GICF
SCREEN TEST
The Glasgow International Comedy Festival is taking the movie world more seriously this year with
some screenings of classic funny fi lms such as Withnail
and I, Good Morning, Vietnam and In the Loop. So, we wondered out loud (and then emailed to ask),
what are the favourite comedy fi lms of some people appearing at the
festival?
HARDEEP SINGH KOHLI There is something about Annie Hall that is beyond exquisite. Woody Allen re-wrote the rules about romantic comedies with this movie. It’s tragic, beautiful, postmodern and simply very, very funny. Some may argue there are funnier i lms in terms of pure comedy. I would argue there is no more insightful, more heartbreaking, funnier scene than the ‘lobster’ moment. Òran Mór, Glasgow, Fri 13 Mar. MARK NELSON My granddad i rst showed me Blazing Saddles when I was about 12 and I had no idea what half the jokes were about. I did however i nd the farting campi re scene the funniest thing in the world. Since then I have grown to love the i lm which, at the time, really pushed boundaries in terms of jokes. And at 34, I still think the fart scene is the funniest thing in the world. The Stand, Glasgow, Sat 14 Mar.
JULIA SUTHERLAND I must have watched Withnail and I a hundred times. It’s so beautifully written and endlessly quotable; despite the plot sounding like a Carry On-style farce, the tone is gloriously bleak. Paul McGann adds to the melancholy perfectly, Richard E Grant is phenomenal and the late Richard Grifi ths gave a hilarious, touching performance. Oh, and it’s also got its own drinking game. Yesbar, Glasgow, Fri 20 Mar. CRAIG HILL My favourite comedy i lm is What’s Up, Doc? It’s about a sharp, wise-cracking girl who accidentally creates trouble wherever she goes. There’s four identical suitcases in the same hotel all being pursued by someone and the mix-up results in chaos. Brilliantly executed slapstick and an absolute lesson in editing and writing comedy. Òran Mór, Glasgow, Fri 20 & Sat 21 Mar.
LIAM WILLIAMS Mood and circumstance incline me to pick Chris Morris’ i lm Four Lions about inept suicide bombers. All religions should be subject to mockery, but simple goading gets boring. Four Lions maintains a patient respect even as it shows fundamentalism to be ridiculous. Morris said that it’s more satisfying to sit with your satirical target and not just to go ‘you’re an arsehole’. Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Sun 22 Mar.
See more i lm choices at list.co.uk/comedy 5 Feb–2 Apr 2015 THE LIST 39