After a season or two without a Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson or Will Ferrell collaboration, moviegoers are starting to wonder: where have all the laughs gone? It’s a good time to run down those satellite TV program guides and have a look back at the decade’s best comedies, a great way to cure any boredom or brighten a bad day at the office. Here are the five best comedies since 2000.
5. Tropic Thunder. Cut the whole movie, leave only the scenes with Tom Cruise and Tropic could still make the top 10. Besides Cruise’s side-splitting moments, Robert Downey, Jr.’s performance as an overly-committed actor is already part of movie legend. With Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey and Ben Stiller almost as afterthoughts (Stiller directs), this film is stocked with talent and pokes tremendous fun at the Hollywood machine. See it on satellite TV’s premium networks like HBO and Showtime.
4. The Royal Tenenbaums. Wes Anderson’s warm tribute to dysfunctional families features a terrific cast surrounding Gene Hackman in the lead role. Ben Stiller and Luke Wilson shine, along with Angelica Huston. The film takes place in a near-mythical Manhattan and features director Anderson’s keen eye for detail.
3. Nacho Libre. Jack Black is a human wrecking-ball when it comes to the movies, and Nacho may be Black’s best vehicle for his peculiar brand of talent. Solemn monk by day, cooking meals for local orphans, Black has a taste for the tight pants and wild machismo of Mexican wrestling by night. Some of the funniest scenes ever filmed involve Nacho and Esqueleto warring with a pair of angry dwarf wrestlers. Look for this film on satellite TV’s premium networks to brighten any bad mood.
2. Wedding Crashers. Vince Vaughn has had his fair share of great moments, but he goes out of his way for fans in this comedy, quickly becoming an all-time favorite in American films. Co-starring Owen Wilson as a fellow crasher and the brilliant Christopher Walken as the father of a conquest, it’s Vaughn and Bradley Cooper who have the most fun (until one shoots the other). See this film only in its uncut versions on satellite TV and get ready for the aftermath of a late-night art show in Vaughn‘s room.
1. Kung Fu Hustle. Directed and starring Stephen Chow, this film is the best comedy to have been produced since the year 2000. With Chow’s lead character wanting to prove his toughness, he falls in on the wrong side of an uprising. However, his quest to use his previously unknown powers lead him to the good side, where he challenges the bad guys and helps a local slum retain its freedom. With a load of well-incorporated digital effects — to be seen only in HD — this movie has audiences howling from the opening frame.
Brilliant comedies can sometimes be few and far between. Thankfully, the many hd tv networks have extensive libraries to fill in the blanks. Check out the latest deals and review directv packages online to bring the laughs to your home every day of the year.