Practical Magic (1998)

Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman star as two witches in a highly flawed comedy-drama directed by Griffin Dunne. They are sisters trying to overcome a family curse that brings doom on any man they fall in love with.

It’s tonally all over the place – a sort of fairytale crossed with Thelma and Louise, Harry Potter and various horror/supernatural elements. Stockard Channing and Diane Wiest are miscast or misused as two eccentric aunts, and it wasn’t really clear why they were in the film at all. 

The film tries to address the topic of domestic abuse, but it’s a topic that requires a much more sensitive approach than this. The attempts to address it with comedy are inconsistent and grating.

Bullock and Kidman do their best with the material, but cannot salvage an awkward mess of a film.

Bridget Jones's Baby (2016)

Directed by Sharon Maguire, this is the third instalment in the popular series adapted from Helen Fielding’s mega-selling novels. Renée Zellweger is once again a loveable, accident-prone neurotic who, in theory, we can all relate to. She finds out that she’s pregnant and has to work out which of two lovers is the father (hints of Mamma Mia). Is it charming lawyer Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) or charming mathematician Jack Qwant (Patrick Dempsey)?

There are enough laughs to make it work, and it’s certainly superior to the second film, while lacking the freshness of the first. Zellweger is so appealing that she’s worth watching even when it’s not hilarious. And Emma Thompson adds depth as Doctor Rawlings.

The War of the Roses (1989)

Black comedy directed by Danny DeVito, who also plays a lawyer narrating the plot. The story deals with a couple, Oliver and Barbara Rose, who plan to divorce but cannot agree on who will keep their large house. Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner are reunited from Romancing the Stone and The Jewel of the Nile, both of which also featured DeVito, although this is a very different kind of film. As the couple’s rivalry intensifies, they end up effectively trying to kill each other.

The comedy isn’t really funny enough, with some of the slapstick seeming very extreme. It badly needs more laughs. Instead, it’s certainly interesting and memorable but it’s tonally quite peculiar.

The Love Punch (2013)

Written and directed by Joel Hopkins, this is a lame comedy starring Pierce Brosnan and Emma Thompson as a divorced couple who set off on a silly mission to steal a diamond in the south of France. 

What might have been an interesting romantic comedy becomes a deliberately absurd slapstick caper. The actors are all strong (Timothy Spall and Celia Imrie also star) but the script just isn’t funny enough and their talents are wasted on something half-baked and crudely forgettable.

Heathers (1989)

The blackest of black comedies, directed by Michael Lehmann, this is an unusual film.

Winona Ryder stars as one of four girls named Heather in a high school clique. Christian Slater (who exudes the easy, relaxed charisma of a young Jack Nicholson) is new student Jason “J.D.” Dean, who begins murdering anyone who wrongs him. 

It’s tonally strange – a little like a much nastier Clueless – but there’s plenty of wit and intelligence among the morbid and tasteless elements.

The Story of Us (1999)

Extremely well written and ultimately touching comedy drama about a couple and their marriage. 

Ben and Katie (Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer) choose to separate when the children are away on summer camp. We see them working through the new relationship status, while looking back on the highs and lows of the marriage. 

Director Rob Reiner (who also stars as a family friend) wisely keeps the film simple and focused.

The Green Man (1956)

British black comedy directed by Robert Day. 

Alastair Sim, George Cole, Terry-Thomas and Jill Adams star in this delightfully silly frivolity. 

It was based on a play and you can tell because of the farce-like scenes of people walking in and out of rooms.

Lake Placid (1999)

Directed by Steve Miner, this is an awkward horror-comedy that never really comes to life. 

A huge killer crocodile is on the loose in Maine. The local Fish and Game officer Jack Wells (Bill Pullman), paleontologist Kelly Scott (Bridget Fonda), sheriff (Brendon Gleeson) and an eccentric professor of mythology (Oliver Platt) try to track down the beast. 

The film can’t decide if it’s meant to be funny or scary and ends up neither. There are hints of Jaws and Crocodile Dundee in there, but with none of the ingredients that made those films so engaging.  

Fonda has a degree of charm, as always, but the script is weak and you long for wittier lines. Gleeson seems entirely miscast as the grumpy sheriff and you can only wonder exactly what the actor or character was meant to contribute to the film. There are a couple of laughs but with some tweaking it could have been so much better.

The Proposal (2009)

Romantic comedy directed by Anne Fletcher. 

High-powered businesswoman Margaret (Sandra Bullock) will be deported and lose her job at a New York publishing firm unless she gets married to an American. She forces her assistant Andrew (Ryan Reynolds) to go along with the plan. They travel to his family home in Alaska, where – in trying to convince his family and immigration agent that they’re in love – they inevitably fall in love for real. 

It sounds formulaic but there are some genuinely funny moments and the script is finely tuned enough to sparkle. 

Sandra Bullock is likeable as a hard-edged bully who slowly reveals her vulnerabilities. A ludicrous scene in which a small dog is carried off by an eagle actually works. 

The strong cast also includes Mary Steenburgen and Betty White.

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004)

Shoddy sequel that’s simply not funny. The plot is a mess and it’s tonally all over the place. The worst crime, however, is that it’s simply not very funny. 

On the plus side, the three stars remain watchable no matter what – Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth and Hugh Grant all exude undeniable screen presence, but they can’t improve the wobbly script. There are long patches without any amusing lines at all. Loud music drowns out the dialogue in a few places. 

The film gets worse in the second half, seemingly just stringing out a weak premise to make up the full running time. Especially wretched was the gaggle of friends who make up the “Greek chorus” (a standard Richard Curtis tic) offering advice and commentary. Very old-fashioned gender politics, too, and we’re repeatedly told that life is worthless if you don’t have a handsome boyfriend.

My One and Only (2009)

Comedy drama based on the early life of George Hamilton in the 1950s.

Renée Zellweger stars. She leaves her husband (Kevin Bacon) after he cheats on her, and takes off on a road trip with her sons. In search of a new husband and financial stability, she encounters a range of unsuitable men.

The quirky tone takes a little getting used to, but once you acclimatise, the film is highly enjoyable.

Zellweger is excellent as always – highly watchable and sympathetic.

There are hints of Woody Allen (especially his Blue Jasmine) crossed with the parent/child drama of Anywhere but Here.

New in Town (2009)

Romantic comedy directed by Jonas Elmer.

Hard-edged Miami-based consultant Lucy Hill (Renée Zellweger) is sent to New Ulm, Minnesota, to oversee changes at a food-manufacturing plant that will mean many redundancies. Against all her expectations, and helped by the handsome Ted (Harry Connick Jr.), Lucy eventually begins to warm to the quirky townsfolk and become sympathetic to their situation. 

For a relatively lightweight comedy it's surprisingly enjoyable. Zellweger is always a joy to watch, such is the multi-dimensional way she inhabits a character. And while there's nothing much that truly surprises in the storyline, it keeps you engaged until the end.

Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986)

Comedy spy thriller directed by Penny Marshall, and very much in the style of Beverly Hills Cop. 

Whoopi Goldberg plays a bank worker who gets involved in international intrigue after her office computer is hacked into.

There are a few funny bits, but not nearly enough. One amusing scene has Whoopi trying to make out the words to the title song by the Rolling Stones and not being able to make sense of Mick Jagger’s phrasing.

The most interesting aspect is seeing what state-of-the-art office computing looked like in 1986.

Evolution (2001)

Comedy sci-fi directed by Ivan Reitman. 

Arizona college professor (David Duchovny) and his geologist pal (Orlando Jones) investigate the site of a meteor landing. Exploring the site they encounter life-forms with the ability to evolve at high speed. Before long, all civilisation is at risk. 

Julianne Moore plays an epidemiologist who keeps tripping over and bumping into things, while Dan Ackroyd is the state governor, keen to avert an embarrassing disaster.

It’s extremely silly, but it’s quick-witted and there are enough laughs to keep you hooked in until the end.

