The 2000s were a big year for comedy movies, with several big names like Will Ferrell, Sacha Baron Cohen and Judd Apatow, and many others introducing their own unique styles to the genre. This was one of the more experimental decades in comedy, and a number of modern classics were made, though just as many flops were made as well.
The comedies below failed to be met with the same level of praise as the more acclaimed hits of the decade for one reason or another. Maybe they didn’t take enough advantage of their potential for laughs or were just too strange to be comedies in general. But by remaking them, they can reach their full potential and stand shoulder to shoulder with other great comedies in the near future.
Problematic plots are discussed ahead. Please proceed with caution.
9 Cursed Deserves Another Stabbing Chance
2005’s Wes Craven horror comedy Cursed was meant to do for werewolf films what Scream did for slasher movies, but numerous production delays, including reshoots, script changes, and a change in rating, led to the film coming out not at all how the director intended. With a release of the original cut still up in the air, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for the film to get a remake instead.
Bringing on Williamson to be involved so as to get the story, characters, and dark humor just right could more than make up for the unsuccessful original.
8 Envy Could Make Other Dark Comedies Jealous
Ben Stiller and Jack Black headlined this 2004 dark comedy about best friends Tim (Stiller) and Nick (Black), with Nick creating an invention that brings him and his family an absurd amount of fame and wealth. Tim, who passed on investing in Nick’s idea and misses out on the wealth, grows extremely envious of his friend. His jealousy soon results in a terrible accident, making Tim go to ludicrous extremes as a means of covering the accident up.
While the film has a decent premise and some over-the-top commentary on wealth and consumerism, the execution doesn’t fully stick the landing and, in fact, goes a slight bit too far with its darkness. Perhaps a remake that offers up a modern satirical critique of class inequality while also feeling more cohesive and less off-putting as a dark comedy could be more effective than the original film.
7 Gigli Could Become A Great Comedy, Believe It Or Not
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With Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez once again an item these days, it’s not hard to remember Gigli, a 2003 romantic crime comedy starring the two of them that was rightly savaged by critics and audiences when it came out. But despite the film’s many problems, there is room for the kind of improvement that a remake could provide.
The original Gigli was directed by Martin Brest, who has also helmed great buddy cop action comedies like Midnight Run and Beverly Hills Cop. A remake of Gigli could succeed by being much more in line with those films by focusing more heavily on the comedy dynamic between the low-level gangster and his hostage, who is the brother of a federal prosecutor. The difference with a remake is that the gangster could be much more incompetent and laughably chauvinistic while his hostage wouldn’t be mentally challenged and instead be a great deal smarter than his captor. A brilliant female police officer could be sent on their trail, forcing the gangster and his hostage on the run, all while they try to outwit each other.
5 Surviving Christmas Should Actually Live Up To Its Title
Another failed Ben Affleck comedy film from this era was Surviving Christmas, which focuses on a lonely yet rich ad executive (Affleck) who pays the family (James Gandolfini, Catherine O’Hara, Josh Zuckerman) living in his childhood house to let him spend Christmas with them, forcing them to reenact all of the holiday traditions he grew up with – whether they like it or not – while also striking up a romance with the family’s eldest daughter (Christina Applegate). The film has good intentions but doesn’t quite work as a light-hearted, feel-good comedy.
A remake could easily fix this, however. Given its odd premise, though, Surviving Christmas might work better as a dark horror comedy, in which the ad executive is initially friendly and well-meaning before eventually going to violent extremes when his demands aren’t met. The family would need to fight for their lives against this intruder or risk not surviving Christmas.
4 License To Wed Should Be A Creepier Comedy
The Robin Williams film License to Wed sees the late comedian play a reverend who only agrees to marry a young couple (John Krasinski and Mandy Moore) if they can pass a prenuptial course based on his rules. This course – which includes Williams bugging the couple’s house so that he can listen to all of their conversations – drives a wedge between the couple in the worst ways possible.
It’s an especially creepy premise, made even more so by the fact that the reverend – in spite of his terrible actions – is supposed to be the good guy. A remake that reworks the story to be much more of a darkly funny thriller would rightly have the reverend as the villain, with the groom as the hero that makes everyone see how twisted he really is.
3 40 Days and 40 Nights Could Work Better Now Than In 2002
Josh Hartnett started in this 2002 comedy with a unique premise, in that it’s about a guy who decides to get over a breakup by not engaging in any kind of sex or stimulation over the course of the 40 days of Lent. Things become more difficult when he meets and falls in love with another woman, on top of both his ex coming back into the fold while his friends and co-workers take bets on how long he can abstain from sex.
It’s rare to see a film revolving around the tribulations of sex in relationships from a male point-of-view, but 40 Days and 40 Nights has no interest in exploring this idea in a nuanced way. It’s an understatement to say that this film hasn’t aged well at all, with sexual harassment, assault, objectifying women, and an attempt at drugging Hartnett’s character with Viagra all falling under what this film considers jokes. A modern remake that takes a more thoughtful approach to its original premise and uses humor to dismantle notions of toxic masculinity regarding sex would definitely be welcome.
2 Evolution Shouldn’t Just Be A Clone Of Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman helmed this 2001 sci-fi action comedy about a meteor crash in Arizona that gives birth to a variety of aliens that can evolve into a variety of different forms like dragons and apes. These alien sightings attract the attention of the military along with a group of scientists and average joes who team up to take care of the alien creatures and prevent them from destroying Arizona.
Evolution isn’t too different from Ghostbusters—in that it has a cast of eccentric characters dealing with an otherworldly threat—but it fails to have as many funny moments or iconic characters as the 1984 classic, settling instead for cliched gags and rampant sexism. The idea of a group of people fighting aliens that evolve into all kinds of creatures still sounds like a fun comedy however and a remake that manages to be different from Ghostbusters while also being funny, smart, and not sexist would be a winner with the right creative team.
1 A New Take On My Super Ex-Girlfriend Could Expand The Superhero Genre
In the midst of the superhero boom that started in the early 2000’s, comedy movies that featured superheroes were pretty common. This included the ill-fated My Super Ex-Girlfriend starring Luke Wilson as a guy dealing with the wrath of his vengeful ex (Uma Thurman) who happens to be the world’s biggest superhero. This kind of premise is ripe with potential but the film squanders it and instead reduces its characters – particularly its female ones – to offensive stereotypes.
With superheroes now more popular than ever, the door's been opened for new stories to be told within the genre and a remake of My Super Ex-Girlfriend that explores gender dynamics in a funny and insightful way could be just what the doctor ordered.