Henry Winkler comedy gem
587664
This movie is one of my favorites!  Henry Winkler is a likeable actor with a huge ego married to timid, sweet Kim Darby in the early 50's, struggling in NYC.  Unable to get work as an actor, he stumbles into the wild, wacky world of professional wrestling and the rest if wild mahem.  The stiff, conservative parents of the bride add a nice comic touch and the almost unbelievable romance between the two opposites in Darby and Winkler are really funny and strangely believable.  Early in the film she says, "I guess I'll have to marry you, I'm too embarrassed to date you."  A very funny, wonderful cast, too.  A must see!
2444548
Chappelle's accessibility (and his racially charged & sympathetic humor) sparkle in this live stand-up appearance.  This guy is about as likable as it gets, his characteristic wit pulling the audience in even as it knuckle-rubs their heads.  On this disc, Dave discusses everything from crackheads (no surprise there), Native Americans, smoking in public, the American justice system, and grape juice.  Even when his humor is topical (e.g. OJ and Michael Jackson), it retains a sense of warmth and giggle-worthy rib-nudging that makes this recording both hilarious and re-watchable.  The only drawback is that it is lamentably short (it barely clocks in at an hour) and the disc is notably lacking in any special features whatsoever.
1130431
Bill Murray has never ceased to be one of my favorite comedians, from the first viewing of Ghostbusters to the outrageous role in The Man Who Knew Too Little. (He's also probably the only good part in Charlie's Angels, though I know most will disagree.) This film does not fail to further his career, in my opinion. It presented him as the crazed and vicious television company president who brings us an Ebenezer we can't ignore. Bob Goldthwait and Carol Kane do not fail to drive the audience bonkers either! Karen Allen is not AS convincing in her romantic role of Claire as she was as Marion in Raiders, but better than Laura in The Glass Menagerie. The humor is terrific in several parts (verbal and physical), yet the message of the film--the SERIOUS one--is not lost. This movie has made my Christmas for years, better than the two Home Alones! May I add, as an impending music doctorate, that Danny Elfman's score brings me joy with each viewing as well!
1083253
Off beat and hilarious,first original comedy movie in years.
160959
A movie of this title starring Ben Stiller is bound to be hit, or at least worth its weight in laughs.  So when I saw this film, I was not disappointed, yet I found the visual aspects of a few over-the-top sex scenes rather raunchy and certainly not necessary for the humor this crazed plot and Stiller's comic appeal readily provided.

Tired of getting teased for his bachelorhood, Eddie Cantrow was quick to fall for the first pretty damsel in distress he befriended on a city street.  With the urging of Stiller's real-life and on-screen dad, this leading character marries who he believes to be the girl of his dreams. Two minutes into his honeymoon, he begins to have second thoughts that keep escalating until he realizes he's in his worst nightmare and not about to wake up anytime soon.

The only comforting part of this bad dream is the presence of Miranda, another woman on vacation with her family at the same resort where Eddie is honeymooning.  Afraid of losing Miranda and equally fearful of hurting his wife, it is easy for the viewer to sympathize with Stiller's character.  But Miranda's family is a frying pan waiting for Eddie to leap into after the fire.  Miranda herself proves to be not too stable, and Eddie has enough character flaws to deserve both women and plenty more.

While this movie was definitely funny, what I liked best was its unpredictable and open ending.  It was not the quick fix, or rescue scene, or typical ending I had in mind when I saw the previews.  For a few laughs, I would recommend this video - but put kids to bed first.
260565
Wonderful little comedy with life's lessons worth the watch
2115491
I didn't expect to love this movie. I like Kevin James, but I wasn't excited about this movie, based off the TV trailers I'd seen. Honestly, the trailers didn't do it justice. It really is funny, and so sweet. It had me laughing, and teared up in all the right moments. The cast is great, the story is solid, and the fight scenes were done very well -- as a fan of MMA, I wasn't disappointed. Henry Winkler is genius in this, and Kevin James probably does his best work to date. I cannot even put it into words how much I loved this movie. Other than, I'm buying the DVD immediately to add to my collection -- so you should really download it, or buy it too -- you likely won't regret it.
2664820
Good show, a little humor, good family movie
254499
When I had learned that it was the legendary "Gorgeous George" (George Raymond Wagner, 1915-1963) and his wife Betty who inspired those behind this movie, I was very eager to acquire and view this sweet little film on DVD. Well, the model that Gorgeous George set for the title role of Andy Schmidt (played by Henry Winkler) in "The One and Only" (which is what Andy likes to call himself, in the ring or in any other entertainment venue) is far removed in details from the real Gorgeous George. Andy is an eccentric fake as a wrestler, physically unfit for genuine wrestling; Gorgeous George, on the other hand, while not particularly imposing as a ring athlete, was, indeed, a skillful wrestler as well as a very amusing showman.

