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There is nothing I find more painful than a bad comedy. A clown that fails to elicit laughs is the most depressing (and terrifying) sight I can think of.
I tend to have a British sensibility when it comes to comedy. Most jokes in British comedy are about the subversion of expectations- you set up a situation and then take an unexpected twist that catches the audience by surprise. They are self-depreciating, and often revolve around the failures and flaws of the protagonist.
As a broad comparison, I tend to find the "Friends" archetype of American sitcom less appealing. The script is sculpted around one-liners, and it flows unnaturally towards a "zinger" (ugh!) that is sign-posted a mile away. Then it repeats this formula over and over for twenty minutes. Throughout, the audience hoots and guffaws in a manner that makes my ears hurt. Don't get me wrong, there is great American comedy, but the standard network, 3 camera sitcom is painful.
That said, there are some great comedy movies that have come out of the US, and here is where I am going to name one, hopefully to spark some conversation: -
The Other Guys
I tend to have a British sensibility when it comes to comedy. Most jokes in British comedy are about the subversion of expectations- you set up a situation and then take an unexpected twist that catches the audience by surprise. They are self-depreciating, and often revolve around the failures and flaws of the protagonist.
As a broad comparison, I tend to find the "Friends" archetype of American sitcom less appealing. The script is sculpted around one-liners, and it flows unnaturally towards a "zinger" (ugh!) that is sign-posted a mile away. Then it repeats this formula over and over for twenty minutes. Throughout, the audience hoots and guffaws in a manner that makes my ears hurt. Don't get me wrong, there is great American comedy, but the standard network, 3 camera sitcom is painful.
That said, there are some great comedy movies that have come out of the US, and here is where I am going to name one, hopefully to spark some conversation: -
The Other Guys
I really like those. There are countless (ok, I'm not producing myself, there are others)
