Director Maggie Carey’s look at high school sex from the largely ignored female perspective seems to be a critical mixed bag. Boston Globe movie critic Ty Burr commended Aubrey Plaza’s performance and even called the comedy “revolutionary” albeit in a “smutty way.” But what’s not being debated is the quality of the cast, which is littered with some of comedy’s biggest names: Plaza, Bill Hader, Donald Glover, Andy Samberg, and Alia Shawkat from “Arrested Development.”
Putting together a quality cast can be a tricky endeavor. It’s a balancing act of personalities that can either pay off as richly as this summer’s “This is the End” or fizzle out in an afterthought as bitter as the Dwight Howard experiment in L.A. Here are the 15 best ensembles that comedy figureheads like John Landis and Judd Apatow have ever pieced together for our biggest laughs and our most obnoxious drunken quoting.
Director Maggie Carey’s look at high school sex from the largely ignored female perspective seems to be a critical mixed bag. Boston Globe movie critic Ty Burr commended Aubrey Plaza’s performance and even called the comedy “revolutionary” albeit in a “smutty way.” But what’s not being debated is the quality of the cast, which is littered with some of comedy’s biggest names: Plaza, Bill Hader, Donald Glover, Andy Samberg, and Alia Shawkat from “Arrested Development.”
Putting together a quality cast can be a tricky endeavor. It’s a balancing act of personalities that can either pay off as richly as this summer’s “This is the End” or fizzle out in an afterthought as bitter as the Dwight Howard experiment in L.A. Here are the 15 best ensembles that comedy figureheads like John Landis and Judd Apatow have ever pieced together for our biggest laughs and our most obnoxious drunken quoting.
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15. ‘Old School’ (2003)
Cast: Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, Jeremy Piven, Juliette Lewis, Seann William Scott, Matt Walsh
Whether listening to Whitesnake in his “not exactly street legal” Trans-Am, executing a floor routine to “Chariots of Fire,” or taking a tranq dart in the neck, “Old School“ was essentially the Will Ferrell Show. But Todd Philips sophomore effort had a number of memorable performances, including Seann William Scott in his first great turn post-Stifler and Jeremy Piven as crooked Dean Pritchard, a perfect satire on every ‘80s film academia head.
DreamWorks Pictures
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14. ‘Blazing Saddles’ (1974)
Cast: Gene Wilder, Cleavon Little, Mel Brooks, Madeline Kahn, Slim Pickens
Mel Brooks is the king of low-brow comedy and “Blazing Saddles” is easily the crowning achievement of the genre. Whether it’s Mongo punching a horse or a bunch of flatulent cowboys sitting around a campfire, this 1974 hit was a highlight reel of unparalleled hilarity. Never one to lay off the taboo, Brooks’s naked look at racism was a success largely because of career-defining performances by Gene Wilder, Cleavon Little, and Madeline Kahn.
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13. ‘National Lampoon’s Vacation’ (1983)
Cast: Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Randy Quaid, Anthony Michael Hall, Eugene Levy, John Candy
The Griswolds were at their finest in this demented quest to visit Marty Moose. Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo shared an undeniable chemistry, as evidenced by how many times they’ve reunited in Super Bowl ads, John Candy had one of his only decent role outside of “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles,” and Randy Quaid was absolutely brilliant as everyone’s favorite redneck uncle.
Warner Brothers
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12. ‘Coming to America’ (1988)
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, Eriq La Salle, Louie Anderson
If you were born after the ’90s began you might not realize that Murphy’s prosthetic Klumps routine came from a much, much better place. Flying on one of the greatest Hollywood highs of all time after “Raw,” “48 Hrs.,” and “Beverly Hills Cop,” Eddie Murphy could command practically any project he wanted. In his piece de resistance he chose to write “Coming to America” and again team up with his “Trading Places” director, John Landis, to exercise characters like paunchy Randy Watson and Clarence the barber. Other notable performances were delivered by Eriq La Salle, Soul Glo aficionado and Arsenio Hall before he became a victim of his own fist-pumping, woofing late-night television succes.
