Greatest British comedy of the past 40 years?

[Stuart M]

Carry On... Up the Khyber - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

- greatest British comedy of the past 40 years in my opinion.

It's probably the best Carry On film ever made, but then, that's one of the examples given in my phrase dictionary for "damning with faint praise"

Best comedy in 40 years ?????

I demand an argument on this important issue. I expect a split thread for this by the time I get into work in an hour...

[ducasi]

Thread split as demanded.

[drathzel]

I love all carry on films

[Stuart M]

Ow-kay...a short list of British* comedy** films in the past 40 years which, IMHO, have been better than "Carry On up the Khyber". I don't actually like all these films, but I do consider them better than Sid James' et al mucking about in Pakistan/Afghanistan and would enjoy watching them more. And I've now reconsidered: I don't think COUTK is the best CO film, although some of the other contenders are before 1967 and therefore fail DJ's date criteria.

*"British" here defined as predominantly British writing, location, and/or cast. The funding source is unimportant.
*"comedy" here defined as having made me laugh more than COUTK. Whether the film actually was a comedy is incidental.

Carry On Camping
Carry On At Your Convenience
The Italian Job (caper? comedy? It's still got one line which is funnier than anything in COUTK )
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Life of Brian
Porridge
Escape to Victory (one of those "so bad it's hilarious" movies)
Brazil
Clockwise
Comfort and Joy
Educating Rita
A Fish Called Wanda
Gregory's Girl
Local Hero
The Missionary
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life
A Private Function
Time Bandits
Water
Withnail and I
The Commitments (Yes, it's in Ireland but Alan Parker was English, and Clement/la Frenais helped Doyle with the screenplay)
The Full Monty
Little Voice
Spiceworld (another one of those "so bad it's hilarious" movies...)
Nuns on the Run
About a Boy (don't know why I enjoy this, it's another Curtis twee-fest really)
Bridget Jones' Diary
Chicken Run
A **** and Bull Story
Hot Fuzz
Shaun of the Dead
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

I'll admit to a certain Python/Bill Forsyth/Aardman bias, obviously. But how anyone could see a CO film as funnier than Withnail and I, I don't know...must be a generational thing

[David Bailey]

Ow-kay...a short list of British* comedy** films in the past 40 years which, IMHO, have been better than "Carry On up the Khyber".

Wow.

And I thought I had a lot of time on my hands...

I'll admit to a certain Python/Bill Forsyth/Aardman bias, obviously. But how anyone could see a CO film as funnier than Withnail and I, I don't know...must be a generational thing

There's nothing on that list that compares to the final set-piece of COUTK - I always crack up watching that.

And as for great lines, the film's packed with them. My personal fave is "What do we do?" "Do? Do? We're British. We won't do anything."

[Stuart M]

Wow.

And I thought I had a lot of time on my hands...

I'm waiting for other folk setting up test database environments this morning...

[straycat]

I'll admit to a certain Python/Bill Forsyth/Aardman bias, obviously. But how anyone could see a CO film as funnier than Withnail and I, I don't know...must be a generational thing

Personally, I hated Withnail and I. I'm not saying it was a bad film - just that the film never did anything but depress me.

COUTK - I think is a wonderful film, but I agree that I found several of the others on that list to be funnier - for example: Full Monty, Fish Called Wanda, and Life of Brian.

I'm amazed that anyone remembers Water - thought that one had vanished into the mists of obscurity centuries ago..... (I do vaguely remember enjoying it, but it was over twenty years ago. My tastes have become more refined since)

[Dreadful Scathe]

Escape to Victory (one of those "so bad it's hilarious" movies)
Spiceworld (another one of those "so bad it's hilarious" movies...)

Well yes, funny, but funny "ow!! I've just poked my eye out with a spoon" rather than funny "haha".

About a Boy (don't know why I enjoy this, it's another Curtis twee-fest really)

Me too, its odd but I also think its a great film. Superb acting to a well told story i assume.

A **** and Bull Story

A what ? Cant we even say ****? What about Cockfosters or Cockburn - have we got to say Rooster now and become all American

[Stuart M]

A what ? Cant we even say ****? What about Cockfosters or Cockburn - have we got to say Rooster now and become all American

I hadn't noticed that.

I suppose that rule structure means I'm able to say c**ksucker but not **** then...

[Beowulf]

I'm a little more old fashioned in my tastes for British comedy.

To me a great British comedy will star one or more of the following :- Will Hay, Alastair Sim, Kenneth More, Alec Guinness (Hmm.. Star Wars was funny.. but for a different reason) or Peter Sellers.

Some of my fave comedies are Passport to Pimlico, The Lavender Hill Mob, The Ladykillers, Man in the White Suit, Genevieve , The Belles of St. Trinian's etc..

Obviously most of these fall out side of the 40 year range specified above. I have to say I do pretty much agree with Stuart M's list above.. with some exceptions.

[straycat]

Some of my fave comedies are Passport to Pimlico, The Lavender Hill Mob, The Ladykillers, Man in the White Suit, Genevieve , The Belles of St. Trinian's etc..

Which reminds me - I must must MUST retrieve my Ealing Comedies box set from a Certain Relative With Whom it Has Resided These Last Two Years

Haven't watched Man in a White Suit for far too long, and you've sparked off a need to watch it again....

Kind Hearts and Coronets, Whisky Galore and the original Ladykillers are, quite possibly, my all-time favourite comedy films.

[Stuart M]

I suppose that rule structure means I'm able to say cocksucker but not **** then...

Do I not get infracted DJ? Or is there some sort of letoff because I reported myself?

For embarrassing the mods if nothing else

PS oops I did it again...

[David Bailey]

Do I not get infracted DJ? Or is there some sort of letoff because I reported myself?

I've done my infraction for this week. I was once a weak man, you know.

[fletch]

It has to be FLETCH in porridge surely.

[straycat]

I was once a weak man, you know.

And now you're just a once a week man?

[David Bailey]

And now you're just a once a week man?

It's enough for any man