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Our movie guy, James Finnegan, chooses five movies available on Netflix that’ll give you a much-needed laugh…
I think we can all agree we could do with a bit of light relief, so here are some options available for viewing on Netflix. Once again, please feel free to add your own suggestions in the comments.
I almost hesitate to suggest this one, bearing in mind our current circumstances, but Groundhog Day (1993) is a comedy classic.
It stars Bill Murray as Phil Connors, a cynical and caustic television weather man who is somehow forced to continually repeat the same day over and over again.
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However, he appears to be the only one in the town to realise this. It also stars Andie MacDowell as Rita, whom Phil romances by trying to become a better person every day.
I am going to count the next two selections as one. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) and Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979) come from the wonderfully talented team that brought comedy to something, well, completely different.
The first is a surreal look at the story of King Arthur, the search for Knights for the Round Table and their quest to find the Holy Grail.
Some of the comic invention comes from the genius of the team, and some came from the needs of the budget. Later amended to become the Musical “Spamalot”, this is a comic gem.
Life of Brian has the distinction of being banned in Ireland upon release. It is the story of Brian who was born next door on the same day as Jesus, and so is mistaken for the Messiah.
However, as you are all now hearing in your head, “He’s not the Messiah. He’s a very naughty boy” This is a religious and social satire that regularly comes top on the Best Comedy of all time lists, and deservedly so.
Written by, and staring in multiple roles, the whole Monty Python Team of John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Michael Palin and the late Graham Chapman and Terry Jones, under the direction of Terry Jones, these are two comedy master classes.
A somewhat darker comedy is Seven Psychopaths (2012). Starring Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson and Christopher Walken, and Written and Directed by Martin McDonagh, this is the story of Marty (Farrell) a struggling writer trying to finish a screenplay.
His best friend Billy (Rockwell) suggests using the story of a psychopath as the basis for a story, and puts an advertisement in the paper inviting other psychopaths to contribute. Suffice to say, not everything goes entirely to plan. However, please note that this is one for the grown-ups only.
Finally, one for the family. A Shot in the Dark (1964) is the forgotten Pink Panther film, yet I think it is the best performance by Peter Sellers in the role of Inspector Clouseau, and introduces both Commissioner Dreyfus (Herbert Lom) and Cato (Burt Kwouk) to the series.
The beautiful Maria Gambrelli (Elke Sommer) is the chief murder suspect. Only Clouseau believes in her innocence, even though there are more murders, with Maria looking even guiltier. Enjoy and Stay safe!
