Although they do have their fans, Broken Lizard can't seem to get a break from the critics. The troupe behind Super Troopers, Club Dread and now Beerfest continually garner low scores at Rotten Tomatoes, because they're just not that funny. Especially compared to a number of other great comedy groups, such as the following (in no particular order):

  • The Marx Brothers - Groucho, Chico, Harpo, and sometimes Zeppo were the undisputed champions of ensemble comedy. Each one of the real-life brothers filled a specific category of comedian: the witty one; the sly con artist; the silent clown and the straight-man. Often Margaret Dumont was also on-hand as the comic foil, and could technically be considered part of the troupe. They lasted for technically 13 features (plus two shorts, one of which is lost forever, and a 1957 film called The Story of Mankind, which they had a cameo appearance), many of which aren't very good but all of which are enjoyable for their anarchic humor.
  • Monty Python - Beginning on a BBC sketch-comedy show, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones and Michael Palin went on to make a number of hilarious films together. Aside from the actual Monty Python movies -- my favorite of which is not Holy Grail, but Life of Brian-- they continued working together, not always completely, in later works directed by Gilliam and Jones, as well as other pictures like A Fish Called Wanda and Yellowbeard.
  • The State/Stella - Many of the members of the sketch-comedy show The State have continued to work together on other projects. A few can be seen on television on Reno 911!, but thanks mainly to the three guys now known as Stella (David Wain, Michael Showalter and Michael Ian Black), a lot of them get together in the movies, too. Most notable is Wet Hot American Summer, which was directed by Wain and featured most of the original members -- even Wain and Kerry Kenney are in a deleted scene. Other actors who have joined the ranks on the big screen include Paul Rudd and Zak Orth. Next up in theaters are Reno 911!: Miami, which reportedly unites all The State guys, and Wain's star-studded The Ten.
    Christopher Guest's Group - There's not an official name for this troupe, but it includes a large group of funny people who are regulars in Christopher Guest's mockumentary films, including Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind and the upcoming For Your Consideration. Technically we could also include Rob Reiner's This is Spinal Tap, though that film only features Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer and Fred Willard.
  • The Kids in the Hall - Unfortunately this sketch-comedy group only lasted for one underrated movie after their TV-show, but Brain Candy is all one really needs to know that its Canadian group were comic geniuses. I think its actually better than anything they did on their show, which seems to be common with many of these listed groups who evolve from sketch comedy to feature-length stories. I also enjoy the Monty Python and The State gang's movies (not including those with scripts by Thomas Lennon and Ben Garant) better than the original TV shows.
  • The Beatles - Okay, so they weren't actually a comedy troupe, but some of the stuff they did on film evoked the chaotic style of The Marx Brothers. I must also mention The Monkees, who were more of a troupe, as they were first and foremost actors, for making the very insane Head.
  • The Anchorman Rumblers - Okay, I'm stretching the definition of "troupe" even further on this one. This is my label for what seems like all of America's top comedic actors working today since it includes most of those featured in the wacky rumble in Anchorman. Members include Will Ferrell, Luke and Owen Wilson, Steve Carrell, Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller, Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd (again!) and movies include, in addition to Anchorman, Dodgeball, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Old School, Wedding Crashers, Starsky & Hutch and Zoolander. Not all these guys were in all of these movies, but all of them are apparently good friends and are always willing to cameo in each other's movies when available.