I like watching movies and television shows that make me laugh. I personally don’t like sitting down to watch a film about a kidnapping or rape. Its, true sometimes thrillers and mysteries can be exciting, and a tearjerker can be a fantastic film, but when it comes down it, all I personally ever want to watch are comedies, specifically situational comedies.
A lot of people don’t realize that there are different types of comedies. Mainly there are physical comedies and situational comedies. A physical comedy would be a scene where a man slips on a banana peel and falls to the ground. What I believe to be much funnier would be that same scene but in a situational comedy; a man slips on a banana peel, falls to the ground, and then he looks up to see his ex girlfriend standing there, having seen the whole accident…. Awkward!!!
I find situational comedies to be funnier and more relatable than physical comedies because we have all been in an awkward situation and though at the time it seems like the worst situation in the world, in retrospect, most people will find that situation to be hilarious. Awkward things seem to happen to me all the time for some reason! For example, I always see that person I am trying to impress right when I have exited the gym and am super sweaty and definitely not looking my best… and all I can do is laugh! What else can you do? I see the world as one big situational comedy and I take these awkward moments and put them in my films and the result is hilarious.
Situational comedies are intensely character driven and audience members find comedy in seeing relatable instances on screen. A sense of community is created just in the theater because everyone finds these situations funny because they have all been there, or they at least know exactly what it would feel like to be there. This helps audience members feel human and related to strangers around them, creating a sense of communal relatedness that helps an individual even with their own personal identity.
A situational comedy like one of my favorite films, Mean Girls, is funny to an audience because most of us went to high school and we all knew those popular “plastic” girls. We all knew who was popular and who wanted to be like those popular people.
Most of us know how it feels to have a crush on someone who has no idea of your crush… some of us even know what it feels like to have a crush on your friend’s boyfriend or girlfriend, or at least we know what that would feel like. Though Mean Girls is considered to a “chick flick” and it is a female driven narrative, I have never found someone, male or female, who did not get a good laugh out of that film or find that film’s characters and plot to be relatable. The film Jackass, on the other hand, is a physical comedy.
Though there are a good number of people out there who greatly enjoyed this film, I never felt related to the characters, nor did I find the actors physically torturing themselves to be funny. When it comes down to it, I just like situational comedies better than physical comedies.
I became a filmmaker because I love making films that make people happy. There is no feeling like seeing an audience laugh at your film. Situational comedies are my niche, a genre of comedy that always makes people laugh and smile. From most of Judd Apatow’s films (my favorite is Superbad) to most Saturday Night Live skits, most people cannot deny that situational comedies are where the laughs are at!
Here is a clip from Superbad that is funny because of the situation. It is a very character driven moment.
Here is an awkward moment from Mean Girls. I love making films full of awkward situations- the awkward moment in this clip is about 50 seconds in.
Here is a clip from Jackass, a physical comedy. I don't find it funny but that's just my personal opinion!
I agree with your preference for situational comedies! I can definitely better relate to the awkward scenes captured on camera, as opposed to the intentional self-harm on shows like Jackass (I'm not a masochist!). My appreciation for situational comedies like Superbad and The 40-Year-Old Virgin also stems from my painfully awkward experiences--specifically involving encounters with boys after having attended a Catholic all-girls school for 6 years. It has been quite a humbling transition to the real world, but I've learned to bask in the awkwardness and take it all in. Besides, these experiences make epic and wildly entertaining stories at the end of the day, right?
ReplyDeleteP.S. That Superbad scene is golden. My other favorite scene is when Seth tells Evan all about his numerous penis drawings.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GlTloqb0ho
Lindsey-
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I'd like to say that I love that you wrote about comedies. Comedy is by far my favorite kind of film, and it's the genre of film I'm most passionate about. It's sad that more people don't identify the differences between types of comedy, but I think it's also natural. Like you, I also prefer situational comedy in a film and I think it's absolutely necessary to carry a comedy film. I don't believe that a film can implement only one or the other. Now, physical comedy can only be in addition to situational comedy to really work. The audience needs to care about the characters through their situational humor, in order to find the physical gags funny, in my opinion.
I guess “Mean Girls” is a chick flick, but to me, it's more a high-school comedy featuring women. It's not nearly as vulgar as something like Superbad, but the same ideas and concepts exist in both films (trying to get laid, dealing with the pressure of high school). One of my favorite moments in “Mean Girls” is when Lindsey Lohan's character vomits all over Aaron Samuels, her crush. It's hilarious because she has been such a bitch, for so long, that as an audience member I am begging for everything possible to go wrong for her. It's a great example of situational humor that gets its laugh from a funny and awkward scene between two characters.
Lastly, I want to leave you with this clip from “Mean Girls”...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Dw7GE_BYjI&feature=related
It's a great example of an awkward moment creating situational humor, and at the same time is the kind of heartwarming moment between characters that makes you care more about them as each scene progresses.
Great post, thanks for writing about one of my favorite things!
-Brian Peschka
Your blog reminds me of the saying “it is funny because it is true.” I have found that most situational comedies are laughable because it is not happening to us personally. It takes us out of the situation we could potentially find serious if we were directly involved and lets us see how funny it really is. I have come to live my life more light heartedly, like a situational comedy. Besides, life is too short to take everything seriously! One of the funniest movie scenes I have seen in a while is a scene from Forgetting Sarah Marshall in which Sarah tries to get back together with Peter. I found it funny because I find that most people who have been in relationships can relate to the awkwardness of running into each other again and remembering old feelings. But when we step back form the situation it is actually pretty funny…just not when it is our life. I hope you do make lots of films that make people happy! The world needs more lightheartedness. It’s time we start laughing at ourselves!
ReplyDeleteLindsey- I really enjoy your perspective on comedy. Mean Girls and Superbad are two of my favorite movies as well! I consider quoting lines from Mean Girls one of my talents. However, my attention span weakens towards the middle of Superbad. The first half of the movie is filled with situational comedy. The chemistry between Jonah Hill and Michael Cera is hilarious because their conversations are realistic. However, I feel that the comedy weakens when the film relies on less of these little awkward moments and more of a wild goose chase. This is where I start to lose a connection with the movie. I do agree with you that situational comedy is much more entertaining to an audience. This is because these are situations that are completely plausible. A movie that I think you might really enjoy that has this situational quality throughout the entire film is Knocked Up, also directed by Judd Apatow. The character interaction within normal scenarios really made this movie a hit. With that said, I would like to share a clip of the young Seth Rogan, performing stand-up. As you know, he has roles in Superbad as well as Knocked Up and is one my favorite actors on and off screen. This clip shows his situational sense of humor and how he got his start as a comedian and actor.
ReplyDeleteSeth Rogan – 1996 Stand Up
I agree with you that physical comedies are not funny. I especially find Jackass really stupid. I don't see what is so funny about people torturing themselves. I mean, you don't laugh when people are being tortured in like other action or war movies, right? Anyway, I loved the example videos. They helped me understand what you mean more clearly. It is so funny to go to a movie theater and watch a situational comedy that makes you feel awkward too. As you said, I think it is because sometime in our lives, we all have experienced the most embarassing and awkward moments and when we see that in a film we can fully understand the feeling. The scene comes to life because the audience can personally relate too. I wish I can see some of your projects!
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