The Top Ten Comedies of the 00’s

By Thane Economou

When compiling the top ten comedies of the decade, I took a difference approach than most bloggers. I’ve analyzed each year individually and chose its best comedy. During my analysis I’ve noted runners up and the movements and cycles that have affected the comedy world throughout the years.

When choosing a year’s best comedy, I was looking at several criteria. How funny is it? Is it rewatchable? Is it quotable? Does it hold up as a well made film? Did audiences embrace it? And in the years to come, is it one of the decade’s definitive comedies that we will be showing to our children? Additionally, I have tried my best to put aside my biases, but frankly, comedy is very subjective.

So, without further ado, I present my top ten comedies of the last decade:

2000:

The new millennium began with a weaker than usual year. Jim Carrey, the former powerhouse, gave a fun performance in the forgettable Farrelly Brothers film Me, Myself, and Irene. The Coen Brothers released one of their funniest films, O Brother, Where Art Thou? John Cusack’s High Fidelity was poignant and introduced the world to Jack Black. And Christopher Guest directed what may be his finest, and funniest, film – the improvised classic Best in Show.

But it is Meet The Parents that became one of the biggest hits of the year, as well as one of Ben Stiller’s funniest movies. It is also the movie that cemented him as a star for the rest of the decade. Forget the sequel and the edited non-stop TBS showings, and remember Meet the Parents is actually a very awkward, very funny movie.

“I have nipples Greg. Could you milk me?”

2001:

Runners up this year included two very funny chick flicks (Bridget Jones’s Diary and Legally Blonde), an animated film where the parents actually laughed (Shrek), and Wes Anderson’s funniest movie involving suicide and incest as a subplot (The Royal Tenenbaums). And in the years to come, Wet Hot American Summer may rise above cult classic status to true comedy of the year.

However, Zoolander, in its infinitely stupid genius, is the definitive comedy of 2001. In back to back years, Ben Stiller ruled the comedy world. Co-starring with Owen Wilson, this movie marked a formation of a new group of comedians – nicknamed “The Frat Pack.” This group included Will Ferrell, who as Mugatu stole the show and would eventually become the comic actor of the decade.

“It’s that damn Hansel! He’s so hot right now”

2002:

In this year, a man put a toy car up his rectum (Jackass: The Movie), a funnier than allowed indie chick flick made hundreds of millions of dollars (My Big Fat Greek Wedding), and my little company did me proud (National Lampoon’s Van Wilder).

But come on. This is the year Super Troopers came out! Actually, it premiered at Sundance the year before, but this is the first chance many people had to behold its beauty. Incredibly stupid. Very crude. But you try not quoting it.

“Why don’t you just order a large, Farva?” “I don’t want a large Farva. I want a goddamn litre o’ cola!”

2003:

This year was kinda awesome. Bad Santa. Bringing Down The House. Bruce Almighty. Love, Actually. Finding Nemo. A Mighty Wind. Even the Academy Award winning Lost In Translation had Bill Murray advertising booze for the Japanese.

But this year more than any other was Will Ferrell’s. For this year’s definitive comedy, it was a toss up. I almost went with Elf, which certainly should make any best Christmas movie list. It is unbelievably funny and re-watchable. But the year’s tour de force performance was Ferrell as Frank the Tank in Old School. The movie cemented the Frat Pack’s stay as the kinds of comedy, and was ridiculously funny.

“We’re… We’re going streaking! We’re going up the quad and to the gymnasium.”

2004:

Another freaking incredible year! Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle. Garden State. I Heart Huckabees. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Mean Girls. Shaun of the Dead. Napoleon Dynamite. Sideways was one of the best made comedies of the decade, and Team America: World Police was one of the funniest.

But as far as pure laughs, re-watchability, and re-quotability this year is still firmly within the grasp of the Frat Pack. And I’m not talking about the funny, yet insanely dumb, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (starring Frat Packers Stiller and Vince Vaughn). No, I’m talking about what may be seen in years to come as the comedy of the decade: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. It starred Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd and Steve Carrell with cameos by Stiller, Vaughn, Luke Wilson, and Tim Robbins. Also, this film was produced by a little guy named Judd Apatow.

