Is comedy lost on this generation?
A couple of years ago my cousin asked me to come with me on a double date. Needless to say we were going to watch a movie. And gratuitous anecdote aside, in the end i was subjected to watching this masterpiece.
And that ladies and gentlemen was my first real exposure to the insanely messed up world of Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. If you somehow don’t know who they are just think of all these “comedies” Epic Movie, Date Movie, Disaster Movie, etc. Now think of how much they sucked the soul out of you while watching them. Back to the double date, i was doing it strictly as a favor for my cousin… and maybe i was hoping for an *ahem* explosion after that, but i ended up with this
Not exactly, the way i want dates to end.
It escapes me, how these two hacks get Fox to greenlight these films, somehow i think devils and contracts are involved. But what really defies logic is how they can earn money.
Are these films a sad testament to how shallow we as audiences have become? There will always be room for comedy, whether is the smart comedy of the slapstick kind. The 3 Stooges still resonate with today’s audiences because of how well the slapstick is performed. I still find myself amused when i see clips of their shows that i watched when i was a kid.
There are a number of comedic performers out there and arguably some have lost their touch. Remember Adam Sandler and Eddie Murphy? Remember how funny they were when then began? And more importantly remember how sad it was to see them when they we’re just rehashing their bits over and over again? The problem with comedy is that it just doesn’t stick to one formula. Unlike action films or drama, that genre cannot rely on tried and tested tropes to succeed. I could repeatedly watch a building explode in several movies but i can only bear to stand seeing a man bump into a wall so many times.
Now mind you, there are some genuinely funny films that have been released over the last few years but the one common thread that these films have is that the funny comes from the dialogue. THE SCRIPT. But the problem with the script is that it takes work. Work that some Hollywood folk tend to ignore. Smart dialogue needs smart writers, not some douche that just throws in a dick joke or two just to gain a cheap laugh from some of the audience members.
So still why are some movies making money? The quick and simple answer is that comedy is done for cheap. You really don’t need massive SFX for a pie in the face routine to work. If you want proof of that theory, think of one name: Pixar, CGI films definitely cost more money to make. And with more money at stake, i can guarantee you that there will be more tweaking in pre-production (unless of course, you’re Micheal Bay, but that’s a different story on its own).
My problem is that today, comedy hasn’t found it’s voice and the last torches of comedy have burned their brightest in the nineties. Audiences today have been fickle and have moved on to television for their laughter, whether because it’s free or comedy is easier to contain in 30 minutes, i’m not sure. The one thing i can guarantee is that comedy in film will never die. Sure we don’t have that comedic maven working as an actor or writer yet, but he or she will come. We’re just going through a dry spell, kind of like me when i agreed to go on that double date.
