Thanks to the readers of the East Bay Express for voting on the films for this final installment of our three-part series on American comedy.
Decades have swept by in this survey of American comedy, one that began in the thirties and staggered forward, giggling, from the hilarity of it all. What we have learned is that time favors some things over others and humor is no different. There are jokes gone stale and those that remain fresh like a GMO. Comedies are victim to these vagaries-what's funny today may later be passé. To solve this timeworn puzzle of the recently released, we asked you, the audience, to decide which newer comedies have a suitable shelf life, which have already exceeded their “sell by” dates. The results bring us a great stable of unstable satires, domestic drubbings, and mockumentaries. You, the voting public, have favored the smartly sarcastic (Austin Powers, Office Space, Borat), the fondly farcical (Groundhog Day, Zoolander, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou), and the riotous replicas (Waiting for Guffman, Galaxy Quest, Best in Show). The final two decades of gags, quips, and wisecracks-that brings us to wit's end.