Need a laugh? At Mechanics’ we have an extensive collection of funny films ranging from silent comedies of the early 20th century to recent releases of today. Visit the Funny Films display on the 2nd Floor and take home a DVD or Blu-ray that will make you laugh out loud! Below are staff favorites from the display.
Steven recommends:
The Twelve Chairs- Less well known Mel Brooks film about a couple of con men racing against a corrupt priest to find a cache of jewels hidden in a chair in 1920s Russia. Brooks made a career out of making tribute films to parody the tropes and conventions of a given genre. This one takes on screwball comedies of the kind Frank Capra and Blake Edwards made. Stars a very young Frank Langella.
Spaceballs- This time Brooks parodies the "space opera" genre including the Star Wars movies and many more. Some of the best "4th wall" scenes ever ("breaking the 4th wall" includes such devices as having a character address the audience directly or the action spilling over to the other side of the camera).
High Fidelity- An adaptation of a Nick Hornby book changes the venue to Chicago and the characters to Americans including John and Joan Cusak, Jack Black and Tim Robbins. A record store owner recounts his top five breakups. The funniest parts happen every time Cusak addresses the audience directly.
Taryn recommends:
Dress to Kill- My favorite Izzard stand-up just because it is set in San Francisco and I love all things cable car.
Marx Brothers TV Collection-Tons of rare, hilarious stuff in this collection and a MUST WATCH if you're
a Marx Brothers fan.
The Bank Dick- Master of the one liner, W.C. Fields is the father of modern comedy - watch
his body language!
Monsieur's Hulot's holiday- A comedy with almost no words? Yes Tati shows its possible in this endearing
slapstick with effortlessly choreographed gags. The first entry in the Hulot series and the film that launched its Tati to international stardom.
Merry says, “I like a lot of old stuff: Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton, Marx Brothers, and Laurel & Hardy. The film “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World” is chock full of the best comedians and comedic actors of the 20th Century. And Monty Python is always good for a laugh!”
Myles says, “Christopher Guest is filmmaker who is best known for his mockumentary style of storytelling pioneered by his work with Rob Reneir on This Is Spinal Tap. He co-wrote the film and played guitarist Nigel Tufnel. Guest’s unrehearsed style of filmmaking involves using many of the same actors in each film. He encourages actors to use improvisational comedy techniques allowing them to add off-script dialog and storylines as their scenes unfold. Although Guest writes, directs, and plays the central character in many of his films, he enjoys the editing process the most, taking pleasure in cutting down hundreds of hours of film in post-production to 90 minutes. Actors that commonly appear in his films include Parker Posie, Fred Willard, Catherine O’Hara, Jane Lynch, Eugene Levy, Harry Shearer, Michael McKean, and Jennifer Coolidge. Here at Mechanics’, we have This Is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and For Your Consideration in our collection. I recommend them all! “
