"Conventional wisdom holds that analyzing comedy is a thankless task--who's to say what's funny, and why kill the fun of it?--but Saul Austerlitz's wide-ranging survey of American film comedy is both illuminating and hugely enjoyable. With its sharp insights and vivid biographical sketches, it's first-rate film criticism and a terrific resource to boot." --Dennis Lim, editor, The Village Voice Film Guide
"Comprehensive yet reader-friendly account." --LAWeekly.com
"A sprawling but incisive biography of film comedy history." --North County Times
"Entertaining and amusing . . . this book truly highlights the best of the genre." --COEDMagazine.com
"Clever and well-researched." --Library Journal