Review
So, let's quickly review our discussion of stereotypes. Judith Andre defined stereotypes as being generally held, rigid, oversimplifications or misconceptions of a cultural group. She identified the functions of a stereotype as 1) being fundamental to one's conceptual scheme, 2) protecting one's self-esteem, 3) bringing about a desirable situation; or 4) shielding one from facing an unavoidable, negative fact.
Films often include stereotypes, for a few reasons. Films, and narratives in general, emphasize characters and their actions (unlike poetry or visual art). When these characters are inadequately developed (for example, when the studio system churned out simple, marketable films as quickly as possible), they have the potential to use stereotypes. People go to the movie theater, hand over their money, suspend their disbelief, and often accept the representations onscreen (if not the literal representations, at least the ideologies informing those representations).
Discussion of genre
The next few weeks, we'll be discussing how issues of race, class, gender and sexuality were addressed in various film genres. Think about some of films you saw this summer, and see if any fit into a standard genre (romance, comedy, action, horror, western, etc). Why do we enjoy these films so much and continue to see them even though they are so similar to so many of their predecessors (come on, is Live Free or Die Hard that much of a departure from the other three films in the series?). While some films are praised for their inventiveness or unconventionality, genre films are especially popular because of their adherence to conventions. The film studios bank on them being somewhat popular because they're reusing a formula that has proved successful among audiences. Viewers go to them because certain expectations are fulfilled--we know going to the theater that a romantic comedy will end with a heterosexual union of sorts and that a musical will include a bunch of people dancing and singing in the street for no apparent reason. (Alright, I'm not the biggest fan of musicals. So sue me.)
While genre films have always maintained their popularity, they were especially prevalent during the Studio Era. The assembly-line methods of filmmaking encouraged the use of narrative and stylistic formulas that would bring monetary success. The crew members (employed by Paramount or Warner Bros or another big studio) would often wrap a film on Friday and start another on Monday. The fact that the films within a genre were so similar allowed for these individuals to transition from one film to the next to the next.
I think there existed both positives and negatives to the Studio Era's emphasis of genre films. The films were often repetitive and often included stock characters that lacked depth. However, since the genre formulas were used so frequently (often by the same actors and filmmakers), certain individuals were able to work on their roles to the point of perfection (Katherine Hepburn is the fast talking dame, John Ford is the western film director).
So, why comedy?
When we're dealing with issues as serious as poverty and racism and oppression, we may not think that examining comedy films would be helpful. But in fact, humor can often give some interesting insight into our society. We often use comedy as a means of addressing otherwise taboo subjects, releasing tension or frustration, or critically examining our social behaviors (in a not-so-threatening manner).
Here's a bit of humor. Watch it and see if you can make some connections.What does the humor used indicate about our society? I think it's helpful to place the clip in the context of a some other popular comedies of the last few years: The 40 Year Old Virgin, Wedding Crashers, Old School, School of Rock, School for Scoundrels, Hitch, Meet the Parents/Fockers, etc, etc. Each of these films have protagonists who are dealing with the difficulties of entering adulthood--getting a job, maintaining a successful relationship, starting a family, etc. It seems like (the oh-so-young-and-cool) Generation X is now edging into their thirties and forties and are having some serious growing pains. These films allow the thirty-somethings to acknowledge and examine their fears and frustrations in an less-threatening, therapeutic, funny way.
This isn't anything new either. Ancient Greek comedy, the French neo-classical comedy (Moliere's Tartuffe, for example), and some Victorian comedies (like Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest) all make pretty pointed (and pretty hilarious) commentary on gender relations, class conflict, sex and power.
Silent film comedy continued this tradition and used slapstick as another means of social commentary. Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd often played protagonists who were somewhat emasculated men of lower economic class. And while the film technology of the time didn't allow for spoken dialogue, these comedians were masters at performing social commentary with their body language.
Here's a clip from Chaplin's film Modern Times. See if you can identify some of the societal criticism that he makes.
