There's No Way You Can Name All These 90s Comedies
- by Will Morgan
- – on
- in Movies and TV
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, except it was mostly the best of times. And the best of times are the 1990s, of course! It has repeatedly been scientifically proven to be the best decade for movie comedies ever! Sure, the 80s were great. Ferris Bueller was funny and the Ghostbuster's showed what a big budget, sci-fi, comic bonanza could be. The 70s probably had some funny things, and Mel Brooks was of course making stuff in there somewhere. Charlie Chaplin was silently running into things in the olden days and sure, that was hilarious. But did any of those decades have Adam Sandler screaming at a golf ball? Case closed.
The 1990s did not just have a large number of high quality comedies, but the sheer variety was absolutely mind bottling (you know, when you're so confused, as though your mind is trapped in a bottle?). There were high-brow comedies presented with Oscar level talent such as The Witches Of Eastwick and there was stuff like Clifford, which is an indescribable, bizarre, mess, yet is still undeniably hilarious! The creatives and stars working in the industry today and creating the comedy we are currently consuming, grew up watching these films. These are the movies that inspired them. These are the references we are still hearing and the trends that we are reacting to and counteracting. And, more importantly, they're all funny! How many of these comedies do you know?
What's the name of this festive comedy?
Have you ever had one of those days that just seemed like it was never going to end? And then it seemed like It would just go on and on, for weeks at a time. Well, this movie explores that particular hell by putting an angry, mean weatherman played by Bill Murray smack dab into that scenario. He's forced to live out the same day over and over in this Harold Raimis masterpiece. This is not just one of the best 90s comedies, it's simply one of the best comedies.
What was this film filled with high brow humor?
This movie was the height of Jim Carrey's career! I mean seriously, did he ever do anything worthwhile after this? He shows up a lot on this list. He was funny back then. But no one could have played Lloyd like he did. And Jeff Daniels as Harry is perfection. This film may be a few years old, but people still instinctually flock to it like the salmon of of Capistrano. Grab a couple of big gulps, and check out this flick!
What's the name of this working class comedy?
Kevin Smith has become a pretty divisive filmmaker as of late. There are those that really do not like him and there are those that say, "hey come on, he's not that bad!" Once upon a time, he was the most exciting new filmmaker on the block and this movie was his big, brand spanking new movie. It was rough around the edges in a good was and full of course language and new ideas and ways of looking at film.
What is this nostalgia filled film's name?
Alright, alright, alright! That's what I like about high school girls, I keep getting older and this movie keeps getting more problematic. This coming of age flick, set in an older gentler Austin served as Richard Linklater's coming out party. It brought Matthew McConaughey into the limelight and put a killer soundtrack into a lot of kids backpacks. It had a lot of great jokes in it, but the funniest parts will always be seeing freshmen get beat up by jocks.
Remember the name to this movie?
Dave Chappelle has become the subject of some controversy lately. But before that, he was a huge comedian. And before that, he was a huge sketch star, and before that he was a comedian, and before that....well he's always been a comedian but he made this movie way back when he was no that well known. For real, he was listed as a co-star with Jim Breuer on this one. Can you even picture how the world was when Chappelle was a co-headline with Goat Boy?
What is the name of this funny feature?
This is the movie that launched the Chris Tucker empire before that empire was sadly brought down, by Chris Tucker. Starring him and Ice Cube, it is basically about a couple of dudes, chilling, hanging around their neighborhood and doing recreational narcotics. Oh and then they piss off a really big guy and the really big guy wants to fight them. So they fight the big guy. And it's not honorable to use guns in a fight, but bricks are cool.
What's the name of this film that features a fat guy in a little coat?
Chris Farley was a really intense dude. He would jump around a lot and scream things a turn red and jiggle and turn red and he was pretty big so it was funny. And David Spade was Chris Farley's buddy. They rode that dynamic to the top of SNL and across two, count them, two feature length films with pretty much no concept except for that. And hey, it worked on this one! This one was pretty funny! It had a fat guy in a little coat!
What is the name of the move that made us say "We're not worthy"?
Dana Carvey seems like a really pleasant dude to hang out with. Except when he has that Garth wig on. It is a little bit creepy. This movie is one of many of the mid 90s Saturday Night Live produced films and was among the most successful. It featured the aforementioned Carvey, Mike Myers, Christopher Walken, and rock legends Aerosmith. Also, the movie taught us an important lesson about naked Native Americans and beating a man to death with his own shoe.
