Edgar Wright shares 100 of his favorite comedies to keep you busy during self-isolation
Heading into this self-isolation period, some of us took the optimistic approach: We finally have time to make a sizable dent in the overwhelming to-do lists of movies and TV shows available on all 87 streaming services! Within a matter of weeks, we may very well conquer the era of Peak TV—certainly our most formidable opponent, save for that pesky coronavirus. With all of this in mind, Edgar Wright has generously shared 100 of his favorite comedy movies to keep you busy/laughing/sane in these increasingly isolated times. It’s also a helpful to-do list for those of us who remain overwhelmed by the abundance of streaming options, leading to a sort of indecisive fugue state that usually results in taking comfort from rewatching every season of 30 Rock for the 12th time (this year).
Wright, who’s made some pretty excellent comedies himself, shared the list on Letterboxd and, as noted in the intro, this isn’t a definitive list of his favorite comedy movies ever—it’s 100 of his favorite comedy movies. A cinephile starter pack, if you will:
To get you through these tough times, please enjoy a generous helping of SOME of my favourite screen comedies that I’ve enjoyed over the years. I could easily do another 100 so don’t say ‘Where’s so and so?’. Just sit back and enjoy the movies. Let us know below, which ones you raise a smile. (NB: No, I’m not so immodest to put my own on here. x)
The list is fairly diverse and features a ton of classics ranging from the Golden Age of Hollywood to more recent releases. You’ll find comedy greats like Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and the Marx Brothers, as well as all-timers like The Apartment, Harold And Maude, and The Graduate. As the list—which appears to be in chronological release order—becomes more contemporary, the choices grow more eclectic and include everything from Pee-wee’s Big Adventure to Risky Business and Evil Dead 2. There are also a few lesser-seen titles, like Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth, starring Laura Dern and Roy Andersson’s Songs From The Second Floor.
The general feeling as of now is that we’re probably going to be staying indoors for many weeks to come in an effort to curb the pandemic—which means you have more than enough time to watch all 100 of these movies and then some.