The Top-Whatever Comedy Films I Saw in 2015

Often dismissed as trivial when compared to more serious fare by some critics and viewers, the comedy film, when done right, can be a work of art. Last year I enjoyed comedy films as much, if not more, than most other genre movies I watched.

Here then, in no particular order and in debt to a failing memory and badly-kept record filing system, are the top-whatever comedy films I enjoyed watching in 2015.

*denotes a film already watched.

1. Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa (2013)*

Destined to be a template for how to convert a great sitcom into a great film, Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa is a consistently funny, often hilarious transition from small to big screen for one of Britain's best-ever comedy characters. The quotable lines are innumerable and come at you on an almost minute-to-minute basis, the grounding of the narrative is superb and the decision not to go On the Buses pays off in spades. The Partridge lives on the silver screen.

2. Back to the Future Trilogy (1985, 1989, 1990)*

Always enjoyable trilogy, despite lagging in the second part, the Back to the Future Trilogy is a model of concise, funny storytelling. Exposition is kept to a minimum as the narrative barrel rolls along, hurling Michael J. Fox from one awkward family-time travel disaster to the next. The first film is the smoothest and most purely enjoyable, the second starts great, lags in the middle, picks itself up towards the end and finishes on a frustrating cliffhanger that prepares you for the brilliant third movie (my personal favourite). Christopher Lloyd is especially good as Doc Brown and the technology, especially at the beginning of the second feature, is still iconic and futuristic today. Highly recommended to be watched in one go (with adequate toilet breaks).

3. Ted (2012)

Despite having developed somewhat of a distaste for the often misjudged Family Guy, I was frequently doubled up with laughter at Seth MacFarlane's Ted. True, the fairy tale framing device is hackneyed and the comedy is basically the same as MacFarlane's series (is Ted anything more than a more-knowing plush of Peter Griffin?) The set-pieces, however, are not to be sniffed at (no pun intended), the playing is consistently good and any film which brings back Flash Gordon gets a thumbs up from me. MacFarlane may not have come up with anything novel but Ted is still a hugely funny first film.

4. The Simpsons Movie (2007)*

Produced almost 20 years after the show started and with the original seriously treading water now, The Simpsons Movie restores some comedy integrity to the format. Not exactly prime material and certainly not as successful a transplant from show to screen as Alan Partridge and whatever movie comes below this, The Simpsons still manages to have some good gags on screen, including the trailered Rock and a Hard Place visual. The story is basically Under the Dome with jokes (which it preceeds), but manages to get good mileage from its ludicrous set-up, which on TV has seen similar plots flounder. As long as you don't expect the very best of Bart and Co. then you'll be rewarded with an enjoyable 87 minutes of comedy-yellow stuff.

5. South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut (1999)*

Delivering on the premise of the title and with a host of ultra-catchy musical numbers (including the superb What Would Brian Boitano Do?), South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut delivers the laughs big time and will not only please those unfamiliar with the show but also newcomers looking for a decent fistful of R-rated obscenity. The plot about the US going to war with Canada over an R-rated movie is as beautifully absurd as it is ingenious, while the addition of Monty Python members excellently rounds out the usually brilliant voice cast. Is South Park one of the best comedy films ever made? I think it may be.

6. The Guard (2011)

The brittle and brazen The Guard is a splendid tragicomedy about a parochial Irishman meeting an inner-city American. A buddy-fish-out-of-water-cop tale ensues, with the superbly offensive Garda Gleeson sparking with the straight-faced FBI Cheadle. While more tempered with drama than the rest of this list, the film rattles along at an impressive pace and never becomes victim of its ribald humour because the main character has a debauched ignorance masking a keen intelligence and a big heart, which stops him from being calculatingly racist. The humour is similar to that of In Bruges, which is hardly surprising considering it's made by the director's brother, and fares up very well next to that similarly excellent film. Plus the script is a beautifully written piece with some of the choicest barbs to appear on screen in recent years. All in all a film definitely meriting one or more viewings.

So, to the year ahead and more good (old) comedy to come.