You love comedy films don't you? Who doesn't like to sit down in front of a screen for an hour or so and get a few cheap laughs? Well I must say that I, personally, have become disappointed with comedy in recent years. Films like
The Hangover or
Superbad just don't deliver the kinds of clever laughs that a good comedy does. They rely on language and low brow sex and drug jokes and have nearly no clever commentary or anything. In this post, I'll try to talk about some classic comedic films and the various sub-genres of comedy and perhaps talk about some modern popular comedies. Here we go.
Comedy can be a lot of things, it can be light hearted, it can have a message, it can have social commentary, it can be combined with almost any other kind of genre and it's one of the oldest genres of film ever. There are tons of comedy types and I intend to let you know about them.
First is the
anarchic comedy, which uses stream-of-consciousness and nonsensical humor that spoofs authority. A lot of the action of the film focuses on non sequitur and often abandons narrative and plot for absurdity. It uses a lot of other aspects of comedy like farce and slapstick, however, unlike like slapstick it doesn't necessarily focus on violence. Some examples of this is
Duck Soup,
Sherlock, Jr,
Monty Python and The Holy Grail, and
Ace Ventura.
Next up is
farce. Farce uses unlikely situations and verbal humor like sexual innuendo. It generally has a happy ending. Films like this are
The Pink Panther,
Never Give a Sucker an Even Break and
The Love Bug.
One of the most popular sub-genres of comedy, especially early on, is
slapstick. This is a type of comedy that draws humor from over-exaggerated violence and nonsensical activities. There are five conventions of slapstick, pain without consequence, unrealistic situations due to editing, impossible situations, confusing zooms, and off screen sounds. Some examples of slapstick films are
Shawn of The Dead,
MouseHunt,
Scary Movie, nearly every Three Stooges film. Slapstick was largely employed by the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, The Marx Brothers, The Keystone Cops, and can also be seen in cartoons like
Tom and Jerry.
Another style that is equally as popular is the
"fish out of water" comedy. This is usually where the main character finds themselves in situations where they don't really fit. Films like these include
Some Like It Hot,
Big,
"Crocodile" Dundee,
Tootsie and most Coen Brothers films like
The Big Lebowski.
A less common form is called a
comedy of manners. This is where a social group or class is satirized by a stereotypical character. This is used a lot in mockumentaries like
The Office.
Parody or
spoof is another style of comedy, it satirizes, uses stereotypes, and mocks scenes of other movies and uses sarcasm. More or less it makes fun of other things in culture. Examples,
Young Frankenstein,
Scary Movie,
Blazing Saddles (in fact nearly every Mel Brooks movie),
Dark Star,
Monty Python and The Holy Grail,
UHF, or
Austin Powers.
One of my favorite forms of comedy film are
black comedies. These satirize "taboo" subjects and dark subjects like death, murder, suicide, sexual relations, war, insanity, crime, or drug abuse. A lot of the Coen Brothers' comedies are like this. Other films that include black comedy are
Arsenic and Old Lace,
Dr. Strangelove: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb,
MASH, or
Brazil.
The
romantic comedy is about a relationship between a man and a woman (or in very few cases a man and a man/a woman and a woman) and consists of light hearted humor due to sexual tension and general interaction. Generally the plots end with the couple getting back together after one loses the other. This is a very common style of comedy and is generally known as a "chick flick" (but I'm sure you know that). Films like this include
Annie Hall,
Pretty Woman and
Love and Other Drugs.
There's also a style of comedy known as the "
gross out" comedy that focuses on vulgarity, profanity, sexual humor or "toilet" humor. It uses shock value and is generally controversial. The films in this sub-genre are
Pink Flamingos,
There's Something About Mary,
Animal House,
American Pie, or
Dumb and Dumber.
Screwball comedy is another form of comedy but is usually combined with nearly all other forms of comedy. It generally includes quick and witty dialogue, role reversal and happy endings. One example of this is
What's Up, Doc?
There are also
buddy films, that generally include two characters that either get along or do not and learn to love one another by going through odd happenings. They also happen on the road at times, two characters that are forced to work together to get somewhere and go through ridiculous circumstances. Films like
Due Date,
Road to Singapore (and all of the Road to... films), and
Planes, Trains and Automobiles are all examples of this.
Now there are many transitional genres like action comedy, comedy horror, military comedy, sci-fi comedy, western comedy, dramady, and fantasy comedy. These are all either comedy films that include other genres or other films that have aspects of comedy.
I think it is time to discuss some of the good comedy films. Films that are actually clever and comedic. Where will I get these films you might ask? Well there's this little group called the American Film Institute, they regularly release film based "best of" lists and of course they have one for the top 100 comedies, so I'll go through a few of those and talk about them.
