Zach Braff Reveals the Comedy Classic That Raised the Bar

For plenty of Aussies, Zach Braff is still best known as JD from the much-loved sitcom Scrubs, which followed the antics of staff at the fictional Sacred Heart Hospital. The show might not have reached the dizzying heights of Friends, but it was a staple for anyone who grew up in the 2000s. You couldn’t walk through a school corridor without hearing someone shout “Eagle!” or pretending to be into The Fray. No matter what Braff does now, that legacy sticks with him.

These days, Braff’s made a name for himself as an indie filmmaker, with credits like Garden State and last year’s A Good Person. So it’s not a huge surprise that his pick for a top film is a comedy. The fact that it’s directed by Stanley Kubrick gives a bit of insight into his ambitions behind the camera. While he’s often associated with laughs, his taste in film is anything but lightweight. Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is widely considered one of the sharpest satires ever made. Braff himself reckons,

“It set a very high bar for brilliant satire,”

as he told Criterion. And it’s not just the humour—he rates it for

“acting, cinematography, production design, everything.”

Why Dr. Strangelove Still Hits the Mark

Some might think Dr. Strangelove is just one of those films that gets name-dropped by filmmakers wanting to sound clever, right up there with Citizen Kane. But the truth is, it really is that good. Unlike Citizen Kane, which can feel like a slog for modern punters, Dr. Strangelove is still sharp, funny, and easy to watch. Even for those who usually steer clear of so-called ‘bro’ films, it’s a standout. Not everyone can sit through 2001: A Space Odyssey—sure, it’s a technical marvel, but it’s a tough watch. Dr. Strangelove, on the other hand, is a different story.

Braff summed it up simply:

“Well, I mean, come on. This is a masterpiece. I don’t know what to say that hasn’t already been said by many people way smarter than me.”

He’s not wrong. There’s been heaps written about Kubrick’s work, but if you haven’t seen this one, it’s a biting political satire about a US general who goes off the rails and orders a nuclear strike on the Soviet Union, with the government scrambling to stop disaster. Released in 1964, right in the thick of the Cold War, it poked fun at the nuclear panic of the era.

Kubrick’s Shift from Drama to Satire

Funny enough, Dr. Strangelove was originally meant to be a straight-laced Cold War thriller, based on Peter George’s novel Red Alert. But Kubrick found the idea of people plotting their own destruction so ridiculous, he turned it into one of the best comedies ever. That shift was only possible thanks to Kubrick and co-writer Terry Southern’s knack for finding the absurd in the serious, and a cast led by Peter Sellers.

Sellers, who played three (almost four) roles, absolutely nailed the art of juggling characters and accents. His performance is a masterclass in comedy, and it’s a big part of why the film works so well. As Braff points out, it’s a tough act to follow—most comedies just don’t measure up, but that shouldn’t put anyone off giving it a go.