By 2006 Sacha Baron Cohen had been playing Borat for years, but the movie is what burst the character into the American comedy pantheon, and helped expose things about America that weren't so obvious 15 years ago.
Austin Butler's 'Elvis' biopic has been getting all the attention but my favorite Elvis movie remains 'Bubba Ho-Tep', an absurdist horror-comedy where he's secretly lived past his "official" death and fights a mummy.
Released 20 years ago, the Eddie Griffin-led 'Undercover Brother' arrived as a loving tribute and parody of '70s blaxploitation films; consistently funny with one of the best soundtracks since the turn of the century.
The early 2000s were a very different time. That's one of the only explanations for the existence of 'Freddy Got Fingered' ― the unreconstructed comedic id of Tom Green.
In the quarter-century since the original's release, the 'Mission: Impossible' series has continued, still with Cruise in the lead role, and still doing amazing stunt, only getting crazier with each entry. But that first film is still a winner that holds up today.
'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' was largely believed to be unfilmable, and while it turned out to be mostly true, the Johnny Depp-led adaptation has developed a significant cult fanbase.
25 years ago, Billy Bob Thornton wrote himself a career-best role in 'Sling Blade', directed the movie himself, and rode it to an Oscar and a lengthy period of unlikely stardom; while also helping usher in the '90s indie dream.
The year 1996 was a huge one for unheralded indie movies, and one of the best of all was 'Big Night'; a story about the American immigrant experience, brotherly bonds, and some of the most mouth-watering food ever seen on screen.
At first glance 'Dead Man Walking' looks like a typical piece of liberal Hollywood message-based filmmaking, but the film is different from others in the genre in quite a few key ways and 25 years after its release, it's every bit as devastating as it was upon arrival.
Released in 1997 and directed by Luc Besson, 'The Fifth Element' was really two films (one much better than the other), but whose stunning visuals and fun-filled ride still stand out today.
While 'Jingle All the Way' was far from Arnold Schwarzenegger's biggest hit, it's absurd comedy, strong cast, and meme-worthy 'Turbo Man' antics have firmly planted it among TV's yearly Holiday rotation, and it's more than worth a revisit.
Made in 1993, 'CB4' was a consistently funny satire of the hip-hop music and culture of that specific era and likely Chris Rock's best movie he played a lead role in.
There's a lot of humor to be mined from the idea of Hollywood coastal elites descending on a small town to make a movie, and in December of 2000, David Mamet's State and Main executed that formula flawlessly.
Dylan Kidd's 'Roger Dodger' didn't exactly make a huge splash when it landed in the fall of 2002 but it's a movie with a hell of a hook that's always stayed with me after I saw it.
Released 20 years ago this week 'Death to Smoochy' arrived as a deeply dark and cynical comedy that appears to have been written by someone whose kids got really into Barney and drove their parents to homicidal fantasy.
If you can get past the part about one of the main characters being named "Isis," 'Bring It On' holds up incredibly well.
'The Birdcage' wouldn’t be all that shocking if it came out now, but 25 years ago, it was a truly watershed thing to be the subject of a highly popular studio comedy.
'Starship Troopers', much like Paul Verhoeven's earlier film 'Robocop', had a pretty clear message of anti-fascism that, also like his earlier film, often got lost on viewers.
'A Life Less Ordinary' was Danny Boyle and Ewan McGregor's follow-up to 'Trainspotting,' and while it wasn't nearly the hit that was, it led to a lot of subsequent success for everyone involved.
In 1996's savage satire 'Citizen Ruth', Alexander Payne and lead star, Laura Dern, did the near impossible: make a successful movie about abortion, and make it a comedy to boot.
'Primary Colors' occupies a strange place in the canon of American movies about politics. An unfortunate flop that was released right in the middle of the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky scandal.
While not nearly the cultural phenomenon that 'Pulp Fiction' was, Tarantino's 'Jackie Brown' was an extremely enjoyable film with first-rate dialog, that helped fuel the comeback of a couple '70s stars.
'Cop Land', released 25 years ago, was a relatively run-of-the-mill cop corruption thriller that's distinguished by featuring one of the best casts ever assembled for a crime film.
On Earth Day 30 years ago there was a star-studded prime time special known as 'The Earth Day Special.' It was weird as hell, full of big name celebrities, and even bigger levels of cringe, but, it’s indisputable that we’d all be in a better spot right now if we’d listened Bette Midler.