I would never want to live in a world without comedy. Whether intentionally idiotic or so snarky it goes over everyone’s head, a good laugh is medicine for the soul. This article is intended for readers who have seen these films. It is a pretty safe bet to assume that the majority of cinephile’s have seen these movies over and over again and could practically recite every line by heart, but these fun facts will add more depth to the viewing experience.

Top 10 British Comedy Series

10 The Jerk (1979)

The Jerk was Steve Martin’s firsts starring role of the 1970’s after his stand-up success. Directed by the brilliant Carl Reiner, the attitude on set was extremely laid-back which led to many wonderful unscripted scenes. Initially not knowing which direction to go with the film, Mr. Martin mentioned to the screenwriters that he had a great line from his act that always seemed to win the room. And that is where we get the famous opening line of the film “It wasn’t easy for me; I was born a poor black child in Mississippi…” which kicks off this absurdist comedy perfectly. The role of “Marie” was specifically written for Bernadette Peters, and Bill Murray surprisingly wound up on the cutting room floor as his scene was deleted in post-production. The coolest little gem about this film is that Stanley Kubrick was actually a huge fan and even invited Martin over to his house to play chess.^[1]

9 Dumb & Dumber (1994)

1994 was a huge year for television star Jim Carrey. That year he released The Mask, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, and by far one of the funniest movies of all time, Dumb & Dumber. Directed by the Farrelly Brothers, it’s almost impossible to not think of Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels as the leads. Believe it or not, Nicolas Cage and Gary Oldman were originally offered the parts and the original draft of the script is known in the screenwriting world for how disorganized it was. After the Farrelly Brothers over it was named A Power Tool is Not a Toy. The movie was unapologetically rejected from every major studio until New Line jumped in and Carrey got on board. Daniels had just finished filming Speed and the studio hated the idea of him being in a silly comedy so they tried to cut him, but Carrey staunchly defended Daniels and threatened to leave the project unless Daniels was Harry. Carrey’s tooth is also cracked in real life, he had a dentist remove the cap for filming.^[2]

8 Coming to America (1988)

This comedy classic is fascinating because due to scheduling conflicts, the studio green-lit the film and set a release date before post-production even began. Directed by John Landis, who had worked with Eddie Murphy previously in Trading Places, the film got off to a very rocky start. Anybody with knowledge of the industry in the 1980s will tell you that this was the film where Murphy let his ego get to his head. Landis was used to a humbler Murphy, but on this production, with all the time constraints, Eddie decided that he was going to let everybody know he was a superstar and even once ordered a $235 McDonald’s breakfast. The stress level on set was also so intense that Murphy has publicly stated it was the first and last time he ever had an alcoholic beverage. Things were getting so heated between him and Landis that Arsenio Hall recommended that he have a little bit of Absolut vodka, which he chugged immediately and wound up hugging the toilet minutes later. Murphy and Landis would later resolve their issues and become friends again, with Landis directing Eddie in Beverly Hills Cop 3. On a lighter note, they had Paula Abdul choreograph the wedding dance scene.^[3]

7 Caddyshack (1980)

Harold Ramis’ first directorial debut is a product of a 250-page script and hours of improvisation from an extremely talented, but mostly inebriated cast. Ramis admitted that he didn’t know what he was doing during production. This was also the very first feature film for legendary stand-up comedian, Rodney Dangerfield. The lovable Mr. Dangerfield was so green on a set that he thought he was doing a terrible job because nobody was laughing at his jokes. He literally needed to be reminded that if a crew member did laugh at one of his jokes, it would’ve ruined the take. This was around the time that Bill Murray had just replaced Chevy Chase as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and Chase wasn’t thrilled. However, this tension was broken by the amount of alcohol and drug consumption on set. Murray, whose role of Carl was actually supposed to be completely silent, was said to conjure some of his improv genius with the help of booze and was regularly found passed-out in sand-pits on the golf course. The studio convinced a country club in South Florida to let them film the movie there. Multiple interviews with cast members detail the amount of cocaine on set. But between the late night golf-cart races and rampant drug abuse, Ramis was able to get the movie completed.^[4]

