We are halfway through the first round. 16 teams have advanced so far, now we will set the next 16 to move forward. You will vote for matchups in The Dude and Han Solo regions. You have until midnight on Saturday to vote for your choices in those regions. Popular vote will determine which movie advances, and in the case of a tie in voting, the tiebreak score will determine who moves forward. I will do a brief rundown of each matchup that includes my vote in that matchup under a spoiler warning. Let the tournament begin!
#1 seed Animal House
#16 seed Borat
This 1 vs 16 matchup is one that sees a big difference in styles. Animal House has a deep roster of characters led by John Belushi as Bluto, with a variety of jokes to keep viewers laughing nearly 40 years following its release. Borat, on the other hand, is carried by Sacha Baron Cohen as the titular “journalist” from Kazakhstan. Borat’s mockumentary approach gives the movie plenty of laugh out loud moments and makes the viewer wonder what outrageous thing is going to happen next.
#8 seed Forgetting Sarah Marshall
#9 seed Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
The 8-9 pairing in this region pits two movies that are the sole representatives for their style of comedy in this region. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is the lone John Hughes movie to make the field, with Matthew Broaderick bringing lots of charisma to the titular 4th wall breaking slacker. On the other side, we have one of a number of hits from producer Judd Apatow, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which stars Jason Segel as a musician trying to get over his very famous ex-girlfriend. Both of these movies have a lot to enjoy, with plenty of laughs and just enough heart.
#4 seed Trading Places
#13 seed Monty Python and the Holy Grail
This is a very tough first round matchup that features a number of comedy legends at the top of their respective games. Trading Places has Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd, and Jamie Lee Curtis all in peak comedic form in a movie that seems to get funnier every time you see it. Monty Python and the Holy Grail is the Monty Python troupe’s take on King Arthur and Camelot, full of crazy characters, absurd humor, and taunting Frenchmen. While both movies are very funny, they are totally different styles of comedy, and I ultimately think this matchup may come down to which style is preferred.
#5 seed The Hangover
#12 seed Toy Story
This 5-12 matchup is about as different a pair of movies as you will see in this whole first round. The Hangover is an R-rated tale of alcohol and drug induced debauchery, with as many laugh out loud moments as any comedy in recent memory, led by a breakout performance by Zach Galiafianakis. Toy Story is the lone animated representative in this whole tournament. It was the first feature film to be entirely done with computer animation and kicked off a string of successes by Pixar that few (if any) production companies have been able to match.
#3 seed Caddyshack
#14 seed Airplane!
This matchup features two much more similar movies than the last. Caddyshack is a movie led by one of the strongest comedic foursomes in any movie in the bracket. Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, and Bill Murray are all bringing their A game in this movie, with enough quotable jokes to keep anyone laughing the whole way through. Airplane! is a spoof led by one of the masters of spoof, Leslie Nielsen, in perhaps his greatest role ever. Airplane! has jokes of all kinds flying at you at top speed.
#6 seed Anchorman
#11 seed Super Troopers
Two of the more recent inclusions in this region face off here. Anchorman is arguably Will Ferrell’s most iconic movie, with plenty of quotable lines and great comedic turns from Paul Rudd and Steve Carell to boost it. Super Troopers is the breakout movie for the Broken Lizard comedy troupe and follows an unorthodox group of state patrolmen go about their jobs, or more accurately, as they go about their shenanigans.
#2 seed The Big Lebowski
#15 seed Dazed and Confused
While this matchup may seem like one that feature two movies that don’t have much in common, I think that the Dude would feel right at home with Wooderson. The Big Lebowski is one of the Coen Brothers most popular movies, led by some of the best performances in the storied careers of Jeff Bridges and John Goodman. Dazed and Confused is a coming of age movie that tells about the last day of high school in a small town in the 1970’s where our characters’ greatest passions are sex, drugs, and rock and roll (not to mention launched the career of Matthew McConaughey).
#7 seed Blazing Saddles
#10 seed O Brother, Where Art Thou?
This is a matchup that pits two very different styles against each other, but both of these movies are beloved with good reason. Blazing Saddles is a spoof on all things western with Mel Brooks at the helm. This movie fires off jokes at a rapid pace and no topic is off limits in this sharp satire. O Brother, Where Art Thou? Is directed by the Coen Brothers and features their traditional unique sense of humor and a great soundtrack in this “modern” retelling of the Odyssey, with George Clooney as our Southern version of Odysseus.
Matchups for easier copy/paste
#1 seed Animal House
#16 seed Borat
#8 seed Forgetting Sarah Marshall
#9 seed Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
#4 seed Trading Places
#13 seed Monty Python and the Holy Grail
#5 seed The Hangover
#12 seed Toy Story
#3 seed Caddyshack
#14 seed Airplane!
#6 seed Anchorman
#11 seed Super Troopers
#2 seed The Big Lebowski
#15 seed Dazed and Confused
#7 seed Blazing Saddles
#10 seed O Brother, Where Art Thou?