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11. ‘Wet Hot American Summer’ (2001)
Cast: Micheal Showalter, Janeane Garofalo, Bradley Cooper, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Christopher Meloni, Ken Marino
Based on the summer camp experiences of director David Wain and writer Michael Showalter, this small-budget parody of camp movies like “Meatballs” was a study in contrasts. Initially panned, it has since become a cult classic with breakout performances by Christopher Meloni as a PTSD-affected slop cook who talks with vegetable cans and Ken Marino as a notoriously unlucky horndog counselor. “Wet Hot American Summer” was also a comedic career saver for Paul Rudd who landed the role of Brian Fantana largely because of his turn as fickle Andy. “You taste like a burger. I don’t like you anymore.”
Amy Rice/USA Films
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10. ‘Three Amigos!’ (1986)
Cast: Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Martin Short, Jon Lovitz, Joe Mantegna
I guess you could say that this 1986 John Landis film had a plethora of talent. Co-written by Lorne Michaels and Steve Martin, it combined some of comedy’s biggest names in a film reminiscent of the golden vaudeville years of Laurel and Hardy and the Marx Brothers. By pairing Martin Short in his SCTV/Ed Grimley heyday, along with Chevy Chase in a post “Fletch” glow, and Martin, still selling comedy records due to the bizarre King Tut phenomenon, Landis created a cast with timeless chemistry. Never was that harmony more apparent than in the famous cantina scene where they sang “My Little Buttercup” to a bunch of tequila-slugging banditos.
Orion Pictures
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9. ‘A Fish Called Wanda’ (1986)
Cast: John Cleese, Kevin Kline, Michael Palin, Jamie Lee Curtis
Bravo, Reader’s Digest, and the American Film Institute have all named “A Fish Called Wanda” one of the funniest movies ever made. Written by John Cleese, this whip smart heist comedy reunited Cleese with fellow “Monty Python” alum Michael Palin along with Jamie Lee Curtis and Kevin Kline, who was still basking in “Big Chill” notoriety. In a cast this deep, it must have come as a shock that Kline stole the spotlight as Otto, a faux philosopher/hitman who might very well be the most memorable character to emerge from a comedy since Rufus T. Firefly. “Don’t call me stupid!”
David James
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8. ‘Bridesmaids’ (2011)
Cast: Maya Rudolph, Kristen Wiig, Rebel Wilson, Ellie Kemper, Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne, John Hamm, Chris O’Dowd
“Bridesmaids” will forever be remembered as the movie that broke unspoken comedic boundaries between the sexes while making Melissa McCarthy the biggest breakout star since Will Ferrell. Penned by Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, friends since their days with the L.A. improvisational group, The Groundlings, and helmed by “Freaks and Geeks” creator Paul Feig,”Bridesmaids” was the surprise hit of 2011 and the highest-grossing picture to date for producer Judd Apatow. It was also a launching pad for a number of cast members including Chris O’Dowd as Wiig’s love interest and Rebel Wilson as her deadbeat roommate Brynn, owner of the worst free tattoo to ever infect someone’s torso.
Suzanne Hanover/Universal Pictures
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7. ‘Caddyshack’ (1980)
Cast: Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Murray, Ted Knight
Widely hailed as the funniest sports movie of all-time, “Caddyshack” was also Harold Ramis’s directorial debut and a forebearer to the now-common practice of rampant improvisation on set. Inspired by the childhood caddy jobs of Brian Doyle-Murray, including the infamous Baby Ruth scene at the pool, it was the first and only time Chevy Chase and Bill Murray have been brought together on screen due to their longstanding feud on “Saturday Night Live.”
