by Keith Staines

Created on: January 04, 2009

Most years there are only a handful of even good comedies that could be considered for something like this. However, over the last couple of years this has been changing, and 2008 was no different. For our enjoyment, they released Tropic Thunder, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, Burn After Reading, Pineapple Express, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Stepbrothers, and Zack and Miri Make a Porno amongst others.

For me, it boils down to three flawed, yet hilarious movies when the discussion turns to the best comedy of 2008. In no particular order (have to keep that suspense up you know), the three I would consider are: Burn After Reading, Zack And Miri Make a Porno, and Pineapple Express.

And so we begin.

Burn After Reading was a good movie, with a nice return to comedy from the Coen Brothers. The basic gist of the movie is a couple of gym trainers find the memoirs of a bitter, irrelevant, former CIA man and mistake it for something of national important. Throw in some intertwined romances and interlocking stories and chicanery and hijinks ensue. Brad Pitt is awesome in this movie, playing a totally insane, over-the-top gym trainer with one of the most memorable last scenes in a film I have seen in years. When you see him standing in a closet, prepare yourself for absolute awesomeness. George Clooney was very good in a very quirky role. J.K Simmons is fantastic as he often is in a supporting role as a CIA superior. John Malkovich was alright in his role, but Frances McDormand annoyed me to no end for some reason.

So is Burn After Reading the best comedy of 2008? Don't think so. McDormand drove me nuts that much, and honestly, the movie may have been too out there. A movie that made a whole group of us leave the theater asking what we had just seen just can't be the top of the pile.

Next up, Pineapple Express.

I am a big Judd Apatow and Seth Rogan fan. Have been since back to the days of Freaks n' Geeks and Undeclared. They've been the reigning kings of comedy the last couple of years, and this one was definitely no different. Pineapple Express is a story of a process server who happens to be a total stoner, his high-school girlfriend, his dealer, and a murder that he witnesses. Hilarity follows. James Franco plays the drug dealer in a return to comedy for him and absolutely steals this movie. There are also a bunch of fantastic supporting characters such as the two henchmen sent to find Rogan's character, and Red, the drug dealer for Franco's drug dealer. Three extended

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