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Top 8 Marlon Brando Comedy Movies

By Society & Culture & Entertainment Last updated Monday, April/08/2024

I'm in the minority when it comes to Marlon Brando. All of the reels of garbage he lent his name and talent to over the years more than negated any claim to his greatness as an actor. In fact, his disdain for the business of motion pictures and his audiences during, at the very least, the last half of his career, is nothing less than shameful, a waste, and not to be forgiven. At his best, he was serviceable, but more often than not he was a chore onscreen, mumbling his way to bloated paychecks.

1. "The Freshman"

(1990) The actor eked out eight comedies, but only one is worthy of unqualified recommendation. "The Freshman," no kin to the Harold Lloyd classic, is my favorite Brando picture next to "The Godfather," which this tasty Andrew Bergman farce spoofs to good measure, mixing exotic animals with fine dining. The Coppola-Puzo crime saga is an obsession of film student Matthew Broderick, so when he meets his girl's powerful father, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Don Corleone, hijinks begin.

2. "Guys and Dolls"

(1955) To date, "Guys and Dolls" is best seen on the stage, where it can be an exuberant, wonderfully pleasing experience. Producer Samuel Goldwyn's musical-comedy epic, commingling gamblers and missionaries, is sadly misguided with Brando. While it's interesting to watch him -- for a moment -- in an unexpected, lightweight turn, viewer's doom floods in for the 150 minutes duration. Yipes, feeble throated Marlon Brando singing with Frank Sinatra, The Voice of the 20th century? That ain't right.

3. "The Teahouse of the August Moon"

(1956) My memory has faded on "Teahouse," quite deservedly, as I recall, but critic Leonard Maltin remembers the outing more fondly: "Outstanding comedy scripted by John Patrick from his hit play of army officers involved with Americanization of post-WW2 Okinawa. A warm and memorable film." Brando has been quoted as saying he was miscast and the resulting movie is horrible.

4. "Candy"

(1968) Buck Henry's motion picture adaptation of Terry Southern and Mason Hoffenberg's notorious sexcapade novel is an outrageous, although uneven romp. Marlon Brando shares billing with big name co-stars, appearing in a standalone chunk as one of the lovely, young Candy's growing menagerie of lovers. Walter Matthau, Richard Burton, John Huston, James Coburn, Charles Aznavour, and Ringo Starr drop by, too. The whole project was a hot deal at the time, but is rarely mentioned today.

5. "Bedtime Story"

(1964) This mild, routine sophisticated Hollywood comedy of its day is, oddly enough, the source material for the much funnier con men remake, "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" (1988). Now, imagine Marlon Brando as Steve Martin. In comic comparison, the thought is numbing. Brando isn't even in the same universe with Martin's performance. See "Bedtime Story" for a novelty, if you've enjoyed or plan to see "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" -- also, for the smooth presence of David Niven and Shirley Jones.

6. "Don Juan DeMarco"

(1995) Johnny Depp is Don Juan. Roger Ebert says, as his doctor, "Brando doesn't so much walk through this movie as coast, in a gassy, self-indulgent performance no one else could have gotten away with. Having long since proved he can be one of the best actors in movie history, he now proves he can be one of the worst. That's a shame, really, because 'Don Juan DeMarco' is the kind of delicate, oddball fantasy that could have been charming, without Brando's petulant presence spoiling the fun."

7. "A Countess From Hong Kong"

(1967) This movie should have never been made. It is the final effort of writer-producer-director Charles Chaplin, 78, who returned to the camera after 10 years to mount a lavish shipboard romantic comedy. Time, sadly, had passed him by, compounded by his stultifying mistake of choosing Brando and the nearly as zany Sophia Loren as his humor torch bearers. Talkies were always problematic for Chaplin and here is the sound of no one laughing.

8. "Free Money"

(1998) Huh? I've never heard of it! The Internet Movie Database says, "Walrus-like warden, Sven 'Swede' Sorenson, a cross between Bluto and Wimpy, runs the prison, murders convicts who escape, and has the FBI on his trail. ... Swede's twins tell [him] they're pregnant ... so he pushes their dim boyfriends ... into shotgun marriages." The lads plan a train robbery to avoid slave labor. With Donald Sutherland, Charlie Sheen, and Mira Sorvino. Well, kick me in the butt, Marlon, but I'd like to see this.

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