10 Underrated Comedy Performances In Film

10. Eugene Levy - American Pie (1999)

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What could have a been Just Another Teen Gross Out Movie was given a much-needed touch of warmth by Eugene Levy’s scene stealing turn as Jim’s Dad.

In a film packed to the rafters with flutes in pussies and cocks in pies, Levy brought an irresistible affability to a character who made every teen in the cinema want him to be their dad, despite his excruciating birds-and-bees conversations with his son Jim.

“I made him a little more a square and on the goofy side because, let’s face it, that’s what I do,” said Levy of the character in 2015. Jim’s Dad was originally written as a much more confident and – ahem – experienced chap, but Levy convinced the writers to render him as a gentle, naïve and deeply kind man and in doing so became a perfect foil for Jason Biggs’ awkward and bad luck prone Jim.

That Levy improvised much of the character and dialogue is a testament to his comic ability and justifies his position as an icon of modern American comedy.

Stand-Out Moment: That chat with Jim. “Do you know what a cli-tor-is is?”