What is this movie featuring baby steps?
Finally, a movie brings together the two top comedy power houses of Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss! This movie featured Murray as a severely emotionally disturbed individual that seeks out acclaimed therapist Richard Dreyfuss. When Dreyfuss goes on vacation, Murray stalks him and ingratiates himself with his family and mentally tortures his own therapist to the point of causing a mental breakdown. And the whole thing sounds awful, but it is played for laughs. That's right! It is a comedy!
What movie will have you wanting to wear more flair?
Mike Judge owns a big share of the modern comedy pie. A whole lot of what is out there right now was either created by, or inspired by him.After all, this is the guy that is currently doing Silicon Valley. He did Beavis and Butthead, King of the Hill, Idiocracy, this movie right here, Extract... let's not count Extract. This is the office place comedy. A lot of people will tell you that distinction belongs to the office. They're wrong. Right here, baby.
What's the movie that unleashed a million "Alrighty then's"?
These days, we see Jim Carrey on Netflix in documentaries about the making of Man On The Moon and he is talking about philosophical nonsense and acting like a goober while trying to act. It makes it really hard to remember the good times, oh so long ago, back when he was talking and singing to Tone Loc out of his butt. It was like the sweet sound of an angel. An angel that talked and sang out of their butt.
What was the name of this big kid classic?
Oh man, Adam Sandler had a freaking strong one, two punch right out of the gate when it came to his firs two films. And just for the sake of argument, we are not going to count Going Overboard, okay? That is not an Adam Sandler movie. That is a movie that features a performance by Mr. Sandler. Big difference. Unfortunately, none of his films could reach the greatness of the first two. It's a lot like a book I know called The Puppy Who Lost His Way.
Can you think of the name of this early 90s funny feature?
Remember how funny Robin Williams was? This was probably his funniest, or at the very least one of his best remembered roles. Sometimes as a kid, I would have no idea what he was even saying. He would just start talking at a mile a minute and walking in a hyper kinetic pace, and jumping back and forth from an accent to an impression, to a weird voice, and I would have no idea what he was saying or why but I would be like, "this dude's funny."
What is this film featuring erotic baked goods named?
Comedy has certain constants, yes? It always has to be funny. At least it, it's supposed to be. I mean there's Shakespearean comedies which are god awful and... hey we're not here to debate this stuff. Point is, outside of the constants in comedy, mainstream comedy is largely dominated by trends. The 80s had hard R rated raunchy teen comedies, then the 90s toned it down, got sillier and went for a softer tone. This movie in the late 90s made the hard R cool again for gross out teen hijinks.
What was the name of this humorous take on a courtroom drama?
I know that when you think of comedy, you immediately think of Joe Pesci. Yeah, the small Italian American actor most known for his hyper violent portrayal of mafia affiliated character. You know, the funny guy. He co stars in this film alongside the real star of the show, Marisa Tomei. Marisa Tomei won a best supporting actress Oscar for her role and, yes her name was supposed to be read. This film also features the Karate Kid and Herman Munster.
By Grabthar's Hammer, what movie is this?
Tim Allen used to be big time, baby. Remember back when the first Toy Story came out and it seemed like Tim Allen and Tom Hanks were almost equals? He had Home Improvement and The Santa Clause, standup, books, the world! This movie may have been the highlight before it came crashing down. He and Sigourney Weaver lead a cast portraying a cast that plays the crew of a ship on a sci fi tv show. The aliens get involved and it realy gets crazy,
What movie brought gross out comedies mainstream?
The Farrelly brothers really had a great hot streak going in the 90s. You know you have done something special when your movies are inspiring think pieces. This movie did just that with numerous articles asking if we really needed the rebirth of gross out comedies. Well, yes of course we did and we can all thank this movie for being such a box office success that they were attractive to make again for a brief yet oh so glorious period.
Can you get in the head of this weird movie and remember its name?
Spike Jonze is known for being a music video director and for directing totally weird, off the wall movies such as this one. This is a movie about... hmmm... puppeteering, maybe? It stars John Cusack as a puppeteer, married to a dressed down, chimp raising Cameron Diaz making flounder faces. Cusack goes to work on the 7 1/2 floor of the Mertin-Flemmer building where, one night, he finds a portal to the inside of John Malkovich's head. Then it gets weird.
