The Above Average Awards: Comedy 2015

While the problem evades me, comedy continues to limp along, as we move from year to year, and it's terribly frustrating, as someone who loves true, true comedy. For some reason, true comedy just doesn't do it for me as much as it used to. In fact, I think Anger does a pretty good job of displaying how frustrating it is to watch an R-rated comedy, these days...

Nevertheless, it is imperative that we give comedic filmmakers and actors their due, something for which I will always advocate. My comedy list may be small, in 2015, but there is no doubt that the folks and films, below, made us laugh and deserve the praise that I am about to bestow upon them...

Best Actor

#3 - Zack Pearlman
(Staten Island Summer)

Staten Island Summer was quite ho-hum, in the grand scheme of things, but, thankfully, there were several silver linings, including a hilarious performance by Zack Pearlman. Honestly, I'm not familiar with Pearlman's work, but he has a knack for silly, fat-guy humor. So, don't be scared to check out his older material. That's what I'll be doing in 2016!

#2 - Skyler Gisondo
(Vacation)

What a goofy kid! Skyler Gisondo may have been the brunt of 90% of the Vacation remake's jokes, and I had absolutely no problem with that. Gisondo brought humor to an otherwise mediocre film, and he truly went all out with his dorkification. As an only child, I don't understand sibling rivalry, but I sure as heck don't have a problem laughing at other people's problems!

#1 - Samuel L. Jackson

(Kingsman: The Secret Service)

Samuel L. Jackson has a huge reputation for popping up in small roles in very BIG films, but Kingsman: The Secret Service allowed Jackson to truly shine as the main baddie (with a lisp). His performance was absolutely hilarious, and, if the entire film would have just been Samuel L. Jackson talking with a lisp, I probably would have been satisfied. Undoubtedly, in my mind, the funniest performance by any actor, in 2015!

Best Actress

#4 - Amy Schumer
(Trainwreck)

It is hard to praise Amy Schumer for her performance in Trainwreck, because there was such a fine line between her performance and her real-life persona. But, regardless, she was absolutely hilarious in the film and has obviously blossomed into quite a star, over the past six months. Kudos to Schumer for her big, big year. She is quite deserving.

#3 - Tilda Swinton
(Trainwreck)

Did anybody know that Tilda Swinton had an ounce of humor in her body?!? I mean, you can typically cut glass with her perpetually evil glare! Fortunately for us, Amy Schumer (of all people) was able to talk Swinton into embracing her humorous side and getting a spray tan--both of which did her very well, in my opinion. Here's to hoping that Tilda finds herself in another comedy... very soon!

#2 - Miranda Hart
(Spy)

As a big fan of Melissa McCarthy's humor, I was quite surprised that I didn't enjoy Spy more than I did, particularly considering that the film was fairly well-received. But, regardless of my opinion of the film, there was no denying the hilarious turn by Miranda Hart, who was probably the best-cast comedian in any 2015 film. I don't have a clue who she is, but I really hope she has some funny, British-humor stand-up out there waiting to be discovered.

#1 - Phyllis Smith

(Inside Out)

Where Hart was the best-cast comedian of 2015, Phyllis Smith might have been the best-cast voice actor of ALL TIME! If anybody watched Inside Out and didn't laugh at Sadness, (a.) you've never seen The Office or (b.) you have no sense of humor. We will talk about Inside Out much, much more, but, in my mind, the film just doesn't work, without Phyllis's voice. Period. Kudos to whoever is responsible for putting her behind the mic and for bringing this particular character to life. 

Best Film

Trainwreck

While I have trouble recognizing Trainwreck's originality and Amy Schumer's new voice of female-lead comedy, there is no doubt that the film is absolutely hilarious. Come on... any film in which LeBron James plays a large role is likely to at least be a little fun! In a year where comedy really struggled, Trainwreck was the lone beacon of pure comedy that shone through, and, for that, I am very grateful to Schumer and crew.

Inside Out

If I have to endure one more claim that "Pixar is back!" because of Inside Out's success, I might just go insane. Nevertheless, the film is absolutely genius! Sure, some may say that it shouldn't really be labelled a comedy, but the main reason that I loved the film was because of its amazing sense of humor and clever play on thought-related terminology. And, of course... SADNESS!... She was just the best. Kudos to Pixar for doing what they do best and making adults appreciate animated films for what they truly can be.


Well, there you have it, people... the best in comedy from 2015. My apologies for the brevity of the list. If you have any complaints, you can call Hollywood...

Moonrise Kingdom

Expectations:

If you don't watch a lot of television that shows a lot of movie trailers then you may have never heard of Moonrise Kingdom. Indie films, such as this, usually don't make a very big impact at the box office and are rarely very popular. It is even more rare that an Indie film makes its way down to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, so I had to give it a try. After watching the trailer, I didn't have high expectations really, but I was extremely intrigued as to how the random clips would turn into a story. Plus, with a cast as star-studded as this, I figured it had to be good. Bill Murray won't even do Ghostbusters 3, yet he will do Moonrise Kingdom? It HAS to be good. Usually, I am not a lover or hater of Indie films and their awkward vibe. But, I never know when one might sneak up and surprise me.

Plot:

In my opinion, anytime a movie revolves around children, there is a 99% chance that I am going to enjoy it. Moonrise Kingdom did revolve around kids (very weird kids at that), and I enjoyed most every scene in which the kids were the focus. It was intriguing, to say the least. While the beginning felt very random and disconnected, the story came together extremely well at the end. The way the movie was filmed, as far as camera angles and such, really helped make it fun to watch. Although I did say that the story came together well, it didn't really blow me away. I kept waiting for a moment that was going to make me love Moonrise Kingdom, and that moment never came. This is not a very good review of the plot, but, if you do watch it, I want you to go in with the same clueless mindset that I had.

Characters:

As I said, I loved the child actors. They really did a fantastic job of acting, to be as young as they were. Wes Anderson allowed them all to embrace their weirdness without sacrificing their childish attitude for dramatic moments. In a way, every situation involving the kids felt very real, as if it could happen to any kid. Usually, when there are kids in a film, the kids' reactions are unrealistic for dramatic purposes.

Negative: Sure, Bill Murray can be one of the funniest men on the planet, but he has to be in his element. He was definitely NOT in his element in Moonrise Kingdom. I felt like they wasted his talent on the rather pointless role of Walt Bishop. Along with Murray's wasted talent was the wasted talent of Tilda Swinton, who was even more pointless as "Social Services." She is a phenomenal actor, but she only had like three lines!

Positives: The two main characters, Sam and Suzy, were brilliantly played by Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward. Were they the best child actors ever? No... But their characters were so, so witty and enjoyably funny that the acting wasn't all that important. In addition to these two main characters, the other kids that were in the film also did a great job. There were just too many to name them. As good as the kids were, I was most impressed with Edward Norton's performance as Scout Master Ward. I have never, ever liked Norton, but he was absolutely brilliant and hilarious in this role.

Conclusion:

While the story was well-rounded and interesting, it didn't exactly blow me off my feet like I hoped. Moonrise Kingdom was not one of those great Indie films that everyone will love, but it would be worth a watch, if you enjoy quirky, weird movies. This is actually the first Wes Anderson film that I have ever seen, so I can't really compare it to his others. The most exciting thing (to me at least) about this movie is the fact that it is playing in Hattiesburg! I wish we could get more Indie films in Hattiesburg, because there are many that look way better than Moonrise Kingdom that I have to wait to watch on DVD. As a business minded person, I know this will never happen, but, as a movie-lover, I can always hope! I give Moonrise Kingdom 2.55 out of 5 stars.