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Jossy’s (2014): A Funny and Cheerful Take on Japan’s Sentai Superhero Genre
Jossy’s is a lively comedy that finds humor not only in superhero battles but also in the way its characters deal with one another. Five women are chosen to form a color-coded…
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Blended (2014): A Warm Romantic Comedy About Family
Blended brings Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore together in a family-centered romantic comedy about two single parents whose lives become unexpectedly connected. After a disastrous blind date, Jim and Lauren have no…
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The Apology King (2013): Turning Japan’s Apology Rituals into Comedy
The Apology King turns a familiar social act into an entire profession. Yuzuru Kuroshima is a professional apologist who uses carefully designed apologies to settle disputes for his clients. The cases range…
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We’re the Millers (2013): From Strangers to Something Like a Family
The title We’re the Millers suggests a family, and that gives it a warm, comforting feeling. The four people at the center of the movie, however, are not really a family at…
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The Internship (2013): An Optimistic Story About Success and Effort
The Internship is set largely in the world of Google. That setting provides the background for a story mainly concerned with success and with the effort people make in order to achieve…
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The Watch (2012): A Decent Comedy with a Touch of Sci-Fi
The Watch is a decent comedy overall. It has enough humorous moments to make you laugh from time to time. The humor gives the film a clearly comedic character and supports the…
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Key of Life (2012): A Romantic Comedy with a Darker Japanese Edge
Key of Life begins with a premise that sounds almost like a crime thriller. A struggling actor switches locker keys with a man who loses his memory after an accident at a…
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You’re Being Summoned, Azazel-san (2011): Demons Turned into Adult Comedy
You’re Being Summoned, Azazel-san is the kind of anime that earns its appeal by being consistently ridiculous. Its crude humor and adult content will not suit everyone, but both are central to…
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Zookeeper (2011): Choosing the Work That Truly Suits You
Zookeeper is a light romantic comedy built around two choices: whom to love and what kind of life to pursue. Griffin spends much of the film trying to win back Stephanie, the…
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Meet Dave (2008): A Comedy Built on a Wonderfully Strange Idea
This is a genuinely entertaining comedy. Some comedy films, especially more recent ones, can become surprisingly serious or feel more like dramas. But a comedy should, above all, be fun—and this movie…