The Screwball Comedy
The screwball comedy film, made popular in Hollywood's "golden age", continued the tradition of using humor to address societal issues. In order to understand how the genre corresponds with our discussion of race, class, gender and sexuality studies, it's important to understand some of the genre's conventions and their relation to the historical and cultural context.
Most prominently, screwball comedies dealt with gender roles and relations. The films would introduce a male character and a female character. The plot would follow their attempts at having a successful romantic relationship. And the film would inevitably conclude with the two characters overcoming all odds to join in heterosexual union (marriage or remarriage).
While this scenario may seem dependent on cultural norms, the films use this standard romance narrative to challenge these norms. First of all, the characters defy conventional gender roles. The women are intelligent, sexually empowered, "fast-talking dames" while the males are often characterized as emasculated and ineffectual "little men". Here's an example from Preston's Sturges' film The Lady Eve. Henry Fonda is an aloof heir to a fortune and Barbara Stanwyck is a seductive con artist.
So, this clip pretty obviously (and awesomely) exemplifies the genre's use of non-traditional gender representations. The women's suffrage movement and the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920 provided American women with the ability to vote. The U.S.'s involvement in World War I and II promoted the involvement of women in the military and work force. The role of women in American society was shifting and the films demonstrate this shift. In screwball comedies, the women play much more commanding roles. They exemplify the newly-liberated 20th century woman--educated, articulate, sexually aware, often athletic, and definitely more capable than their male counterparts.
During the course of the characters' navigation of their relationship, they encounter some obstacles. The tension that is created between the two characters is manifested in the use of both verbal and physical sexual innuendo. After the introduction of sound film technology, film writers took advantage of their newfound ability to put words in their characters' mouths. However, the campaign of the Catholic League of Decency and the establishment of The Hay's Production Code limited the content that could be included in the early films. So, in order to reference sexuality, the screenwriters relied on the double entendre--the characters cleverly alluded to sex, but were not in violation of the codes.
The use of sexual innuendo was not limited to the words spoken by characters. Because of slapstick's inherent connection to the performer's body, that physical comedy had been long associated (at least subconsciuosly) with sexual behavior. So, often in screwball comedies (and in comedy in general) slapstick comedy is used to communicate a character's developmental retardation or sexual frustration (think Will Ferrell shooting himself in the neck with a tranquilizer dart, Jack Black attempting to crowd surf but crashing to the ground, Steve Carrell having his chest waxed). So, when Barbara Stanwyck's character from The Lady Eve repeatedly trips Henry Fonda's character, not only is the physical conflict in some ways associated with other, more intimate physical encounters, but the embarrassment and frustration of the characters is also linked to their inability to create and consummate a successful relationship.
If you think I'm going too far, I'm not. Comedy often really functions on these subconscious levels. Just take a look at this clip from Preston Sturges' The Palm Beach Story.
Finally, screwball comedies depend in many ways on role reversals. Female characters are sexually aggressive and intelligent while the male characters are sexually and intellectually oblivious. These reversals are not limited to gender roles either. The screwball comedy was especially popular during the time of The Great Depression, when poverty and economic class conflict was a particularly difficult issue. And so, the genre films often emphasized (and commented on) this division in its narratives. For example, in Preston Sturges' Sullivan's Travels, a wealthy filmmaker travels the country as a drifter in order to better understand the social realities of his day. The mixing, and re-mixing, of rich and poor in the films acknowledged and often criticized the economic struggles faced by its viewers. On the other hand, the protagonists of these stories are often members of the upper class. Some of the films (The Philadelphia Story, Woman of the Year) do include journalists, who were identified as distinctly middle class, among the economic elite. But most films emphasize the luxury achieved by only the very wealthy (especially during the Depression). These representations could definitely be interpreted as a means of escapism for the suffering working class audience.
Here's a clip from Leo McCarey's The Awful Truth (which is my favorite screwball comedy). In this scene Carey Grant's character is visiting with his fiancee's family when his soon-to-be-ex-wife (their divorce is not completely finalized) arrives, pretending to be his sister. Notice how Irene Dunne's performance, and the other characters' responses, indicate a certain superiority over the lower economic and social classes.
