The podium for female comedy in films
Give me laughter any day — its the ultimate medicine for finding fulfillment in your life. What a better way to boost your lungs in lockdown than experiencing jokes from a movie. When a study in Norway said that people with a strong sense of humour tend to live longer, I wanted to dive into what female actors have been helping us survive by gargling out our drinks on the sofa.
STEPPING UP IN 1st PLACE — Sandra Bullock
No women’s ever given me a side stitch like Bullock has in movies. She stole the show in ‘Two Weeks Notice’ dressed in her all-white tennis gear nearly crapping herself in the back of Hugh Grant’s car. Now she still makes me cry as the uptight police officer drinking shots with forks alongside Melissa in ‘The Heat’. She cleverly portrays a character of sternness, that when awful things begin happening to her, you can’t help but burst out in laughter. I remember giggling when I watched her fall out of the boat in the ‘Proposal’ as Ryan Reynolds flips her into the freezing water. She lets women laugh at all the failures in life so that you don’t feel stupid trippy up on your dressing down alone ordering Chinese on a Friday night. I hope we see her succeed in these roles until her older days, where we can then laugh at her fake teeth and wigs falling out in unison.
NOT FAR BEHIND IN 2nd — Maya Rudolph
Since the days of ‘50 first dates’, Maya was knocking back punches for comedy. I have no idea what kind of noises were coming out of my mouth when I was laughing at her as Brenda in ‘Sisters’ when she plays the desperate housewife character, buying Diet Coke, and pronouncing Ralph Lauren wrong to Amy Poehler. She smashed it recently in ‘Wine Country’ being the rebel mother on the trip who wanders into vineyards and drinks booze straight from the bottle. Her humming and outlandish singing in films are a joy to watch, and she reminds most viewers to never take themselves too seriously in life; as well as teaching girls to never try on a wedding dress when you have food poisoning.
AND FINALLY CROSSING IN 3rd — Leslie Mann
Who would have known the lady from ‘George of the Jungle’ was going to provide me with all my weekend comedy in later life. Leslie Mann is so rude and honest in movies that you almost want to ring her for advice about work, men, and upset teenagers. She knocks all middle-aged married women out of the park in ‘The Change-up’ when her character Jamie gives away to much information to the teenage babysitter, crying at being second in her husband's life compared to his work, “For a second I might consider asking the homelessness guy at the car wash who looks like Christopherson to rub my shoulders.. and I will. and he will.” If you didn’t think her character in ‘This is 40’ was fantastic in 2012, then you hadn’t experienced her cuddled up to husband Paul Rudd as she smiled intently about different ways she would murder him if they had the chance. She does what most women want to do, like screaming at bullies at school. You go Leslie!