Clarification #1: I don't feel embarrassed to admit I'd rather watch Patrick Swayze' Roadhouse over Ang Lee' Brokeback Mountain. It doesn't humiliate me to disclose I'd watch Evil Dead II over Hotel Rwanda any day of the week. Liking dumbass movies isn't anything to feel guilty about, damn it. I'm zen enough with my taste in films (or lack thereof) to come clean that I get more pleasure out of the Die Hard trilogy than Schindler' List.Clarification #2: When I throw around a term like "guilty pleasure comedy," I don't mean watching it on TBS if there' nothing else on. I mean that you went out to a Best Buy and put money down on a counter in front of other human beings and bought the fucking thing. These are movies you need to hide behind the toilet when you have friends over. If you have a girlfriend or wife, these are movies which you've made a pact with her on: should anyone ask, these are her movies. Her movies that you hate.
With that out of the way: my list of the most embarrassing comedies to get caught owning, that are actually really good.
8 |
Cabin Boy GUILT ALERT LEVEL: BLUE |
WHY IT'S A GUILTY PLEASURERegardless of Cabin Boy' content, its ridiculous nautical premise and unfathomable marquee billing of Chris Elliott make it just sort of... look dumb. It' the film equivalent of the comfortable pants you wouldn't be caught dead wearing to a party.
WHY IT'S SECRETLY AWESOME
Because it' funny. Chris Elliott subverts his leading man role into the wussiest mewling sissy you've ever seen. You're not rooting for his character to win so much as enjoying him getting nailed in the crotch with an anchor for the eleventh time. (I don't remember if this actually happens, though you have to admit, it sounds plausible.) It' good damn fun.
DEGREE OF EMBARRASSMENT IF CAUGHT WITH IT
Minimal. Owning a DVD with as questionable value as Cabin Boy is a mainstay of anyone' collection. Even that snooty cinephile you try to avoid who' always namedropping Ingmar Bergman probably has a copy of Hot Shots: Part Deux tucked away at the back of his DVD shelf. We're all allowed a few stinkers. With the lone exception of G.I. Jane, which you shouldn't own, ever, for any reason.
7 |
Multiplicity GUILT ALERT LEVEL: GREEN |
WHY IT'S A GUILTY PLEASURETechnically, it' a romantic comedy. Plus it stars charisma vacuum Michael Keaton and almost-entirely-composed-of-teeth-and-gums Andie MacDowell, despite the fact that filmmakers should know better by now. Most insidiously, the film' message is that spending more time doing what your wife wants is, in the end, more important than your own hopes and dreams.
WHY IT'S SECRETLY AWESOME
It' written and directed by Harold Ramis, the guy who wrote Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day, which alone should cut the movie some slack. Also, much like Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day, Multiplicity' got a cool high concept premise to bounce the laughs off of. And as a mitigating factor to it starring Michael Keaton, note that it also stars Michael Keaton acting like he' retarded. Not for an Oscar nom, either. For laughs.
DEGREE OF EMBARRASSMENT IF CAUGHT WITH IT
You'll live. It' not an offensively bad film-if people've put any thought into Multiplicity at all, the worst prejudice against it is that it' bland and forgettable. It's the sort of film you'd rent if you had your parents visiting and didn't want anything to offend. You could probably get away with "My grandmother bought it for me as a gift" if pressed.
6 |
Last Action Hero GUILT ALERT LEVEL: GREEN |
WHY IT'S A GUILTY PLEASURE
If you haven't seen it, SPOILER ALERT: it' not very good.
WHY IT'S SECRETLY AWESOME
The opening minute of Last Action Hero casts Arnold Schwarzenegger as Hamlet. Arnold Schwarzenegger. As Hamlet. It is one of the ten most awesome things you will see in your entire life. The rest of the movie I could care less about. Sadly, YouTube only had the Spanish version available. I apologize in advance:
DEGREE OF EMBARRASSMENT IF CAUGHT WITH IT
This depends on how many other, superior Schwarzenegger movies you own. If you've got Last Action Hero sandwiched in between sweet films like Terminator 2 and Predator on your DVD shelf, don't sweat it. If you've got Last Action Hero sandwiched in between The Last Boy Scout and Hudson Hawk on your DVD shelf, you're clearly some kind of fucking idiot. Your friends won't say anything — but they will never take your movie opinions seriously again.
