Summer Laughin' had me a blast

Yes, we have a spectacular selection of summer blockbusters on the horizon but this summer is also a dream for comedy fans. Fans of 2005 hit The Wedding Crashers will be particularly interested in The Internship (4 July). Reuniting Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn as two salesmen who  take an internship (hence the title) at Google. It also features a cracking support cast including Rose Byrne and John Goodman, so expect box office to rival Vaughn and Wilson’s previous outing.

A buddy comedy with a more female slant hits right at the end of July as Bridesmaids director Paul Feig re-teams with comedy star of the moment, Melissa McCarthy for The Heat. McCarthy plays an uncouth detective who has to team up with FBI agent Sandra Bullock. The two couldn’t be more different and many laughs ensue, you know the drill. However, with that line-up and a big screen return for Tom Wilson aka Biff Tannen, it can’t fail to be funny.

UK comedy gets in on the act in August with two potentially HUGE titles. First up on 7 August  is the big screen debut of one of the all-time great comedy characters, Alan Partridge. Details on the plot are sketchy but all the best people from the TV show are involved and the title alone is enough to generate mirth, Alan Partridge:  Alpha Papa. A week later sees the release of the final part in the unofficial cornetto trilogy (Shaun Of The Dead, Hot Fuzz), Edgar Wright’s The World’s End. Once again, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost take the leads but this time they’re joined by Martin Freeman, Rosamund Pike and Paddy Considine. With that pedigree, the film could fly. On 23 August, it’s back to the US as Jason Sudeikis and Jennifer Aniston join forces for Dodgeball director Rawson Marshall Thurber in We’re The Millers. With a supporting cast including Ed Helms, Nick Offerman and Emma Roberts, hopes are deservedly high for this one.

Older comedy fans are catered for too with the all-star The Big Wedding (29 May), featuring a cast that includes Robert De Niro, Susan Sarandon, Diane Keaton and Robin Williams. Shakespeare makes a comeback too in the unlikely hands of Avengers Assemble director, Joss Whedon with Much Ado About Nothing (14 June). It’s been a hit at every festival it’s played at and features a cast of Whedon regulars. Finally, Bridesmaids star Kristen Wiig returns with black comedy Girl Most Likely (26 July). With such a strong line-up, we’re going to spend the summer alternating between awe at the blockbusters and clutching our aching sides.