¡Three Amigos!

¡Three Amigos!

HBO Pictures/ Orion

December 12, 1986

Historical Comedy

DVD
C-

The funniest thing was the trio's 1920s garb.  John Landis directed.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Paramount

November 25, 1987

Comedy

DVD
C

For almost thirty-five years I kind of wanted to see this movie and now I have.  I gave it 25 minutes, but I just didn't like either character, or find the story funny enough to continue.  John Hughes wrote and directed.

The Out-of-Towners (1999)

The Out-of-Towners (1999)

Paramount

April 2, 1999

Comedy
DVD
D+

I don't know if it's because this is a remake of a 1970 Neil Simon movie that this feels so cliched and predictable, but the best I can say is it's mostly innocuous.  Sam Weisman directed, five years after D2: The Mighty Ducks, which was a bit better.

The Man with Two Brains

The Man with Two Brains

Warner Bros.

June 3, 1983

Comedy, Sci-Fi

DVD
C-

I liked this when I saw it maybe ten years ago but today it was more tasteless and less funny than I recalled.  (Or maybe it was Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid that I liked.)  Carl Reiner directed and cowrote.

Love the Coopers

Love the Coopers

Lionsgate

November 13, 2015

Dramedy?
DVD
D+

Both pretentious (with the Steve Martin narration) and simplistic, like a woman literally shattered with emotion.  Jessie Nelson directed.

The Jerk

The Jerk

Universal

December 14, 1979

Comedy
DVD
D+

I've of course heard of this movie since the time but never seriously sat down and watched it before.  The only mildly funny part in the first quarter hour was the title character's feeble first attempt to hitchhike.  Martin stars and co-wrote.  Carl Reiner directed.

Father of the Bride (1991)

Father of the Bride (1991)
Buena Vista (AKA Disney)
December 20, 1991
Comedy
DVD
C

Yeah, I'd put this about on a level with the original, although I watched only fifteen minutes rather than thirty as I did for the 1950 version.  It's somewhat interesting to see what changes were made to modernize the story, but having the daughter going for her Master's makes the father's worry about having to support the son-in-law seem pointless.  Director Charles Shyer co-wrote this adaptation with three others, including his then-wife Nancy Meyers.

Bringing Down the House

Bringing Down the House
Buena Vista (i.e. Disney)
March 7, 2003
Comedy
DVD
D+

Thoroughly cliched culture-clash movie, and that's before we get to Latifah's onscreen appearance.  I found myself wishing I was watching the comparatively solid '80s Steve Martin movies All of Me and Roxanne, which at least have a sense of playfulness and wit among the predictability.  Adam Shankman directed this.