The Party (1968)

The Party is one of those films that was once at the top of anyone's "best comedies ever!!!!!" lists, but have since been forgotten and lost in a sea of mediocrity.

If more people would see it today, there would be a greater agreement about the crappiness of films like Anchorman, Hangover, Meet the Fockers, Dinner for Schmucks, Get Him to the Greek, and all the other almost-funny-but-not-quite comedies that are lodged in so many current lists as these.

Part of what makes The Party so good is that it appears not to try that hard. It doesn't go for cheap laughs from the first second, and don't mess around with gross-out humor. In fact, the first half hour or so is not funny at all, and after a while you'll probably start thinking bad things about me, for recommending this film. But then... slowly but surely, the insanity mounds.

Peter Sellers does what he does better than anybody else, in making a goofy character seem real and believable while balancing it just at the top of your funny bone, without taking it too far.

If you still need more convincing before you check it out, know that the Danish translated the title into "Wash my Elephant!" Who wouldn't want to see that?

IMDB