What film taught the value of not pulling a Munson?
Here is another in the run of kind of gross but great, Farrelly brothers 90s comedies. Seriously, just look at he resume and then give these guys the Oscar already! This one had Woody Harrelson starring as Roy Munson as a once promising bowler, now an alcoholic, hook handed loser. He mentor's Randy Quaid, a big naive Amish kid, on their way to a big bowling tournament to win big. Bill Murray show up as Big Ern'.
Can you name this Shakespearean side-splitter?
Back before he was getting a sympathy Oscar, Heath Ledger was yucking it up in teen comedies like this one. This also stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt who was also a guy in a Batman movie, and Julia Stiles. Hey, remember when Julia Stiles was a thing? This movie is a take on one of those Shakespeare plays called Taming Of The Shrew. It's about a headstrong woman that must be tamed by a man. Hey, pretty progressive there Shakespeare. Ya jerk!
What's this scholarly movie named?
Wes Anderson can be a bit of a polarizing dude. Some people think that his films are funny, others consider him too twee and precious. Oh, an he has a weird aversion to casting women. Most of his films are these giant ensembles of 27 guys and 3 ladies. Anyway, for better or worse, this was his breakout hit. he had some moderate underground success before this one, but it seems Bill Murray's involvement and a bit about OR scrubs pushed this one over the top.
Can you call out this crooning comedy classic?
This is the one that began the fall of Sandler. It still was a comedy classic mind you. But after the chaotic comedic lunacy of his first few outings this one had the audacity to dar to tell a coherent story with true emotional beat. It also kicked off a moment in the 90s where 80s nostalgia consumed the culture and set us in a perpetual time warp where we are constantly ironically referencing whatever happened 10 years prior. This movie started that!
What is the name of Kevin Smith's decent movie?
When you think of Kevin Smith and thoughts poop jokes and weed humor and lazy freshman dorm room philosophy fill your mind, don't forget that he also attempted a quiet meditation on female sexuality as well! That's right! How could anyone ever forget about Kevin Smith's film about lesbians, bi-sexuality, and chubby Ben Affleck? He seemed to concentrate really hard and take the subject matter somewhat seriously at times and make a decent movie!. It's still a product of its time though.But its funny!
What movie taught us to never touch the dials on a black man's radio?
This movie features prime Chris Tucker at just about his most Chris Tucker! And it throws him into the world of Jackie Chan! They are detectives or something and they have to solve a case. I'm not really sure. It's Chris Tucker and Jacki Chan, man! These guys are hilarious together. And when they aren't being hilarious, Jackie Chan is beating people up and getting thrown through walls and stuff. For these reasons, this movie get a billion and one stars.
What is this smokin' flick called?
Look, it's another Jim Carrey movie! I'm telling you kids, this guy used to be really good. This movie also introduced the world to Cameron Diaz. She was great in this. This was based on a comic book and had a lot of cgi in it which may or may not hold up to current standards; no one has watched this movie for over 43 years. Jim Carrey finds a mask and he doesn't know what to do with the mask so he goes and asks a mask expert. Finally he puts on the mask and becomes a mask monster! Can you guess the name of the movie?
What's the name of this political comedy?
Everyone has probably gone to school at some point with a Tracy Flick. If you don't think that you did, then you were probably her. Also, Chris Klein is a pure angel sent from heaven in this movie. He is too good and we do not deserve him. And. dude, Mathew Broderick is really nice and gross in here. Mwa! Just pure perfection! This movie has gained a lot more poignance in our current political climate - is a thing people say. I don't know if it's true.
What movie made us love Link?
This movie featured the mid 90s power trio of Brendan Frasier, Sean "Rudy Hobbit" Astin, an Mr. Paulie Shore. It's a classic tale of a nerd and his skaterish weasel friend being huge losers in high school until they find a frozen caveman in the backyard and unfreeze him. The caveman is of course still alive and totally hunky and becomes the coolest guy in school. The nerd and the weasel are kind of cool by association, but they learn an important lesson.
Can you guess the name of this retro laugher?
There was a little mini trend in the 90s of older sitcoms being remade with their main characters remaining in the sitcoms original decade and being fish out of water in the current time. It was an odd time for comedy. Well, it actually worked pretty well with this movie. The was the story of a lovely lady, who was bringing three very lovely girls. All of them had hair of gold like their mother. Wait, these are the actual lyrics? Lame.
What is this updated fish out of water story?
Here we see another example of that mini trend I was referring to. This one, much like the previous, had some considerable acting talent coming to play and have fun in this farcical playground. The paterfamilias was played by Ernest himself, Jim Varney! And the bad guy, if there is ever a true villain in these types of films, was played by living legend (wait, let me check if he's still living... yep, good to go) Dabney Coleman! This movie is elite!
What's the name of this weird, confusing movie?
There are some comedies that you can just kick back, relax, watch, laugh and feel good! Others however, while you laugh, there is a sense of doom and existential dread that creeps over you and digs into your bones, trying to pull you down into a metaphorical hell of philosophical crisis. This movie is the latter. What is Martin Short supposed to be? Is he a child? Is he an adult pretending to be a child? Can only Charles Grodin see him? Scary stuff.
What the heck is this thing?
Saturday Night Love has been a great vehicle for launching the careers of a lot of very talented comedic actors and writers. People go on the show, put in a couple of years, and then go out into the world and produce projects of their own. Once they start to do that, if they are successful enough and have enough pull, they can get their friends work. That is one of the ways that Rob Schneider is able to keep making movies.
What was this cheerful, golf film called?
Everyone loves golf! It's one of America's favorite sports. So it was a no brainer for Adam Sandler to combine golf and hockey (whatever that is) for this hilarious film. This flick sees Sandler take to the links after his hockey career goes bust. Along the way, Bob Barker beats him up, an alligator eats a hand, a giant dude gets a nail in the head, another guy insists on going to Arby's and Shooter does his thing. One of the best movies of all time.
Can you name this movie parody?
Mel Brooks has made some of the absolute best, and most critically acclaimed comedic masterpieces of all time. This movie is nowhere close to being one of them, but it's got some funny bits. It features a young Dave Chappelle, Cary Elwes, and Richard Lewis along with his fake mole (wait... he has a mole?) It is the story of Robin Hood, you know just in case you could not tell earlier, and his merry men in nice tight pants.
What is this film from back when Mathew Broderick was a star?
Hey look kids, it is yet another Jim Carrey movie! This is one of those dark comedies you hear the cool kids talking about. It required Jim Carrey to do some dark humor so he got it into his head that he was an actor. That's right, I'm blaming this movie for his later career. The film sees him torment Mathew Broderick, stalking him mercilessly. It is directed by Ben Stiller and makes you want to pay a visit to Medieval Times.
What was the name of this groovy movie?
Mike Myers is responsible for creating quite a few characters with very repeatable catchphrases. Say what you will about the dude himself, but he knows how to get folks to repeat him. After this movie came out, you could walk down city streets and hear full conversations between dude bros that were nothing but out of context quotes from this movie. It is about a British spy from the 60s that is now in the 90s and he's really gross.
What's the name of this possibly deadly movie?
Here's another delightful Mike Myer's film where he plays multiple characters and spouts out catchphrases. This is a romantic comedy co-starring Sarah Jessica Parker. She seems to have bad luck when it comes to former lovers, or so Myers thinks he discovers soon after they marry, and he begins to fear for his life. Myers also plays an old Scottish guy that yells at a little kid with a really big head for sitting in front of the TV and blocking it.
What was this comedy called with all the cute kids?
Arnold Schwarzenegger had the hit making comedy formula down pat in his prime and that is why he was a star, baby! Think of a situation, it can be anything really, where you would not expect to find a gigantic, sculpted mass of Austrian muscle. Now put Arnold in that situation. Boom, instant comedy! In this movie, that situation was teaching a roomful of children. And man was it successful. The kids were cute and Arnold was Arnold resulting in a comedy classic.
Do you remember the name the one with Norman?
We all know the most manly thing a man can do is go on a cattle drive. That's why they call the men that do it cowboys. Huh. You know, I never thought about it, but why don't they call them cowmen? Guess I'll have to ask the King of Cowboys next time I see him. This movie sees Billy Crystal and friends go on a western vacation where they tangle with the crusty cowman Curly, played by the legendary Jack Palance.
What was is this Eddie Murphy movie named?
Once upon a time, a long time ago, in a galaxy that is this one, Eddie Murphy was the funniest human being on the planet. Hot streaks don't last forever and it is unfair for us as fans to expect stars to subject themselves to the limelight forever. But man, Eddie was brilliant back in the day. In this movie, Eddie throws on a fat suit and then a potion makes him all suave. This is a remake of the Jerry Lewis original, but the original was made before comedy was invented.