So what?
We may look at the representations of gender and class in the screwball comedy and laugh about how funny people used to be. (We may even go so far as to dismiss the films, and any film in black-and-white as old and therefore worthless. If that's the case, I think we should think about the prejudice inherent in that attitude--something that is different, that doesn't stimulate me like today's music videos and blockbuster films do, that is enjoyed by people as old as our grandparents (and are as old as our grandparents) is dull or old-fashioned. Maybe we can live a successful life without watching black-and-white films, but hopefully that prejudice doesn't keep us from valuing older ideas (like religion or philosophy), older works (like the writings of Mark Twain or Jane Austen or the paintings of Vermeer), or even older generations of people. But anyway...)
The point that I'm trying to make is that despite the differences between our cultures and films, we have some real connections to screwball comedy and the issues it addresses. Hopefully, the news article assignment from week 2 gave you a chance to recognize the reality of these issues of class and gender in today's society. And so since we're still dealing with these issues, we're still going to address them in our comedy. Here's a clip from a contemporary screwball comedy.
So, Intolerable Cruelty's use of color and familiarity with the actors may make the film a little more accessible to our contemporary tastes, but the same formula is at work, addressing the same issues.
After I finished writing this post, I was visiting some links posted on www.imdb.com and I came across a few articles that specifically discuss the progression of gender roles and relations in romantic comedies, from Bringing Up Baby to Knocked Up. Here are the links. I really think you guys will find the articles interesting.
"A Fine Romance: The New Comedy of the Sexes" by David Denby
"If Knocked Up is the Future of Cinema, We're in Trouble" by Joe Queenan
"It's a Boy-Girl Thing" by Helen O'Hara
Assignment
Pick a comedy film that you enjoy (old or new, but one that I didn't discuss in the blog). Find a published (not blogged) review of the film and read it. Include a link to this review. Building on our discussion and any relative points in the film review, discuss how the film's humor reflects an issue (not necessarily one of race, class, gender, and sexuality) dealt with in society. Be sure not to repeat your fellow students' film choices.
Quiz
What does DiBattista discuss about the film characters' transition from silence to vocalization in regards to gender identity (male and female)?
Both the quiz and assignment are due by midnight Friday night as always!
So, let's quickly review our discussion of stereotypes. Judith Andre defined stereotypes as being generally held, rigid, oversimplifications or misconceptions of a cultural group. She identified the functions of a stereotype as 1) being fundamental to one's conceptual scheme, 2) protecting one's self-esteem, 3) bringing about a desirable situation; or 4) shielding one from facing an unavoidable, negative fact.
Films often include stereotypes, for a few reasons. Films, and narratives in general, emphasize characters and their actions (unlike poetry or visual art). When these characters are inadequately developed (for example, when the studio system churned out simple, marketable films as quickly as possible), they have the potential to use stereotypes. People go to the movie theater, hand over their money, suspend their disbelief, and often accept the representations onscreen (if not the literal representations, at least the ideologies informing those representations).
Discussion of genre
The next few weeks, we'll be discussing how issues of race, class, gender and sexuality were addressed in various film genres. Think about some of films you saw this summer, and see if any fit into a standard genre (romance, comedy, action, horror, western, etc). Why do we enjoy these films so much and continue to see them even though they are so similar to so many of their predecessors (come on, is Live Free or Die Hard that much of a departure from the other three films in the series?). While some films are praised for their inventiveness or unconventionality, genre films are especially popular because of their adherence to conventions. The film studios bank on them being somewhat popular because they're reusing a formula that has proved successful among audiences. Viewers go to them because certain expectations are fulfilled--we know going to the theater that a romantic comedy will end with a heterosexual union of sorts and that a musical will include a bunch of people dancing and singing in the street for no apparent reason. (Alright, I'm not the biggest fan of musicals. So sue me.)While genre films have always maintained their popularity, they were especially prevalent during the Studio Era. The assembly-line methods of filmmaking encouraged the use of narrative and stylistic formulas that would bring monetary success. The crew members (employed by Paramount or Warner Bros or another big studio) would often wrap a film on Friday and start another on Monday. The fact that the films within a genre were so similar allowed for these individuals to transition from one film to the next to the next.
