After writing about my top ten television shows, I got a little reverse flack.  My list was, gulp, educational, my choices, according to my favorite Priddy Woman, were “highbrow and evocative of British humour.” 

To counter any impression that I am a liberal elitist (okay, I resemble that remark), I hereby post my all-time favorite silly movies.  To make this list, the movies have to make me laugh over and over again no matter how many times I have watched them.  As I tend to be a glass half-empty person, the ability to make me laugh can often trump the content to teach me something.  Combine the two, as in NPR’s “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me!” recently mentioned by our esteemed resident codger, John Leonard, and I’m hooked.

So here, to counter any illusions of maturity on my part, are my favorite silly movies:

1. “Ghostbusters” – Although this list is in no particular order, this movie is always #1 with me.  Bill Murray’s experiment with electric shock to increase the powers of telepathy?  Rick Moranis and his nerdy accountant character, possessed and getting it on with Sigourney Weaver?  The Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man?  Love it.  I saw this movie at least six times in the theatre and countless times on television, VHS, and DVD.  Just writing this makes me want to go watch it now.  Favorite line?  Hard-pressed as there are so many but maybe “Nimble Little Minx, isn’t she?” after Gozer flips from the tower.  Even with the world about to be destroyed, Bill Murray can still be hot for the chick that is going to do the destroying.
2. “Beerfest” – By now, everyone knows I enjoy a beer or ten.  I came across this movie by accident on PPV and had to watch it of only for its title.  It’s bad, as in filthy and misogynistic in parts, but it cracks me up.  Favorite part?  When Barry is stinking drunk, slobbering, slurring, and wearing a cardboard box on his head with the word “Asshole” written across it, he goes into the restroom, looks at himself in the mirror, and sees a handsome, well-groomed, albeit seventies-styled version of himself and leaves the bathroom thinking himself the coolest guy around (been there, done that).  Favorite line?  As with Ghost busters, there are a lot, Donald Sutherland’s taped funeral speech, Cloris Leachman, playing Great Gam-Gam, great grandmother and former Bavarian whore, and her ram’s piss declaration (“If you can drink ram’s piss, fuck you can drink anything”) or her counseling over having all kinds of things shoved up her ass (“I got over it and you will, too”) are some, but I have to nominate Finkelstein’s reminiscence during Landfill’s funeral, “I remember one time he farted a whole plum.  I was plum surprised.”
3. Monty Python’s “Meaning of Life” – I could list all the Monty Python movies here but this movie sticks out for me in particular because of the Protestant/Catholic comparison.  The Protestants are childless in their home boasting about the right and ability to wear condoms and the Catholics are overrun with kids.  Favorite line?  As the Catholic woman is doing the dishes, another baby pops out of her.  She (he) casually looks at one of the other many children and says, “Can you get that dear?”  Following a close second is “Life of Brian.”
4. “Zoolander” – Gotta love Ben Stiller and his many characters but this one takes the cake.  Blue Steel?  His inability to turn left? The Derek Zoolander Center for Kids Who Can't Read Good And Wanna Learn To Do Other Stuff Good Too?  Best scene?  The unfortunate gasoline fight between mindless male models (to the tune of “Jitterbug”) or maybe the walk-off judged by none other than David Bowie.  Best line?  I’m not sure.  Let’s go with “Have you ever wondered if there was more to life, other than being really, really, ridiculously good looking?”
5. “Blazing Saddles” – You didn’t think I could do this list without this one, did you?  David will tell you the best part is the post-beans-for-dinner campfire scene but I’m not into scatological humor.  I find the entire premise of the black sheriff trying to bring order to this western town of miscreants funny as hell.  “You've got to remember that these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know... morons.” The actors are all great in this one, Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman, Cleavon Little,and of course Mel Brooks.  Favorite line? “Where are all the white women?” But you knew that already.
6. “Young Frankenstein” – As with Monty Python, almost all of Mel Brooks movies could fit here but I consider “Young Frankenstein” to be more of a Gene Wilder vehicle than a Mel Brooks movie.  I love the whole thing and would be hard-pressed to find error with it.  Marty Feldman practically steals the show as Igor (eye-gore) the humpback (I love how the hump changes places) assistant.  Terri Garr is awesome as of course is Peter Boyle as the monster, especially when he is singing and dancing to “Putting On the Ritz.”  Cloris Leachman as Frau Blücher (cue horse whinnies), plays as convincing an old woman here as she did thirty years later in “Beerfest.”  Best line?  The marvelous Madeline Kahn as the formerly fussy heiress (“No tongue”) after rolling in the hay with the monster, “Oh, you men are all alike. Seven or eight quick ones and then you're out with the boys to boast and brag.”
7. “Best in Show” – A great Christopher Guest vehicle, and my favorite of his if for no other reason than there is a bloodhound in it (we have three).  The characters are all wonderful and dead-on in this spoof.  I love the commentary at the dog show itself expertly ad libbed by Fred Willard.  It’s so true to life.  (As an aside, I’ll never forget while watching a football game once, the Fox (of course) sportscaster eruditely spoke these immortal words: “If they don’t score, they can’t win.”  Priceless.) I love Parker Posey and Michael Hitchcock as the braces-wearing yuppie couple that met in two different Starbucks one across the street from the other.  Ditto to Michael McKean and John Michael Higgins as the stereotypical gay couple, one seemingly straight, one flaming, with their Shih Tzus and tea ceremonies.  The prize has to go to Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy though with her promiscuous past that follows them everywhere (extra kudos for her post-injury walk) and his two left feet and forced acceptance of her sex partners popping up everywhere.  Best line? I don’t know.  How about Parker Posey as Meg Swan’s “We are *so* lucky. We are *so* lucky to have been raised amongst catalogs.”
8. "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" - Late addition, folks,  I just realized I forgot this one.  As I was raised mostly in the South, the cast of characters really resonated with me and  the bluegrass kept my feet tapping. This movie single-handedly reenergized Ralph Stanley's career.  George Clooney is great playing the gentleman convict with his Dapper Dan pomade and his hair nets.  (He's a Dapper Dan man.) I love the siren scene and Delmar convincing Ulysses that the women turned Pete into a toad.  Although I am not typically a Holly Hunter fan, her character was great, too, looking for a "bonafied" man in her greasy fiance and still loving Ulysses despite herself.  Best line?  As the three convicts sit around the campfire, Delmar keeps offering Ulysses something not so great to eat, "Gopher?"  Also great, when they meet the black musician who is supposed to mimic the great Robert Johnson, but in this case is known as Tommy Johnson, Tommy admits to selling his soul to the devil whereupon Ulysses declares, "Well, ain't it a small world, spiritually speaking. Pete and Delmar just been baptized and saved. I guess I'm the only one that remains unaffiliated."  Love it.

That’s my list.  I could stretch it out to ten if pressed but these are the ones I could watch over and over and still laugh and, since that’s my main criteria, I’m stopping here.  And just for the record, no I did not like “There’s Something About Mary.”  Sue me.  Something about Cameron Diaz makes me gag.    Also, here’s an honorable mention to “Rushmore.”  Although it was technically a comedy and I love it, the satire is biting enough in this to pull out some of the hilarity, same with “Royal Tennenbaums.”

So tell me, what are your favorites?  Inquiring minds want to know.