‘LOL’ at the movies

A reader who’s into “laugh therapy” for healing and general well-being has asked us for the titles of comedy films to view that “guarantee” a lot of laughs. Happy to oblige:

One of the funniest movies we’ve watched through the years is “Some Like It Hot” with Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. We also had a fun time watching “Tootsie” with Dustin Hoffman, “Mrs. Doubtfire” starring Robin Williams, “Home Alone” with Macaulay Culkin, “The Nutty Professor” with Jerry Lewis.

Plus: “Duck Soup” with Marx Brothers, “Dr. Strangelove,” “The Producers,” “It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World,” “The Pink Panther,” “This Is Spinal Tap,” “Ghostbusters,” “Born Yesterday,” “Harvey,” “There’s Something About Mary,” “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,” “Sister Act,” “The Hangover,” “Dumb and Dumber,” “Broadcast News,” “Mr. Bean,” “Blazing Saddles,” “M.A.S.H.,” “When Harry Met Sally” and “What’s Up, Doc?”

We’d like to make special mention of the consistently hilarious starrers of Danny Kaye, like “The Court Jester,” and “The Inspector General.” In terms of career-long output, look into the movies of icons like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, why don’t you?

Filmmakers famous for their comedies include Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, the Coen brothers, the Farrelly brothers, the makers of the Monty Python movies, Neil Simon, James L. Brooks, Harold Ramis, Charlie Kaufman, Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond, and Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor.

Laugh out loud—and happy healing!

Feedback

A reader reacts: “Your recent article, ‘Anything to get a cheap laugh,’ hit the nail on the head by exposing how some TV comedians exploit people’s private problems and emotions to generate ‘humor.’ Like you, I hope that they realize that they’re crossing the line and intruding into a private space that should be respected.

“It could also keep them out of trouble, because some of them have been hit in the social media for being so insensitive.”

Finally, an “Encantadia” fan begs to disagree with our comment that the new series is too dependent on its visual design and effects than on storytelling and human emotions.

She points out that, on its first week, the show showed Marian Rivera’s character weeping over the disappearance of her newborn child, as well as the rage and pain of John Arcilla’s character over the death of his father—and Dingdong Dantes’ years-long estrangement from his wife.

Those emotional moments involve viewers in the story and its development, so she’s obviously “hooked”—and will continue to watch the show from here on in!