I think there existed both positives and negatives to the Studio Era's emphasis of genre films. The films were often repetitive and often included stock characters that lacked depth. However, since the genre formulas were used so frequently (often by the same actors and filmmakers), certain individuals were able to work on their roles to the point of perfection (Katherine Hepburn is the fast talking dame, John Ford is the western film director).So, why comedy?
When we're dealing with issues as serious as poverty and racism and oppression, we may not think that examining comedy films would be helpful. But in fact, humor can often give some interesting insight into our society. We often use comedy as a means of addressing otherwise taboo subjects, releasing tension or frustration, or critically examining our social behaviors (in a not-so-threatening manner).
Here's a bit of humor. Watch it and see if you can make some connections.What does the humor used indicate about our society? I think it's helpful to place the clip in the context of a some other popular comedies of the last few years: The 40 Year Old Virgin, Wedding Crashers, Old School, School of Rock, School for Scoundrels, Hitch, Meet the Parents/Fockers, etc, etc. Each of these films have protagonists who are dealing with the difficulties of entering adulthood--getting a job, maintaining a successful relationship, starting a family, etc. It seems like (the oh-so-young-and-cool) Generation X is now edging into their thirties and forties and are having some serious growing pains. These films allow the thirty-somethings to acknowledge and examine their fears and frustrations in an less-threatening, therapeutic, funny way.
This isn't anything new either. Ancient Greek comedy, the French neo-classical comedy (Moliere's Tartuffe, for example), and some Victorian comedies (like Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest) all make pretty pointed (and pretty hilarious) commentary on gender relations, class conflict, sex and power.
Silent film comedy continued this tradition and used slapstick as another means of social commentary. Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd often played protagonists who were somewhat emasculated men of lower economic class. And while the film technology of the time didn't allow for spoken dialogue, these comedians were masters at performing social commentary with their body language.
Here's a clip from Chaplin's film Modern Times. See if you can identify some of the societal criticism that he makes.
The Screwball Comedy
The screwball comedy film, made popular in Hollywood's "golden age", continued the tradition of using humor to address societal issues. In order to understand how the genre corresponds with our discussion of race, class, gender and sexuality studies, it's important to understand some of the genre's conventions and their relation to the historical and cultural context.
Most prominently, screwball comedies dealt with gender roles and relations. The films would introduce a male character and a female character. The plot would follow their attempts at having a successful romantic relationship. And the film would inevitably conclude with the two characters overcoming all odds to join in heterosexual union (marriage or remarriage).
While this scenario may seem dependent on cultural norms, the films use this standard romance narrative to challenge these norms. First of all, the characters defy conventional gender roles. The women are intelligent, sexually empowered, "fast-talking dames" while the males are often characterized as emasculated and ineffectual "little men". Here's an example from Preston's Sturges' film The Lady Eve. Henry Fonda is an aloof heir to a fortune and Barbara Stanwyck is a seductive con artist.
So, this clip pretty obviously (and awesomely) exemplifies the genre's use of non-traditional gender representations. The women's suffrage movement and the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920 provided American women with the ability to vote. The U.S.'s involvement in World War I and II promoted the involvement of women in the military and work force. The role of women in American society was shifting and the films demonstrate this shift. In screwball comedies, the women play much more commanding roles. They exemplify the newly-liberated 20th century woman--educated, articulate, sexually aware, often athletic, and definitely more capable than their male counterparts.
During the course of the characters' navigation of their relationship, they encounter some obstacles. The tension that is created between the two characters is manifested in the use of both verbal and physical sexual innuendo. After the introduction of sound film technology, film writers took advantage of their newfound ability to put words in their characters' mouths. However, the campaign of the Catholic League of Decency and the establishment of The Hay's Production Code limited the content that could be included in the early films. So, in order to reference sexuality, the screenwriters relied on the double entendre--the characters cleverly alluded to sex, but were not in violation of the codes.The use of sexual innuendo was not limited to the words spoken by characters. Because of slapstick's inherent connection to the performer's body, that physical comedy had been long associated (at least subconsciuosly) with sexual behavior. So, often in screwball comedies (and in comedy in general) slapstick comedy is used to communicate a character's developmental retardation or sexual frustration (think Will Ferrell shooting himself in the neck with a tranquilizer dart, Jack Black attempting to crowd surf but crashing to the ground, Steve Carrell having his chest waxed). So, when Barbara Stanwyck's character from The Lady Eve repeatedly trips Henry Fonda's character, not only is the physical conflict in some ways associated with other, more intimate physical encounters, but the embarrassment and frustration of the characters is also linked to their inability to create and consummate a successful relationship.
If you think I'm going too far, I'm not. Comedy often really functions on these subconscious levels. Just take a look at this clip from Preston Sturges' The Palm Beach Story.
Finally, screwball comedies depend in many ways on role reversals. Female characters are sexually aggressive and intelligent while the male characters are sexually and intellectually oblivious. These reversals are not limited to gender roles either. The screwball comedy was especially popular during the time of The Great Depression, when poverty and economic class conflict was a particularly difficult issue. And so, the genre films often emphasized (and commented on) this division in its narratives. For example, in Preston Sturges' Sullivan's Travels, a wealthy filmmaker travels the country as a drifter in order to better understand the social realities of his day. The mixing, and re-mixing, of rich and poor in the films acknowledged and often criticized the economic struggles faced by its viewers. On the other hand, the protagonists of these stories are often members of the upper class. Some of the films (The Philadelphia Story, Woman of the Year) do include journalists, who were identified as distinctly middle class, among the economic elite. But most films emphasize the luxury achieved by only the very wealthy (especially during the Depression). These representations could definitely be interpreted as a means of escapism for the suffering working class audience.Here's a clip from Leo McCarey's The Awful Truth (which is my favorite screwball comedy). In this scene Carey Grant's character is visiting with his fiancee's family when his soon-to-be-ex-wife (their divorce is not completely finalized) arrives, pretending to be his sister. Notice how Irene Dunne's performance, and the other characters' responses, indicate a certain superiority over the lower economic and social classes.
So what?
We may look at the representations of gender and class in the screwball comedy and laugh about how funny people used to be. (We may even go so far as to dismiss the films, and any film in black-and-white as old and therefore worthless. If that's the case, I think we should think about the prejudice inherent in that attitude--something that is different, that doesn't stimulate me like today's music videos and blockbuster films do, that is enjoyed by people as old as our grandparents (and are as old as our grandparents) is dull or old-fashioned. Maybe we can live a successful life without watching black-and-white films, but hopefully that prejudice doesn't keep us from valuing older ideas (like religion or philosophy), older works (like the writings of Mark Twain or Jane Austen or the paintings of Vermeer), or even older generations of people. But anyway...)The point that I'm trying to make is that despite the differences between our cultures and films, we have some real connections to screwball comedy and the issues it addresses. Hopefully, the news article assignment from week 2 gave you a chance to recognize the reality of these issues of class and gender in today's society. And so since we're still dealing with these issues, we're still going to address them in our comedy. Here's a clip from a contemporary screwball comedy.
So, Intolerable Cruelty's use of color and familiarity with the actors may make the film a little more accessible to our contemporary tastes, but the same formula is at work, addressing the same issues.
After I finished writing this post, I was visiting some links posted on www.imdb.com and I came across a few articles that specifically discuss the progression of gender roles and relations in romantic comedies, from Bringing Up Baby to Knocked Up. Here are the links. I really think you guys will find the articles interesting.
