Humor is a funny thing. Some types of comedy, such as slapstick, are universally beloved by people of all countries.
Other forms of comedy are massive successes in their native countries but can become lost on some international viewers.
Funniest European Comedy Movies
Europe has a rich history of creating comedic movies, but which ones appeal as much to the rest of the world as they do to their home countries?
Here’s a look at four of the funniest European comedy movies of all time.
Mr. Bjarnfreðarson
In Iceland, this movie beat Avatar at the box office on its opening weekend. Mr. Bjarnfreðarson is the most-watched Icelandic film of all time, and it has won 11 Edda Awards.
To be fair, the 2009 film had already built up a following before it was even released, because it is a sequel to an extremely popular Icelandic TV series.
The movie follows Georg, who is a son, a father, and, er, a communist megalomaniac.
Georg has a chronic compulsion to control his environment, but he finds it very difficult to control his own life.
That conflict causes exciting and hilarious events that any viewer won’t forget in a hurry.
Sällskapsresan
Although not widely known outside of Sweden, this 1980 comedy movie has become a classic in the Scandinavian country, and it often tops polls for the best Swedish film ever made.
The plot concerns an old-fashioned geeky Swede called Stig-Helmer Olsson who flies to Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands, despite his fear of flying.
Before Stig-Helmer embarks on his trip, he sees psychiatrist Dr. Levander, to receive treatment for his phobia.
Levander isn’t the professional Stig-Helmer expects, though.
So, it’s not long before Levander has conned the protagonist into smuggling money, although Stig-Helmer believes he is simply delivering a Christmas present to Dr. Levander’s aunt.
Sällskapsresan became so popular in Sweden that it spawned five sequels and even a musical stage production.
Der Schuh des Manitu
“The Shoe of Manitou” is a 2001 German parody of western cowboy movies.
It’s an adaptation of a series of comedy sketches that first appeared on Germany’s TV show Bullyparade, and its humor is reminiscent of Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles.
But it also consists of the anachronisms, derisions, and incoherencies that are often found in German comedy.
Der Schuh des Manitu has seen approximately 11.7 million cinema-goers flock to the silver screen, and it has grossed around $70 million at the box office, making it one of the most successful German movies of all time.
Welcome to the Sticks
For whatever reason, Hollywood comedies rarely become the biggest box office sensations.
But that’s not true of movies from other countries. This 2008 French comedy film is the highest-grossing movie of all time in France.
Welcome to the Sticks follows a post office administrator, called Philippe Abrams, who is living a comfortable life in a small and charming town in the south of France.
Things soon change, though. When Abrams is caught trying to con an inspector, he is banished from the idyllic town to a distant unknown town in the far north of the country.
The hero of the story is prepared for the worst. But once he arrives in the new town, he realizes that it’s very different from how he imagined.
Welcome to the Sticks has won numerous awards, including Audience Award for Best Film at the European Film Awards. It has also spawned an Italian and a Dutch remake.
Although there were plans to make an English language version, with rumors of Will Smith taking the lead role, the project was abandoned in 2015.
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