The number one comedy film on AFI's top 100 comedy list is
Some Like It Hot. The film stars Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis. The film is a classic in comedy cinema, it's the beginning of the edgy comedy. It was a film that involved violence (from the mob), two men in drag (which was taboo at that time), and the sex symbol of Monroe. It popularized the use of taboos in comedy and was really clever about it, it had a lot of social commentary to it also, it went deeper than a lot of comedic films but still kept it light hearted and brought a lot of star power.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053291/synopsis
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2371683353/
Number three on the list is one of my personal favorites,
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love The Bomb. This is Stanley Kubrick's wonderfully executed commentary on nuclear warfare. It features a wonderful performance by Peter Sellers, who plays three different roles in the film, including the zany ex-Nazi Dr. Strangelove. The film has been called "culturally significant" and it truly is. It has excellent comedy, one of the finest Peter Sellers performances ever, and a spot on commentary of the absurdity of nuclear warfare. One of my favorite scenes is at the end, when all of the politicians are hiding in the bomb shelter (but I'll let you see the movie, I won't ruin the ending).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057012/synopsis
http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3114467609/
The fifth film on the list it The Marx Brothers'
Duck Soup. This film is a classic anarchic comedy, it has ridiculous situations, slapstick, fast paced and witty dialogue and commentary on the government, all wrapped up in a neat and humorous film complete with singing and dancing.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023969/plotsummary
Now, because I'm a good ole' chap, I'll give you the AFI's top 100 laughs list (information you could easily get on wikipedia):
1.
Some Like It Hot (1959)
2.
Tootsie (1982)
3.
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love The Bomb (1964)
4.
Annie Hall (1977)
5.
Duck Soup (1933)
6.
Blazing Saddles (1974)
7.
M*A*S*H* (1970)
8. I
t Happened On Night (1934)
9.
The Graduate (1967)
10.
Airplane! (1980)
11.
The Producers (1968)
12.
A Night at The Opera (1935)
13.
Young Frankenstein (1974)
14.
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
15.
The Philadelphia Story (1940)
16.
Singin' In The Rain (1952)
17.
The Odd Couple (1968)
18.
The General (1927)
19.
His Girl Friday (1940)
20.
The Apartment (1960)
21.
A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
22.
Adam's Rib (1949)
23.
When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
24.
Born Yesterday (1950)
25.
The Gold Rush (1925)
26.
Being There (1979)
27.
There's Something About Mary (1998)
28.
Ghostbusters (1984)
29.
This Is Spinaltap (1984)
30.
Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
31.
Raising Arizona (1987)
32.
The Thin Man (1934)
33.
Modern Times (1936)
34.
Groundhog Day (1993)
35.
Harvey (1950)
36.
National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)
37.
The Great Dictator (1940)
38.
City Lights (1931)
39.
Sullivan's Travels (1941)
40. I
t's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)
41.
Moonstruck (1987)
42.
Big (1988)
43.
American Graffiti (1973)
44.
My Man Godfrey (1936)
45.
Harold and Maude (1971)
46.
Manhattan (1979)
47.
Shampoo (1975)
48.
A Shot In The Dark (1964)
49.
To Be or Not To Be (1942)
50.
Cat Ballou (1964)
51.
The Seven Year Itch (1955)
52.
Ninotchka (1939)
53.
Arthur (1981)
54.
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944)
55.
The Lady Eve (1941)
56.
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
57.
Diner (1982)
58.
It's A Gift (1934)
59.
A Day at The Races (1937)
60.
Topper (1937)
61.
What's Up, Doc? (1972)
62.
Sherlock, Jr. (1924)
63.
Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
64.
Broadcast News (1987)
65.
Horse Feathers (1932)
66.
Take The Money and Run (1969)
67.
Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
68.
The Awful Truth (1937)
69.
Bananas (1971)
70.
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
71.
Caddyshack (1980)
72.
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948)
73.
Monkey Business (1931)
74.
Nine to Five (1980)
75.
She Done Him Wrong (1933)
76.
Victor Victoria (1982)
77.
The Palm Beach Story (1942)
78.
Road to Morocco (1942)
79.
The Freshman (1925)
80.
Sleeper (1973)
81.
The Navigator (1924)
82.
Private Benjamin (1980)
83.
Father of The Bride (1950)
84.
Lost in America (1985)
85.
Dinner at Eight (1933)
86.
City Slickers (1991)
87.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
88.
Beetlejuice (1988)
89.
The Jerk (1979)
90.
Woman of The Year (1942)
91.
The Heartbreak Kid (1972)
92.
Ball of Fire (1941)
93.
Fargo (1996)
94.
Auntie Mame (1958)
95.
Silver Streak (1976)
96.
Sons of The Desert (1933)
97.
Bull Durham (1988)
98.
The Court Jester (1956)
99.
The Nutty Professor (1963)
100.
Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
Now, these are are only the top American comedies, it doesn't take into account the foreign comedies that are also classics.
I haven't been a fan of the current popular comedy films of the past few years. I think they're all poorly done, don't supply NEARLY enough laughs and rely too heavily on gimmicks and "toilet" humor or sex humor. Now, don't get me wrong, I like saying "fuck" and hearing dick jokes as much as the next guy, but comedy films today are becoming WAY too low brow, there's no depth to the comedies, they're all too straight forward. Films like
The Hangover,
Knocked Up,
Superbad, all rely too much on this. They don't even do it cleverly like Kevin Smith does in his films. Overall, modern comedies are disappointing, mindless laughs to fill seats, but hey, it works right?
Anyway, I'm done with this post, if you have a comment or disagreement, let me know. Goodbye!
