Comedy Film Criticism

Lampoon used to criticize an act by using ridicule or sarcasm the comedies during greek time would mock celebrities and/or any idea they hate and poke fun at them. They would portray them as looking selfish and stupid.

Shakespearean Comedy Comedy through wordplay—Shakespeare communicated his humor through language. His plays are peppered with wordplay, puns, and insults. He also uses multiple plot twists that typically utilize mistaken identity, disguises, cross-dressing, and coincidence. In Shakespeare, “comedy” means that the play has a happy ending—usually a wedding.

From stage to screen . . . Charlie Chaplin was the first, best known comic film star. The silent tradition lived on well in to the 20th century through mime artists like Marcel Marceau, and the physical comedy of artists likeRowan Atkinson as Mr Bean. Mr. Bean at the dentist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lW6R9kSGV2Q

Slapstick The name "slapstick" comes from the batacchio or bataccio — called the "slap stick" in English — a club-like object composed of two wooden slats used in early comedic theater. When struck, the battacchio produces a loud smacking noise, though little force transfers from the object to the person being struck. Actors may thus hit one another repeatedly with great audible effect while causing very little actual physical damage. Along with the inflatable bladder (of which the whoopee cushion is a modern variant), it was among the earliest special effects that a person could carry. In other words, slapstick humor relies on exaggerated physical injury and body-humor, which is why it worked well for silent films. The Three Stooges are famous for this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxg716xgTcI

Comedy Films: A Few Types

Screwball comedy derives its humor largely from bizarre, surprising (and improbable) situations or characters.  screwball comedies often involve mistaken identities or other circumstances in which a character or characters try to keep some important fact a secret. Sometimes screwball comedies feature male characters cross-dressing, further contributing to the misunderstandings (Some Like It Hot)

Fish Out of Water http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vW54lAtldI In a fish out of water comedy film, the main character or character finds himself in an unusual environment, which drives most of the humour. Situations can be swapping gender roles, as inTootsie (1982); an age changing role, as in Big (1988); a freedom-loving individual fitting into a structured environment, as in Police Academy (1984); a rural backwoodsman in the big city, as in"Crocodile" Dundee, and so forth. The Coen Brothers are known for using this technique in all of their films, though not always to comic effect. Some films including people fitting the "fish-out-of-water" bill including The Big Lebowski. Crocodile Dundee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rijQ5oBFlO0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vW54lAtldI

Parody or spoof A parody or spoof film is a comedy that satirizes other film genres or classic films. Such films employ sarcasm, stereotyping, mockery of scenes from other films, and the obviousness of meaning in a character's actions. Examples of this form include Blazing Saddles (1974), Airplane! (1980), Young Frankenstein (1974) and Scary Movie (2000).

Black Comedy The black or dark comedy film deals with normally taboo subjects, including, death, murder, sexual relations, suicide and war, in a satirical manner. Dark humor that makes light of so-called dark or evil elements in human nature. Examples include Arsenic and Old Lace (1944),     Heathers (1989),  and Burn After Reading (2008).

Gross Out! Gross out films are a relatively recent development, and rely heavily on vulgar, sexual or "toilet" humour. Examples include Porky's (1982), Dumb and Dumber (1994), There's Something About Mary (1998), and American Pie (1999).

Romantic Comedy The romantic comedy film sub-genre typically involves the development of a relationship between a man and a woman. The stereotyped plot line follows the "boy-gets-girl", "boy-loses-girl", "boy gets girl back again" sequence. Naturally there are innumerable variants to this plot, and much of the generally light-hearted comedy lies in the social interactions and sexual tensions between the pair. Examples of this style of film include It's a Wonderful World(1939), The Shop Around the Corner (1940), Sabrina (1954), Annie Hall (1977), When Harry Met Sally (1989), Pretty Woman(1990), and Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994).

Sophomoric Comedy Sophomoric humor aka "Juvenile Comedy". Comedy that would normally be expected from an adolescent. Includes bathroom and sexual humor and gags that are based on and appeal to a silly sense of immaturity.

Comedy Films: Genre Hybrids Action Comedies: Beverly Hills Cop, Lethal Weapon (chase sequences) Horror Comedy : Young Frankenstein, Scary Movie (horror motifs/plot-lines) Fantasy Comedy: Groundhog Day, Shrek (involves magic or medieval elements) Sci-Fi Comedy: Back to the Future, Men in Black

Elements of Comedy Films Irony: Verbal Irony: Saying one thing and meaning another Dramatic Irony: The audience knows something a character does not Situational Irony: Something unexpected happens

Comic Dialogue Non sequitur: illogical reasoning (“Real diamonds! They must be worth their weight in gold!”) Malapropism: the incorrect use of a word by substituting a similar-sounding word with different meaning (“You could have knocked me over with a fender.”—i.e. feather) Pun: a deliberate confusion of similar words (“The pun is mightier than the word.”)

Comic Dialogue Mixed Metaphor: a metaphor that leaps from one identification to a second identification that is inconsistent with the first one (“Well, pull in your reel, Mr. Fielding, you're barking up the wrong fish!”) Double Entendre: Double meanings (“If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body, Would You Hold It Against Me?”)

Comic Devices Mistaken Identity: either an intended act of deception or an accident Coincidence: improbable chance happenings or meetings Surprise & Incongruity: to set up the audience to expect one thing and then surprising them with the unexpected (irony) Hyperbole/Exaggeration: may be used due to strong feelings or is used to create a strong impression and is not meant to be taken literally

Purpose Some comedies are satires--satire and farce both mock society as a political commentary to bring change. Some focus on story and entertainment--these are primarily narrative. Others use humor to ask you to consider the human condition--these are primarily philosophical.