On the lighter side (by Danielle Riendeau)

Thankfully, there was plenty of fun to be had in 2011’s comedies, which were fresh and funky - and more often than not, incredibly offbeat. Gigola was a pure guilty pleasure built around gender bending. A French romp set in the swinging '60s, it tells the tale of Gigola, a female gigolo who gets all the ladies — and then has them pay her for the pleasure. It was goofy and even a little soft-core porn-y at times, but nonetheless a very good time if you were in the mood for a little guilty pleasure.  Joe + Belle was perhaps even further off the beaten path, an Israeli film about a girl who climbs into another girl’s bathtub to commit suicide, but instead ends up killing her boyfriend. Of course, they go on the lamb and fall in love, making this little black comedy romp complete with murder, bombs, and dropped bodies.

If you wanted some tunes to go with your laughs, you’d be happy to know that Jamie and Jessie are Not Together was a sweet, very funny musical about two best friends who are not in a relationship, despite what everyone around them may think. A little offbeat, but mostly very sweet and down to earth, this was arguably the best romantic comedy of the year.