Charlie Chaplin

There wasn't the option I'd pick which was "I can see the ingenuity of his work, but to be honest, havng a hernia operation is probably funnier than watching his films" so I went with "I think he's stupid."

I worry about you at times... I really do...

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Statements like this are the reason why you are my favorite MoFo.

I can arrange for you to have that operation and watch a Chaplin afterwards so you can find out.

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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page

Chaplin was the first and the quintessential auteur. He wrote, directed, starred in, photographed, scored, and edited his own movies much of the time. Whatever you see on screen in a Chaplin film, is a direct result of decisions that Chaplin made. He created one of the most recognizable and relatable characters in movie history and had the unique ability to convey genuine emotion without words, using only body language and facial expressions. His stories are universal in appeal; they are poignant and clever enough for a mature audience, they're funny enough for children, they transcend boundaries of language and culture because they're silent. He was also one of the first people to use the medium of cinema for social commentary, not the first though (not including D.W. Griffith with Birth of a Nation). In addition, he co-founded United Artists, which is still running today, to combat the studio system and promote individuality in movie production. Charlie Chaplin is cinema.

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"I want a film I watch to express either the joy of making cinema or the anguish of making cinema" -Francois Truffaut

I agree with all of this, but he's still not funny.

Oh well, I tried. Can't knock a guy for tryin'.

Seriously though, I can definitely see how people just don't find him funny. Actually whenever I have friends over and I suggest a Chaplin movie, that's what everyone says. "He's really talented, blah blah blah, he's not funny."

I didn't vote because of limited options. I like, don't love him, and think he is better than okay.
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Can't knock you for trying at all, C&W. Though I'm not sure how it can be described, anyway.

I don't really know what to say to someone who doesn't find Chaplin funny. I wouldn't quibble with someone who says they don't find him hilarious, but not funny at all? Hard to fathom, to the point at which I'd say anyone who feels that way has a fundamentally different conception of comedy than I do.

I think it has to be at least quasi-generational, in that people who don't find him at all funny are almost invariably going to be on the young side. I don't think it works both ways, of course, because I'm pretty young myself and find him quite funny. But the reverse -- someone who's been around while and still doesn't find him funny -- is probably pretty flippin' rare.

This phrasing is interesting. Is it really "he's not funny," or is it "I don't personally find him funny"? The former is a much stronger statement.

Don't watch unless you want to laugh.

ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UZHYfqOY0Q&feature=related

And maybe this isn't so funny, but here's some drug humor post-1934.
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Love the boxing scene. Goes on too long, but I can't hold that against it.

I didn't feel the need to qualify that I was expressing an opinion, it seemed obvious enough without that.

Clearly, if he makes other people laugh, then he's funny to them. He doesn't make me laugh, so he's not funny to me.

Charlie was not funny in a sarcastic,hard to understand humor,simple things charlie did always made me laugh but if your not into a great old comedian like Charlie find someone that peaks your interest.

Well, yeah, I didn't think you were making a statement that you expected applied to others, obviously. But I will, at times, say that someone flat-out "isn't funny" if I feel I can explain why they don't fit some kind of semi-reasonable definition of comedy. For example, someone who just screams, or just attempts to make people feel awkward, or something, in lieu of wit or even timing. Or a standup comic who does social commentary that people agree with and clap in response to, but don't necessarily find actually funny. Things like that.

There's a thousand ways to express any opinion, and which one we choose certainly says something about it. Someone could say "they just didn't quite do it for me" or "it wasn't my cup of tea." Or they can say "I don't find it funny, but that's just my opinion." Of they can say "it's not funny." Or they can go a bit further and say "it's just flat-out not funny" or "how could anyone find this funny?" Technically none of these are actually pretending to be objective, but they're not quite the same, either.

All that said, and as counter-intuitive as it might be, I wouldn't use laughter as the sole gauge when deciding whether or not something is funny, anyway. Sometimes I find Chaplin funny in a clever way that makes me smile, but not always laugh.

People get really pissy when you don't find Chaplin funny, don't they?

Oh, come now, I don't think it was pissy at all. I asked a simple question. If anything, I get pissy when people just say "this is good" or "this is bad" without much inclination to elaborate.

I've never been one to analyze things in that way. I judge film based on my visceral reaction to it. If something makes me laugh, I call it funny. If it fails to do that, I say it isn't funny. It seems the most logical way to categorize "comedy" to me.

They are a lot of ways to categorize comedy but i dont think it's very logical that if you just see something then say not funny, i would like to explore the comedy in stead of just saying Not Funny.

We all know I'm weird but if something is funny if I only laugh out loud then most of my favorite comedies are unfunny. And no, this is not a straight line for honeykid to chime in since you basically don't think movies are funny.