Christian Laspada
In a world too often plagued by seriousness, where the weight of reality presses heavily on our shoulders, there exists a delightful antidote – farce comedy movies. These cinematic gems are the masterpieces of absurdity, the architects of chaos, and the purveyors of unbridled laughter. From classic slapstick to modern-day hijinks, farce comedies have carved their niche in the realm of film, providing audiences with an escape into realms where logic takes a backseat and hilarity reigns supreme.
What is a Farce?
A farce is a comedy that involves situations or characters that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. These comedies usually include heavy use of physical humor, deliberate nonsense, satire, parody, and mockery of real-life situations or people. The term farce derives from the French word for “stuffing”, a reference to the improvisations used by actors in medieval religious dramas. Farces originated in Ancient Greek theatre, with some of the earliest farce comedies coming from the playwright Aristophanes in the 5th century BCE. These plays center on larger-than-life characters, ridiculous situations, and lots of vulgar humor. Although farce comedies are absurd and exaggerated, the genre still maintains a slight degree of realism and often carry serious social messages through satire.
From the stage to film, farce comedies have been entertaining audiences for years. Below are some of the best farce comedies to tickle your funny bone.
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
One of the best crime farce comedies is the 1988 classic The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!. Directed by David Zucker, the movie centers on a bumbling police lieutenant set on uncovering a criminal scheme that turns innocent people into assassins through mind control. The film stars Leslie Nielson, a name that will appear many times as he is hailed as the king of farce comedies. Alongside Nielson is a star-studded support cast including Priscilla Presley, Ricardo Montalbán, George Kennedy, and O. J. Simpson. The movie was a critical and commercial success, grossing $152.4 million at the box office compared to its $12 million budget.
This is one of the funniest farce comedies of the 80s. The movie aged surprisingly well, still hilarious today. The jokes are delivered with near-perfect comedic timing and include cultural references that are still relevant. The film is full of complete silliness, my favorite being the opening credits where Nielson’s police car drives on the sidewalk, inside buildings, on a roller coaster, etc. The acting is also pretty good, with cameos that are exciting even if the audience doesn’t get the reference. The star of the film is clearly Nielson, who is so brilliant with his comedic facial expressions and line delivery. The film follows the same comedic ridiculousness as a Bugs Bunny cartoon, making it a perfect farce comedy.
Sledge Hammer! (1986-1988)
Police farce comedies also dominated the small screen with the satirical police sitcom Sledge Hammer!. The series ran for two seasons from 1986-1988 and is a caricature of the standard “cop on the edge” archetype. The show followed the standard farce comedy procedure with whacky characters like the sexist Inspector Sledge Hammer and bratty Captain Trunk. The series was best known for its spoof episodes of popular movies including A Clockwork Orange and Vertigo. The show received critical acclaim but struggled to receive high ratings due to ABC consistently changing the airing time.
The show is the classic farce police sitcom with ridiculous outbursts and crude characters. There’s no question why there are so many police farce comedies, it’s a low-hanging fruit genre to make silly. The series was rather popular, attracting nineteen million viewers weekly, and for good reason as the creativity and comedy in the show are unmatched. It’s a great parody of the ’70s and ’80s police TV shows, including silly catchphrases, outrageous props, and cooky characters.
Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995)
Dracula: Dead and Loving It is a 1995 horror farce directed by Mel Brooks and starring Leslie Nielsen. The film is an exaggerated spoof of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”, essentially giving the movie a new cast and new script. The movie was a critical failure, only grossing $10.7 million against its $30 million budget. The negative reception mainly came from hardcore vampire fans who were expecting a homage rather than a spoof. The movie was also unfairly compared to the seminal Young Frankenstein. Despite this, the film is a cult classic and is hailed as one of the greatest vampire farce comedies ever made.
The film has typical Mel Brooks humor that is laugh-out-loud and crude. I remember watching this movie over and over again with my cousins and cracking up until my stomach hurt. Brook’s comedic style is reminiscent of Monty Python, with several tongue-in-cheek jokes. The film is utterly stupid like any good farce comedy, with slapstick gags that make the movie a classic. What really makes this spoof so special is the strong performances of the cast. The actors bring a dry wit and seriousness that brilliantly reflects classic vampire films. Nielson is of course a bright spot in the movie, feeling like a natural in this comedic spoof role. However, the real star of this movie is Peter MacNicol as the sidekick Reinfied whose lines are some of the funniest in the movie. This is the perfect farce comedy to watch around Halloween that will surely make you chuckle.
Mr. Magoo (1997)
Farce comedies can be child-friendly too as exampled by Disney’s 1997 film Mr. Magoo. Based on the famous cartoon of the same name, the movie stars Nielson who plays an eccentric millionaire with terrible eyesight who refuses to use eyeglasses, which gets him into trouble. He accidentally steals a priceless gem and gets hunted by two federal agents. Unfortunately, the film was a critical and commercial failure, grossing only $28 million against its $30 million budget.
Although general audiences may not have enjoyed this film at the time, it was a sensation among the children. It’s a slapstick comedy like most farces, with a plot that borderlines offensive. Watching it as a child, it’s funny for its pure silliness, but rewatching with a more developed frontal lobe you realize the movie essentially uses a disability as a joke. The movie tries to avoid discomfort by making jokes obvious, but the guilt of laughing is still felt in adults. Nielson is still great in this film, but Mr. Magoo is one of the less-captivating characters. The film is still funny, with some gags and jokes that will make you laugh out loud.
Farce comedy movies continue to serve as a timeless source of joy and laughter, offering audiences a much-needed escape from the rigors of everyday life. Whether it’s the madcap adventures of bumbling characters or the rapid-fire wit of clever wordplay, these films remind us of the sheer delight that comes from embracing the absurd and surrendering to the silliness of the human experience.