6 The Waterboy (1998)

This Adam Sandler essential, directed by Frank Coraci, was initially intended to be shot in black-and-white as a dark comedy in New England, but it was instead filmed in Florida. The character Bobby Boucher was inspired by Sandler‘s SNL character, Cajun Man. Despite all of the classics made about sports over decades, The Waterboy was actually the highest-grossing sports film of all time until The Blindside came out. Additionally, people think that Henry Winkler was doing Sandler a favor by being in the movie, but in reality it was actually a major boost for him. Winkler agreed to the role only because he was a fan of Sandler‘s Chanukah Song where he’s name-dropped. His performance as Coach Klein lead to plenty of exposure generationally and made him a household name with Happy Madison Productions. Then there’s Kathy Bates. Bates’ agent didn’t want her to even look at the script, but because the studio made an official offer she legally had to see the script and after 12 pages she threw it in the trash. It was actually her niece who dug the script out of the trash noticing Sandler’s name.^[5]

10 Comedy Acts That Went Horribly Wrong

5 Anchorman (2004)

Directed by Adam McKay, the idea for the film was spawned when both he and Will Ferrell saw a clip of a 1970s news anchor. The original draft for the script was bonkers. Ferrell and McKay originally wanted to have Ron fight ninja monkeys in the jungle in a spoof of the drama Alive. Famed director Paul Thomas Anderson was initially interested in helping, but once he took a look at the initial draft and saw a sequence where Ron had a musical number with a bunch of sharks, he politely cut his ties with the movie. The movie is also not shot in San Diego, it is actually shot in L.A. County. The initial cast aside from Ferrell as Burgundy was dramatically different. The lineup had Leslie Mann as Veronica Corningstone, Chris Parnell (who played Garth) was supposed to be Brick, Dan Aykroyd was supposed to be Garth, Ben Stiller as Brian Fontana, Ed Harris as Ed Harkin, and John C Reilly was supposed to be Champ. Ferrell was a huge fan of Reilly, but he had to step away as he signed with Scorsese for The Aviator. But Reilly made sure to team back up and Ferrell and McKay with Talladega Nights. Lastly, that was actually Ferrell playing the flute. He has been playing since elementary school.^[6]

4 Office Space (1999)

The original concept for the brilliant comedy was based off of a short animation series about an office worker named Milton. When asked what the inspiration was for the concept, Mike Judge cited his time in the 1980s, in the Bay Area, having his soul sucked-out working as an engineer in a corporate hell-scape. Judge finished the first draft of the script right after the completion of the first season of King of the Hill. With his connections to Fox, he was able to wrangle together a few executives and have a table reading and he asked Stephen Root (who voiced Bill) to read a few of the characters. Judge and the executives were so taken by Root’s Milton that the part was offered immediately. The film could’ve gone in a completely different direction, as Fox wanted Ben Affleck to play Peter. One of the few push backs that Judge got would have changed the entire mood of the film as the executives hated the gangster rap throughout the film. But it was positive reactions from the test audience that revealed people could appreciate the absurdity of this boring corporate landscape with white-collar-drones listening to gangster rap. The movie also made office supply history, as the infamous red stapler was actually a discontinued color by Swingline. The prop used in the movie was actually custom-made and after the premiere, Swingline had to re-introduce the red stapler due to high-demand.^[7]