#1 seed Animal House
#16 seed Borat
This 1 vs 16 matchup is one that sees a big difference in styles. Animal House has a deep roster of characters led by John Belushi as Bluto, with a variety of jokes to keep viewers laughing nearly 40 years following its release. Borat, on the other hand, is carried by Sacha Baron Cohen as the titular “journalist” from Kazakhstan. Borat’s mockumentary approach gives the movie plenty of laugh out loud moments and makes the viewer wonder what outrageous thing is going to happen next.
Ultimately, I believe there is just too much firepower for Borat to withstand. Animal House has my vote.
#8 seed Forgetting Sarah Marshall
#9 seed Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
The 8-9 pairing in this region pits two movies that are the sole representatives for their style of comedy in this region. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is the lone John Hughes movie to make the field, with Matthew Broaderick bringing lots of charisma to the titular 4th wall breaking slacker. On the other side, we have one of a number of hits from producer Judd Apatow, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which stars Jason Segel as a musician trying to get over his very famous ex-girlfriend. Both of these movies have a lot to enjoy, with plenty of laughs and just enough heart.
This is one that could go either way, but I’m voting for Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
#4 seed Trading Places
#13 seed Monty Python and the Holy Grail
This is a very tough first round matchup that features a number of comedy legends at the top of their respective games. Trading Places has Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd, and Jamie Lee Curtis all in peak comedic form in a movie that seems to get funnier every time you see it. Monty Python and the Holy Grail is the Monty Python troupe’s take on King Arthur and Camelot, full of crazy characters, absurd humor, and taunting Frenchmen. While both movies are very funny, they are totally different styles of comedy, and I ultimately think this matchup may come down to which style is preferred.
While you can’t go wrong with either of these movies, I’m going to vote for Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
#5 seed The Hangover
#12 seed Toy Story
This 5-12 matchup is about as different a pair of movies as you will see in this whole first round. The Hangover is an R-rated tale of alcohol and drug induced debauchery, with as many laugh out loud moments as any comedy in recent memory, led by a breakout performance by Zach Galiafianakis. Toy Story is the lone animated representative in this whole tournament. It was the first feature film to be entirely done with computer animation and kicked off a string of successes by Pixar that few (if any) production companies have been able to match.
This is a matchup that couldn’t be much more different, but I’m going with Toy Story.
#3 seed Caddyshack
#14 seed Airplane!
This matchup features two much more similar movies than the last. Caddyshack is a movie led by one of the strongest comedic foursomes in any movie in the bracket. Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, and Bill Murray are all bringing their A game in this movie, with enough quotable jokes to keep anyone laughing the whole way through. Airplane! is a spoof led by one of the masters of spoof, Leslie Nielsen, in perhaps his greatest role ever. Airplane! has jokes of all kinds flying at you at top speed.
Both of these are hilarious movies, but if I had to pick just one, I’m voting for Caddyshack.
#6 seed Anchorman
#11 seed Super Troopers
Two of the more recent inclusions in this region face off here. Anchorman is arguably Will Ferrell’s most iconic movie, with plenty of quotable lines and great comedic turns from Paul Rudd and Steve Carell to boost it. Super Troopers is the breakout movie for the Broken Lizard comedy troupe and follows an unorthodox group of state patrolmen go about their jobs, or more accurately, as they go about their shenanigans.
While I think Super Troopers is funny, for me, this is no contest. Anchorman.
#2 seed The Big Lebowski
#15 seed Dazed and Confused
While this matchup may seem like one that feature two movies that don’t have much in common, I think that the Dude would feel right at home with Wooderson. The Big Lebowski is one of the Coen Brothers most popular movies, led by some of the best performances in the storied careers of Jeff Bridges and John Goodman. Dazed and Confused is a coming of age movie that tells about the last day of high school in a small town in the 1970’s where our characters’ greatest passions are sex, drugs, and rock and roll (not to mention launched the career of Matthew McConaughey).
While I do enjoy Dazed, I gotta go with The Big Lebowski.
#7 seed Blazing Saddles
#10 seed O Brother, Where Art Thou?
This is a matchup that pits two very different styles against each other, but both of these movies are beloved with good reason. Blazing Saddles is a spoof on all things western with Mel Brooks at the helm. This movie fires off jokes at a rapid pace and no topic is off limits in this sharp satire. O Brother, Where Art Thou? Is directed by the Coen Brothers and features their traditional unique sense of humor and a great soundtrack in this “modern” retelling of the Odyssey, with George Clooney as our Southern version of Odysseus.
For me, I have to give it up for my boy Mel Brooks, and go with Blazing Saddles.
Matchups for easier copy/paste
#1 seed Animal House
#16 seed Borat
#8 seed Forgetting Sarah Marshall
#9 seed Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
#4 seed Trading Places
#13 seed Monty Python and the Holy Grail
#5 seed The Hangover
#12 seed Toy Story
#3 seed Caddyshack
#14 seed Airplane!
#6 seed Anchorman
#11 seed Super Troopers
#2 seed The Big Lebowski
#15 seed Dazed and Confused
#7 seed Blazing Saddles
#10 seed O Brother, Where Art Thou?
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