During the last couple of years I feel that the average comedies have gone through a transformation. They usually were the type of movie you could see with the whole family, but it seems that shock value has become the new way of trying to generate laughs. Although I have to admit that I can often enjoy them, I have moments where I think it happens way too much and that comedy based on situations is happening less and less. I’m interested in your thoughts on this:
Do current comedies rely too much on shock value to generate laughs?
Unfortunately, yes as there’s some like Neighbors that actually works. Yet, if you want to go to the bottom of the barrel to see how shock value can fail. Watch either the uninspired parody movies of Friedberg/Seltzer (Epic Movie, Meet the Spartans) and the recent stuff that Adam Sandler is doing.
In Neighbors it did kind of work, although I wasn’t crazy about the movie (although it did have some very funny moments). The examples you name are all movies I think I haven’t watched (or I might have and I’m in denial ;))
You’re absolutely right, it’s something that I’ve started to notice lately. Steven mentioned Neighbors which is a great example and a comedy I personally really enjoyed, but others don’t work well at all. Grown Ups springs to mind, and certain scenes in A Million Ways to Die in the West.
I used to look forward to seeing comedies, but that feeling really has declined quite a bit over the years. Have not seen the second Grown Ups or A Million Ways to Die in the West as they didn’t seem worth checking out.
Comedies started their decline in the 1980s with the addition of toilet humor, sarcasm and just plain lazy writing taking the place of humor. While insulting the intelligence of the audience.
‘Airplane’ worked in it deftly lampooning a 1950s drama. By throwing anything and everything against the wall. To see if it would stick. While contemporary Rom-Coms have been cookie cuttered, cast and written by those toeing the line of the studios marketing demographics and Special Interest lawyers on whom you may and may not offend. Meaning Catholics and Middle America.
And recent numbers show that the latter are getting a bit sick and tired of being ridiculed by writers who have never left L.A. and New York.
Thanks for your comment Jack
Comedies today can use shock value and still be great, but they need to have some satire or overall point (Borat is a great example of this). Otherwise, I find that a lot of comedies that try to be edgy to get laughs are just stupid and tireless.
Yeah, Borat is a great example.
I do enjoy a lot of comedies here and there, even if they rely somewhat on shock value. I think of Horrible Bosses that had some of that, yet I still thought it was fairly funny in parts. I think more films should strive to just be naturally funny, but of course, that takes a lot more effort on the writers’ and actors’ ends. If I could find Jimmy Fallon humor in a movie, I think I’d personally be sold. Dude is just so hilarious!
Didn’t enjoy Horrible Bosses as much myself. Don’t know Jimmy Falon’s humor as I don’t watch the show that much.