Six Underappreciated Comedies More People Need To See

ByRemy Carreiro Posted on Updated on

The Foot Fist Way

Directed by Jody Hill

Released in 2006

This is a Danny McBride vehicle all the way, so if you don’t like Kenny Powers doing Taekwondo, I suggest you scroll to the next selection in the list. It is in bold print and there are pictures, so I made it easy for you. For those who stuck around, this film is like a jump kick to the humor gland. I instantly regret typing that, but to delete it would only eat me alive. I need to share my shame with you guys, too.

You see that look in his eyes? White hot death. Or hunger. I can’t tell.

Ok, so maybe not a jump kick to the humor gland, but it is a pretty funny romp through a failing marriage and a man obsessed with being far more badass than he actually is. Oh, and a man slightly obsessed with another man’s Taekwondo abilities. It was produced by Will Farrell and written by McBride, and while the slightly off-kilter, indie feeling comedy may not be everyone’s cup of tea, I thought it was tasty.

httpv://youtu.be/7JQVul-k7Bc

McBride may be a one trick pony, but he does what he does incredibly well (anyone who says he didn’t steal all his scenes in Pineapple Express is a liar), and if you’re a fan, than you WILL be a fan of this movie. If you hate him, run in the other direction. This is McBride at his McBridiest. Awkward bravado paired with a misshapen body and a head of hair that seems to live in its own dimension, where it is still somehow legally allowed to exist on someone’s head.

Fave Moment: I really like the subplot, where Danny is convinced the gorgeous female student and him have sexual chemistry, which they clearly do not. Their exchanges as they play it up back and forth are priceless.

Wake Up, Ron Burgundy

Directed by Adam McKay

Released in 2004

So did you know there is a sequel to Anchorman? Ok, that was a lie and I immediately felt bad. What I should have said is, did you know that there was so much extra footage and alternate takes left over from Anchorman, that after its huge success, Will Farrell and director Adam Mckay figured they could cut and paste together the footage and pass it off as a companion piece to the original movie? The thing is, if you loved the movie Anchorman as much as I did, you don’t care that it is cut and paste, B-roll footage. It is more Anchorman, and that is what counts.

httpv://youtu.be/3FMQ9IVAUzA

Now before anyone attacks me, I will say, I realize this is all the footage that was deemed the least funny out of everything, so it was cut out. I get that. But I really think Ron Burgundy is a devilishly handsome man, and I enjoy spending time with him, even if it is only me pretending to be hanging out with him and Brick and the rest of the crew. F*** Champ, though. That guys annoys me.

Someone Photoshop me into this pic!

So it is not as funny as the original by a long shot, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t funnier than most of the stuff that makes it to theaters and passes off as comedy these days. The characters that were created in this film are a trip, and this is one of few times with movies that I actually want a sequel, so even if it means they have to cut and paste it for now, I will take it. Plus, George Lucas has been doing that with his movies for 20 years now.

Top Secret

Director: Jim Abrahams and David Zucker

Released in 1984.

No one saw this coming, huh? That is how I planned it. It blows my mind, everyone saw AIRPLANE and still quotes the movie to this day, but no one saw the follow up, Top Secret, starring the used-to-be-dapper-and-now-looks-swollen Val Kilmer. The story in brief is that an Elvis like Rock n Roll performer is touring Germany and gets caught up in Nazi espionage. Basically, if Airplane was lampooning all those “terror in the sky” airplane movies of the seventies, then Top Secret is spoofing the James Bond spy movie and mashing it up with those cheesy 60’s Elvis movies. And the end result is pure, stupid hilarity.

httpv://youtu.be/y-YHw1sqjL8

Now I do understand this type of spoof humor is not for everyone, but it is not trying to be. It knows what it is, and has no problems with that. These movies do not attempt to win Oscars or change the world. They just want to make people laugh. Believe it or not, before the multitude of Scary Movies, which just got worse and worse (cram as many pop culture jokes in as you can a second), they used to actually be pretty f***ing funny and well liked. And Zucker and Abrahams did them better than anyone.

Belly or not, I still think your cool, Val.

So take those Epic Movies and Date Movies and Superhero Movies and toss them in the garbage disposal, and then go and watch Top Secret. Then call a plumber though, because you just really f***ed up your garbage disposal. But it was worth it. Trust me. Those other movies suck. I miss a good sight gag, and any time I need one, Top Secret gives me my fix.