3 Animal House (1978)

This John Landis gem was originally supposed to be a satirical dark comedy loosely based on Charles Manson’s youth. National Lampoon, which back in the day was a humor publication like MAD magazine, got involved when it’s editor-in-chief matched up with Landis. The cast was supposed to be star-studded with Bill Murray, Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd; but once the ball got rolling in post-production, both the producers and the stars themselves went different directions. The budget that Landis had was so minuscule there was no option to build expensive sets, so they would have to convince an actual college to let them film. The producers were rudely rejected by every single college in the USA except for one, the University of Oregon. With a new cast worked-out and a location to shoot, the young ensemble of actors decided to do a bit of research and attended a frat party. Karen Allen was apparently with the actors when a beer was spilled by mistake and the party crashers from Hollywood were chased out and beaten by the football team.^[8]

2 The Big Lebowski (1998)

This Coen Brothers directed hit was inspired by the Raymond Chandler novel The Big Sleep. The character of The Dude was based on a person named Jeff Dowd. Dowd helped them distribute their first film, was a member of The Seattle Seven, and referred to himself as “The Dude”. The Big Lebowski character was shopped around with some huge Hollywood names. The Coen’s wanted Marlon Brando for the role. The movie also has one of the highest F-bomb counts in film history at 260, but the film is also inducted with only 700 other films into the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry. It’s literally an American legend. The most interesting fact about the film is that the famous line “I hate the f*****g Eagles, man” led the Rolling Stones’ manager to waive the $150,000 licensing fee for Dead Flowers.^[9]

1 Dr. Strangelove (1964)

Stanley Kubrick‘s only comedy is based on a book by Peter George called Red Alert. This film is at the top of the list for many reasons, mainly the feat of being a still relevant and hysterical film over a half century later. Between the tone and subject matter, the film can best be described as pitch-black humor. The film wasn’t even intended to be a drama. While Kubrick was adapting the novel into a screenplay, he couldn’t help but notice all the sick jokes. Eventually he stopped trying to avoid all of the unintentional humor and just went all-in on a comedy. Apparently while shooting, since both George and Stanley were chess masters, any creative differences would be solved with a quick game. The movie had two alternative endings. The first in which all of the politicians and generals get into a giant pie fight. The other one (which was never shot) was apparently going to show aliens watching all of these events unfold from outer space like a reality show. The latter would make a formidable ending to 2020.^[10]

Top 10 Brilliant Black Comedies

Romantic comedies — better known as ‘rom-coms’ — have long been a Hollywood staple, typically serving up light-hearted fare to love-starved audiences. But the genre is also guilty of perpetuating toxic stereotypes and encouraging unhealthy behaviors. Moreover, the chances of these trends changing anytime soon are as likely as Harvey Weinstein getting out of prison and green-lighting your screenplay. 

Although classics like Annie Hall, and When Harry Met Sally are universally cherished, moviegoers have also had to endure cringe-worthy films that border on crimes against humanity. Yes, Gigli, we’re talking about you. 

So without any further adieu, here’s our top 10 list of things rom-com’s get wrong. 

10. Love At First Sight

Theoretically, it’s possible to feel a flood of emotions when gazing at someone for the first time, but it’s usually lust or curiosity that first grabs our attention. Love, however, is a complex beast. 

Mixed metaphorically speaking, hitting a home run in your very first Kentucky Derby is the stuff of dreams. Meaningful relationships often require extra innings, relying on more than just performance in the saddle to determine compatibility. 

For example, in Sleepless in Seattle, Meg Ryan’s character doesn’t even need a visual cue. Instead, she dumps her fiancé and falls head over heels for Tom Hanks’ voice. Sure, this ’90s classic is undeniably winsome, but that still doesn’t justify questionable morals and speculative actions.  

9. Happily Ever After

In Kate & Leopold, Kate is a big city go-getter (Meg Ryan again) who (spoiler alert) must travel back in time at the end of the film to get her man. She eventually falls into the arms of an impossibly charming duke (Hugh Jackman) and presumably lives happily ever after. 

Although waltzing in the 19th century may seem whimsical, it’s a safe bet a fiercely independent woman like Kate won’t appreciate her limited career opportunities — nor being allowed to vote for that matter. Sadly, Kate & Leopold would probably end up being more like Sid & Nancy.

