Why comedy films suck, or how to write schadenfruede

[TehDonutKing]

I've often voiced my disdain toward comedy films in general, but i've found it difficult to voice why.

It's because my hands are bananas.

Seriously, though, slapstick and schadenfreude only work if the victim deserves it somehow. Look at pre-movie Spongebob. Squidward and Plankton are total assholes. They're arrogant and unnecessarily cruel. This makes their retribution funny. Post-movie, Squidward and Plankton are much more sympathetic, as they either want a successful business or to relax, and don't do anything unnecessarily unethical or stupid. This makes their torture grating and cringe-worthy, especially with the added gore in newer episodes.

However, even well-written comeuppance simply gets old after about ten minutes. For an 11 minute cartoon short, this is no problem. For an hour and a half film, it needs more substance. Wordplay, absurdism, irony, parody, satire, visual puns, etc. need to be more prominent that simply making an unlikable character miserable. If an innocent character is harmed, they need to get karmic retribution and win in the end. Secondly, an hour and a half of content can very rarely survive on jokes alone. This is why romantic comedies and action comedies are so common; plot or character development are required to simply keep the audience's attention, and to make the work stick with them long enough to recommend it to friends.

For an example of this almost working, but falling short, look at the second two National Lampoon's Vacation movies, especially the third. The first film, while by no means a masterpiece, is funny and memorable because the problems are mostly caused by Clark being a buffoon, with minor, but well-deserved comeuppance. A few scenes go a little overboard and stop being funny, but it is, on the whole, enjoyable. However, the others simply have Clark get tormented and be miserable without doing much to deserve it. Even when he does everything right, something goes bad. Probably the worst example of a failed joke in the series is when a completely innocent character gets extreme pain and death for no real reason.

The problem with most modern, mainstream comedy films is that they fail at this and deliver constant slapstick to innocent or mildly unpleasant individuals to the point that it borders on sadism.

[IronEvangelion]

This is one reason I tend to like Japanese comedy anime more than western comedy films these days. Well, that and the fact that a lot of the comedy films that are coming out in the US these days just look terrible. I remember a trailer for one film (I think it was 22 Jump Street or Grownups 2) where a giraffe apparently got decapitated by a low bridge while riding down a highway in a trailer, and apparently it was supposed to be funny.

That said I do like older comedy films like the National Lampoon's Vacation series (Vegas Vacation is my favorite), as well as Monty Python's work and classic series like The Three Stooges and Hogan's Heroes. And has anyone seen any of the films in the Ernest series? That was some funny shit. The only failed joke I can remember in that series is in Ernest goes to Africa when he washes his goldfish down the drain, then accidentally turns on the garbage disposal when he tries to turn on the overhead light so he can see to get the goldfish out.

[Reichu]

Are we really talking about western comedy in general, or just American comedy? Stuff from the UK, for instance, has a long-standing reputation for being very dark and very funny.

[TehDonutKing]

Are we really talking about western comedy in general, or just American comedy? Stuff from the UK, for instance, has a long-standing reputation for being very dark and very funny.

I agree. There're a lot of dark comedies from the UK that i enjoy. I haven't seen as many recent ones to be much of an expert on the subject, though.

[NemZ]

Black comedy is the best comedy, and I am not talking about another goddamn wayans brothers flick.

[IronEvangelion]

Are we really talking about western comedy in general, or just American comedy? Stuff from the UK, for instance, has a long-standing reputation for being very dark and very funny.

I do like what I've seen of UK comedy, but my experience with it has been limited to Monty Python and Shaun of the Dead.

[A.T. Fish]

I agree that quality comedy is hard to find, even harder to find if you're restricting it to slapstick comedy, but there are true humorous gems that were made in the last decade. I don't think I've ever laughed as much as when I watched Burn After Reading, the way things escalate in that movie is insanely hilarious. Another good comedy that was released relatively recently is Men Who Stare at Goats, made me laugh a lot too.

[Sachi]

Black comedy is the best comedy, and I am not talking about another goddamn wayans brothers flick.

World's Greatest Dad with Robin Williams comes to mind. Now, that was a dark comedy.

[Trajan]

Comedies from the 20s and 30s are masterworks of cinema. Charles Chaplin, Buster Keaton, The Three Stooges. I look at what we have now and I just wonder how it came to this. Maybe because the genre reached its pinnacle so early everything else since then has just been variations on a theme that's become noticeably more stagnant.

[Gob Hobblin]

There's still a lot of good stuff from Great Britain: right now, I'd say they have the market cornered in terms of verbal comedy.

I mean, look at the Blackadder series. Brilliant stuff. Or Little Britain, Father Ted, Red Dwarf....I could go on.

I think the big problem with American comedy right now is that it's using a certain format of comedy based in discomfort. Essentially, one of the human instinctive responses to an uncomfortable situation is to laugh. So, a lot of the 'comedy' we see getting thrown up on screen is aimed at hitting that specific response (the discomfort response) as opposed to actual wittiness or antics.

Still, something clever sneaks through every now and then (Super Troopers seemed to hit that perfect sweet spot of stupid humor and even discomfort-humor done right).

[Mr. Tines]

I mean, look at the Blackadder series. Brilliant stuff. Or Little Britain, Father Ted, Red Dwarf....I could go on.

But those are mostly 25 or more years old.

[pwhodges]

W1A, then. OK, it's short, and it's parochial - but as someone who's worked at the BBC, I can tell you that it is scoring even more hits than the general public might realise.

[Compiling_Autumn]

Arrested Development has a perfect blend of slapstick and darker comedy. The best part is that the characters are both sympathetic and bad enough for us to say, "they had it coming," when they get in their respective jams.

[Squigsquasher]

Death at a Funeral was a good comedy movie- it was a classic British farce. Granted that was made in 2007 but I'd recommend it to anyone in need of a laugh. Also it has Peter Dinklage in it.

[TehDonutKing]

Arrested Development has a perfect blend of slapstick and darker comedy. The best part is that the characters are both sympathetic and bad enough for us to say, "they had it coming," when they get in their respective jams.

This is a really good series, I must agree.

[Gob Hobblin]

Parks and Rec did a good job, as well. Normally, I dislike that format of comedy (I didn't care for The Office), but they somehow did it very well with that show (especially when they stopped trying to copy The Office). They combined wit and absurdity very well.

[Rosenakahara]

I only know of parks and rec because of the Parks and Korra parody vids but it sounds pretty fun, while we are talking about it would you say just start from the beginning or would you have an episode that is a good jumping on point?

[Gob Hobblin]

I'd say skip the first season and start on the second. The first season is pretty weak and largely disavowed by the show staff. The second one is where they start to find their stride.

[r1cepurin]

To me, comedy films are guilty pleasure material for me with a couple of exceptions here and there. I hate the shit out of Adam Sandler movies because they're unfunny pieces of trash, but one day I went to see That's My Boy just because I hated myself that day and wanted to indulge in the suffering of the people stupid enough to think "Aw gee, this oughta be good family fun! Let's jump in, kids!" Also, I love a lot of comedy from the 70's and 80's. It's really sad how much we really can't get away with anymore.

Now post-90's sitcoms, those are real festering shits because a lot of it either isn't relatable to me personally, in other words really select with situations the characters are put it, or they rely on catchphrases or effortless quips to be funny.

EDIT: I forgot to mention, as for schaudenfreude, whenever I see it in comedy, they do it in a way where you actually feel bad for the person rather than laugh, which was highly abused in Dinner for Schmucks.