“I’m very important. I have many leather-bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany.”

2005:

The first half of the decade was defined by PG-13 rated comedies. In 2005, this was changed by the success of two films. Two films that are not only non-stop hilarious, but represented the changing tide of comedy in Hollywood. The first is Wedding Crashers, the last epic from the Frat Pack gang.

But the second was from Judd Apatow, producer of Anchorman. The 40 Year Old Virgin is one of the funniest films ever made (and even includes a real life chest waxing!) With a crop of actors such as Carrell, Rudd, Seth Rogen, and Leslie Mann – the Apatow movement, while a slight evolution off the Frat Pack, would pick up the torch from them and define the second half of the decade.

“I’m starvin’… let’s get some f***in’ french toast!”

2006:

The great 2006 comedies ran from the incredibly stupid (Nacho Libre, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Beerfest) to the award winning (Thank You For Smoking, Little Miss Sunshine.)

But alas, the best comedy of 2006 was The Wicker Man. Just kidding – but seriously that Nicholas Cage movie is f***cking hilarious. Actually, the comedy of 2006 was Borat: Cultural Learnings of America to Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. This film redefined how many laughs could be crammed in a movie, was a huge box office hit, and the constant promotions and lawsuits kept this movie in the news for months. But more than anything, Sacha Baron Cohen gave the comedic performance of our time.

“You telling me the man who try to put a rubber fist in my anus was a homosexual?”

2007:

This year saw Will Ferrell fading but still funny (Blades of Glory), the Oscars awarding a Michael Cera movie (Juno), and comedy and violence finally merging like they do in my dreams (Hot Fuzz). Additionally, The Simpsons Movie was quite good, as was the highly underrated Hot Rod.

But the Apatow Empire hit its zenith this year. In one summer, they released two movies. Judd Apatow wrote and directed Knocked Up, both touching and hilarious (if you love beard jokes as much as I do). And he produced Superbad, not only one of the great high school movies, but also the comedy of the year. With an unbelievably funny script co-written by Seth Rogen, it made Michael Cera, Jonah Hill and the guy that played McLovin all stars.

“This guy is either gonna think ‘Here’s another kid with a fake ID’ or ‘Here’s McLovin, a 25 year-old Hawaiian organ donor.’”

2008:

Will Ferrell returned to top idiotic form with Step Brothers. In Bruges proved funnier and more entertaining than anyone was expecting. And Judd Apatow continued his reign with movies he produced (the fantastic Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and movies he had nothing to do with, but somehow got credit (Role Models, Zach and Miri Make A Porno).

But the man of the year was Danny McBride. After appearing in 2007’s Hot Rod, he took 2008 by storm by co-starring in some of its best comedies. He hilariously played a drug dealer in the Apatow produced Pineapple Express, and starred in the low budget, barely seen comedy masterpiece The Foot Fist Way. And he had a small role in Tropic Thunder, the comedy of 2008. Ben Stiller and Jack Black were hilarious once again, Robert Downey Jr., turned in my favorite black face performance, and Tom Cruise was perfection.

“Mother Nature just pissed her pantsuit!”

2009:

The decade ended strong for comedies. I Love You, Man. Observe and Report. Land of the Lost. Bruno. 500 Days of Summer. Funny People. Zombieland.

But seriously, is there any contest? The Hangover may very well be seen as one of the great comedies in the coming years. Zach Galifianakis turns in the performance anyone who’s seen his stand-up knew he was capable of delivering. The premise was simple and the jokes were plentiful. It was crude enough that young people loved it, and undeniably funny enough that my parents loved it.

“Four of us wolves, running around the desert together, in Las Vegas, looking for strippers and cocaine. So tonight, I make a toast!”

And that’s my list. Meet The Parents. Zoolander. Super Troopers. Old School. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. The 40 Year Old Virgin. Borat. Superbad. Tropic Thunder. The Hangover.

The top ten definitive comedies of our last decade.