If laughter is the best medicine, then consider getting the prescription filled by watching comedy classics! During my client consultations, I often use film metaphors as ways to illustrate opportunities in life or to lighten moods. Below is a handful of laugh-out loud movies guaranteed to make you smile. Feel free to add to the list!
Young Frankenstein – Mel Brooks’ satire of old horror films is “Abby Normal” with antics. Plus, it’s shot in glorious black and white!
Bullets Over Broadway – The Great White Way goes nuts and is led by a zany cast, including an Oscar winning performance by Dianne Wiest.
The Pink Panther Strikes Again – Aided by the most over-the-top French accent ever, the late Peter Sellers continues his hysterical portrayal of the bumbling Inspector Clouseau.
What’s Up, Doc? – Barbra Streisand and Ryan O’Neal swap zingers and romantic innuendo in this slapstick farce. Bonus: It’s Madeline Kahn’s film debut!
Big – Tom Hanks stands tall as a kid in a flick that’s equally funny as it is nostalgic.
9 to 5 – The trio of Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton change the corporate office and spark lots of laughs along the way.
Elf – Why wait for Christmas to watch Will Ferrell as a North Pole worker discovering New York City? TV legends Ed Asner and Bob Newhart show up in supporting roles.
Smokey and the Bandit – The Burt Reynolds and Sally Field car caper gets an added zap when the late Jackie Gleason spouts his lines while chewing tobacco (and the scenery)!
Superbad – It’s hard not to crack up at a movie with a leading character named, McLovin!
The Nutty Professor – Eddie Murphy redoes the Jerry Lewis title role and then some. Thanks to gobs of makeup, he plays family characters around the dinner table. “Hercules, Hercules!”
While movies don’t solve life’s challenges, they can give us a break to recharge our batteries, and, yes, laugh a little.
Love and light (and laughter),
Tony
Young Frankenstein still makes me laugh!