The Funniest Films & Performances of the Year

 Two year in review lists per day for a few more days... Here's Michael to look back at the year in laughs

That was a tough year for good comedies that weren’t animated or special effects blockbusters. By my count only 7 of the box office top 50 were live action comedies (depending on whether or not you count Gone Girl) and of those all but Neighbors were immediately disposable. So if you want to find good comedy without animated toys or talking raccoons you had to look to the margins. In fact, the film that sits on the top of my list of list of 2014’s funniest is currently ranked 157th for the box office year.

Also interesting is how few of 2014's funniest came billed as pure comedies. Aside from the animated and sci-fi extravaganzas the laughs arrived smuggled in such genres as horror/thriller (The Guest) mystery (Gone Girl) and drama-fantasy hybrid whatchamatcallits  (Birdman).

So here are 2014's funniest movies, keeping in mind that this isn’t based on overall quality, but is ranked solely by which films most tipped the needle on the Laugh-O-Meter:

2014’s Ten Funniest Films 

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Podcast: 22 Jump... Streep

The gangs all back to talk new releases. We ride along with Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson as they drive through post-apocalyptic Australian in The Rover, laugh with the abortion romcom Obvious Child, and share thoughts on two huge sequels to movies that all four of us loved a couple of years ago  (How To Train Your Dragon 2 and 22 Jump Street). Is the love still strong?

Naturally we also talk Meryl Streep since we recorded on her birthday. Expect the usual tangents... somehow Kerry Washington and Maleficent show up (among other weird intrusions).

53 minutes
00:01 Intro & Meryl Streep's Birthday
02:20 David Michôd's The Rover
09:00 How To Train Your Dragon 2
18:15 Channing Tatum & Jonah Hill and "The Ice Cube" in 22 Jump Street
31:30 Obvious Child
41:35 Katey's 2004 List (shout-out to last week)
45:55 Our Favorite Meryl's

You can listen at the bottom of the post or download the conversation on iTunes (though sometimes it takes a day to show up there). Continue the conversation in the comments because, you know, we're allowed to have different opinions and the more the merrier.

Streep Day Plus New Releases

22 Link Street

VF Wyatt Russell, son of Kurt & Goldie, on his 22 Jump Street experience
Digital Spy Mark Ruffalo talks the future of the Hulk. Solo movie, Avengers, so on. (BTW and unrelated: did you see Mark Ruffalo riding a unicycle on Graham Norton?)
MNPP wonders wtf Jude Law is wearing
/Film "40 things I learned on the set of Transformers: Age of Extinction"

Film Doctor has 10 notes on 22 Jump Street
Gothamist recommends 5 drive-in movie theaters near NYC. Holy hell. I didn't realize any were left nearby. I am so going. If uh... well, I don't have a car because I live in NYC. Never mind.
Pajiba an open letter to a kid at the theater watching How To Train Your Dragon 2 (spoiler heavy)
Empire whoops. Just days after that awful teaser, Paddington has lost his voice as Colin Firth exits
The Blot Michael Musto names his 10 greatest female movie stars of all time with the most recent addition being Cate Blanchett. A couple of strange choices. Of note: His three way tie (Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Judy Garland -I can't see what connects them) features three indisputables but that makes it a top 12

WTF?ness
Hollywood.com posted a list of 20 remakes that prove "original isn't always better" -- is it a prank that The Stepford Wives (2004) begins the otherwise kinda okay no wait kind of respectable but  random no wait insane list?

A Forever Must Read
"How to Deal With Criticism" - this piece from The Toast made me laugh so so much - the cave story is just. gah! -- and was also so inspiring. I've done some of these self-sabotage things. Listen, nobody is ever going to love everything you do. But you gotta do you. Chin up. Back to work.  

Box Office: Lord & Miller Slay the Dragon

Amir here with the weekend’s box office report. There was a huge surprise as How to Train Your Dragon 2, a critically acclaimed sequel to a massive box office success started at second place, a full $10m behind. Who’s the dragon slayer? Another critically acclaimed sequel to a massive box office success, 22 Jump Street. Still, despite the popularity of the first film and both Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill, few imagined the animated family option would fall behind the raunchy comedy, but so it is. This is all the more impressive considering the screen count of Dragon was one of the highest ever.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
01 22 JUMP STREET $60 NEW
02 HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 $50 NEW
03 MALEFICENT $19 (cum. $163.5) Podcast
04 EDGE OF TOMORROW $16.1 (cum. $56.6) Capsule
05 THE FAULT IN OUR STARS $15.7 (cum. $81.7) Review

Still, despite the early receipts, I think the animated film will come out on top in the end, both because family films have better staying power and because competition in the next few weeks is non-existent. Of course, Lord & Miller, the filmmaking team behind the Jump Street franchise are no strangers to animation success. Earlier in the year, they opened The LEGO Movie to a $60m-plus opening as well; a double achievement that I believe is unique for any director in one calendar year. Correct me if I’m wrong on that count.

The top five list is rounded out with Maleficent, the unfortunately underselling Edge of Tomorrow and The Fault in Our Stars. Further down the list, The Rover, which played Cannes in May opened to respectable numbers on five screens – it had the second best per screen average of the weekend after Jump Street. (Glenn reviewed The Rover here.)

I haven’t yet seen any of the above films, because, Football people! Football! It’s the World Cup and the World Cup trumps all. What have you watched this weekend?