10 movies that just make me laugh

In honor of tomorrow's opening of "Borat," which, somehow, made it to one screen in my little corner of the world, I humbly offer this list of my 10 funniest movies of all time.

10. Zelig

"The Ku Klux Klan, who saw Zelig as a Jew, that could turn himself into a Negro and an Indian, saw him as a triple threat."
- The narrator of Zelig

There are certainly better Woody Allen movies. If I had to pick my favorite it would always be "Manhattan," but none makes me laugh harder than this mockumentary about Leonard Zelig, who could impersonate himself into just about any situation he wanted to.

9. Dazed and Confused

"All I'm saying is that if I ever start referring to these as the best years of my life - remind me to kill myself."
- Randall "Pink" Floyd

The first time I saw this, after waiting in line for about an hour for a free screening at UGA, I just didn't get it. My only thought was, "did anyone really have this much fun in high school?" Once I got past my own issues, I've watched it several times since, and it remains my favorite of Richard Linklater's films.

8. Super Troopers

"I'm sorry, Bruce. These boys get that syrup in 'em, they get all antsy in their pantsy."
- Captain O'Hagan

I know the Broken Lizard blokes are too silly for many people, but I still love them. This was how I found them, and I just found out there's a "Super Troopers 2" planned for 2008. I say bring it on.

7. "Hairspray"

"Don't you try to cast one of your voodoo spells on me, native woman."
- Prudence Pingleton

Baltimore will never again be as charming as it was in this John Waters classic, so do yourself a favor and watch it before John Travolta dons a fat suit to crap all over it next summer.

6. "Rushmore"

"But here's my advice to the rest of you: Take dead aim on the rich boys. Get them in the crosshairs and take them down."
- Herman Blume

When I was living in Salisbury, Md., for a second stretch, I once drove two and a half hours to D.C., ostensibly to see an old college friend, but mostly just to see this Wes Anderson flick. It was well worth it. It brought Bill Murray back to us, after all, and it just gets funnier each time I watch it.

From here on out, the competition gets truly heated.

5. Clerks

"It's important to have a job that makes a difference, boys. That's why I manually masturbate caged animals for artificial insemination."

I've followed Kevin Smith just about everywhere except Jersey Girl, and I've almost always been glad I did. "Clerks 2" wasn't nearly as funny as this gem, but it was still fun to see the old gang again this summer.

4. Office Space

"So I was sitting in my cubicle today, and I realized, ever since I started working, every single day of my life has been worse than the day before it. So that means that every single day that you see me, that's on the worst day of my life."
- Peter Gibbons

I find I have to watch this movie about once a month, when I've had a really long day, and it's always just the right cure. I can't believe how shoddily Mike Judge is being treated with "Idiocracy," which as far as I know has already left the few theaters it was allowed into.

3. South Park Bigger, Longer & Uncut

"That movie has warped my fragile little mind."
- Eric Cartman

I just rented the eight episodes Parker and Stone managed to make of "That's My Bush," and it only confirmed for me that, even if they do have two of the foulest mouths in the entertainment business, they also have two of the sharpest minds for political satire, especially in this very funny flick.

2. This is Spinal Tap

"You can't really dust for vomit."
- Nigel Tufnel

It' a real shame that Rob Reiner had to turn into such a douche, because with the circle of geeks I ran with in college, no movie was quoted more heavily than this one. I love it so much that it almost made it to No. 1 on this list, which is reserved for ...

1. The Snapper

Dessie Curley: "I haven't cried since I was a kid."
Sharon Curley: "You cried during the World Cup."
Dessie Curley: "Sober, Sharon! Sober!"

This one is so good that it would make two lists for me, this one and any list of my favorite books. It's Roddy Doyle's funniest work, and Stephen Frears brought the story of an unexpected baby ("snapper") and its effect on a large Dublin family to vibrant life on screen.

So, there you have it. If you haven't seen one of or more of these, I highly recommend renting all of them. And, as always, please feel free to respond with any movies that just make you laugh until it hurts.