Groundhog Day (1993)

"It's gonna be cold, it's gonna be grey, and it's gonna last you for the rest of your life."

It's always intimidating nutting one of my favorite movies because my paltry words can never come close to summating the impact it's had on my life. This classic time-loop rom-com pits Bill Murray against an eternally repeating day as he perpetually tries to get it right (a fantasy we can all relate with, if there were no consequences). This is one of those movies that grows on you as you revisit it over and over throughout the years until it can finally do no wrong. The perfect blend of darkness and despair, with lightheartedness and hope.

5 doozies out of 5

Caddyshack (1980)

Harold Ramis's classic sports comedy has a lot of good things going for it; namely Chevy Chase and Rodney Dangerfield as two freewheeling golfers crashing a stuffy old country club, but most people will undoubtedly be well acquainted with Bill Murray as the groundskeeper trying to outsmart a gopher who's digging holes throughout the green. There's a lot going on here and most of it works, so long as you're in an '80s frame of mind. It's politically incorrect, outrageous and irreverent. So it's got that going for it, which is nice.

4 pool floaters out of 5

National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)

"I must be crazy. I'm on a pilgrimage to see a moose. Praise Marty Moose!"

The classic road trip comedy about a well-meaning father (Chevy Chase) who tries to take his wife and kids on a good old-fashioned family vacation, while everything goes wrong at every turn. John Hughes adapts the memories of his youth while Harold Ramis directs the mayhem. It's down and dirty, but this film is pitch-perfect and I won't hear any differently. That's it. That's the review.

5 girls in a red Ferrari out of 5

The Three Stooges (2012)

I grew up as a dedicated Stoogehead, so the recasting was a hard sell for me, but man...this was actually a surprisingly loving effort to try and recreate the feeling of The Three Stooges for the modern era. Will Sasso in particular embodies the spirit of Curly. It's a film that is completely imperfect, but I admire it a lot for what it's trying to do, and the Farrellys were the perfect guys for the job. This kind of slapstick comedy never goes out of style.

3 eye-pokes out of 5

Wayne's World (1992)

I don't really feel the need to justify why this is a fun comedy, but it's a great example of being a product of its time and one of the best representations of the early '90s. Mike Myers and Dana Carvey bring their basement dwelling metalheads from Saturday Night Live to the big screen in a meta plot that involves adapting their public-access show for mainstream audiences. It's mostly an excuse for funny one-liners and catchphrases, but there's a lot of clever plot devices being employed here. Between this and Austin Powers, Myers dominated the '90s comedy scene. If you were a weird, grungy '90s kid, stuff like this and Beavis & Butt-Head were peak. No need to overthink it.

4 Schwings! out of 5

Note: You ever notice how many comedy posters have cloudy blue skies?

Frosty Returns (1992)

The animation company changes hands from Rankin/Bass to Bill Melendez Productions, which likely explains why this special feels so oddly Peanuts-esque. Something about it just doesn't work. Not sure if it's the awkward casting of John Goodman as the titular snowman, the uninspired plot or the dull song(s). This one caps off the "Frosty trilogy" beginning with Frosty the Snowman and Frosty's Winter Wonderland and it couldn't come soon enough.

2 Summer Wheezes out of 5