Favorite Moment: The whole cow disguise scene kills me everytime

So some people may think these movies suck, and some people may watch them and fall in love with them like I did. That is the beauty of movies, they mean different things to different people. What comedy movie do you think more people need to see? Leave suggestions and clips in the comments. You guys always introduce me to stuff that ends up blowing my mind. I write the lists, but learn more from the comments. It is nice, like the circle of life. Mufasa would be proud.

Pictured: Two french guys in a German disguise.

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My name is Remy Carreiro and I live in New England, where most of my time is spent trying to summon the Great Old Ones, like Cthulhu. When not writing for Unreality, I am writing for a slew of other sites, and working primarily on unending music and art projects. I am not married but I have a beautiful young lady in my basement, errr, life, whom I love very much. When not focused on those things, I play video games and watch movies. I am EXACTLY what my parents feared I would become, and I take pride in that.

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38 Comments

  1. I can’t even describe how much I laughed at Black Sheep. It’s so absurd, but incredibly funny in a B-horror movie kind of way. Ditto Dead Snow, a Norwegian film about zombie Nazis.

    And who doesn’t like Weird Al? He’s STILL consistently funny after 30 years in the business. He’s outlasted most of the subjects of his most famous parodies – who would have believed you if you told them back in 1990 that the guy who recorded “Eat It” and “Fat” would still be putting out relevant albums in 2012 and MJ would be a late-night talk show punchline (and also, dead)? Not to mention he’s apparently like, the nicest guy in Hollywood.

  2. I don’t know if this is underappreciated in the same way, but I love Death to Smoochy.

    Off this list, I might have to watch Top Secret. Though I’m not a huge fan of Airplane, I’m a big supporter of the Naked Gun movies.

  3. I must’ve watched “Top Secret” 100 times as a kid when it was on cable. hell, the other night I told a friend about the soldier’s boots – camera pans up and dramatic music build up then fades away gag.

    Oh and Weird Al as Rambo is the best.

  4. A 2nd nod for Black Sheep. It was sooo over the top. But for as “B” as you think it’s going to be, the story really isn’t that bad, and, iirc, the effects were done by the same guys who did work in LOTR. It was shot in New Zealand.

    I think the only one on this list I haven’t seen is The Foot Fist Way. Judging from your other picks I’d say I’ll probably like it.

  5. Freddy got Fingered…..i thought this was the funniest movie ever. Recommended to a friend, when she saw it she ask me “you thought this was funny”? HELL YEA… favorite line ‘I’m a farmer”….never gets old…

  6. Did you know that Top Secret predicted the Future?

    Hillary Flammond: Who do you favor in the Virginia Slims tournament?
    Blindman: In women’s tennis, I always root against the heterosexual.

    This is 1985!

    My favorite though:

    Du Quois: This is Chevalier, Montage, Detente, Avant Garde, and Deja Vu.
    Deja Vu: Haven’t we met before?

    And to this day, when I’m on vacation with my wife, and we see a souvenir stand, we both look at each other and think about party tricks and phony dog poo.

  8. I actually went to see Black Sheep at the cinema with a group of friends. We were all excited to see a gory comedy on par with Shaun of the Dead. We may have set our sights a little too high but all in all we found it a let down, not bad, per say, just not that great.

  9. Great list Remy. Glad you’re also writing stuff that is less shocking or rapey;) I like every movie you mentioned except the Weird Al one. Just don’t like the guy.

    I think Black Dynamite is absolutely hilarious. I don’t know if it’s really underrated, but definitely unknown.

  11. @ Diva, good call, I intend to do some black comedy peices, and DEATH TO SMOOCHY is up there with some of the best twisted comedies I have seen. @bobafett, that is actually pretty brilliant, I must confess. If this was some other site, someone would still that idea and write it into an article. Seeing that we are much cooler than most other sites, we will simply suggest you write that theory out in an extended piece, because it is wholly original and seems like it would be a great red. @ drester, Genuine laugh out loud, thank you, but very true, my next couple pieces will be slightly “lighter”. Oh and DAMN YOU! Black Dynamite was completely blanked out of my head when I did the list and I am actually mad at myself now, because I think that movie is BRILLIANT from beginning to end. When he slaps him during the fight scene, and then they cut to a different actor…that slays me every time.

  14. Remy, let me also just say that I think it’s great that you are commenting on the comments. It really shows your devotion to unrealitymag. It would be nice if Natty and Paul would do that more often.