My familiarity with Gorgeous George`s way of professional fighting comes from the years of seeing him in the ring when my family (parents, siblings, and, on other occasions, my paternal step-grandfather, too) used to watch Gorgeous George on TV during the late 1940s onward. The film only approximates that milieu, but it is very amusing on its own terms.

Gorgeous George`s first wife Betty was a publically visible (and very pretty) part of his public persona, but Mary Crawford, Betty`s parallel in the film (played by Kim Darby) is shy, retiring, and of rather homely looks, rather than the publically visible companion to a celebrity wrestler as Gorgeous George`s lovely wife (ne Betty Hanson) had been to some extent. Darby`s performance in the film, however, is almost as comical as Winkler`s, so, cinematically, it does not matter that much, does it? Andy`s trainer, the hilarious and philandering midget, Milton Miller (himself, in the film, a comedy wrestler, played by the diminuitive actor and painter, Herv Villachaize) "steals the show" grandly, surely the funniest actor in this talented cast! The scene in which Milton flirts seductively and with grotesque inappropriety with Mary`s genteel mother, who finds the dwarf`s attentions utterly revolting, while both of Mary`s parents are visiting the young couple, is the single most side-splitting scene in what is withal a very hilarious film.

There certainly is room for a genuine bio-film on Gorgeous George, the memory of whose career deserves to be honoured in that way, but for those who have any liking for wrestling (and I have to admit that my own interest only centred narrowly on Gorgeous George, a man of real class, however amusing, the others leaving me indifferent, especially the ring buffoons who came after him) and who have a strong hankering for film comedy (which I like a lot more widely!), this movie will likely be in their video machines rather often! It would have been desirable to include some "extra features" for this product (Legend Films LR-00210, as available in the U. S. of A. and Canada) that would make the background to "The One and Only" clearer to viewers too young to recall George Wagner, but, naturally, it is the motion picture itself that determines most buyer`s decision to purchase or to pass by on. It is the absense of special features on the DVD that results in the review`s rating of four rather than in five stars, but I still say, buy it and savour it!
4423492
HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA, last fall's box-office hit from animator/director Genndy Tartakovsky and producer Adam Sandler, proves to be surprising fun. While animated at younger viewers, there's plenty of old-fashioned Movie Monster mayhem here to please fans of the Universal era with Count Dracula (voiced by Sandler) about to celebrate his daughter's 118th birthday by staging a massive party at his Transylvanian hotel, one devoted exclusively to Drac's monster pals. Crashing their undead-only event comes a young American backpacker (voiced by Andy Samberg) who develops an immediate attraction to the birthday girl, but Dracula quickly douses the happy-go-lucky kid in Frankenstein make-up so his human identity won't be revealed to the insular monster community.

Peter Baynham and comedian Robert Smigel are credited with the script for "Hotel Transylvania," which - although saddled with a conventional and predictable story line - makes for good fun thanks to amusing humor and Tartakovsky's engaging animation, here rendered in 3-D CGI form. The filmmakers put a modern, comedic spin on the great monsters of the Golden Age (envisioning the Wolfman as a harried family man, for example) and punctuate the material with snappy visual gags and atmosphere that recalls a good Looney Tunes or Tex Avery cartoon spoofing the Karloff age. Naturally, kids will be the most receptive to "Hotel Transylvania"'s charms, but that's of course the point: between the good-natured comedy and colorful design, it's no surprise younger viewers preferred this over Tim Burton's well-meaning but decidedly more downbeat "Frankenweenie" in theaters last fall.

