Funniest War Movies

Over the years cinema have provided some of the best and most realistic war movies that's it's no surprise that this remains one of the most popular genres of film.

But every so often you have to laugh at the situation of war and there have been a handful of movies that have done exactly that.

And this week Men Who Stare At Goats continues that trend. So because the movie is released this week we decided to take a look at some of the funniest war movies.

2008 saw some of the most famous comedy actors band together for war movie Tropic Thunder, Robert Downey Jr, Ben Stiller and Jack Black all together was a sure fire hit.

The trio banter well together and Downey Jr as an African American platoon Sergeant is comedy gold, Brandon T. Jackson as rapper turned actor Alpa Chino is also a great bit of casting.

Also the performance by Tom Cruise is great, if a little bit weird, as the overweight and foul mouthed film producer Les Grossman. But lets face it there are few A-list actors that can happily send themselves up.

The film draws on classic scenes from some of the most famous war movies, Stiller as Willem Dafoe from Platoon is great, as well as mocking the self centeredness of actors and the absurdity of Hollywood.

There really are some moments of comic grandeur in Tropic Thunder but it's unable to sustain it over the whole movie which is a shame.

The 1970 movie M*A*S*H went on to spawn the highly successful, and very popular, TV show, and was based on 1968 novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors, by Richard Hooker.

The movie followed a group of Mobile Army Surgical Hospital officers as they perform surgery and pass the time just miles from the front lines of the Korean conflict.

Led by sardonic captains "Hawkeye" Pierce (Donald Sutherland) and "Trapper" John McIntyre (Elliott Gould), the film has the feel of an absurd three-ring circus.

The film reflected the American counterculture's growing distrust of religion and government in the late 1960s and early 1970s, resulting in one of the biggest box office smashes of its time.

Despite being the only feature film in the franchise it was a breath of fresh air to the war movie genre as it battled against this idea that war had to be a serious event.

The movie was a ballsy and sassy and reflected the rebellious spirit of the 1970s. It went on to nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture.

Over the years the war movie has very much been a male dominated genre of film but all that changed in 1980 with the release of Private Benjamin starring Goldie Hawn.

After Judy Benjamin's husband dies on their wedding night, the ditzy Jewish American Princess decides to enlist in the army. Of course, she's been misled by an unscrupulous recruiter, and expects a tropical vacation and other niceties.

Benjamin instantly receives a reality check during basic training, conducted by the snarling Capt.

Doreen Lewis, who revels in cutting the spoiled snob down to size. But as Private Benjamin endures the rigours of the military, she gradually becomes transformed into a disciplined soldier... and woman.

Private Benjamin is Goldie Hawn at her comic best and, once again, the lighter side of military life was on display, which is always nice to see.

Hawn was at the height of her box office power at this time and of course this film was a huge hit at the box office and she was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar.

Other comedy war movies that are well worth checking out include Stripes, Major Payne.

The Men Who Stare At Goats is released 6th November

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw