Favorite Comedians?

James Roberts87 said:I can't recall his actual name—but this guy "Frasier" is quite the character.

Actually, he's the comedian Kelsey Grammer—he was practically one of the highest-paid performers globally until recently... He reminds me of Hope... and honestly, I'm a huge fan of that show.

Rush Hour is such a blast because it’s just a solid, fun movie—mostly because Tom Wilkinson is the villain, and honestly, any flick where he’s playing the bad guy is bound to be good.

Benigni just really gets on my nerves.

Eddie Griffin is an absolute legend
Definitely one of those Old School Sellers

But I really feel like I have to bring up stand-up guys like Doug Stanhope and Bill Hicks (R. I. P.) too...

*also R. I. P. 🙏

Pablo Francisco is the absolute king of the stage and a total legend when he picks up a mic.

I caught some Jerry Seinfeld stand-up special, "I'm Telling You for the Last Time" or something like that, and man, it was just... terrible. Seriously, awful.
Eddie Murphy is just so grating sometimes.

Not worth a single dime.

feralgardener502 said:half my money.

😂 😂 😂

If we’re going to talk about stand-up comedians now, strictly speaking, this belongs in the THEATER subforum...

I suppose I should have just kept the Korean comedian "Net-Ko-Vaš" under number 10 instead of Woody Allen—otherwise, this whole thing turns into a guessing game of "why him or why them"... And I wasn't even insisting on a definitive list—which is usually the hobby of teenage critics—but rather a meditation on specific individuals, not necessarily just one...

Crystal Ball, Robin Williams, and Mariah Carey all fall into that category of talkative depressives—the kind who essentially "crave love and attention" to satisfy a therapist's notes. I’d say Crystal Ball is the most well-adjusted of the bunch...

Steve Martin has actually tackled a few character roles where he played the villain... He can play both sides of the coin quite well... Sarcasm is really his primary weapon... Eddie Murphy has become a slave to his own mannerisms; he’s just a typical STAR, so his mere presence is enough to get the job done. Like it or not.

I remember Roschfort from his films when he played the world's biggest klutz—with that stone-cold expression, much like Bill Keaton, playing those likable outsiders and cowards... Italians have another two comedians, both deceased, who would fit into that classic era alongside Jerry Seinfeld, Peter Sellers, Jacques Tati, and Fernandel...

Richard Pryor and Bill Cosby might be worth considering, though Cosby doesn't have nearly as many films under his belt... But Richard Pryor definitely does.

Benjamin Gray66 said:Crystal Ball, Robin Williams, and Mariah Carey all fall into that category of talkative depressives—you know, the type who basically "beg for love and attention" through comedy just so they can vent to a therapist later. I think Crystal Ball is actually the most well-adjusted of the bunch...

well, go find some stand-up somewhere (yeah, yeah, I know, but seriously, just look him up...) from this guy named Jeremy Hotz.

His whole schtick is basically like, "I'm totally pathetic and everything sucks and life is just pure misery," but man, he is freaking hilarious and fun to watch.
And funny.
On stage, he looks completely washed up and miserable, like nothing in the world is going right for him. His go-to punchline for pretty much anything is this whiny, crying voice: "What a miserable [whatever the heck he's talking about] THAT is..."

The man is a genius.

Lewis Black is basically the complete opposite—he just calls out the nonsense typical Americans and politicians get away with. Sometimes I honestly wonder if the guy's got a European soul deep down somewhere.

The Greatest Duos
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New School: Ben Stiller & Owen Wilson

Old School: Gene Wilder & Richard Pryor

British: Dawn French & Jennifer Saunders

Benigni is easily one of the greatest actors working today. You can really see his genius shine through in Jim Jarmusch's work, especially in stuff like "Night on Earth", "Down by Law", and "Coffee and Cigarettes".

The thing is, movie comedies just aren't hitting the mark lately. There’s honestly nothing funny left on the big screen. Meanwhile, stand-up is still killing it. In my book, the absolute best are:

Chris Rock
Bill Maher
George Carlin
Dennis Leary

But there are so many other heavy hitters out there, like Eddie Griffin, John Leguizamo, Bill Engvall... Richard Pryor was legendary, though I don't think he's still active anymore.

feralgardener502 said:Pablo Francisco is an absolute legend. When he gets on stage with that mic, he owns the room—nobody else even comes close.

I’m actually planning to go see him in a couple of weeks. He’s coming to Chicago. I missed Wanda Sykes, though—shit. I honestly can't forgive myself for that one.

I saw this bit about the comedy scene shifting from Chicago over to San Francisco. Honestly, I don't get the hype—San Francisco's vibe is just too different for me. I remember catching a set back in Chicago where the energy was electric, but out west? It’s a whole different ballgame.

Man, I’m honestly just cursed to catch them popping up on Jay Leno or Conan O'Brien every now and then. 😢

s3v3n said:Honestly, he’s funnier when he just keeps his mouth shut than Whoopi Goldberg is.

I have no clue where Whoopi found this guy... You really have to be a genius to pull something like this off. A total genius, obviously in the worst way possible. And then they go and cast someone who’s basically been the biggest comedy draw at the box office lately? Makes zero sense.

Carol Long95 said:If we're actually looking to appeal to a younger crowd, then we definitely need to cut Adam Sandler from the lineup—I mean, is there anyone left on this planet who actually finds that guy funny??

I don't know about that; I think Sandler can be pretty hilarious when he's used the right way (hint: think Happy Gilmore). 😉

Benjamin Gray66 said:"Why don't you two just take Ben Stiller home and play with him then."

Sorry, but he’s just not my type—honestly, I’d much ratherbring homeDolph Lundgren
any day of the week.

Richard Howard2 said:The ultimate duos
---------------------------------

New school: Ben Stiller & Owen Wilson

Old school: Gene Wilder & Richard Pryor

British picks: Dawn French & Jennifer Saunders

I'm signing off on this! Though—if we're talking about those British pairings—I'd have to go with Laurie & Fry (you know, the ones from that Jeeves and Wooster series)

Stop everything! Hold the phone!

Seriously, how has nobody realized yet that there’s a massive hole in this lineup?
ROWAN ATKINSON- he's missing from the equation!

That's because he only focused on Americans. If I were calling the shots, I’d throw in that Italian trio—Aldo, Giacomo, and Giovanni. Anyone who actually knows who they are gets why.

Batman said:Man, I'm actually thinking about catching his show in a couple of weeks. He’s coming to Chicago!

Just so you know, I hate you. 🙂

Anyway, let me know how it was! I gotta know—does he just cycle through the same old tired bits, or does he actually have some fresh stuff in the repertoire?