Comedy Final Four

MSNBC has an interactive bracket that allows you to pick the best comedy movies of all time, NCAA Tourney style. Click here to try it yourself. The regions were: Broad, SNL Alumni, Smart and Classic. Here were my picks:

Broad Regional – First Round
Dumb & Dumber vs. Shaun of the Dead
Shaun wins. I haven’t seen it, but Dumb & Dumber stunk.

Spaceballs vs. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Spaceballs wins by default as I haven’t seen Scoundrels.

South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut vs. Friday
South Park in a rout. Don’t agree? Shut your f#@&%* face, Uncle f#@&%!

American Pie vs. Top Secret
Pie was soooo overrated. Top Secret was soooo underrated. Winner to the cow in galoshes.

Ferris Bueller vs. Raising Arizona
Ferris may be a GBN Alumnus, but Arizona was so bizarre. And very funny.

Something About Mary vs. Ace Ventura
Mary by a mile. Anything that makes Brett Favre look even more stupid than he really is wins in my book.

Big Lebowski vs. Meet the Parents
A toss up. Edge to Lebowski

Naked Gun vs. Strange Brew
Baseball against Beer. Baseball wins.

Second Round
Shaun of the Dead vs. Spaceballs
Again, Spaceballs wins by default. The UW-Milwaukee of the tourney.

South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut vs. Top Secret
Top Secret loses. Don’t like it? Blame Canada.

Raising Arizona vs. Something About Mary
The Coen Brothers advance to the Sweet Sixteen

Big Lebowski vs. Naked Gun
Naked Gun advances. Nothing to see here. Move along.

Sweet Sixteen:
Spaceballs vs. South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut
What is Spaceballs doing here? No place for a Druish Princes, even with Brian Boitano.

Raising Arizona vs. Naked Gun
Drebin gets dumped by Hy and a septuplet.

Regional Final:
South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut vs. Raising Arizona
Many people hate Raising Arizona. Not me. Still the best Nic Cage movie around. But it locks the win based upon the whole Saddam-Satan sex scene.


SNL Alumni Regional
First Round
Caddyshack vs. Blues Brothers
Blues Brothers holds up well for the music. Caddyshack holds up for the comedy.

Groundhog Day vs. Beverly Hills Cop
BHC isn’t that great a movie, but it doesn’t have Andie McDowell in it. Axel moves on.

Tommy Boy vs. Old School
Eww. Do I hafta pick a winner? Ok. Give it to Farley. At least he’s funny. Will Farrell is not. Not ever.

Ghostbusters vs. Happy Gilmore
Happy is Venckman’s bitch, too.

Fletch vs. Wayne’s World
“It’s all ball bearings” beats in Tia Carrere a bikini. Had she only had half the bikini... Alas.

Vacation vs. Bowfinger
The Griswolds live in Chicago. I guess they win.

Austin Powers vs. Stripes
Austin and his car vs. a heavily armed recreational vehicle? The RV wins.

Animal House vs. Rushmore
Rushmore should have gone against Raising Arizona. Faber advances.

Second Round
Caddyshack vs. Beverly Hills Cop
Sorry, Foley. The world needs ditch diggers, too.

Tommy Boy vs. Ghostbusters
I can’t even imagine the amount of slime needed to cover Farley.

Fletch vs. Vacation
Are you kidding? Fletch is 6’ 5” with the afro.

Stripes vs. Animal House
Best matchup of he Tourney so far. Stripes in overtime.

Sweet Sixteen:
Caddyshack vs. Ghostbusters
The Cinderella Story…

Fletch vs. Stripes
Stripes rolls on. A lean, mean, killing machine!

Regional Final:
Caddyshack vs. Stripes
Illinois-Arizona? Nope. Duke-Kentucky? Pshaw. This should-could be a championship match. Stripes advances in triple overtime as Sgt. Hulka puts a beat down on Judge Smails.

Smart Regional
First Round
Dazed and Confused vs. Diner
If you are dazed and confused, there’s no way you pass the Colts’ test.

Bull Durham vs. Lost in America
Bull Durham ends up in the wrong regional. The “nest egg” rolls on.

