Simply, Guardians of the Galaxy is the most fun I had at the movies all year.  It's a top 10 overall film for me, but I decided to put it in the Comedy category mainly because it deserves to be listed as #1 on one of my lists.  It also happens to be one of the funniest films of the year. Guardians really isn't about the story, it's about these quirky misfits and how they band together to save the galaxy.  Guardians is my favorite Marvel film and part of that is because more than any of the other Marvel films, it doesn't take itself nearly as serious.  I can't wait to blast off into space and travel the galaxy with these fun characters in the next film.

Jump Street is one of the funniest comedies of the year and has turned into a legitimate action/comedy franchise.  The film is carried by the fantastic chemistry between Hill and Tatum.   22 Jump Street also mines tons of laughs by winking at the camera and poking fun at the cliches that plague most sequels.  Jump Street is a formulaic buddy cop comedy that feels fresh and fun.  It has succeeded where many sequels fail and that is in elevating the level of comedy and surpassing the original.  As a bonus treat, Jump Street features the best end-of-credits scene I've seen all year.

The premise for St. Vincent isn’t particularly original.  The grumpy loner with a heart of gold has been done countless times by Hollywood.  What elevates the somewhat tired subject matter is Bill Murray.  It’s the kind of role he’s made a living playing and it’s easily one of his best performances in years.  Murray’s character softens, but never quite changes, which turns out to be oddly comforting.  The boy is played by newcomer Jaeden Liberher and his performance turns out to be one of the highlights of the film.  The cast is rounded out by a wacky performance by Naomi Watts who plays a foul-mouthed pregnant prostitute.  Despite the familiar plot, St. Vincent has quite a few funny moments, as well as its fair share of heartfelt ones.  In a year light on comedies, St. Vincent stands out.

The Lego Movie came out so long ago (February) that I almost forget to include it on my list.  It's the best animated film of the year and one of the best of the last few years.  It tells the story of Emmet Brickowoski, played by Chris Pratt (yes, his big year started before Guardians of the Galaxy).  Emmet is an ordinary Lego construction worker that finds out he's "special" and helps save the world.  It's a common plot device among epic films, but The Lego Movie has tons of fun with the premise.  There's also a lot of pop culture references that only an adult would understand.  The Lego Movie is more than an add for the toys, it's a clever film with more than its share of laughs.

Like St. Vincent, Bad Words is another one of those men-behaving-badly films where the main character is often softened by a young child.  Bad Words is the most unflinching of those films. Jason Bateman stars and makes his directorial debut as Guy Trilby, a bitter loser who finds a loophole that allows him to enter a grade school Spelling Bee.  Much of the laughs come from Bateman's ruthless jokes aimed directly at his competitors, it's especially brutal since they are young children.  Bateman usually plays the kind hearted straight man, so it was nice to see him step outside the box. The film finds its emotional core when Guy befriends a precocious Indian Spelling Bee prodigy named Chaitanya Chopra, played by Rohan Chand.  Chopra's sunny personality and childlike demeanor can't help but warm Guy's Grinch-like heart.  Bad Words is wickedly funny and surprisingly warm.