Move over Sunny Leone: 11 Hollywood sex comedies vs Mastizaade
Sunny Leone and Mastizaade are almost upon us, but the trailers don’t look to good. So here are 11 great Hollywood sex comedies. From the classics American Pie and Knocked Up to undiscovered gems like Humpday and The Overnight, they’re all here.
Sunny Leone is the gift that keeps on giving, and this weekend she returns to the theatres with her latest ‘cinematic’ offering, the much-discussed raunchy comedy Mastizaade.
We’re going to reserve judgment on the movie till we’ve actually seen the thing, but we’ve seen the trailers and they were a downright turn off. While the rest of the movie landscape in our country seems to chugging along, that can’t really be said about the so-called ‘sex comedies’ Bollywood insists on dirtying our pure minds with.
And as we ask Bollywood for a clean napkin, we wonder what led us down this sleazy path. The problem isn’t the cringey humour, just look at Michael Scott and David Brent. It’s the fact that it is done in poor taste. Agreed, we would be the first to admit that comedy is subjective, but instead of simply saying so, let us offer a few great examples of the genre for you to rationally compare these movies to.
For this list we’re going to stick with only recent movies, so no classic Woody Allen or National Lampoon, sorry. Let the purge begin.
Read: Did Akshay Kumar Airlift the plot of these 10 Hollywood movies?
Superbad (2007)
There is so much to love about Superbad. It’s incredibly quotable, filled with characters you actually care for, and you’re going to need two hands to count all the classic moments. But above all else, it’s a coming of age movie about two teenage boys on the cusp of growing up and going their separate ways in life. And let’s be honest, most of what Seth and Evan do may seem farfetched, but never unrealistic.
American Pie (1999)
American Pie is a phenomenon, and what made it special are the characters. It seems like a whole generation grew up with Jim, Oz, Kevin, Finch and Stifler. Who can forget Stifler’s mom or Jim’s dad? The fact of the matter is this movie would not work without these characters. Without them, it would just be a series of sleazy gags. The journey that you’re on with characters you want to hang out with is the reason for this series’ success and not the raunchy humour.
The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)
OK, so now would be a good time to let everyone know that a lot of this list is going to be populated by the very hirsute Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen, masters of the raunchy comedy. They’ve cracked the code. We can’t emphasise this enough, but once again, it’s Steve Carell’s hugely endearing star-making performance that won the world over. It’s a real adult romantic comedy and will be remembered for generations to come.
Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)
What happens when Kevin Smith’s trash-talking style meets Seth Rogen’s gruff likeability? The hilariously titled Zack and Miri Make a Porno let’s everyone know what they’re in for, because that’s pretty much what happens in the movie. Also, cool porno puns. Lots of them. And Kevin Smith’s favourite Star Wars bears the brunt of it: Star Whores, Empire Strikes A$$, Revenge of the S#!t… You get the drift.
Knocked Up (2007)
Once again, Apatow and Rogen collaborated to create a classic. Once again they made a bearded slob a leading man and asked the nation: What if this guy got you pregnant?
Easy A (2010)
For those who say that women can’t do raunchy comedy, we give you Easy A, the teen movie that made Emma Stone a movie star and pretty much the entire world’s object of affection. It is ‘the rumour-filled and totally false account of how (Olive Penderghast) ruined her flawless reputation,’ and turned into the school floozy/temptress/tart/harlot/flirt/trollop. And along the way, she raised some pertinent questions about gender identity and objectification of women.
Girl Next Door (2004)
Classic story of boy meets girl. Except the girl is a porn star. Elishia Cuthbert moves in next door to Emile Hirsch’ character and it’s love at first sight. We don’t blame her, she is just a sight to behold. Emile also decides to make a porn film in his own school with his friends and you can imagine how well that goes. Special mention goes to the scene where Emile is sitting in a strip club next to his father’s friend and both are so awkward on seeing each other. What’s worse is that both of them are getting a lap dance. Did we say awkward?
Friends With Benefits (2011)
Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis’ amazing chemistry in Easy A director Will Gluck’s follow up feature was enough to entice audiences. But then, the movie turned out to be surprisingly good, and that can’t hurt. It played with romantic comedy tropes and even had a Bollywood-style song and dance number at the end.
The Overnight (2015)
This one is a hidden gem from last year. Two couples meet up for a pleasant evening but things start going off the rails in a series of increasingly escalating sexual dares. By the end, all the rules have gone out the window and we’ve seen things we can’t ever unsee, like Jason Schwartzman’s prosthetic dong.
Humpday (2009)
The mumblecore movement started about 10 years ago, and Humpday is one of the best movies to come out of it. Mumblecore movies are cheap-looking, relatively unscripted and very, very raw. We’re willing to bet just the logline is enough to get you excited: Two friends who have not seen each other for ten years get involved in a mutual dare that involves them having gay sex on camera for an art project. Yes.
Trainwreck (2015)
Chances are you’ve been unable to avoid Amy Schumer for the past year or so. But her ever-present and borderline annoying internet presence notwithstanding, Trainwreck was a brave telling of a modern woman who simply does not give a toss what the world thinks of her. It’s about an independent girl who just can’t seem to commit to a partner and is, as the title suggests, a proper trainwreck. Then she runs into an equally unconventional Bill Hader and falls. Hard. Such roles are usually reserved for guys, but Schumer broke all the norms with her breakout movie.
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