A Funny Business

Re last week’s “AFI’s 100 Years of Laughs” on CBS:

I realize the AFI’s top 100 comedy movies list is subjective, but isn’t it obvious this list is missing: “The Russians Are Coming,” “The In-Laws,” “Naked Gun,” “The President’s Analyst,” “Roger & Me,” “S.O.B.,” “Roxanne,’ “Stripes” and “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid”?

And, given the inclusion of movies like “Big,” “Shampoo,” “Good Morning, Vietnam,” “The Heartbreak Kid,” “Bull Durham” and “American Graffiti,” shouldn’t the list also include “Little Big Man,” “Network,” “Putney Swope,” “The Stunt Man,” “The Skin Game,” “Down and Out in Beverly Hills,” “A Hard Day’s Night,” “Nashville,” “Brewster McCloud” and “The Player”? And what of the recent “Bulworth,” “Wag the Dog,” “Election,” “The Big Lebowski,” “EdTV” and the ever-popular “American Beauty”?

What to bump? Those uproarious comedies “The Thin Man,” “Auntie Mame,” “Beetlejuice” and “Moonstruck” come to mind. The excellent action movie “Beverly Hills Cop” could go--”Coming to America” and “Bowfinger” were funnier because, well, they were comedies.

That still leaves out Jim Carrey. And the Three Stooges. As the saying goes, making lists is easy. Comedy is hard.

GARY GORDON

Venice

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