Guest Author - Sarah Fierro

Last year placed movies like The Dark Knight, Iron Man, and Indiana Jones 4 in the top 3 sales at box offices across the country. Even with high competition, fans who attended theaters in 2008 put Get Smart and Step Brothers at the top of comedy movie lists.

Get Smart featured Steve Carell as Maxwell Smart and Anne Hathaway as Agent 99. Dwayne Johnson costarred as Agent 23. Max is a researcher for a secret government agency who wants to become one of the agents he admires. When he gets his chance, Max has to prove he can carry the weight of his new name, Agent 86.

In Step Brothers, Will Ferrell as Brennan Huff and John C. Reilly as Dale Doback play grown men who never moved out on their own. They are tossed into the same world when Brennan’s mother and Dale’s father get married. Living together is a challenge, especially when their parents tell them to find jobs and take control of their lives.

I have to agree with the numbers for 2008. Though commercials made it seem like a children’s movie, Get Smart actually had a little humor for everyone. Audience members seemed to be of varied ages and everyone was laughing! I don’t recall a dry spell in the movie. Step Brothers was much anticipated and luckily for the writers, it didn’t disappoint. Commercial creators saved the funniest parts for the big screen. Good call, because it assured the movie stayed afloat the entire running time. Will Ferrell was hilarious as always, and I can’t wait to see him work with John C. Reilly again!

Both of these featured films are great additions for your comedy movie collection.

Pineapple Express is the Editor’s honorable mention for 2008. I first saw an advertisement for the movie on You Tube through a friend. The creators used internet outlets in an innovative way to build anticipation. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg wrote the screenplay for Pineapple Express, with Rogen also playing a part as Dale Denton.

Dale is the main character chasing the best drugs on the market. The story line gets jumbled at some points, and there is heavy violence and some adult references. The movie isn’t appropriate for younger crowds.

Get Smart brought $130 million and Step Brothers more than $100 million in box offices. You Don’t Mess With the Zohan came in close behind at $100 million. Pineapple Express, Role Models, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall also made it onto top movie lists.