In a Chicago Tribune article exploring romantic myths, sociologist Chauntelle Tibbals has this to say about Hollywood endings: “Reality is not so seamless,” Tibbals said. “Tragedy happens. Life happens. People just grow in different directions.” 

8. Makeover Magic

Sometimes all it takes is a new ‘do and a touch of makeup to find true love. Well, at least in rom coms, anyway. From dowdy to dazzling, we’ve all seen this strategy deployed in countless films, such as Clueless, Princess Diaries, and Miss Congeniality.  

The main flaw with this strategy is the fact that attractive actors are made to look homely before their transformation from caterpillar to butterfly. Anyone who’s ever co-habitated is fully aware that bed head and morning breath are all part of the deal. In short, couples willing to accept their partner’s true self have a better chance of staying together, warts and all. 

7. Love Conquers All

Not unlike super glue, this well-worn trope claims that a simple four-letter word can fix anything. The rom-com canon has repeatedly taught us that he or she can cheat, have a criminal record, lousy credit, bad breath, bad manners, and terrible taste in music, but it simply doesn’t matter all because of L-O-V-E. 

Unfortunately, reality tells a different story. A substantial drop in males attending college has led to a mating crisis that not even love can remedy. Women now make up nearly 60% of US college students — a gender gap that’s only getting wider. 

According to NYU Professor Scott Galloway, popular dating apps reveal that men holding college degrees receive far more attention than those without higher education. As a result, “you have the most dangerous person in the world, who’s a broke and alone male, and we are producing too many of them,” says Galloway. “The mating inequality that’s going to come out of this dearth of men in college poses an existential risk to our economy and our society.”

6. Stalking Is Harmless

The adage, ‘If at first, you don’t succeed, try and try and again’ is perfectly acceptable with regards to finding a job or competitive sports. But when it comes to relationships, movies often take a more militaristic tone: hunt down the target by air, land, or sea until they eventually wave the white flag. This is not only a depraved message but can also have grave consequences. 

A 2015 study at the University of Michigan revealed that women who watched films, such as There’s Something About Mary, become more tolerant of aggressive male behavior. In the report, author Julia R. Lippman suggests several popular rom-coms feature (men and women) characters with similar tendencies as stalkers. 

“I was inspired to pursue this research by observing that stalking often seems to be trivialized in our culture, said Lippman. This depiction of relentless pursuit is especially dangerous because “It can encourage women to discount their instincts,” adds Lippman. 

5. Being Single is for Losers

One of the more egregious misrepresentations found in rom-coms is the notion that singles can never achieve happiness. Apparently, all personal and professional achievements overwhelmingly pale in comparison to one’s relationship status.  

For example, in Bridget Jones Diary, Rene Zellweger plays the frumpy, eponymous character obsessed with not dying “fat and alone.” She ultimately becomes trapped in a messy love triangle and must endure a series of awkward, boozy humiliations along the way. Common sense dictates she’d be far better off alone. 

Based on Helen Fielding’s best-selling novel, the film trilogy also shows the normalization of sexual harassment in the workplace. In a recent interview, Fielding said she wouldn’t be able to write the story now, and the amount of sexism made it “quite shocking for me to see how things have changed since then.

4. The Soulmate Theory

Hopeless romantics are quick to embrace this warm and fuzzy concept, believing that their ideal match is out there waiting for them. But do soulmates actually exist? Maybe they do, maybe they don’t. And that’s all Tinsletown needs to keep peddling this feel-good fodder to the popcorn-munching masses with fables like Serendipity, and Only You.

Merriam-Webster defines a soulmate as “a person who is perfectly suited to another in temperament.” Nonetheless, some top-level shrinks warn that the most blissful unions still take lots of hard work to stay on track.

“This expectation paves the way for significant disappointment,” says Sabrina Romanoff, PhD, a clinical psychologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. “Instead, replace the idea of ‘finding’ your soulmate, with ‘creating’ one through years of learning about them, navigating challenges, creating a family, and loving each other through all the happy and hard times.”

