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Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder

Here we have two men who only worked on three movies together. But what movies they were! The Producers, Blazing Saddles, and Young Frankenstein are not only three great comedies, but, I'm willing to wager, the three best comedies Mel Brooks ever made. Yes, I have a soft spot for Spaceballs and Silent Movie, but those three movies are among the best comedies of the past 50 years. I can remember perfectly the first time I saw Blazing Saddles, mostly because of exactly how hard I was laughing all the way through (yes, most people are baffled by the ending, but it's just the right amount of absurd for me). Young Frankenstein is as funny as Blazing Saddles, while also seeming oddly grounded in reality. The Producers is the film that got Brooks a rare Oscar nomination, and Wilder's first major comedic film role.

Though Brooks has worked with many other actors more often, such as Harvey Korman, Madeline Kahn, and Dom DeLuise, the most amount of success he's had with repeat actors is with Wilder. Though The Producers and Young Frankenstein have both had their reputations changed because of the recent Broadway musicals, these films stand the test of time. It's just unfortunate that both Brooks and Wilder have chosen to avoid the spotlight in years past; Wilder showed up on Will & Grace, and Brooks appeared on Curb Your Enthusiasm, but they've not worked in over 30 years. I hesitate to say that, were they to meet up again, the results would be as hilarious, but I'm almost willing to let the result be awful, if only Wilder and Brooks met again. There's nothing wrong with trying to recapture the old magic.

Wes Anderson and Bill Murray

During the 1970s and 1980s, Bill Murray was known as the laconic, wisecracking lead of such classic comedies as Stripes, Ghostbusters, and Groundhog Day. After Groundhog Day, Murray's career took a bit of break; once he met up with quirky director Wes Anderson, though, his career hit a second wind, despite changing his persona into a stone-faced dramatic lead. He and Anderson have collaborated on five films: Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Darjeeling Limited, and Fantastic Mr. Fox. Though it took Murray a job with another quirky director, Sofia Coppola, to get an Oscar nomination, I can't help but get angry at the idea that the Oscars didn't even nominate Murray's performance in Rushmore.

It's no surprise that because of his success with Anderson, he was able to make Lost in Translation (another BOP favorite) and make more mainstream audiences aware of the fact that he could - big shock - act with the big boys. Though his lead performance in The Life Aquatic was met with more tepid response (though it's not a great Anderson film, the performance is excellent), Murray and Anderson have worked hard at creating prickly, father-figure characters who long for emotion while masking their wishes. His last two films with Anderson haven't been exactly the same; he's got a blink-and-miss-him role in The Darjeeling Limited and provides the voice of a badger in Fantastic Mr. Fox. Still, the reason why Bill Murray is remembered as more than just snarky Dr. Peter Venkman is partly because of Wes Anderson's gifted writing and directing.

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