The Rough Guide to Comedy Movies 1 (Rough Guide Reference) (Paperback)

~ Rough Guides (Author)
Key Phrases: comedy legends, belle pour toi, comedy cinema, New York, Woody Allen, Mel Brooks (more...)

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Product Description

Synopsis

The Rough Guide to Comedy Movies uncovers cinema's funniest and most varied genre, from silent slapstick, to 90s gross-out and the dark indie humour of today. The canon of fifty greatest funnies runs from The Gold Rush and Duck Soup to Airplane and Shaun of the Dead, plus double-acts, drag-acts and ensembles from Laurel & Hardy and the Marx Bros, to the Pythons and the Coen Brothers. Seeking out the films that have amused people the most - or simply amused the most people - the Rough Guide gives you the ultimate lowdown on laughter in the movies from Wes Anderson's Rushmore to Withnail and I, and from John Belushi to Billy Wilder.

About the Author

Bob McCabe is a critic, broadcaster, film journalist and screenwriter. He has written books on Ronnie Barker, the official, definitive and authorised history of all things Python, and has appeared on numerous TV comedy documentries.

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Rough Guides (October 17, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1843534649
• ISBN-13: 978-1843534648
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 6.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #879,068 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An Enjoyable Read, February 6, 2006

By	James N Simpson (Gold Coast, QLD Australia) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Not a bad little book, The Rough Guide to Comedy Movies gives heavily opinionated commentary on a heap of movies, actors and the different decades. It is a long way off being a comprehensive list and there are a lot of seriously funny movies and actors not in here. Like with the Rough Guide's travel guides a lot is missing. Where is UHF, the sensational National Lampoons Vacation trilogy and many other classics? It lacks the comprehensive coverage of rival books such as 1001 Movies to Watch Before You Die. However what is covered in here is interesting, will bring back memories and is certainly educational on the realm of comedy movies. It definitely inspires me to go and rent some of older movies I haven't seen for a while and even check out some I had never previously thought of watching.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Decent (if not very objective) reference, October 1, 2006

By	mrliteral - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)

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I suppose an argument can be made for other genres as well, but I've always thought the comedy film doesn't get the respect it deserves. For examples, when they're handing out Oscars, comedies rarely get Best Picture; the last one to win was Shakespeare in Love, and even that was an atypical comedy because it was also a period piece. I think the last straight comedy to win was Annie Hall nearly three decades ago. This is in spite of the fact that comedy is often tougher to do than drama; after all, when a dramatic moment doesn't work, it may not even be noticed, but when humor fails, it is not only evident but almost painful to watch.

The Rough Guide to Comedy Movies is a passable reference book on the comedies that succeeded and a few that didn't do quite as well. As with the other "Rough" movie guides, it is broken into certain sections: a history of film comedies, the "canon" of the 50 great comedies, a look at certain icons of the field, a discussion of international comedies and a guide to other sources of information.

Of course, a book like this is largely a matter of opinion, so one should not consider this a completely objective source. No where is this more evident than author Bob McCabe's choice of the canon. While certain choices are ones that would make most lists, like Airplane, Blazing Saddles or Some Like It Hot, others are a little more dubious. For example, I enjoyed Dodgeball and Shaun of the Dead, but I don't know if they are among the top 50 of all time.

While the opinions in this book will differ from yours (or mine), they do provoke a deeper look at genre. In addition to the canon films, there are many other films referenced, usually favorably, so this book can offer a lot of ideas for movies to watch. As stated before, as a reference source, this book is merely passable, but it is a good introduction that can point you to a few good movies and some better sources of information.

1 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Typo in the index, January 13, 2006

By	Carol S. Nesbitt (UK) - See all my reviews

It claims that Doctor in the House is referred to on page 29. Actually DITH (which I don't care for) is written about only on page 28.