Alex is on a roll again. This time with a new series: 100 Funniest Performances Ever. She’s only done Part 1 so far, but it’s typical Alex awesome-ness.
I particularly love each “tidbit” that she provides for each performance. The woman is a Trivia Encyclopedia.
I can certainly say that most of these would also be on my personal list (like Barbra in What’s Up Doc, and Madeline Kahn in What’s Up Doc, and Grant in Bringing Up Baby … among many many others) – but as always, there are a couple of surprises on Alex’s list. Which is the beauty of such lists. Makes you see new performances in a different light. Like – Ruth Gordon in Rosemary’s Baby, for example – which makes it to Alex’s list. I certainly do remember it as a delightfully funny performance (in the middle of a terrifying movie), but it just wouldn’t have occurred to me to put it on any Funniest Performances list.
Alex has great taste, and pretty much has watched every movie ever made. I look forward to Part 2 of her series.
Actually, let me add to this – Off the top of my head, I would say that the Funniest Performances Ever are:
— Cary Grant in Bringing up Baby
— Kenneth Mars in What’s Up Doc
— Madeline Kahn in ANYTHING
— Catherine O’Hara in Waiting for Guffman
— Meryl Streep in Postcards from the Edge
— Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder in The Producers
— Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant in His Girl Friday
— Diane Keaton in Something’s Gotta Give
— Anjelica Huston in Manhattan Murder Mystery
— Jeremy Irons in Reversal of Fortune – an odd choice, sure … but I think that performance is comic genius
— Alan Alda and Richard Jenkins in Flirting with Disaster
— Gene Wilder in Young Frankenstein
A lot of these are not starring roles … but that doesn’t matter. Sometimes it’s the tiny cameos that are the funniest, and you kind of can’t get any funnier than Alan Alda and Richard Jenkins in Flirting with Disaster (Jenkins: “I’m feeling really depressed right now, and I’d like to talk about it.”)
I’ll think of more …
Of course, add your own in the comments.
OOOH! I LOVE Flirting with Disaster. I saw that in the movie theater when it came out and my friend and I were the only two people laughing. It was about two weeks after we saw Fargo and the audience had the same silent reaction. The theater was so quiet… save for my hyena-like laughter. Since no one was making a sound, my laugh really resonated and people kept turning around to look at me disapprovingly. And that made me laugh more.
Flirting with Disaster was recently on cable and caught the end of it and laughed as hard as I did the first time. The acid trip scene is just genius. Oh, and Mary Tyler Moore’s performance is hilarious too. When she sticks the cheese in George Segal’s face! Ha ha ha ha. Love it.
Mary Tyler Moore IS hilarious in that. At the very end, when she’s lying in bed, flossing – bitching out her husband: “Where’s your sense of romance??”
But yeah – the acid trip is high comedy.
Christopher Guest in This is Spinal Tap?
(Especially for the one-on-one interview with Reiner)
Peter Sellers in “Shot in the Dark” or “The Pink Panther”?
JFH – funny. Even just reading the name “Peter Sellers” made me laugh!! SO FUNNY.
Yes! Peter Sellers! I just LOVE the guy, he has me laughing every time I see any of the Pink Panther movies. Or “The Party”, where he plays an Indian… Hilarious!
Also, I would like to add Jack Lemmon in “Some Like It Hot”. Another guy that I could watch a million times doing his performance: I would laugh EVERY TIME.
Gotta second Gene Wilder in The Producers and Young Frankenstein, and Catherine O’Hara in Waiting for Guffman
I liked her inclusion of Ellen Degeneres in Finding Nemo.
A few that work for me, every time:
John Goodman in Big Lebowski
Christopher Guest in Best in Show
Paul Giamatti and Sam Rockwell in Safe Men
Paul Giamatti in Private Parts
William Shatner in Airplane 2
George C. Scott in Dr. Strangelove
Bernie Mac, Scott Caan and Casey Affleck in Ocean’s Eleven
George Clooney in Welcome to Collinwood
And I’ve always had a soft spot for George “Goober” Lindsey and Ken Curtis as Trigger and Nutsy in Disney’s Robin Hood.
Jim Carrey in ‘Liar Liar’?
Chris Farley in ‘Tommy Boy’?
Those two are my most recent memeories of laughin really hard.
Ohhh, Liar Liar. One of my favorites EVER.
Is Tommy Boy the “fat man in a little coat .. fat man in a little co-oat…” one?
OMG, casey affleck in ocean’s eleven…”i gotta get away from all you…circus animals.” also casey affleck in good will hunting. “morgan wanted to get you a T pass.” “THAT’S NOT WHAT I WAS SAYIN’!!”
wow, i never realized how funny i find casey affleck.
Oh, I like your list! Angelica Huston – it’s true, she was hysterical. So self-consciously hott.
And I just mentioned FWD the other day – Richard Jenkins is probably the best part, although, oddly, Josh Brolin is really very funny in that movie.
And Charles Grodin in anything.
And the Dudley Moore bit in Foul Play.
I think I need to add Brendan Fraser in Bedazzled to my list.
You have not seen FUNNY until you have seen him transform into “the most emotionally sensitive man in the world”. It’s too funny to even LAUGH at. You watch in horror … you can only laugh after.
Genius.
jean, remember when i made you watch “tommy boy”?!
Farley: Does this suit make me look fat?
Spade: No, your face does.
and the alltime classic line:
Farley: Whadya do?!!
when they are at the gas station.
and hiim lighting the model car on fire in that guy’s office… i laugh so hard i can’t breathe when i see that.
“no, your face does”
HAHAHAHA
I hate to pimp Love Actually AGAIN (I know y’all are all, “DAMN. Watch another movie!”) but Bill Nighy’s performance as Billy Mack made me pee my pants.
Mikey, DJ interviewer: Well. Thanks for that, Bill.
Billy Mack: For what?
Mikey, DJ interviewer: Well, for actually giving a real answer to a question. Doesn’t often happen here on “Radio Watford” I can tell you.
Billy Mack: Ask me anything you like, I’ll tell you the truth.
Mikey, DJ interviewer: Uh… best shag you’ve ever had?
Billy Mack: Britney Spears.
Mikey, DJ interviewer: Wow!
Billy Mack: No, only kidding. She was rubbish.
i forgot, i’d also add jamie lee curtis from “freaky friday”. such a great comedy performance.
Marty Feldman in Young Frankenstein:
“You take the blond, I’ll take take the one with the toiban.”
Adam Sandler in Billy Madison
Chris Farley in Tommy Boy when he teases David Spade “Sinner”
Bill Murray in Caddyshack “So I got that going for me”
Gene Hackman in The Royal Tenenbaums- I was snorting and guffawing while the rest of the theater was silent
Chevy Chase in Fletch- “Can I borrow your towel? My car just hit a water buffalo.”
There are so many more…
Oh, and Wallace Shawn in The Princess Bride
Great topic! Oh, hey, what the heck…great blog. Thanks to Mitch Berg for pointing me this a’ way.
I’d have to suggest Matthew Broderick’s performance in The Freshman. Brilliant stuff, in a criminally underappreciated little film.
“There’s a sort of freedom in being completely screwed, because you know that things can’t get any worse.”