5 |
Stuart Saves His Family GUILT ALERT LEVEL: GREEN |
WHY IT'S A GUILTY PLEASUREGood God, where to start? It' a mid-90' SNL movie, so Strike One. It' a mid-90' SNL movie based around one of SNL' least popular characters ever. Strike Two. Plus it' a comedy about a family baring their souls and weeping openly while in therapy. Swwwwwing and a miss.
WHY IT'S SECRETLY AWESOME
Stuart Saves His Family is really dark, with lots of cruel humor at the expense of its protagonists. Harold Ramis, the film's director (see Multiplicity) and writer Al Franken aren't under the illusion that anybody likes the annoying Stuart Smalley. The film is essentially one big funny joke at his expense.
DEGREE OF EMBARRASSMENT IF CAUGHT WITH IT
Medium to high. This is a good comedy that' got chips stacked against it for all the reasons just mentioned. It looks like it should suck, it sounds like it should suck; therefore, in the court of public opinion, it blows. Trying to convince a friend that it doesn't would be like trying to convince a friend it wouldn't be weird if you gave him an enema.
THE FOUR GUILTIEST MOVIES OF ALL TIME
Last boy scout is totally within exceptable man owningship, especially in the realm of guilty pleasures. THE JIG.
ReplyThe Last Action Hero is a clumsier, sillier 'True Lies' that for no good reason, people take entirely too seriously. For the most part, it's kind of awesome. The "Make no mistake, they are exceptionally well trained" scene is cinematic genius.
ReplyIt's only a guilty pleasure because people are stoopid.
I think I love you. I have no idea how people manage to miss the point of this film so much.
I thought #1 would have been any movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. His movies are bad, but don't get me wrong. I LOVE Jean-Claude. He Is awesome
ReplyI think that Last Action Hero was pretty brilliant. It pointed out all the flaws in Hollywood movies, and few have done before. It was like the kid was a younger, penis-having version of me.
ReplyHow can you defend The Last Action Hero in the same breath as you make fun of The Last Boy Scout? The Last Boy Scout has absolutely no substance to it, but it's one of the best no-brain action-comedies of all time.
Reply^ This, ten billion times over.
Kung Pow
ReplyYup...
Yup.
There is nothing guilty about the pleasure Kung Pow gives.
Hugh Grant is legitimately funny in Mickey Blue Eyes and About A Boy. Really.
ReplyFarce of the Penguins is my #1 guilty pleasure movie.
ReplyPretty Woman - I like it and i don't care who knows it. Don't forget about rooting for Richard Gere's character, either.
Replyi will watch everyone of these except pretty woman
Replyyou could add porky's and its countless rip offs [most of which were successfull] to this list
Reply"I think Hugh Grant is one of the most underrated comedians of all time" - Jay Pinkerton
ReplyI will never take anything else you say seriously.
you dissed michael keaton and andie mcdowell in the same paragraph. another articled you dissed cable guy. jeez we must have opposite tastes. andie mcdowell is six months older than my mom and still marry her today. she is beautiful
ReplyThe Deathstalker II cover is by Boris Vallejo, an artist whose entire oeuvre can be summed up by the phrase "camp softcore porno with swords and wizards."
ReplyAlso for the fact that my boyfriend and his Coast Guard Officer brother watched '27 Dresses' TOGETHER, completely spontaneously...because they enjoyed it.
Reply'27 Dresses' should definitely be on here, ONLY for the scene in the bar where they sing 'Benny and the Jets'. Plus, James Marsden in a romantic comedy...if he continues to be in more of these, he's going to bypass even Richard Gere in the Richard Gere Effect.
ReplyHOLY s**t WHY IS EVERY S AFTER AN APOSTROPHE MISSING WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH THEM
ReplyI'd have to say my biggest "guilty pleasure" comedy of all time is Zoolander. It's SOOOOOOO stupid, I can't STAND Ben Stiller, I only marginally like Owen Wilson, and I've only found ONE movie with Will Ferrel I actually liked (Stranger Than Fiction) but somehow I can't watch this movie without almost having a heart attack because I'm laughing so hard. I've even considered volunteering myself to a study on why fairly intelligent people still sometimes like stupid movies, but so far I haven't been able to find one since they were brought down immediately with sabatoge by various movie studios over the years.
ReplyArnold as hamlet in spanish most awesome thing ever.
ReplyLove your name. Love your avatar. That is all.
Hugh Grant? HUGH GRANT!? I f*****g HATE HUGH GRANT! IHATEHIMIHATEHIMIHATEHIMIHATEHIMAAAAAAAAARGH!!
Reply