At least we’ve been spared the ‘hilarious’ corporate April Fools’ jokes this year. Watch some prank-tastic films instead, from the comfort of your lockdown home.
Here are my 3xFILMS for today:
Classic / Dumb and Dumber has some of the funniest pranks in film history, but you’ve already seen it a million times. So how about giving THIS IS SPINAL TAP (1984) a spin? One of the most committed mockumentaries ever made, it takes the idea of a setup to 11.
Crowdpleaser / A prank on Ben Affleck is clearly head and shoulders above all others. There’s never a bad time for DAZED AND CONFUSED (1993), and rewatching the future Batman being outwitted by some teens. And right now, basking in the glow of carefree youth and the arrival of a 70s summer is the perfect tonic.
Wildcard / If we take deception into the realm of conmen, there are endless excellent options, such as the beautifully assembled and vastly underrated Matchstick Men. We could even put on Monty Python classic The Life of Brian, with its lead’s identity theft of Jesus Christ himself, albeit accidental. But for sheer balls-to-the-wall audacity, there’s only one winner: COMPLIANCE (2012), a shocking real-life con story that will actually leave you dazed and confused. Approach with caution.
MS