Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, and Decembers Other Must-See Comedy Shorts
Each month, many funny videos are posted to every corner of the internet — from Twitter and Instagram to Vimeo and sometimes other weird places we’ll have trouble embedding. Because you’re busy living your life, you might miss some of these funny videos and feel left out when others bring them up in conversation. Well, worry not! We’re here to make sure you’re not listening in on conversations but leading them … as long as those conversations are about funny internet videos. Here, our favorite comedy shorts of the month.
“Fashion Designer Who Makes the Ugliest Clothes You’ve Ever Seen,” by Brian Jordan Alvarez
Fashion designer who makes the ugliest clothes you’ve ever seen #MaurionHaus pic.twitter.com/crRUsOLVqD
— Brian Jordan Alvarez (@brianjoralvarez) December 15, 2023Brian Jordan Alvarez’s latest character is a fashion designer for whom every bug is a feature — any ugly thread running along the inside of a garment could actually rhyme with another element in a way that’s very in right now. The lack of an Instagram-filter element to this guy additionally makes it all the easier to enjoy Alvarez’s extremely detailed performances.
“Four Favorite Films,” by Chris Fleming
four favorite films pic.twitter.com/WFTrgXiurv
— Chris Fleming (@chrisfluming) December 16, 2023The back-of-the-Criterion-closet searching for nonexistent titles has maybe been done, but no one’s titles are better than Chris Fleming’s, and no one else nails the physical panic of the red-carpet subjects who are asked by Letterboxd to narrow their selections down to four representative films, as if a Herculean task like that could even be possible.
“George Santos Answers Hard-Hitting Questions,” by Ziwe
Ziwe is the funniest, smartest interviewer working, and the fact that her show was canceled is a crime. Just watch the way she handles famously disgraced congressman George Santos to see why this woman deserves a Medal of Honor wrapped in a Pulitzer.
“Gold and Mud,” by Conor Dooley
“I have good days and I have bad days,” says an unseen patient of a doctor played by Ana Fabrega between sprays of mysterious expectorant. “But it’s nice to have a face again.” “Gold and Mud” follows Dr. Fabrega through snippets of her days balancing the treatment of these patients with her own tumultuous personal life, all while focused on her gradually aging face. It’s a devastating deadpan performance from Fabrega, conducted with wit and ambition by Conor Dooley. (Watch it here.)
“Hangover 4 Audition Tape,” by @victoriapand
hangover 4 audition tape :) pic.twitter.com/JBkZY8iFsL
— victoria (@victoriapand) December 15, 2023Who knows if The Hangover 4 is more or less likely to happen now that Todd Phillips is Joker-pilled and Bradley Cooper is Maestro. Still, when and/or if it happens, the role of Bitch Girlfriend will need to be filled, and here is one of many qualified actresses putting forth her candidacy for the role.
“It Was an Honor to Be Featured in the Variety Stand Up Comedy Roundtable …” by Colin Burgess
it was an honor to be featured in the @Variety Stand Up Comedy Roundtable but they sat me on the wrong side of the table pic.twitter.com/dw2zj5oiW3
— COLiN BURGESS (@Colinoscopy) November 30, 2023Capping off a good year for Hollywood media roundtable parodies, Colin Burgess finds himself cheating in and tries to rectify the situation in this short and sweet clip. Burgess should at the very least be on some kind of roundtable for his involvement in Dad & Step-Dad, one of the year’s best comedy films.
“JT Does a Good Deed,” by Montessori Boy
View this post on InstagramAbsurdist and dumb in the very best way, sketch group Montessori Boy delivers a simple, laugh-out-loud piece on a premise that’s nothing more than “a young guy makes out with some old people.” Just when we thought we’d turned grown-up, this came along and ruined everything.
Likely Stories: The Making of You Wouldn’t Believe Our World, by David Jablin
In anticipation of Spinal Tap 2’s 2024 release, producer David Jablin has unearthed and made available for free his early-’80s ode to the now-ubiquitous mockumentary form, Likely Stories. One of the shorts released is this: Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer’s first mockumentary, The Making of You Wouldn’t Believe Our World. Guest, Michael McKean, Marcia Strassman, and Shearer stun. Unsurprisingly. (Watch it here.)
“Livable Measure of Miserableness,” by Curt Neill
Curt Neill does what so many actors can’t here with an impressive performance piece in which he pulls almost every production string (as writer, director, and editor). What seems at first to be a brilliant work of existential mumblecore veers into what might be pandering, and then, ultimately, a near-perfect, totally self-aware commentary on the inescapable regularness of life.
“Mrs. Claus: The Docuseries,” by Zachariah Porter
@zzzachariahThe Mrs. Claus story you’ve been waiting for 🎄 #mrsclaus #christmas2023 #holidayszn #parody #comedy #documentary
♬ original sound - ZachariahWhether he’s a gossiping mom or a scorned Mrs. Claus, Zachariah Porter is one of the funniest original impressionists in the game right now. Just in time for Christmas, he’s serving up a real cheesy docu-drama about a disastrous love with old St. Nick.
“Santa Claus vs. Detective Alonzo,” by C. King
View this post on InstagramComedian C. King may do Denzel better than Denzel. Here, he puts his skills on full display for a Training Day send-up in which Denzel’s Oscar-winning take on Detective Alonzo Harris is reimagined and the character’s famously intricate logistical speeches are tweaked to be about getting a piece of the action from Santa Claus.
“When Future Selves Visit You,” by PayPhone Rodeo
@payphone.rodeoIntroducing PayPhone Rodeo #sketch #comedy #future #sketchcomedy
♬ original sound - PayPhone RodeoSketch group PayPhone Rodeo does what very few Instagram and TikTok comedians do right now: uses narrative sketch to heighten, as opposed to making lateral comedic moves within short crowd-work snippets or impressions. Not shading either (or any) exploitation of the medium, especially when they’re funny — we just think it’s cool to highlight some old-school sketch in a new-school form.
Like what you saw? Want to be on this monthly roundup? Show us your stuff!
Luke Kelly-Clyne is a co-head of HartBeat Independent and a watcher of many web videos. Send him yours at @LKellyClyne.
Graham Techler has contributed writing to The New Yorker and McSweeney’s Internet Tendency. Send him your videos at @gr8h8m_t3chl3r.
More From This Series
- The Best Comedy Shorts of April 2021
- Watch Gwyneth Paltrow Remember (?) Her Iconic Looks for Vogue
- The Best Comedy Shorts of March 2021
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7t8HLrayrnV6YvK57wKuropucmnynwc2nsGaumZmysL%2BMqJ1mrJiaeq67za2fZ6Ckork%3D