Toni Erdmann (2016)

Toni Erdmann might just be the funniest movie I've ever seen. Some of it is stupid funny--whoopee cushions at the Cannes Film Festival. But it's not just sex jokes like the comedies we get in the US. It's three hours of pure dry humor. And it never feels long. The reason it is so long is that it drags out every joke, milking every laugh it can get from each gag. The humor is highly unexpected and refreshingly honest. As funny as it is, it is equally moving. It should be required viewing for wannabe consultants. The world of management consulting in all its glamor is casted in a less than favorable light. It's not all about money, but about happiness. Ines's father tries to make her happy, tries to make her laugh and while she isn't having it, we have a ball. My favorite scene is one in which Ines sings the entirety of the Whitney Houston classic "The Greatest Love of All," quite well I might add. Everyone in the theater was laughing hysterically. But the scene everyone is talking about is the raucous nude party. And all the promotions include the enormous Bulgarian costume that makes a side-splitting cameo.  This is a faultless brilliant romp. It was a phenomenal way to spend 3 hours.