Comedy Archeology - Surely You Can't Be Serious

There’s been a lot of talk about television and some books but what about film, eh? What about those things that I’m always posting reviews about? Well, yes, comedy films have definitely formed part of the sense of humour bedrock. I could probably publish a whole raft of posts on this but let’s pick out some of the ones that are indelibly imprinted on the brain.

Comedy Films

Airplane
In A Nutshell:- A masterclass in silliness.
Why’s It So Good? Because, while it may be very, very silly in terms of gags, it’s actually a remake of a genuine disaster movie and everyone (with one notable exception*) plays it completely straight. It’s that deadpan sense of the characters not being in one the joke that makes it so funny. That and it features a great combination of daft wordplay and strong visual gags. While it does, of course, have a plot to follow, there is still a strong sense of sketch comedy about it which works in its favour. The gag rate is so high that, for those that don’t quite hit, another belter is just around the corner. It’s also one of those films that you find gags you hadn’t seen before almost every time you watch it.

Blazing Saddles
In A Nutshell:- My favourite Mel Brooks
Why’s It So Good? It’s another one, like Airplane, that’s endlessly quotable and I find lines from it popping into my head all the time. Arguably, The Producers is a “better” film but this is the one that I love more. The two central performances from Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder hold the whole thing together (Cleavon Little in particular) but the supporting cast, notabling Harvey Korman, Madeleine Kahn and Slim Pickens are great. This is also probably the film (along with the Muppet Movie) that is most responsible for my love of breaking of the fourth wall, from Harvey Korman talking directly to the audience through to the whole final act of the film.

Ghostbusters
In A Nutshell:- Who you gonna call?
Why’s It So Good? It’s one of those rare beasts - an all-ages comedy beloved by people of all ages. The performances and writing are all superb and, like Airplane and Blazing Saddles, so many lines are permanently imprinted in my head. As I’ve mentioned before, fantasy/sci fi and comedy mixing are tricky beasts to get right but this one absolutely nails it. (Side note:- The sequel gets a lot of stick and it doesn’t reach the near perfection of the original but it’s a lot more enjoyable than people give it credit for.)

The other main ones that would get a mention here are Monty Python’s Life Of Brian and Monty Python And The Holy Grail but I’ve already talked about Monty Python as a whole so take it as read that those ones are also part of the comedy DNA.

There’s another film that would sit here but let’s go into that next time when I talk about a specific genre...


* Stephen Stucker as the manic Johnny is one of my favourite things about it, particularly the fact that his over-the-top performance is largely ignored by the other characters