"A Fine Romance: The New Comedy of the Sexes" by David Denby
"If Knocked Up is the Future of Cinema, We're in Trouble" by Joe Queenan
"It's a Boy-Girl Thing" by Helen O'Hara
Assignment
Pick a comedy film that you enjoy (old or new, but one that I didn't discuss in the blog). Find a published (not blogged) review of the film and read it. Include a link to this review. Building on our discussion and any relative points in the film review, discuss how the film's humor reflects an issue (not necessarily one of race, class, gender, and sexuality) dealt with in society. Be sure not to repeat your fellow students' film choices.
Quiz
What does DiBattista discuss about the film characters' transition from silence to vocalization in regards to gender identity (male and female)?
Both the quiz and assignment are due by midnight Friday night as always!
25 comments:
SUPERBAD
In the new hit movie, Superbad, three boys battle with their teenage years and their last year of high school. They are trying to enjoy their last few weeks of senior year and they become involved in all of the typical teenage activities. Fogell gets his first fake I.D. with the name "McLovin." These boys are ecstatic because they will be able to buy alcohol and ultimately get girls. They soon encounter two ridiculous cops that are basically older versions of the them. They love to drink, play around and go to parties. The two best friends, Evan and Seth, will soon be separated because they are going to different schools. This whole movie is a culmination of what goes on in a high school kid's mind.
Although this movie was hilarious and highly provocative, it was very accurate. Believe it or not, teenage boys do in some way or another think like the characters. They want to pick up girls and get drunk. The typical high school scene is depicted in this movie. Parents go out of town and the kids throw crazy parties that get broken up by the police. All aspects of this movie relate to the average child's life at this time. The film happened to show boys that were not very popular but ultimately it did not matter when it came to having fun and having true friends. At the end of high school, many friends are separated because they are attending different colleges and this is a big step. Some kids feel as if they need to 'go crazy' before they leave and have their last moments with their friends be the greatest. This film gives a good amount of real situations as well as emotions between friends. This movie was great because it showed a true depiction of the average child's senior year and it shows the experiences and feelings that they encounter.
OFFICE SPACE
Zach Scray
In the already classic 1999 comedy, Office Space, Peter Gibbions and several coworkers work for a typical software company, Initech. All of them are middle aged men who are confronted with a very familiar problem that takes place in all traditional offices in America. They hate their job and do not get paid enough for the work load and stress they receive. Besides being harassed by upper management they always have to worry about job security due to the company always downsizing. The main character Peter eventually has a mental breakdown because of the high stress levels. The movie basically depicts what goes on in a customary cubical office at an average sized company.
Besides the hilarious office pranks and characters the movie goes hand in hand with every regular American’s office job. The average American office worker does not get paid enough for the abuse they put up with. Also what office job doesn't give you immense amounts of stress? Thus in result makes the employee want to quit and get revenge on the company. The film does a great job demonstrating what happens to average workers at the typical office. The emotions and actions are also portrayed very accurate just in a more humorous sense.
Undercover Brother
The 2002, Super comedy "Undercover Brother," shows how humor reflects on issues dealt with in our society. "Undercover Brother," is about a black man name Anton Jackson and his freinds who are sent out to take down "The Man." "The Man," is this unidentified white man who is trying to brainwash the black populations with chicken. Anton Jackson must be the hero but have to go thru this terrible obstacles like, trading in his brotherhood, and facing the beautiful "White She Devil," in order to get to "The Man."
The reason I chose this movie is because of the stereotypes are similar to the stereotypes in today society. For example whiere "The Man," trys to brainwash the black populations with chicken. He assumes that all balck people eat chicken which is a sense is true. Also there was a part in the movie where a white male name Lance trys to join the all black BrotherHood agency. Conspiracy Bother a black worker, in a wierd way picks on Lance but at the same time shows him the ropes. Later, Lance gets promoted before Conspiracy Brother who have been working for a long time. Basically Lance got the promotes because of Conspiracy Brother showing himethe ropes of the agency. Everything in this movie is Black Vs. White in a comic way. I think this movie is a perfect example on how hurmor reflects certain issue in our society.
