1. The Hangover
Alas, here we have it. The greatest R-Rated comedy of all time is (pause for effect)
The Hangover. The 'what happens in Vegas' style film - written, produced and directed by Todd Phillips (the same guy responsible for our no. 7,
Old School) - single handedly announced Zach Galifianakis on a global stage, whilst simultaneously confirming Bradley Cooper as the new Hollywood heartthrob. With
Rainman-esque gambling, Mike Tyson, a tiger, rogue babies, rohypnol and even the beloved Mr Chow, the film followed Phil (Cooper), Alan (Galifianakis) and Stu (Ed Helms) as they attempted to retrace their steps after a night out that went horribly wrong; kind of like
Dude, Where's My Car?, except replace the car with a person and Ashton Kutcher with an actor. The refreshing thing about the film was in its unexpectedness. Here we had three protagonists who were not of the Ferrell, Vaughn and Stiller ilk. Neither were they cut from the same cloth as Rogen, Hill or Hader; they were original and funny in their own right. During the period of its release, the aforementioned comedic actors dominated the silver screen, so for
The Hangover to arrive and blow them all out the park is a true testament to why it deserves its place at the top. Having said that, the greatness of this film doesn't necessarily lie in its originality, but in that it takes the greatest aspects of every comedy that has preceded it and ties it together to form an unfathomably light hearted tale of facing adversity. Indeed, despite the chaos and strain of the film's events, deep down, we are fully aware that theirs was the bachelor party that dreams are made of; the chance to go out with a bang. Coincidentally, to go out in the exact same fashion in which this list does.
**** Special Mention ****
Life of Brian
Did you know that, upon its release,
Monty Python's: Life of Brian was given an R-Rating in the US? Due to the 'blasphemous' nature of the film's content, the American censorship board deemed it harmful to an adolescent audience, so gave it the highest rating they could. Now Brian really has been a naughty boy.