In the market for a laugh? Check out this week's lineup of comedies showing on the big screen in and around Denver.
Here are the top-ranked comedy films to catch in theaters, based on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer Score, which reflects the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics.
(Movie descriptions courtesy The Movie Database; showtimes via Fandango. Movie ratings and showtimes are subject to change.)
Matilda
An extraordinarily intelligent young girl from a cruel and uncaring family discovers she possesses telekinetic powers and is sent off to a school headed by a tyrannical principal.
With a Tomatometer Score of 90 percent and an Audience Score of 73 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, this family-friendly 1996 release is a good bet.
You can catch it at Alamo Drafthouse Sloans Lake (4255 W. Colfax Ave.) on Saturday, March 30. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
This film follows a group of high school students growing up in southern California, based on the real-life adventures chronicled by Cameron Crowe. Stacy Hamilton and Mark Ratner are looking for a love interest, and are helped along by their older classmates, Linda Barrett and Mike Damone, respectively. The center of the film is held by Jeff Spicoli, a perpetually stoned surfer dude who faces off with the resolute Mr. Hand, who is convinced that everyone is on dope.
With a Tomatometer Score of 78 percent and an Audience Score of 80 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, this '80s throwback comes with positive recommendations.
" 'Fast Times' will always be remembered for one thing: showing respect for and insight into the members of its core audience, something that was as rare in the 1980s as it is today," according to James Berardinelli of ReelViews.
Interested? It's playing at Harkins Northfield 18 (8300 E. Northfield Blvd.) on Tuesday, April 2. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
Isn't It Romantic
For a long time, Natalie, an Australian architect living in New York City, had always believed that what she had seen in rom-coms is all fantasy. But after thwarting a mugger at a subway station only to be knocked out while fleeing, Natalie wakes up and discovers that her life has suddenly become her worst nightmare — a romantic comedy — and she is the leading lady.
With a Tomatometer Score of 68 percent and an Audience Score of 51 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "Isn't It Romantic" is well worth a watch.
"Unlike other movies where women bang their heads, this one's got a brain," noted Johnny Oleksinski of the New York Post, while New York Magazine/Vulture's Bilge Ebiri said, "It's the 'Inception' of rom-coms. Sort of."
Catch it on the big screen at UA Denver Pavilions Stadium 15 & RPX (500 16th St.) through today, Thursday, March 28. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
This story was created automatically using local movie data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