Coming to America
In the movie Coming to America is a man Eddie Murphy which is a prince.He talks to his farther which is King of Zmunda, to let him make a forty day trip to the United States to find his wife. This all took place in New York. Man who is willing to sacrifice money, privilege, power, and position in quest for personal happiness.When he he find his wife he did everything to get to know he . One of the main reason he lied to her because he wanted to know how a women would judge him and treat him if he didn't have money.the Women he found was very upset because he lied and she was really caring and falling in love with him. But eventually they made up and live happily ever after.
Knocked up
Knocked up is a movie that deal with a common problem in society that crosses racial and social barriers. Two people go to a bar, get drunk, have sex and on accident the girl gets pregnant. Then the problem is too have the baby or not with a person you hardly even know. They choose to have the baby together and see if the two actually like each other enough to raise the child together.
The movie is hilarious because the main character Ben and his friends are trying to start a nude celebrity web site and are very immature. The girl he gets pregnant Alison is a very professional TV personality and these two clash throughout the film.
The only not funny part of the film is thinking what would you do in this situation. Most like to go out and get drunk and meet someone to possibly date or maybe just have a one night stand with. This is when the fun stops and becomes real. I liked that in the end they got together, but this a movie. It doesn't always have a happy ending in real life.
Harold and Kumar
This 2004 classic tells the epic tale of two friends on a quest for the "perfect food." Harold and Kumar are two stoners who after getting high one day decide to satisfy their hunger eating at White Castle, the "perfect food." Their personalities are reminiscent of the classic tv show The Odd Couple, where one is a perfectionist clean freak while the other is an underachieving slob. Their journey to find a White Castle is constantly being hindered by various characters including a flat tire, a group of "extreme" dudes, a rabid racoon, and the one and only Neil Patrik Harris as Neil Patrick Harris. In this movie race plays a big role (as well as marijuana) in the progression of the plot. One of the main scenes where this is present is when Harold and Kumar are in a suburban town and they are approached and eventually incarcerated by an overtly racist cop. While in jail Kumar meets a black man who says that the reason he is in jail is because he is black.In the end though it is revealed that all of the racist police int eh area are arrested themselves
I’m sure on some level we’re all concerned with our appearance. But just how far are you willing to go to obtain that desired standard of beauty? This question is addressed in the 1992 film Death Becomes Her, starring Bruce Willis, Goldie Hawn, and Meryl Streep. Though it hit theaters over a decade ago, this black comedy tackles the issues of vanity and narcissism, two concepts that loom heavily over our society. I can’t sit through a primetime television show without being bombarded with commercials aimed at rejuvenating, exfoliating, plumping, chiseling, defining, tightening, firming, etc. my body and that of the next. There are a million diet pills on the market, countless plastic surgeons, and enough skin creams on the market to moisturize the Sahara. Though this film was a slight exaggeration (to my knowledge there hasn’t been invented an immortality elixir, though I’m sure it’s development is well underway) through physical comedy (slapstick) and visual effects, Death Becomes Her manages to humorously address this still prominent issue.
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/reviews/film/never_been_kissed
In the movie Never Been Kissed, the main character, Josie Gellar gets the opportunity to go back to high school and write an expose on the high school experience in itself. The only problem is that she was never socially accepted, and had no idea how to find her way into the cool clique at school. With the help of her brother, who was the exact opposite of her during their school days, she is able to find herself in the clique she wanted to be in, and accidentally falls in love with one of her teachers. Everything comes crashing down on her at prom, when she finally tells everyone who she is. Thinking she could finally be with the teacher, Josie is crushed to find out he is incredibly upset with her and angry that she lied. In the end, Josie writes a particularly moving article and finally gets the kiss she had been waiting for from the teacher at the high school
The film’s humor deals with the issues that any teen has faced throughout life – fitting in. Using the “ugly duckling” idea that Josie had the potential to become a swan, the film watches her transformation into a stereotypical popular high school student. The unpopular kids, who reminded Josie of herself at that age, put up with relentless teasing in a stereotypical manor. All the while trying to make it through their high school experience, something, like Josie, they hoped to forget.
