We take a trip back some thirty(!) years to look at the essential comedy movies of 1996…
Back in the 90s, the comedy genre was going through a purple patch. It might surprise younger audiences, largely starved of regular comedy releases (especially on the big screen), that comedy was one of the most prolific big-screen genres, holding firm against the booming blockbusters and providing laughs aplenty.
From controversial films that pushed the boundaries of taste, to career shifts that surprised (and sometimes repelled) fans of some star-name actors, 1996 was stuffed with plenty of memorable comedies, but likewise dropped some low-key films that would slowly harvest a cult following. Here are the essential comedy movies of ’96…
Fargo
The Coen brothers were well known thanks to their blend of noir-inspired cinema and absurdist comedy. Sometimes fused together, as was the case with Fargo, which felt like a refinement of some of their best qualities into something far more overridingly crowdpleasing.
William H. Macy excels as a hapless secondhand car dealer whose harebrained plan to fake his wife’s kidnapping and get his disapproving (I wonder why) father-in-law to pay a ransom goes totally awry. Every decision proves costlier than the last, particularly when a pair of deviants also descend into a comedy of deadly errors, and among them all is Marge, a heavily pregnant Sheriff who starts to unpick this clusterfuck. It’s hilarious, dark, twisted and thrilling and deservedly got seven Oscar nominations, winning two of those for Best Screenplay (The Coens) and Best Actress for irrepressible Frances McDormand.
Kingpin
Sandwiched between the mega success of Dumb and Dumber and There’s Something About Mary, it’s sometimes easy to overlook the ickily brilliant Kingpin. A once promising bowler (Woody Harrelson), left with a hook hand, has now become a worthless drunk having to offer sexual favours to his grotesque landlady (the hilarious Lin Shaye) to keep a roof over his head.
Deemed puerile, disgusting and totally un-PC back in 1996 (with uninspiring box office), this would probably get sealed in concrete and dumped in the North Sea were someone trying to release it these days (or it’d go straight to Netflix). However, Harrelson is great, Bill Murray is supremely repulsive and it’s full of inspired gags and unforgettably grotesque moments.
The Cable Guy
Speaking of Dumb and Dumber, its star, Jim Carrey, had one of the most incredible breakout years in cinema, having fired out a three-film run of hits in The Mask, Dumb and Dumber and Ace Ventura during 1994. It meant he was one of the highest-paid stars around and one of the biggest box office draws.
With an Ace sequel also doing the rounds in 1995, Carrey hit 1996 with a left turn. He was still firmly entrenched in the comedy genre, but this was black comedy with a heady dose of satire, which still allowed him to unleash his hyperactive rubber-faced antics. Ben Stiller directed, and Matthew Broderick was in place to play straight man to Carrey’s lunacy as the titular cable guy who grows obsessively connected to Steven (Broderick). It gets genuinely creepy at times with tonal shifts that don’t always land, and certainly divided critics and audiences. This twisted and irreverent fusion of elements, and satire that hits even more than it did then has seen the film’s stock rise and is often regarded as one of Carrey’s most underrated films.
The Nutty Professor
It’s fair to say that some films probably haven’t dated as well as others. As a genre, comedy is inherently open to reappraisal with every generational and cultural shift. A film that bases a large portion (no pun intended) of its runtime on fat gags definitely won’t sit well with some folk in 2026, but if you’re not appalled, you’ll still find this film intermittently hilarious.
Eddie Murphy was at his peak both creatively and as a box office pull. He goes all in, playing a whole host of characters as well as the heavy-set professor who yearns to be the kind of man to attract Jada Pinkett (so Tupac? Just kidding, Will). The comedy isn’t subtle. It goes for the low-hanging fruit at every time, but it really does land, from Dave Chappelle’s supporting role to a scene-stealing Larry Miller, to Murphy’s role-swapping flair.
The Frighteners
A film that’s all too rarely discussed in the 90s horror/comedy pantheon, but Peter Jackson’s gleeful film has Michael J. Fox in inspired form as a con artist able to communicate with ghosts, who finds himself having to stop a demonic spirit on a rampage.
Jackson juggles the horror and the comedy with skill, landing both with aplomb. It’s also got Jeffrey Combs, well-versed in horror, delivering an excellent show-stopping performance.
Happy Gilmore
Last year, Adam Sandler dropped the long-awaited sequel on Netflix. Back in 1996, Happy Gilmore was instrumental in establishing the Sandman as one of the most bankable new voices in comedy. This wasn’t humour based on subtlety or wry satire. It was pratfalls, face pulls, toilet humour and good old comeuppance for whichever antagonist stood in the way of Sandler’s everyman lughead hero.
With Happy Gilmore, he near perfected his routine, and aside from The Wedding Singer, he has never bettered his golf opus for straight-up comedy joints. Sandler is great, the gags come thick and fast and mostly land and the supporting cast go big and broad with their characters. The late great Carl Weathers is great, as is Ben Stiller. However, with unabashed smarm, Christopher McDonald steals the show (but not the golden jacket).
The Birdcage
Mike Nichols’ flamboyant and riotous comedy is still a total delight to watch. With pitch-perfect casting, Nathan Lane and Robin Williams are a gay couple who own a nightclub. Their son wants to introduce his fiancée’s strictly traditional parents, including a vocally right-leaning Senator (Gene Hackman).
Nichols swings hard with farce and hijinks, with the duo having to play it straight (with Lane dressing in drag as the ‘wife’). Lane, Williams and Hank Azaria are fantastic, all clearly having a ball.
Bottle Rocket
The Wilson brothers star in a film, directed by Wes Anderson, which proved to be the breakout for all three. The era of underground, indie filmmakers arriving from nowhere in a way that feels ever more unlikely in the modern movie landscape. It was a golden period that gave us the likes of QT, Richard Linklater, Anderson, Kevin Smith and more.
The bros Wilson are petty crooks who try to steal their way out of a listless existence. It doesn’t go full Anderson as far as his now trademark style, but he’s certainly laying the foundations, and the minimalistic and absurd humour definitely carries his hallmarks.
Swingers
A group of young guys in Hollywood, including unemployed actor Mike (Jon Favreau), don’t do a whole heap more than hang out, drinking and gaming. Mike, however, is on a downer following a breakup, and his buddy Trent, a self-proclaimed master of womanising, wants to help drag him out of his rut, with a trip to Vegas.
Although Trent is a character distinctly of a different era, Vaughn’s easy-going charm stops him from becoming irredeemable. Favreau’s perpetual self-pity is being chipped away as he gradually finds new focus in life, but not before Doug Liman delivers a film with iconic lines and the support cast, including Ron Livingston and Heather Graham, are all great.
Trees Lounge
A film all too few people have seen. Written, directed by and starring Steve Buscemi, this subtly funny dramedy paints a vivid picture of a distinct small town backdrop and the titular dive bar where Buscemi’s troubled (recently unemployed) alcoholic wiles away the hours.
His life is a mess, and the small comforts of alcohol and the monotony of looking for work (or worse), getting it, leave him yearning for sparks of interest anywhere but unwisely, finds some in the form of his ex-girlfriend’s 17-year-old niece (Chloe Sevigny). Buscemi on all fronts is great, delivering a great slice of Americana that’s also beautifully shot. To say the cast is stellar, would be an understatement.
What’s your favourite comedy from 1996? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Tom Jolliffe