What movie told the tale of Topper Harley?
The 90s saw a huge variety of styles in comedies being produced and released to the big screen. With the way studios work these days and streaming services, we may never see movies like this one on the big screen ever again. One genre that had a nice hot streak in the 90s was the parody. I love these just straight up silly, gag a second send ups of other films and genres. This one was one of the best of the decade.
What's the title of this creepy and kooky comedy?
This is a really funny film featuring a family that is creepy and cooky, mysterious and spooky, they're altogether ooky, they're... we'll that's you're job to figure out. Stop trying to trick me into giving you the answers! This is another 90s theatrical remake of an older TV show. This movie featured Raul Julia, Anjelica Huston,
Can you name this military motion picture?
This is one of the 90s Wayans brothers movies, so that narrows it down to roughly thirty to forty thousand films. The Wayans built a comedy empire with In Living Color and conquered the silver screen as well, churning out cheap but hilarious fare such as this movie starring Damon Wayans. Damon was definitely one of the funniest Wayans. He even made it to SNL but was kicked off the show in disgrace. So, he went out and made his own show.
What's the name of this perfect parody?
Leslie Neilson was a perfectly capable and downright respectable dramatic actor that made the transition to comedic master legend later in life. His straight and deadpan delivery is the perfect delivery for utterly ridiculous lines in this pitch perfect parody. Again, they just don't make comedies like this these days. There are so many cheesy jokes happening all at once that off course they aren't all going to land. But the ones that do are the best and make this film a necessity.
What was the name of this holy and hilarious film?
Whoopi is not just a noise that you make when you are having a great time, it's also the first name of one of America's finest funny ladies, Whoopi Goldberg. This is the movie probably most associated with Goldberg at this point. I mean, she was great as a psychic in Ghost, and she was Oscar nominated for The Color Purple, but come on man! How are you going to beat a petty criminal hiding out amongst singing nuns? You're not!
What's the name of this black comedy classic?
This is kind of a weird one. It is one of those adult dark comedies that are definitely aimed at an older crowd, seriously the plot centers on how lame aging is, but it seems like everyone saw it and loved it as a kid. I know I saw this when I was a tiny tot and I could not relate to Bruce Willis' fading marriage or Meryl Streep's depression from her fading beauty. But I knew Goldie Hawn hitting people with a shovel was funny!
What was this sports film called?
Trey Parker and Matt Stone are some of the funniest dudes in the creative arts to come along in the last couple of decades. They blew up big with South Park and that is where they wreak their havock and spew most of their opinions, but their was a time in the 90s where they could do anything they wanted, and this is what they made. It was a sports movie about friendship and creative freedom and it was great.
What was the name of this movie about ab rapumentary?
Chris Rock will go down as one of the top stand ups to ever go onstage and one of the funniest human beings to ever breathe and he will still be underrated. This movie is a stonecold classic and should have been on all of those crusty old AFI top 100 lists form a few years back. It a rapumentary that follows a group suspiciously like NWA. The songs are great. They were over the top vulgar at the time but now seem kind of quaint.
Can you name this curmudgeonly comedy?
Of all the styles of comedy to experience a renaissance in the 90s, probably the most unexpected to resurface was the dirty old man says dirty stuff sub genre. It was perfectly welcome however as Jack Lemon and Walter Matthau are top comedy performers and I could watch them read phone books to each other. Those two have done numerous performances together and even when the movie doesn't deserve their greatness, they are still a delight to sit back and watch.
What is the other Paulie Shore movie you know?
This movie has everything! It has Pauly Shore! It has Stephen Baldwin! It has a dance number set to a Men Without Hats song! It has a very small cameo from Tenacious D! What more do you need? For those of you that weren't around in the 90's there was this thing called Pauly Shore. He was a dude that made a lot of silly noises and the noises were so silly, he got to make a couple of movies. This was one of them.
What movie melvined Death?
This is one of those rare comedies that features a profound contemplation on the nature of death, the afterlife, what it means to be human, and tiny alien naked alien twin named Station that run into each other and form a giant dud named station. Also it feature that guy that plays John Wick Neo Matrix! Whoa! This also feature the acting of stand up comedian George Carlin. This was the second of the series and the word on the street is a third is on the way.