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- Most British comedies are highly political or socially sensitive (in some cases perhaps more insensitive), combining these situations with oddly out of space characters (zombies from “Shaun of the Dead”), slapstick comedy elements (the Black Knight from “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”) or other harsh, stereotypical jokes.
www.tasteofcinema.com/2015/the-15-best-british-comedy-movies/
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- Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam. 196 votes. A parody of Arthurian legend, this film features the comedic troupe Monty Python in their quest for the titular artifact.
- Life of Brian. Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam. 192 votes. Satirizing organized religion and messiah myths, this Monty Python film follows the life of an ordinary man, born on the same day as Jesus Christ, whose life is repeatedly mistaken for that of the biblical figure.
- Shaun of the Dead. Simon Pegg, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis. 185 votes. This film cleverly combines the zombie apocalypse with a slice-of-life story of a regular guy, Shaun, trying to win back his ex-girlfriend and reconcile with his stepfather.
- Hot Fuzz. Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jim Broadbent. 175 votes. A spoof of the buddy cop genre, this high-octane film pairs a by-the-book police officer with a bumbling partner in a sleepy village riddled with crime.
- The Italian Job
- My Beautiful Laundrette
- Naked
- In The Loop
- Hot Fuzz
- Passport to Pimlico
- Shallow Grave
- Alfie
- Bean
- Educating Rita
In terms of global appeal and influence, The Italian Job isn’t anywhere near the pedestal that the Monty Python films are on. But in terms of pure quotability, it isn’t a million miles behind. A study to test such a theory has never happened, and it isn’t likely to. Still, if you were to ask a British person of a certain age to quote a line from an...
My Beautiful Laundrette tells the story of a British-Pakistani man who buys and renovates a rundown laundrette with his gay lover. Not only is this a film that was far ahead of its time, dealing with multiple taboo subjects that cut across two very different cultures in the UK in the 80s, but it also features an early performance from Daniel Day-Le...
Despite being such a celebrated filmmaker, few people are familiar with Mike Leigh’swriting method. His actors famously contribute a lot to not only what their characters say but who they are. In the instance of Naked, David Thewlisis said to have felt cheated because he did not receive credit for his contributions to the film since his input is sa...
Writer Armando Iannucci is a regular on politically focused panel shows in the UK following the success of his satirical TV series, The Thick of It. In the Loop is a spin-off of the show. A tongue-in-cheek take on a fictional meeting between the UK Prime Minister and the US President, this is a barbed look at the kind of people who are running coun...
Mark Kermode, when reviewing Hot Fuzz, mentioned that he has what he calls “the five laugh rule.” The idea is that if he laughs five or more times during a film, then it’s a proper comedy. While the point can be made that that’s probably a bit too stringent of a rule to become a criterion for such a broad genre, it does highlight the sheer magnitud...
There’s an interesting contradiction of feelings with Passport to Pimlicothat almost makes it sad viewing for a modern audience. On the one hand, it seems like it should have aged quite badly. The humor is driven by the idea of a divisive, paranoid government that cuts off its own people in an attempt to do little other than posture in front of ano...
This is one of Danny Boyle’searlier feature films, and all the charm and flair of his subsequent work, Trainspotting (1996), is there. It isn’t quite as bleak, but the humor comes from an equally dark space. Three professionals are living together in a flatshare in Edinburgh, and they need a fourth housemate to meet the rent. After an extensive int...
One of Michael Caine’searliest stand-out roles is a romantic comedy that centers around a womanizing cockney chauffeur who seems to be charming and despicable in equal measure. One of the great strengths of Alfie is that the film is incredibly self-aware, and none of that escapes it. After a decent amount of wish-fulfillment, the heart of it all co...
A legendary character of British TV in his own movie, directed by another legend of British comedyTV, Mel Smith. This takes a beloved, absurdist type of British humor and drops it into an American context to highlight just how silly it is. Mr. Bean is a childlike Englishman who carries his teddy with him wherever he goes, and we meet him when he’s ...
Another film with Michael Caine as the lead, but this time he is much older. He isn’t leading a heist or making questionable life decisions anymore, but rather he’s a disillusioned professor at the Open University. When he meets Rita, played by Julie Walters, a working-class hairdresser in pursuit of a degree to better her lot in life, it provides ...
- A Fish Called Wanda. A black comedy film starring John Cleese and Michael Palin. A con artist uses her female charms to steal a stash of jewels. Guide.
- Bean - The Ultimate Disaster Movie. Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson) finds himself in Los Angeles, masquerading as the National Gallery's top art expert and destroying everything in his wake.
- Bridget Jones's Diary. Film based on Helen Fielding's novel about an unlucky-in-love Londoner who decides to take control of her life and start a diary.
- Carry On Camping. Sid James and Bernard Bresslaw are a pair of likely lads who trick their prudish girlfriends into accompanying them to a nudist colony.
May 13, 2024 · The Brits are famous for their comedy. Whether it's classic television series like Monty Python or fresh new movies like Wicked Little Letters, the English sense of humor is wicked, dry,...
- 3 min
Dec 28, 2015 · While some people love British comedies, others might say that they are rude, dull, and not the least bit funny. But what makes British comedies essentially British? The quirky characters, the inordinate abstract humour of the Pythons, and the stereotypically British everyday situations are all essential contributors, but they are not the only ...
Mar 18, 2021 · There are endless British comedies that range from more dramatic to more slapstick comedy that fans can watch and rewatch and hopefully find some new movies that they've never seen before to watch. A Cock and Bull Story (2005)
Although their humor isn’t for everyone, it’s difficult to deny that a huge percentage of the all-time great comedy films come from Britain. Typically, British humor is incredibly dry, inappropriate, and bursting with social commentary and satire.