10 Quirky Comedies: ‘Serial Mom’

“Serial Mom” (1994) – Life appears normal in the Baltimore suburbs, and so do the Sutphins.  Dad (Sam Waterston) is a successful dentist, Mom (Kathleen Turner) is a prideful homemaker, and their kids Misty (Ricki Lake) and Chip (Matthew Lillard) are well-adjusted teens, but yes, accompanied with their own sets of issues.  Well, there is one glaring difference between the Sutphins and most other families:  Mom is a serial killer. Director/writer John Waters throws a monkey wrench in the form of Kathleen Turner into a sea of manicured neighborhoods, flea…

10 Quirky Comedies: ‘Waking Ned Devine’

“Waking Ned Devine” (1998) –  In the little Irish town of Tullymore (population: 52), someone won the national lottery!  But who?  Jackie (Ian Bannen) did not strike gold, but he hopes that the lucky ticket holder will share some of the winnings with him!  Sure, why not?  In writer/director Kirk Jones’s wonderful charmer, Jackie recruits his best friend Michael (David Kelly) to help acquire a portion of the money, but they step into knotty complications. Jones bathes the screen with Ireland’s cultural riches (even though he filmed his movie on…

10 Quirky Comedies: ‘Toni Erdmann’

“Toni Erdmann” (2016) – “To a father growing old, nothing is dearer than a daughter.” – Euripides Winfried (Peter Simonischek) is a piano teacher.  With a rumpled wardrobe and a full mop of silver hair, this 60-something gives lessons in his home and plays the black and white keys for recitals at a local school.  During one particular number, the children mark themselves in zombie makeup and dedicate a song to an outgoing administrator.  The lyrics “here today, gone tomorrow” stand out during the piece, while Winfried – also caked in…