Warner Brothers
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6. ‘The 40 Year Old Virgin’ (2005)
Cast: Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen, Romany Malco, Leslie Mann, Jane Lynch, Elizabeth Banks, Kat Dennings
“The 40 Year Old Virgin” was glaring proof that Judd Apatow, the superstar producer/director, can pull the absolute best out of his influential circle of acolytes. Steve Carell transcended all of his “Daily Show” promise to become a comic superstar in a cast brimming with undiscovered talent. Unforgettable cameos include Leslie Mann burping up shellfish sandwich, Jane Lynch singing Guatemalan love ballads, and Kevin Hart angling for a five-finger discount at SmartTech.
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5. ‘Ghost Busters’ (1984)
Cast: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Annie Potts, Rick Moranis
Dan Aykyroyd initially wrote “Ghost Busters” with John Belushi, John Candy, and Eddie Murphy in mind as a squad of intergalactic paranormal exterminators. But with the untimely passing of Belushi, scheduling confilicts with Murphy, and a limited budget, “Ghost Busters” became something far different; and most likely, better. Another AFI mention for best comedy, the Ivan Rietman-directed film was second only to “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” at the box office in 1984. Bill Murray admittedly channeled his inner Belushi as schmoozing extraordinaire Peter Venkman and Rick Moranis was brilliant as Dana’s nerdy neighbor, Louis Tully.
associated Press
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4. ‘This is the End’ (2013)
Cast: James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Michael Cera, Emma Watson, Mindy Kaling, Paul Rudd, Martin Starr
The latest project from “Superbad” buddies Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg is a self-referential parody on Hollywood’s de rigeur subject of the moment: the impending apocalypse. Playing even more crass versions of themselves, Apatow stalwarts Rogen, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, and Danny McBride are joined by Hollywood elites like Aziz Ansari and Mindy Kaling who are sucked into a hellish vortex in James Franco’s front yard. This thinly-veiled criticism of the entertainment industry was worth it just to witness a coked-up Michael Cera and Franco’s endless vanity as observed through the handheld camera from “127 Hours.”
suzanne Hanover/Sony Pictures
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3. ‘Best in Show’ (2000)
Cast: Christopher Guest, Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, Parker Posey, Michael McKean, Fred Willard, Bob Balaban
Essentially bringing back the same cast from his previous hits, “Waiting for Guffman” and “This is Spinal Tap,” director Christopher Guest also interjected the improvisational talents of Jane Lynch, Jennifer Coolidge, and John Michael Higgins. When you’re talking best ensembles, you could easily make a case for any of the films from the Guest catalogue, but he and Eugene Levy crafted some of their finest characters in “Best in Show” with J. Crew power couple the Swans and terrier-obsessed Gerry and Cookie Fleck.
Doane Gregory/Castle Rock Entertainment
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2. ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ (2001)
Cast: Gene Hackman, Bill Murray, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Anjelica Huston, Danny Glover, Alec Baldwin
Wes Anderson’s Salinger-esque tale of failed genius and damaged siblings brought together an amazing cast led by two-time Oscar winner Gene Hackman, as well as a track-suited Ben Stiller and Danny Glover looking like Kofi Annan’s doppleganger. Gwyneth Paltrow might have slipped into a higher calling of Eastern mediation and “Glee” cameos, but she was once the stimulus for so much unrequited love, from husband Raleigh St. Clair to hyper-masculine western novelist Eli Cash. And her troubled relationship with her brother Richie is the best example of doomed love since “Harold and Maude.”
Touchstone Pictures
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1. ‘Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy’ (2004)
Cast: Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, Christina Applegate, David Koechner, Seth Rogen, Chris Parnell, Fred Armisen, Fred Willard
The average American male can quote approximately 3,242 lines of this movie. There was so much improvisational gold bandied about between director Adam McKay and Will Ferrell, they were able to piece together an entirely new film from the scraps off the cutting room floor. ”Anchorman” is a veritable who’s who of today’s comedy headliners with the rival news team fight scene alone featuring the likes of Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, and Luke Wilson. Picking a favorite performance from “Anchorman” is nearly as impossible as choosing your go-to Ron Burgundy witticism. But for my money, I’d have to say, “Brick killed a guy.”
Frank Masi/DreamWorks
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