“The Men Who Stare At Goats” is like a cleverly written essay only the writer never actually wrote a thesis. When it leaves you wondering “what just happened?” it’s not because you don’t understand it, but because you don’t know what the point is. Included in the definition of art is purpose, and even if […]

It’s hard to believe a film such as “Harold and Maude” was made in the 1970s. Movies like this one, the off-kilter teen coming-of-age story, haven’t really become common place until today. Hal Ashby and Colin Higgins’ film was undoubtedly ahead of its time. It’s not rooted in pop culture, popular folk-style music is a […]

It goes without saying that “Mystery, Alaska” is all about hockey, but the spin on that is that it’s about more than the sport and that’s the difference maker between a good and great sports film. “Mystery” falls somewhere in between those compliments, but transcending hockey is what this movie can hang its skates on. […]

You might remember nothing else from “In the Loop” other than its landmark insults, but that’s enough. This high-brow dirty British humor from the writing team behind the hit British political comedy show “The Thick of It” is exceptional and its ability to intelligently prod at politics is almost more of a bonus.

If “Annie Hall” had been a later Woody Allen film, you’d be ready to slap him by the end of the film’s opening monologue. But in 1977, the world was not full of Allen films filled with Allen humor and “Allenisms.” Thank goodness for that, because the film is truly one where his character can’t […]

Americans have long been ignorant of the comedic prowess of Ricky Gervais. The round- bellied Brit is the force behind “The Office” having played the Michael Scott equivalent, David Brent, on the original UK show and produced the American version. Yet to most of us he’s “the guy from the Night at the Museum movies.” […]

“Trading Places” is a modern-day “Pygmalion”: a couple old codgers make a bet on whether or not they can turn a homeless con artist from a petty thief to a proper wealthy businessman and the opposite to a prim and proper wealthy young gentleman. More than an opportunity for comedy, this social experiment premise offers […]

Before you ever see the first shot of “Youth in Revolt,” you know what’s going on. A repetitive motion sound can be heard as well as the flipping of pages. Nick Twisp (Cera) is masturbating and almost everyone in the theater knows it. That’s testament to how far the R-rated comedy sexual revolution has come […]

The first “Night at the Museum” worked despite conventions for a few reasons, but the main one was that it eased into its premise of museum exhibits coming to life and didn’t take it for granted like “Night of the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian” does. I’m actually surprised the writers of the first […]

Call me old fashioned, but I like movies with plots. I thought “stoner comedy” was just a way to more specifically describe a comedy in which lots of weed is smoked and the people watching it are more apt to enjoy it high. “Grandma’s Boy,” however, has decided this is a full-blown niche and that […]

Jason Reitman has been the creative force behind two of the warmest, funniest, modern- savvy and thought-provoking comedies in the last five years (“Thank You For Smoking” and “Juno”). He continues this tradition with “Up in the Air,” one of if not the best film of 2009, which looks at life with a view from […]

Just got a copy of this for Chanukah, actually. It’s nice to thoroughly enjoy a comedy this decade without catching a single whiff of Apatow. The fact that audiences are eating up the boundary-crossing humor of “The Hangover” this summer and the famous producer of “Knocked Up” and “Superbad” nor any of his cronies (Seth […]

In the tradition of the many other Will Ferrell-Adam McKay produced comedies with a colon in the title that’s focused on a quirky character, “The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard” makes a pitch for awkward humor from a wide range of messed up characters. If you’re an easy sell on that kind of humor “The […]

Somewhere between “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” and “Observe and Report,” there has to be at least a decent movie about a mall security guard. Or maybe Hollywood should just forget about this cliché-ripe “genre” altogether. “Observe and Report” is the latest film to shove a tubby comedian (Seth Rogen) into a mock police officer’s uniform […]

For those wondering what happened to the old Woody Allen, here he is. “Whatever Works” is a script from the 1970s. I noticed that without even knowing Allen has been forthright about it. A few script rewrites — talk about the Taliban and not the Communists — and old Woody works in a modern context. […]