So I was thinking back on the last decade and some of the movies that really made me smile. Well, not just smile but rather laugh my ass off. In no particular order is my list of Top Five Films of the 2000’s: Napoleon Dynamite, Anchorman, Super Troopers, Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Great, great flicks.
Napoleon Dynamite (2004) – Jared Hess’s feature-length directorial debut will stand out for me as an absolute CLASSIC of comedy. It’s different it’s quirky and should stand out to EVERY aspiring filmmaker as a beacon of hope proving that you don’t need a massive budget to achieve cinema excellence. FACT: This movie is one of the most profitable movies of ALL TIME. Cost/Gross ratio.
Anchorman (2004) – THE top dog of the Will Ferrell comedy reign. It doesn’t get ANY better than this and I mean that 100%. This is one of the most quotable movies I’ve ever seen in my entire life. If you need a quick refresher here’s a few gems.
Super Troopers (2001) – Unfortunately Broken Lizard (the comedy team behind ST) hasn’t topped this film since. Fortunately they are making a sequel. Will it be as good at the original? No. But it will damn sure still beat Club Dread. This movie is a classic for the most recent generation as Airplane or Animal House is to those decades. I’ll still enjoy this movie in 20 years and am guessing you will too.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) – For some strange reason I have an aversion to movies that have titles that are verbs. I.e. Waiting for Guffman, Chasing Amy, Raising Arizona, Pushing Tin, etc. I believe the grammatical term for this is a gerund. Anywho, I HATE them with this film being one of the few exceptions. I feel like it really launched the career of Jason Segal as well as Russell Brand and even made for a spin off based on his Aldous Snow character with 2010’s Get Him to the Greek. Great flick with a steady replay value.
Superbad (2007) – Super good. The big film breakthrough for not one, not two, but THREE of todays biggest comedy stars. Michael Cera, Jonah Hill and Christopher Mintz-Plasse have good ole Judd Apatow to thank for their bags of money. This movie makes the high school experience feel real in a way that a movie like Can’t Hardly Wait (while also a fav because of Jennifer Love-Hewitt) fails. It’s real language and real situations. Parents, you better believe your kids are acting EXACTLY like this today.
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David Rosen
Sep 01, 2010 @ 07:33:09
I’d total agree with you if you replaced “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” with “40 Year Old Virgin” and replaced “Super Bad” with “Team America” and then just put “The Ten” as as the ruler of all. :-)
Rob
Sep 01, 2010 @ 08:19:24
That’s the problem with just picking 5. 40 YO Virgin was awesome, Team America was awesome, I Love You Man was awesome. Then you have movies like Dodgeball and Van Wilder that were also like “THE” comedy at their times.
It’s hard to pick 5. I still haven’t seen “The Ten” yet. Promise I will!
Stephanie Lulay
Sep 02, 2010 @ 03:05:06
Glad to see Forgetting Sarah Marshall make this list!
Rob
Sep 02, 2010 @ 08:49:52
You know what doesn’t make the list? Where the Wild Things Are. TERRIBLE!
2010 in review « Fixing Films
Jan 02, 2011 @ 08:14:22
tames
Jan 26, 2011 @ 10:43:12
wheres the hangover?
Mike
Mar 11, 2011 @ 10:25:25
I was originally going to watch Napoleon dynamite because it’s just hilarious but i figured that i already watched it too many times and i want a film that i have not watched yet, or at least barely remember.. I never watched Super Troopers so i am going to give that a try because it sounds pretty funny ^^
Thanks for making this article because it helped me choose a film very quickly.. I will bookmark your page, but my suggestion is to make a top 20 comedy list, and maybe
even expand with top 5 action films of the 2000s, and attract a larger audience ;)