Sony brings "Hotel Transylvania" to Blu-Ray this week in the form of a multi-disc 3D/2D presentation with corresponding DVD and Ultraviolet copies. Though produced to utilize 3D from the outset, there's little lost in the 2D Blu-Ray presentation since there are few pop-out effects. Both 1080p (1.85) transfers look great but colors, of course, are more satisfying in the 2D rendition. The DTS MA audio is nicely mixed, offering a better than expected score by Mark Mothersbaugh, while extras include a four-minute 2D animated short "Goodnight Mr. Foot" (animated in Tartakovsky's usual style), a commentary by the filmmakers, six minutes of deleted scenes, music videos, DVD-ROM content and format-exclusive progression reels and supporting featurettes.
1798592
If there has to be a message to this movie, and I don't really believe there's supposed to be, it's that a sense of humor will indeed get you through the worst of situations.
Matthew Broderick and Christopher Walken carry this comedy.  There is an unassuming quality here.  It's funny without trying to be funny, or at least that's the feeling I get from it.  There's not much of a chance that this is on anybody's top ten list, not even a top ten comedy list.  There's no obvious contrivance here.  The whole story just happens, flowing smoothly along without effort.  And so it's exceedingly pleasing, immensely enjoyable, quite lifelike.
And as another reviewer points out, for all the innocent quality of the movie, there are "blue" scenes here, but nothing graphic.
324098
Summary:
Hilariously funny and enjoyable movie with great music, great DVD features.
Review:
Great story with a solid script with good cohesion, flow and development; great acting voices (Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow), great animation, design and implementation, great direction and great movie.  Great DVD features that are extensive and  generous!  And, a wonderful Filmakers' Commentary.
My kids loved the movie, got some of the good jokes, love the story, and enjoy playing the DVD Special Features including games, a Kareoki video and others.
Mike Meyers shows himself to be a gifted comedian with lots of wonderfully creative ideas and a moral to tell in the end.
Storyline
A charming ogre (Myers) is coerced into rescuing a feisty Princess Fiona (Diaz) with an overly talkative donkey (Murphy) in order to get his swamp back from the overcompensating (read that "short") Lord Farquaad (Lithgow).  Princess Fiona is obsessed with having "loves first kiss" with her "true love", and of course, cannot wait to be with her great Lord Farquaad whom she supposes is her true love.
Moral:
There may be much more to people than meets the eye!
2170755
John Cusack is a very funny guy! And, he definitely does not disappoint as the neurotic narcissistic record-store owner with relationship "issues" in High Fidelity. But, what really sets this one apart from the other brilliant work by Cusack is the high-energy supporting performance by Jack Black and Todd Louiso's hip nerdishness. The whole thing just crack's me up!
3225566
It's been a long time since I have seen a comedy that lived up to its hype. The Wedding Ringer, while not a continuous laugh riot, was very funny. Kevin Hart always seems to play the same character in my opinion, and Kaley Cuoco, for having shared billing, was hardly in the movie. Josh Gad is the gem of this film, he brings depth to his character, and you laugh and cry right along with him.
618315
Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn, Marty Feldman, Peter Boyle, Cloris Leachman . . . one of the best comedies EVER!
319728
Happy Texas is one of the greatest comedies you've probably never heard of. Shot in just 29 days on a shoestring budget, this film's acting, directing, script and comedic timing are so clever and incisive that it has attracted an almost cult following, especially among Steve Zahn fans.

There are plots within plots that all pull together in the end to make a perfect film. Starting with escaped convicts (Wayne Wayne Wayne played by Steve Zahn and Harry Sawyer played by Jeremy Northam) who have to hide and steal an RV belonging to two gay pageant designers, to discovering the gay lifestyle in a small Texas community (Happy), to finding love in the arms of a doe-eyed banker (Ally Walker ...sorry for the cliche, but she really does have doe-eyes), this movie hits on all aspects of life and puts a hilarious spin on them.

The greatest things about this film were Steve Zahn's acting while trying to teach pre-teen girls how to dance, and William H. Macy's stunning performance as Happy's town sheriff who comes out of the closet.

Always sharp, incredibly funny, superbly paced, this movie's small budget belies its excellent acting and directing.

Few films will tickle your funny bone as perfectly as HAPPY TEXAS. Watch it. Buy it. Live it!
721054
Perfectly hilarious - Zero and Gene are masters of comedy in this legendary film.