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Make it a night for laughs: top 10 indie comedies

 

 

1. Rushmore (1998) (Rated R)

            Jason Schwartzman stars in Wes Anderson’s second film. Schwartzman plays Max Fischer, a teenager who attends the prestigious Rushmore Academy. Max is in every club that Rushmore has to offer and anything it doesn't offer, he creates a club for it. His academics have suffered for it and he’s on the verge of expulsion. Regardless of what the administration tells him, he has high hopes of going to a great college but will settle for Yale or Harvard. An inscription of a Jacques Cousteau quote in a library book leads him to first grade teacher Rosemary Cross. He falls in love and vainly competes for her affections against Herman Blume, played by Bill Murray.

 

2. This is Spinal Tap (1984) (Rated R)

            Rob Reiner’s film gave us a new genre of movies-the mockumentary. Whether it’s the band’s history with drummers dying in different ways, the cucumber in leather pants, or the miniature Stonehenge on verge of being crushed by a dwarf, this quotable classic is great to revisit.

 

3. Office Space (1999) (Rated R)

            No film better captures the emotional and mental grind of a 9 to 5 job than this Mike Judge film. Ron Livingston is Peter Gibbons, a man who spends his days changing computer code dates from year 1999 to 2000. His boss Bill Lumbergh (Gary Cole) ropes him in to working on Saturdays and obnoxiously uses the phrase “um…yeah…” in every single conversation. Peter decides to get back at the company that sucked so much of his life away by using a software program that rounds cents into a collective fund. As the tag-line says, “work sucks”.

 

4. Death at a Funeral (2007) (R)

            Matthew MacFadyen of Pride and Prejudice fame stars with his wife Keeley Hawes in this dark Frank Oz comedy. MacFayden is Daniel, a man who recently lost his father and tries to hold a dignified wake for him (the opportune word here is tries). When family members come together, the dysfunction that is perfectly manageable separately collides in a frenzy. Chris Rock will be remaking this British comedy with Tracy Morgan and Danny Glover.

 

5. Saved! (2004) (PG-13)

            Jena Malone is Mary, a Christian high school girl who looses her virginity to her gay boyfriend in an attempt to “save his soul”. She becomes pregnant because of her first time and is shunned by her classmates (a notable role from Mandy Moore). Her only ally throughout this ordeal is the gothic, allegedly Jewish Cassandra. The message for universal acceptance through Christ’s example is the compelling theme in this film.

 

6. Little Miss Sunshine (2006) (R) 

            Olive Hoover (Abaigail Breslin, in her first major role) has one ambition so far-to be a beauty pageant star. She gets her chance when a dropout from the Little Miss Sunshine competition leaves her a spot and ergo her shot at stardom. Her whole family drives piles into a dull yellow vintage Volkswagen and travels to California. Rarely does the term “star-studded cast” apply to a movie and mean more than a bunch of recognizable names but this film has some really great actors. Alan Arkin won a Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as drug addicted Grandpa Hoover. Greg Kinnear, no stranger to indie comedies, plays an aspiring self-help author with platitudes to share. The Oscar-nominated (The Sixth Sense) Toni Collette plays the well-meaning mother. Paul Dano, a young talent recognized by Daniel Day-Lewis, is the Nietzsche reading apathetic brother who wants nothing more to escape his family and become a test pilot. Steve Carell’s comedic background brings some dark humor to his sad, know- it-all character.

 

7. King of California (2007) (PG-13)

            Charlie has just left a mental institution and becomes convinced that gold left behind by Spaniards is still buried somewhere in southern California. His daughter Miranda pacifies his whim and joins him on this adventure. Michael Douglas is superb as Charlie and indie-veteran Evan Rachel Wood has another stellar performance in this Sundance comedy. She will also be seen in this summer's Whatever Works, a new film by Woody Allen now playing at the Plano Angelika.

 

8. Thank You For Smoking (2005) (R)

            Christopher Buckley’s novel of the same name was given shape and form by screenplay writer and director Jason Reitman. Nick Naylor is a lobbyist for a tobacco company because, as he puts it, it pays the mortgage. He is charismatic and sly as he navigates the dangers that come with his job all the while trying to be a father to his young son. Aaron Eckhart’s performance as Naylor brought him some much needed attention and respect. Two more of Buckley’s novels will become films in the next couple of years: Little Green Men, a story about a political talk show host who under a government rouse believes he was abducted by aliens, and Boomsday, a tale about a public relations consultant’s plan for elderly citizens to voluntary transition themselves into the afterlife.

 

9. Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) (R)

            As always Robin Williams brings his energy and heart to his role as Adrian Cronauer, a DJ for a military radio station. Not everyone appreciates how much he changes the station but his escapades begin to matter little when compared to the events that start to unfold around him.

 

10. The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980) (PG)

            Trying to explain the plot of this film is a little difficult and when it is attempted, it gives away a lot of the substance. It is one of those rare movies that can be only experienced. A coca-bottle dropped from an airplane leads a bushman to make a journey to what he perceives to be the center of the earth to destroy it, an awkward scientist tries to woo a schoolteacher and a group of freedom fighters fleeing from the cops after an unsuccessful assassination attempt all intertwine in this classic.

 

Laugh more. It’s good for your heart.