Comedy is Dead

[DACrowe]

Again Borat, Thank You For Smoking, The Matador, Clerks II, Little Miss Sunshine, The Devil Wears Prada, A Prarie Home Companion and then you have the "baser level comedies" like Old School, Ricky Bobby, Anchorman, Wedding Crashers and they're good. Some are dumb (think Van Wilder) but Wedding Crashers is in the same vein as say Animal House or Caddyshack. Don't worry there are still Life Aquatics.

Comedy can be dumb today (see Epic Movie) but there are plenty of Royal Tenenbaumbs or The Matadors out there too though.

 

[Speedball]

I take back what I said.
Comedy could be revived by Reno 911: Miami.

 

[Sloth7d]

http://objection.mrdictionary.net/go.php?n=1702895

 

[BeserkerHilf]

Then I'm pretty sure you haven't seen it.

I laughed in it more than almost any other movie on my list, save maybe for Borat.

it's not so much a comedy, but like a humorous action video game.

 

[Kritish]

we need another blazing saddles

Agreed, though I liked Nacho Libre.

 

[A.J.Rimmer(BSC)]

Then I'm pretty sure you haven't seen it.

I laughed in it more than almost any other movie on my list, save maybe for Borat.

Crank was funnier than Borat easy. The whole (english as well) theatre was wetting themselves. (except for the missus, who didn't approve).

 

[Mr Jide]

I cant believe nobody mentioned 40 year old virgin. That movie was pure comedy.

 

[A.J.Rimmer(BSC)]

I cant believe nobody mentioned 40 year old virgin. That movie was pure comedy.

That and Anchorman RULE

 

[Cyrusbales]

Comedy is becoming a case of what people are told to like, ie-ricky gervais, he is the most unfunny person ever, yet it's 'cool' to like him. his humour is designed to just be irritating, not funny. Bring back pythons, bring back fry and lorrie, bring back hale and pace, bring back tommy cooper, the list goes on....

 

[huskerwebhead]

I watched Employee of the Month last night, and something occurred to me. Maybe it's just me, but why do most comedies today have to have a "down moment to teach a lesson." It seems that most comedies today start out pretty good, then they have something bad happen to the main character that makes the tone serious (at least for a little while). And then of course the main character overcomes something or has some big inner revelation about themselves and everyone is happy. Why?? Why does there have to be a downer? For me, that's what's changed. Some of the older comedies had some sort of problem that the main characters had to overcome...but it was never a downer like recent movies.

Animal House, National Lampoons Vacation, Monty Python Movies, Airplane, Caddyshack, etc. Even at the worst point for the main characters in these movies it really wasn't a change in tone...it was still funny. Maybe it's just me...I don't need a lesson with my comedies...I just want to laugh dammit.

 

[Mr. Credible]

Again Borat, Thank You For Smoking, The Matador, Clerks II, Little Miss Sunshine, The Devil Wears Prada, A Prarie Home Companion and then you have the "baser level comedies" like Old School, Ricky Bobby, Anchorman, Wedding Crashers and they're good. Some are dumb (think Van Wilder) but Wedding Crashers is in the same vein as say Animal House or Caddyshack. Don't worry there are still Life Aquatics.

Comedy can be dumb today (see Epic Movie) but there are plenty of Royal Tenenbaumbs or The Matadors out there too though.

exactly.

 

[Mr. Credible]

I watched Employee of the Month last night, and something occurred to me. Maybe it's just me, but why do most comedies today have to have a "down moment to teach a lesson." It seems that most comedies today start out pretty good, then they have something bad happen to the main character that makes the tone serious (at least for a little while). And then of course the main character overcomes something or has some big inner revelation about themselves and everyone is happy. Why?? Why does there have to be a downer? For me, that's what's changed. Some of the older comedies had some sort of problem that the main characters had to overcome...but it was never a downer like recent movies.

Animal House, National Lampoons Vacation, Monty Python Movies, Airplane, Caddyshack, etc. Even at the worst point for the main characters in these movies it really wasn't a change in tone...it was still funny. Maybe it's just me...I don't need a lesson with my comedies...I just want to laugh dammit.

agreed.

i finally got around to watching 'click', which was surprisingly good, but damn, up towards the end, i don't think i've ever cried so hard at a comedy.

 

[JokerNick_2]

40 year old virgin.... nough said... contemp classic...... "you know how I know your gay?"...... "oh do me yoyo master!"...... "do you like to do it yourself?"....... "when you grab a breast, and it feels like a bag of sand"....

so many classic lines

and "knocked up" is looking like it should be just as funny

 

[JokerNick_2]

agreed.

i finally got around to watching 'click', which was surprisingly good, but damn, up towards the end, i don't think i've ever cried so hard at a comedy.

meh... I guessed the ending right when he fell asleep on the bed... predictable....