  15. Just a correction on Hot Rod, its Jorma, not Akiva that plays his brother. Akiva does have a cameo at the bowling alley as the guy that gives Bill Hader the acid.
    This list also needs Mystery Team.

  16. Nice. I’m Netflix queueing some of these right now. There’s not enough good humor in modern cinema these days. Anybody else seen Caveman with Ringo Starr? That was the funniest film of my childhood, man, with UHF probably right behind it. Is Bubba Ho-Tep too mainstream for this list?

  17. @ Jim, Oh yea, you’re right. Then Hader gets the screw driver in the head, good call. That scene is frakkin’ hilarious. @Trashcanman, good call with Bubba Ho-Tep, actually. Best movie about Elvis and a Black JFK fighting a mummy I have ever seen, hands down.

  19. Good choices. I’ve seen all of these but “Black Sheep” and “Wake Up, Ron Burgundy” and only dislike “The Foot Fist Way”. I didn’t like “Hot Rod” the first time, but the second time. . .I’ve watched this movie more times than I can count and have bought it twice because I couldn’t find my original copy and had to watch it NOW! Seriously, if anyone out there doesn’t like it at first, give it another shot. It grows you and then it takes you over.

  22. “Black Sheep” is one of the funniest horror/comedies ever made (though Peter Jackson’s “Dead Alive” is by far funnier). Of the other movies on this list, I can only recommend “Top Secret.” The other movies’ humor is simply too juvenile to be funny.

  23. hot rod is with out a doubt one of my favorite movies ever, i make all my friends watch it, and have converted many over to how great it was…

  25. Thank you, thank you, thank you for putting Hot Rod at the top of your list. One of my husband’s co-workers told us about it and had us watch it. WE LOVE IT!!! In fact, I think I’m going to go home and punch-dance out my frustrations.

    Black Dynamite and Top Secret are also great ones as well.

    @trashcanman- I loved Caveman when I was little too. Who can’t laugh at Dennis Quaid hopping around on one foot? “Zug-Zug” indeed 🙂

  26. Actually UHF was Al’s SECOND movie after “the complete Al” which was sort of a parody of the “complete Beatles” but mostly existed to show videos…

  27. 3 O’clock High is an under the radar classic for the teen genre.
    Ice Pirates for the Sci Fi under the radar comedies.
    CHUD 2 for Horror comedy.

  28. Great list. The world would “seriously” be a better place if we all laughed more and longer and harder!
    Special props for “Top Secret.” As kids, my cousin and I used to watch that movie every single time we got together. My aunt actually ended up buying the copy from the video store because she got so tired of taking us there only to have us rent the same thing again and again. (This was the mid-80s, when there weren’t many stores that sold VHS tapes to own– it was all about rentals; also, if you knew my aunt, you wouldn’t be surprised that she could talk the video store into selling her their sole copy of “Top Secret).
    25+ years later, and my cousin and I still end our holiday visits with a hug and an “I’ll miss you most of all, Scarecrow.” It’s our secret test to see if people know we’re quoting “Top Secret” and not “The Wizard of Oz.”

  29. One I’d say should be added to this list is The Gamers: Dorkness Rising. It’s a B movie by Dead Gentlemen Productions about a bunch of guys, and one girl, playing Dungeons & Dragons. They switch back and forth from them around a table to them playing their characters. One of the funniest movies I have ever seen. Nearly peed myself laughing.

  30. Loved “Hot Rod”!

    I’ve seen it so many times and know someone who also watches it regularly.

    “Black Sheep” Got this as a rental and watched this with my father feeling like something odd and funny. Took us by surprise.

    Thanks for the list! Off to watch “Top Secret”. The trailer had me cracking up

  33. That last one, Top Secret, looked wonderful. Very Naked Gun sort of comedy, looks worth watching! I miss how comedies used to be before the 21st century, more silly and clever, less dirty. Movies that rely heavily on sex jokes and anything relating to balls on drums bother me.

    1. Macgruber is hilarious. The line about walking around with the 20 pound python in his pants is so classic. I almost pissed my pants in the scene where he grabs Wiig as his meat shield.

  36. Hot Rod and The Foot Fist Way are both on my top 10 list of underrated comedies! I will definitely watch the ones on here that I haven’t seen since now I obviously trust your judgement. I think the top underrated comedy in recent years is “The Sasquatch Gang.” Literally NOBODY has ever seen this movie. Other comedies that are underrated, but less so, are: Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, and Role Models. If you haven’t seen those, you need to!

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