Swingers vs. Best in Show
I never got the appeal of Best in Show, beyond Fred Willard’s part.

Broadcast News vs. When Harry Met Sally
Albert Brooks sweat vs. Meg Ryan’s fake. Give me the sweat.

Tootsie vs. Princess Bride
My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.

Office Space vs. Election
The only watchable Reese Witherspoon movie ever made. Whatever happened to her?

Christmas Story vs. High Fidelity
High Fidelity won the play-in game to get here. John Cusack can’t ever get past this same role. Ralphie heads to the second round.

Spinal Tap vs. Fast Times
Sorry, Nigel. Going to 11 on your amp can’t get you past Mr. Hand.

Second Round
Diner vs. Lost in America
It’s easy to advance when you are driving an RV.

Swingers vs. Broadcast News
Broadcast News is more drama than comedy. No chance. Swingers is so money.

Princess Bride vs. Election
It seems that Matthew Broderick failed to build up a resistance to Iocanie poison.

Christmas Story vs. Fast Times
Ralphie shoots Spicoli’s eye out.

Sweet Sixteen:
Lost in America vs. Swingers
It’s on. Swingers almost blows it with that scene in the Diner.

Princess Bride vs. Christmas Story
We lost? Inconceivable! I do not think that word means what you think it does.

Regional Final:
Swingers vs. Christmas Story
Christmas Story takes it by the nose of Chinese Turkey. A major award! I’ve won, I’ve won, I’ve won!


Classic Regional
Airplane vs. Arsenic and Old Lace
Otto pilots his way to a Round 1 win.

Blazing Saddles vs. The Graduate
Ben Brodock lands in the wrong regional (should be in Smart) and get’s a #6 laid on him.

Young Frankenstein vs. Holy Grail
How’d a #1 seed play a #2 seed in the first round? Froedwick prevails based upon the silly end of Grail where Arthur et al get arrested.

The Producers vs. 9 to 5.
Are you kidding? 9 to 5? Weakest team in the field.

Annie Hall vs. His Girl Friday
Woody gets a round 1 win as I’ve never seen His Girl.

Philadelphia Story vs. The Jerk
Who scheduled this? Kate Hepburn should win on class. But this is comedy. Navin Johnson and his Opti-Grab advance.

Dr. Strangelove vs. The Thin Man
Strangelove also belongs in the Smart regional. It defeats an Ivy League gritty-type competitor.

Slapshot vs. Some Like It Hot
Both are overrated. Would Marilyn Monroe play Hanrahan’s wife? Pauly Newman wins on a late three pointer in a poorly played game.

Second Round
Airplane vs. Blazing Saddles
Airplane wins one for the Zipper.

Young Frankenstein vs. The Producers
Springtime For Hitler closes after two performances.

Annie Hall vs. The Jerk
Navin uses his Special Purpose to advance.

Dr. Strangelove vs. Slapshot
The three Hanson Brothers are no match for the front line of the three Sellers: Captain Lionel Mandrake, President Merkin Muffley andDr. Strangelove.

Sweet Sixteen
Airplane vs. Young Frankenstein
Inga rolls in the hay as Eye-gor dunks on Dr. Rumack at the buzzer.

The Jerk vs. Dr. Strangelove
While Strangelove is clearly the better film, in terms of pure comedy, the Jerk carries the day. We’ll meet again...

Regional Final
Young Frankenstein vs. The Jerk
Mel Brooks’ best film takes out the gas pumper.

Semi-Finals
Young Frankenstein vs. Christmas Story
Frau Blucher shoots the lights, and Ralphie’s eye, out.

Raising Arizona vs. Stripes
Hy says it ain’t Ozzie and Harriet. Well, it ain’t Capt. Stillman wishing he was a loofah, either.

Finals
Young Frankenstein vs. Stripes
Stripes has the memorable lines. It has naked mud wrestling. It has PJ Soles. It doesn’t have what Frankenstein has: Love for the source of the spoof. Stripes may be summarized by Winger’s “retched refuse” speech. That fit the 80’s so well.

But Frankenstein uses the Shelley Frankenstein story and actually pays homage to it, not simply spoofs it. It’s also smart and funny.

It’s the best comedy movie ever made.