No, the scene is about Lois and Martha bonding on several levels, and specifically about setting up Lois character conflict.
A few relatively short moments of that scene are about making the audience (as well as Lois and Martha, laugh). And even that has to do with them as characters. The laughter is about them comforting and relaxing each other, not just the audience.
I would imagine the filmmakers know what the scene is meant to be.
Since the scene is placed after several more serious and intense scenes and consists of a fairly casual conversation between two characters, odds are good that the scene is intended to allow the audience to come down from the tension of previous scenes, using some levity and humor.
It isnt perfunctory, though, nor is it any more shallow than any of Lois Lane's interactions with Martha. In fact, it's probably the majority of the set up and development that Lois Lane receives in the film.
The scene has some depth to it. Its even arguably the scene with the most depth and bonding that weve seen between Lois and Martha in this franchise, an emotional ring delivery scene aside. Its also one of the few sequences weve seen in this franchise that specifically addresses why Lois does what she does.
I can't help but think that you don't remember the actual scene. The television thing is a transition into the scene. It is not the meat of the scene itself. It's 45 seconds or so, at which point the focus turns to Lois and Martha for the remaining two minutes of the scene.
I didnt say it was supposed to feel scary. Its an action movie, not a horror movie.
But the audience can laugh and feel for the woman at the same time. The humor is not in her plight, it is in the fact that the reporters are treating her like a crazy person, but shes actually right about what has happened. Her husband has been taken by aliens. She's legitimately concerned. Its a nod to the secret invasion nature of the villain's plot.
I would suggest that you watch the scene again. The focus of the overall scene, from a story a character standpoint, is clearly not on making people laugh. Its about Martha and Loiss conflicts and them showing support and comforting each other.
Well, in this case, the humor, after the alien invasion story, comes from the very nature of the scenes conflict, which is that Lois has lost her ambition.
The writer is thinking that balancing a serious moment with a brief moment of levity is acceptable mainstream writing. Its a brief moment of levity in a two minute plus sequence.
I dont think that it does undercut it in any real sense. They go right back to talking about what has happened. Its a nice quiet moment with a quick laugh to break the ice and then they move right on.
Ive already explained why the humor is character specific.
Were not exactly talking about a fart joke here.
Which brings up an interesting perspective...using subtle humor, many people didnt even recognize that there WAS humor in the films. WB made an attempt to broaden the films appeal by making the humor a little bit more evident.
Entertainment quite literally means to provide with amusement or enjoyment.
I would say making people laugh falls under amusement.
But theyre also having a fairly casual meeting. There is no indication that this is meant to be a particularly heavy scene.
No, but she smiled at the memory and laughed a bit. Shes using humor, period, and it helped her to feel better. You can see it in Lanes performance. It doesn't have to be humor specifically about Clark.
you did.