3. Contra Affairs

Fade in: Boy meets girl. Boy flirts with girl. Over a few drinks in a dimly lit bar, we learn that she’s studying for her master’s in English Lit, while he can barely scribble his name in the mud with a stick. Regardless, they fall madly in love, proving opposites attract after all. Roll credits.

Looks and sexual chemistry tick two important boxes, but dating experts are quick to point out that people with multiple shared interests have much greater odds of staying together. They don’t have to agree on everything, but those with radically disparate backgrounds are often doomed. That is, unless Julia Roberts shows ups on screen. 

In Pretty Woman, Roberts plays a hard-luck hooker, who manages to snare a handsome, wealthy businessman (Richard Gere). A decade later, the Oscar-winning actress starred in Notting Hill, ostensibly portraying herself, and becomes smitten by a lovable but hopelessly ordinary bookshop owner played by rom-com regular, Hugh Grant. In a juicy bit of trivia, Grant was arrested in 1995 for solicitation of a prostitute.

2. The Big Day

For something that has a 50/50 chance of ending in failure, marriage is a risky wager. Movies, however, present a more optimistic outlook, leading us to believe that weddings are the culmination of life’s ultimate goal to be celebrated with the same pomp and ceremony as the Olympics, World Cup, and Super Bowl Sunday all rolled into one. Just remember, folks, please gamble responsibility. 

Getting hitched is supposed to be a joyous event, bringing family and friends together for ‘the big day.’ So with love in the air, followed by food, drinks, and dancing, what could possibly go wrong? Everything. The silver lining, of course, is the bounty of theatrics from which filmmakers can draw to amuse us. 

Whether it’s a fire-breathing Bridezilla or a pair of fun-loving womanizers crashing the party, these tying the knot plots include Bride Wars, Bridesmaids, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The Wedding Planner, My Best Friend’s Wedding, The Big Wedding, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding.  

1. Fighting = Passion

Nobody wants to sit through a movie featuring two characters who blissfully agree on everything and never experience a moment of discord. As every hack screenwriter knows, conflict is an essential ingredient for creating drama and a compelling narrative. That said, tension between two lovers can be successfully depicted in many ways (Moonstruck is a good example) without having them scratch and claw at each other like alley cats for two hours straight.

Fact: relationships can be challenging. Fiction: incessant fighting merely reflects a burning passion. Couples who constantly tussle will usually part ways and seek a less hostile mate, you know, like the bonobos apes do. Scientists Vanessa Woods and Brian Hare spent 15 years in central Africa comparing bonobos to the more aggressive chimpanzees. Their findings were nothing short of astonishing.

The landmark study makes a convincing argument that we might have entirely misunderstood Darwin’s idea of ‘survival of the fittest’ and the role of alpha males. “Bonobos have never been seen to kill another bonobos,” said Hare. The primates were able to successfully evolve by forming a society built on peaceful co-existence, especially among females. Acts of physical violence are simply not tolerated, and “the friendliest males were the ones that had the most offspring because the females preferred them,” adds Hare.

Romantic comedies — better known as ‘rom-coms’ — have long been a Hollywood staple, typically serving up light-hearted fare to love-starved audiences. But the genre is also guilty of perpetuating toxic stereotypes and encouraging unhealthy behaviors. Moreover, the chances of these trends changing anytime soon are as likely as Harvey Weinstein getting out of prison and green-lighting your screenplay.

Although classics like Annie Hall, and When Harry Met Sally are universally cherished, moviegoers have also had to endure cringe-worthy films that border on crimes against humanity. Yes, Gigli,we’re talking about you.

So without any further adieu, here’s our top 10 list of things rom-com’s get wrong.

This is an encore of one of our previous lists, as presented by our YouTube host Simon Whistler. Read the full list!