Best in Show (2000)

Absolutely hilarious and finely drawn mockumentary about the Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show and the fairly extreme dog-owners who are drawn to enter their pets. It’s directed by Christopher Guest of Spinal Tap fame and it follows a similar format – interviews and clips of the characters as we get to know them and their predicaments.

The ensemble cast is absolutely pitch perfect, mining the seriousness of the dog show for all the possible comedic value. The vanity of these dog owners is exposed with continually funny consequences.

The Weatherman (2005)

Extremely downbeat drama with flashes of comedy. 

Nicolas Cage plays a TV weatherman having problems with his dying father (Michael Caine), estranged wife (Hope Davis) and unhappy children. He’s also having a sort of midlife crisis, and members of the public who recognise him keep throwing junk food at him. 

It’s whimsical and engaging but you wish it was funnier. Michael Caine’s dodgy American accent is a distraction. Cage and Davis are both excellent, however, and the film gains gravitas as it progresses. 

It’s a deeply sad story. Cage’s character seems such a nice guy that you’re completely on his side even as everything seems to go wrong around him.

The Heartbreak Kid (2007)

Crass, unfunny comedy starring Ben Stiller as a man who marries a woman he’s not suited to (Malin Åkerman) only to then meet the woman of his dreams (Michelle Monaghan). 

It’s almost entirely devoid of humour. There are “jokes” at the expense of gay people, fat people and Mexicans. Even worse is a section in which Stiller attempts to cross the US border illegally. This ends up troubling and not remotely amusing.  

Stiller and Monaghan are OK and nearly develop some chemistry, but the ugly sentiments of the script deny them any real depth or warmth.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

Imaginative student Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) pretends to be ill so that he can skip high school. He spends the day with his best friend and girlfriend instead, despite his sister (Jennifer Grey) and the Dean of Students (Jeffrey Jones) catching onto his elaborate range of tricks and deceptions to make them believe he’s still at home in bed. 

This is the best of the John Hughes teen films, probably because it’s much funnier than the others. But I find it fascinating that even his comedy film has to have some serious “self-discovery” drama. This is played out as Ferris’s best friend Cameron (Alan Ruck) learns to face up to his fears after trashing his father’s sports car. 

The fourth-wall device works well – especially since it’s only Ferris, the narrator, who talks to camera. 

The music is prominent, as always. You get songs by Yello, Sigue Sigue Sputnik and Big Audio Dynamite. There’s also an especially memorable sequence in which Bueller mines "Twist and Shout" by The Beatles from a carnival float. 

Like all Hughes’ films, adults are represented as one-dimensional authority figures to be scorned. And like The Breakfast Club, it mourns the passing of youth as the kids simultaneously want to join the adult world yet view that world with mistrust and contempt.

Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997)

A quirky comedy. 

Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow star as two friends who travel from Los Angeles to Tucson, Arizona, to attend their school reunion, anxious to impress the peers who snubbed them 10 years previously.

As with so many American films, there’s a lot about status anxiety. It’s a story about aspiration and class. It’s also about the importance of friendship. While some of the jokes miss the mark completely, and the writing could be sharper, there’s enough charm in the two leads’ performances that it works. 

I’m still not sure if it’s forgettable fluff or a satire of forgettable fluff. It certainly doesn’t have the edge of Clueless, but it’s in the same general universe.

The World's End (2013)

Directed by Edgar Wright, this is the third in a loose trilogy that began with Shaun of the Dead and continued with Hot Fuzz. 

The story concerns five friends, who – encouraged by Gary King (Simon Pegg) – return to their hometown to take part in a nostalgic pub crawl. Unfortunately, Newton Haven has been taken over by blue-blooded aliens. 

Once again, there’s an obsession with small English towns and the way people behave in them. 

The usual team of Nick Frost, Paddy Considine, Julia Deakin, Martin Freeman and Bill Nighy all appear, alongside Rosamund Pike and Pierce Brosnan.

It’s not quite as strong as the first two films, perhaps because you know what to expect already. But the performances are all first-rate and there are many funny lines.