There seems to be alot of dramatic movies on this board, I think we need some more comedy... What do you think are some of the most infulential... or best whichever one you want to talk about... comics of the last 30 years? My list is probably in no particular order:

Bill Murray - This guy has stood the test of time in a huge way from Stripes to Lost in Translation he has never had a terrible showing. I've always found at least one thing in his movies that I can laugh at... of course I haven't seen garfield yet.. but heres to hoping.

Chevy Chase- with as many movies as he's been in how could you not be great a quick list from the top of my head of his classics are. Vacation, christmas Vacation, Fletch, Caddyshack, the Three Amigos and Spies Like Us. He is probably one of the most copied comics I've ever seen.

Bill Cosby- He's funny, I know you might think of the puddin pop comercials and all that jazz but man I remember watching some of his standup routines (forgot the names) and I couldn't stop laughing. You can't be as popular, even after ghost dad, and not be considered one of the greats.

Leslie Nielson- He's the accidental comic I don't know if he should be considered a comic maybe just a hilarious actor. I dare you to watch wrongfully accused and not laugh.

Jim Carrey- Come on the man owned the 90's and he made the transition, like Bill Murray, to actual acredited actor. I think his portfolio, more so then the others mentioned, has the most quality in it.

Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder- I put them together because they did some of they're best work as a team. Both are hilarious, together and apart (I'd prefer together) on their own though you have The Toy and Blazing Saddles respectively.

Ok my list is too long, I'd like to add more but I want to leave some for anybody who wants to add to it. So bring out those old saturday night live and in living color skits and lets talk comedy.

You mentioned something about Murray movies always having something funny in them, and I couldn't hlep but think of crappy movies those people have been in (to name a few - keep in mind that I do think most of those you listed are great):

Murray: Mad Dog and Glory, The Man Who Knew Too Little.

Chase: Cops and Robbersons, Man of the House.

Cosby: Leonard, Part 6

Carrey: Ace Ventura 2, The Majestic.

Leslie Nielson: Spy Hard, most of his post-Naked Gun flicks.


Don't forget that Robin Williams was hilarious for a stretch there, at least before he made Patch Adams. Garp, Dead Poets, et al.




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I know of Mr. Cosby's forray in the cinema realm... and let me just say it's less then stelar I was more referring to his stand up. I'm just really impressed that he makes alot of people crack up with out using the "Shock and Awe" style of humor. Thats why I think he deserves to be up there. I know Chevy has done some terrible movies also and I don't pretend to have any problem with the ones you listed but Murray on the other hand I usually can find, like I said, at least one funny thing about them, for example the man who knew to little when he was running over the cones... It actually inspired me to go out and try that one late night... lets just say about an hour, five cops, four guns and 1 pair of hand cuffs later it wasn't my best decision but it was fun while it lasted...

P.S. that was a long time ago.

Rod,

Good call with the new topic (even I get tired of my rather lugubrious comments). No actor has a 'prefect' resume. So I am willing to forgive Mr. Murray for 'Where the Buffalo Roam' and whatever the name of the Elephant flick he did. I am pretty assured that after seeing Caddyshack NO ONE said, "Wow, Carl's gonna be an Oscar caliber actor someday."

And - to paraphrase Barry from 'High Fidelity' for most of these actors - methinks its far better to burn out quickly on a high note, rather than to fade away into obscurity. I mean, think about how we would have looked upon Burt Reynolds had he kicked the bucket sooner after 'Cannonball Run'.

Rod,

Good call with the new topic (even I get tired of my rather lugubrious comments). No actor has a 'prefect' resume. So I am willing to forgive Mr. Murray for 'Where the Buffalo Roam' and whatever the name of the Elephant flick he did. I am pretty assured that after seeing Caddyshack NO ONE said, "Wow, Carl's gonna be an Oscar caliber actor someday."

And - to paraphrase Barry from 'High Fidelity' for most of these actors - methinks its far better to burn out quickly on a high note, rather than to fade away into obscurity. I mean, think about how we would have looked upon Burt Reynolds had he kicked the bucket sooner after 'Cannonball Run'.

My new name kinda threw me at first because I read these comments before the one in wich you dubbed me my new name so I was wondering who the heck rod was. Also it's kinda close to my actual name and one letter off my initials so basically smoke was pouring out of my ears when i was trying to figure out what was going on.... and my initials are RAD... I was the king of the 80's.

Funny:

Robin Williams; sure he seems to be making more serious movies these days, but Ms. Doubtfire still makes me laugh everytime I see it. The man is a master of improv, and he can make almost any situation into a joke (even serious situations like Viet Nam). Monty Python were a funny bunch, their TV show was good, & I particularly liked the Python movies: Holy Grail, Life of Brian. John Cleese was brilliant in Fawlty Towers. I like most of what Mike Myers does, Jim Carrey (yes, Pet Detective II and The Majestic ought to be destryoed) but otherwise a very good physical comedian. I even liked Bruce Almighty which a lot of people said they hated. Leslie Nielsen is a funny guy, (again, despite his comedic skills "Mr. Magoo" has to rate as one of the worst pieces of crap I've ever seen). The Simpsons (OK, they're not real people, but they are definitely consistently funny). John Candy was a very very funny man & it is too bad that he's no longer with us. Indeed, the cast members of SCTV have all done funny stuff over the past 15 years (Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas, Rick Moranis et al.) I agree Bill Murray is pretty consistent: Stripes, Caddyshack, Ed Wood, Groundhog Day are all pretty funny. He's made a couple of films that weren't that great, but generally he's very funny. I like Steve Martin, esp. The Jerk was a funny film.

Not so funny:

The one comedic actor who for me is consistently un-funny is Adam Sandler. In my opinion this guy is just NOT funny at all. Punch Drunk Love -- was that supposed to be funny, or serious, both????!!? And why do people keep going to see his movies?? Dana Carvey isn't that funny lately. Tom Arnold is another actor/comic that I have to pass on. Eddie Murphy used to be funny. I liked some of his earlier stuff, but recently he's not been . . . . well funny. As well, (at the risk of the ire of female bored members) I would have to say that I find most female comics un-funny, Ellen Degeneres, Whoopi Goldberg, Rosie O'Donnel, & Roseanne are a few who come to mind. Finally, I have to disagree with others here on Chevy Chase. I just don't find him that funny. Maybe it was all those "Vacation" movies he made. I'm not quite sure. I feel ambivalent about the last one I'm gonna put here: Martin Short. He can be funny, but I saw this movie he made called Clifford. It was quite simply one of the worst movies I've ever seen. I liked him in SCTV & in the show where he dresses up as an obese talk show host, but after seeing Clifford. YIKES!