Top 10 Funny Movies About Serious Issues
#10: “Good Morning, Vietnam” (1987)
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Loosely based on the real life experiences of an Armed Forces Radio Service disk jockey, this film stars Robin Williams as Adrian Cronauer, who’s brought to Vietnam to lighten things up for the troops. Though he’s adored by his audience, his brand of humor and affinity for playing rock music cause his uptight superiors to try to censor him. Despite attempts to silence him, Cronauer is confident in the importance of his voice and refuses to be taken off the air. Through a veil of humor this film discusses many hot button topics, including war, censorship, and freedom of the press.
#9: “Thank You For Smoking” (2005)
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This satire on the dangers of smoking follows Nick Naylor, a tobacco lobbyist for the ironically named Academy of Tobacco Studies. It uses dark humor to make fun of the way tobacco companies and other big corporations play dirty to keep themselves in profit. Despite the name of the company, Naylor’s actual job is to denounce any research connecting smoking with cancer. Humor doesn’t get much darker than Naylor speaking with his fellow lobbyists from the gun and alcohol industries, who affectionately call themselves the Merchants of Death, about how many people they kill each year. Or flipping his own near death experience into a marketing stunt.
#8: “The Interview” (2014)
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This action-adventure comedy about tensions between the United States and North Korea was so controversial it almost sparked a real life conflict. Making a movie about assassinating a notorious dictator was sure to cause a stir, but we doubt directors Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg expected actual threats of force from North Korea over the movie’s release. Franco and Rogan use their patented style of racy humor and physical comedy in portraying a reporter and his producer who set up an interview with Kim Jong-un, but are recruited by the CIA to assassinate him instead.
#7: “Dogma” (1999)
This Kevin Smith film takes on Catholicism head on, portraying the last descendant of Jesus as a counselor at an abortion clinic, and prophets as stoners. After being cast out of Heaven for refusing servitude, two fallen angels, Bartleby and Loki, are determined to find a way back home. But doing so will disprove God’s omnipotence and undo all of creation. Though Bartleby is clearly villainous, he does raise a lot of interesting questions. Why do humans get free will while angels are sentenced to an eternity of servitude? Why are they cast out for one mistake, while God has so much patience and forgiveness for humans?
#6: “The Big Sick” (2017)
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As if meeting your girlfriend’s parents wasn’t awkward enough on its own, imagine meeting them in a hospital while she’s in a coma right after your nasty break up. In spite of the unfortunate circumstance, there is just something about Kumail’s situation, as he tries to bond with Emily’s parents, that is inherently funny. He wrote the film with his real-life partner Emily V. Gordon, based on their own experiences. With this one, you also get a bit of a two-for. It also touches on interracial relationships and religious traditions, as Kumail deals with his parents trying to push him into an arranged marriage while watching over a sick Emily.
#5: “Blazing Saddles” (1974)
This iconic Mel Brooks classic follows Bart, a railroad worker who becomes the first Black Sheriff in the all white town of Rock Ridge. The townspeople don’t take too kindly to his new role. But he eventually wins them over and rescues the town from the villainous attorney general with the help of other marginalized people. This film makes fun of racist tropes and myths about the American cowboy through a combination of raunchy humor, racially charged comedy, and breaking the fourth wall.
#4: “50/50” (2011)
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They say that laughter is the best medicine. Well that certainly is the case for Adam Lerner. Written by Will Reiser about his own experiences with cancer, this comedy follows a man navigating life after finding out that he has a 50/50 shot of surviving his illness. That may not exactly sound like a barrel of laughs. But Adam’s experiences, such as his first time trying medical marijuana, talking to his very green therapist, and shaving his head with his best friend, provide some serious gut busting humor. Plus the hilarious combination of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, and Anna Kendrick in lead roles make this one a killer comedy.
#3: “Life Is Beautiful” (1997)
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Some events are so tragic, they seem to defy the expression “comedy is tragedy plus time”. And indeed, Roberto Benigni’s movie, which largely takes place in a concentration camp during World War II, was somewhat controversial upon release. In order to hide the truth of what’s really going on from his son, Guido Orefice pretends that the concentration camp is an elaborate game, and if he follows all the rules, he’ll win a tank. Guido’s determination to protect his son’s life and innocence is unforgettably touching. Balancing moments of poignancy and humor, “Life Is Beautiful” finds hope and humanity in one of history’s darkest chapters.
#2: “Dr. Strangelove” (1964)
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Stanley Kubrick’s commentary on what nuclear weapons can do in the hands of the wrong people still remains relevant today. General Jack Ripper takes it upon himself to launch a preemptive nuclear strike on the Soviet Union. Aided by Dr. Strangelove – a recovering Nazi – the Pentagon struggles to figure out how to abort the mission, or at least steer it towards its best case scenario. The nonchalant way these men in suits talk about war and destruction – and their commitment to petty hostilities in the face of annihilation – is somehow just as funny as it is terrifying.
#1: “The Great Dictator” (1940)
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Released before the United States officially entered World War II, this satire on fascism and dictators was extremely controversial. Chaplin plays both an unnamed Jewish barber, and the dictator Adenoid Hynkel, who through a series of weird events end up switching places. Though never said explicitly in the film, Chaplin's character is an obvious take on Hitler. Chaplin may have already had the mustache, but the similar name, and familiar symbols and gestures don’t really leave much to uncertainty. “The Great Dictator” uses that famous Charlie Chaplin style of slapstick comedy to deliver a profound message.