 

[DACrowe]

I'd just like to point out that the main character in Caddyshack did have that "self-revelation" and dark moment when he thinks he knocked up his girlfriend while getting caught doing the judge's neice. It was funny but being a father for him was a dark moment and then he turns on the judge in the end during the competition for a cliche ending that was made so great by good ol' Murray blowing up the golf course.

I love that movie.

 

[Backdrifter]

its not like every movie that came out in the past was a ****ing piece of comic gold. comedy isn't dead. there are great comedies released every year. you just aren't looking hard enough. see, the thing about movies is..history forgets the crappy ones..so when you look back all we remeber are the good films. so you cant compare all the classics of yesteryear and declare comedy is dead because every film released isn't a comedic masterpiece.

 

[huskerwebhead]

I'd just like to point out that the main character in Caddyshack did have that "self-revelation" and dark moment when he thinks he knocked up his girlfriend while getting caught doing the judge's neice. It was funny but being a father for him was a dark moment and then he turns on the judge in the end during the competition for a cliche ending that was made so great by good ol' Murray blowing up the golf course.

I love that movie.

Agreed. Like I said, most of those older comedies still had some sort of problem to overcome...but you didn't spend 15-20 minutes of the movie feeling sorry/depressed for them.

It's not like there aren't any good comedies recently...or that all older ones were great. It just seems like there were alot more "back in the day." We just seem to be seeing more Date Movie, Epic Movie, Little Man, White Chicks-type crap recently that...frankly, I'm getting sick of.

 

[hammerhedd11]

Little Miss sunshine was really good as was Anchorman, borat, Clerks 2 and Kiss kiss Bang bang.

 

[Rez]

it's not so much a comedy, but like a humorous action video game.

What the ****? It was a comedy. So is Beverly Hills Cop.

At least Rimmer knows what's up.

 

[Cinemaman]

Hey what about Kiss Kiss Bang Bang? It was the funniest thriller I ever saw!

 

[GhostPoet]

40 year old virgin.... nough said... contemp classic...... "you know how I know your gay?"...... "oh do me yoyo master!"...... "do you like to do it yourself?"....... "when you grab a breast, and it feels like a bag of sand"....

so many classic lines

and "knocked up" is looking like it should be just as funny

eh. honestly. those movies make me cringe. They use the easiest humor so they don't need to think of anything GOOD.

 

[jrpstarwars]

So, yesterday I got home from work and saw my wife on the treadmil watching Back To The Future part I. I only glanced at the movie...and somehow ended up watching a good half hour of it, enjoying every second.

Then it got me to thinking. What happened to great comedies? Nowadays, it's pretty much the same thing. Recycled sex jokes to appeal to the college crowd or movies which claim to be comedies are turn out to be nothing but stale rehashes or sad attempts at humor. Good ones are few and far between.

What happened to a GOOD comedy? Where are the Back to the Futures (while it is an adventure, it's also a comedy) or where are our Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, or where are our Monty Python and the Holy Grail? Or The Princess Brides or The Griswold Vacation films?

It made me wonder...maybe it's not merely the lack of good writing...but good comedian actors that can do even a medicore script justice. We are lacking the Chevy Chases, the Steve Martins (well, he IS trying to make a comeback), etc...

Now, to be fair...there are some great comedians out there. Some that is really on top of the rest would be Ben Stiller and Will Ferril, both of which have done some GREAT films (personally I love Elf and Meet The Parents)

It just seems like comedy for the MOST part is stale...relying on the same "shock" or jokes to appeal....Anyway, don't mean to go emo on you all. Just my thoughts.

Not just comedies but movies in general. What was the last movie that wasn't a remake, sequel, spawn from a comic book or cartoon, or just plain ole rehashed garbage???

 

[Cinemaman]

^^^

Babel

 

[Mr. Socko]

I never looked at Back To The Future as comedy. Tell me what funny lines are in it? It's just a sci-fi/adventure movie with comedic elements in it.

 

[Lord Valumart]

the last movie i laughed at was High Fidelity. and before that i laughed my head off at Mallrats. and before that i tried to watch american pie and laughed once, at jim's dad, talking about the porno mags(yeh, he was the best part of those films).

anyhow, i once watched scary movie 1 - 3 and my god are the first two utter ****e. i mean dear god, such unfunny jokes have never been made again. 3 was better for some reason(different writers i believe). one of the funniest films i've ever seen was Airplane! it was just damn funny.

i also watched this comedy show on BBC and there were these sketches that everyone was laughing their heads off at but i was like "yeh...saing '**** a duck' isn't funny..." so, yeh, comedy is dead until Mallrats 2 and Twisted Toyfare Theater: The Move.