21 Jump Street
Now it is fair to say that comedy has been a bit hit and miss this year as we haven’t had too many films that have had us truly rolling in the aisles with laughter.
There have been some highlights of course but there have also been some that have been way off the mark.
We take a look back at the comedies of 2012 to celebrate the good and berate the bad.
21 Jump Street was released right back at the beginning of 2012 and it remains one of the best movies in this genre of the year.
The film was a big screen adaptation of his eighties TV series 21 Jump Street - the show that made Johnny Depp a household name - but this time Channing Tatum and Johan Hill were leading the cast.
This is a movie that is laugh out loud funny - and there are not too many films that you can really say that about this year.
Tatum & Hill are perfectly cast as Jenko ad Schmidt and there is a real bromance going on here that is so fab to watch. We all know that Hill is a great comedic actor but this movie showed off a very different side to Tatum and he really has fantastic comic timing.
This is a movie that blends humour with action as well as a couple of brilliant cameos - this is a film that is absolutely not to be missed.
Another comedy that really was fantastic this year was Seeking A Friend For The End of the World which saw back in the director’s chair.
Steve Carell lead the cast and teamed up with Oscar nominated actress Keira Knightley - who is not known for her comedic roles.
This is an incredibly charming movie about a relationship that is forged against all odds and as the world is coming to an end.
Carell and Knightley’s characters find in each other a comfort and an understanding and they find themselves on an interesting and often hilarious road trip.
Yes this may be a movie about the end of the world but that is not the focus of the film instead it is about the characters and their reactions to what is happening and how they look back on their lives as it comes to an end.
Seeking A Friend For The End of the World is like no other comedy movie that has hit the big screen this year and sees Carell and Knightley on top form.
Another comedy movie that has really got audiences crying with laughter is Ted - which marked the directorial debut of Seth McFarlane.
This movie gives McFarlane the scope to do whatever he wants and so, as you would expect, the comedy is twisted and crude and absolutely hysterical.
Mark Wahlberg has been tackling more and more comedy projects in recent years but with Ted he really does show off his talent in this genre - his interaction with Ted, voiced by McFarlane are some of the film’s best moments.
Ted not only won over the critics but it was also a smash hit at the box office as it took a massive $501 million worldwide. So it won’t surprise you to hear that a sequel is in the pipeline and filming will get underway in the middle of next year.
And while there may have been some comedy movies that have been brilliant there are some that didn’t quite hit the mark. Wanderlust saw Jennifer Aniston team up with Paul Rudd but it really put in an abysmal performance at the box office.
This summer saw the cast of America Pie return for American Reunion and while the movie did enjoy some box office success it was a move the failed to recapture that ‘something’ that made the first film so memorable.
So it has been a mixed bag for comedy movies this year with The Hangover Part III, Grown Ups 2 and Identity Thief all heading our way in 2013 we can only hope for better from this genre over the next twelve months.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw