The Best Comedy Movie of the 90s is Streaming on Netflix in June 2024

Summary

• Robin Williams was one of the greatest comic actors of his generation.
• This crazy movie was a license for an anything goes approach to comedy.
• The reboots were good – but this movie is the funniest of the bunch.

Robin Williams was a funny man. Despite his personal struggles, he seemed to be at home every time he was on stage or screen. And we loved him for it. He was one of the biggest names in film in the 80's and 90's, and his name was always going to draw an audience. From Good Morning Vietnam to Mrs. Doubtfire, everything he touched seemed to turn to gold.

He also showed that he could take on more dramatic roles like John Keating in Dead Poets Society.

Not all of his films were universally acclaimed, however. Like this hilarious movie that debuted to mixed reviews from critics and a 63% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but was a box office hit.

The film brought a picture book to life

Based on a 1981 picture book about a fantastical board game, the movie follows the story of Allan Parrish, a young boy who finds a mystical board game and takes it home. But when he starts playing it, he unleashes stampeding elephants and rhinos (among other jungle problems) on the streets of New Hampshire.

The movie, of course, is Jumanji, rebooted by Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson for Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019).

What's it about?

In 1969, Allan Parrish found a game called Jumanji, took it home, and began playing it in his home with a friend named Sarah. Allan ended up getting sucked into the game before Sarah was chased out of the Parrish home by bats.

26 years later, two new children, Judy (Kirsten Dunst) and Peter Shepherd (Bradley Pierce), move into the old Parrish house after their parents die in an accident while on a skiing vacation in Canada. They find the game and begin to play it, bringing Alan back to the real world – but also unleashing a jungle's worth of animals.

The problem they face is that one of the rules of the game is that it must be completed. With Allan back in the real world, he can continue the game. But he also has to find Sarah if the game is to continue. Of course, Sarah was just a little bit traumatized by what happened the last time she played Jumanji and isn't too keen on getting back into it.

As the movie progresses, things continue to spiral out of control for the gang as they desperately try to finish the game, but just make things more and more chaotic.

What's so good about it?

Robin Williams was at the top of his game in Jumanji. Not only did he know how to deliver lines to perfection, but he was also a master of visual timing. Both skills are on display in Jumanji. There are also some great special effects.

Ok, the FX may not be up to much by today's standards, but let's not forget that this movie is almost 30 years old. The scenes of jungle animals trampling cars and water gushing out of houses are seamless and groundbreaking at the time. And what's not to love about a monkey stealing a police car?

It's got something for everyone, and it's a story that's far-fetched enough that anything goes, but also relatable in the sense that we've all been in those situations where everything we do just makes things worse.

Where can I watch it now?

Jumanji is coming to Netflix in June. But if you can't wait that long, it's also available to rent and buy on:

• Prime
• Apple TV+
• Google Play
• YouTube
• Fubu
• Vudu