The First Wives Club
This movie is about three women, who were best friends in college, that reunite at their best friend's funeral, who had just committed suicide because her husband left her for a younger woman. Come to find out, the three women are getting divorced too for the same reason. They come together to get revenge on their husbands by threating to ruin their careers, but they realize that would make them no better than their husbands. So instead they decided to make their ex husbands pay by funding a nonprofit organization to help neglected and abused women, in memory of their friend who committed suicide.
Although this movie may seem a little serious, it is actually quite funny. One of my favorite quotes from the movie is when the three women are at lunch and have had a little too much to drink. This really defines the movie.
"When men know women are a certain age..."
"It's goodbye love."
"Hello poptarts."
"That's right baby... It's the holocaust."
It really shows how our society is changing. More than 50% of married couples will get a divorce, and a lot of the time it's the men that go for the younger women. People deal with divorces every day. My parents are divorced, and my dad remarried. It's just becoming more acceptable.
Thank You for Smoking
Thank You for Smoking is a comedy that follows a career lobbyist for big tobacco as he works at convincing the public to smoke and defend against attacks from a Vermont senator that uses the controversy over smoking in American to build his political career. I enjoy it as a comedy because it pokes fun at the lobbying culture in America and treats both the pro-smoking and anti-smoking parties with equal contempt. Both parties have no real interest in whether or not smoking is a danger to the public, big tobacco in the film just wants to make money and gain more costumers and the anti-smoking senator just uses smoking as a hot topic to gain publicity for himself.
The movie focuses on making fun of the media in America, it being more as a tool of self-absorbed parties to gain attention to their causes rather than attempting to find truth and genuinely educate the public. The main character makes a point to his son that when he argues for big tobacco it isn’t about finding the genuine facts but rather just winning using rhetoric. The film is a good example of being able to have a good laugh at the expense of our media culture, but at the same time consider that the film may have some truthful points.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Movies/08/19/review.virgin/index.html
In the 40 Year Old Virgin, Andy is the virgin who is socially ackward when it comes to females. He is a clean cut guy who has a mediocre job, but still seems content with his situation. The film portrays him as kind of immature, collecting figurines and riding a bike to work. In a way this is a stereotype. One would almost expect a 40 year old virgin to display such characteristics. In a society where its not cool for a guy to be a virgin, the fact that Andy is 40 and still hasn't gotten laid makes you have some sympathy towards him. Andy's co workers find it ridiculous, and even though they want to make fun of him, they realize that all this guy really needs is some advice and some confidence. The whole movie is based around Andy getting advice about girls from guys who are having girl problems of their own. In the begining of the movie, nobody wants to be this Andy character, and his life just seems lame. After Andy finds a woman he likes, he ends up marrying her, and will probly end up happier than anyone of his friends. This movie did a good job showing the negatives of being a virgin, but also shows that sex shouldn't dictate the way you live your life. Most of the reviews for this movie were positive, I think mostly because of the way the movie ties in multiple messages, and isn't just a movie making fun of a 40 year old virgin.
The Great Dictator
(I'm having a hard time getting my link to work this week. If by chance it dosen't work on my third try I'm including the url at the bottom of the post.)
The Great Dictator presents many of the issues of World War 2 for the viewer, all in comedic form. Ridicule of hate including race show through Chaplin’s portrayal of both the tramp and Hitler. Other issues such as the pursuit of power, fascism, and humility are also apparent. The true genius of presenting these issues though is through Chaplin’s comedy. For comedy, in this sense, is the counter to the evils that were taking place at the time. “Chaplin was unaware of the extent of the persecution facing Jews in Europe at the time he produced his film. He later revealed that he would never have made "The Great Dictator" or depicted Hitler as such a simpleminded blockhead if he had known the full horror of Hitler's crimes and that the Holocaust would eventually claim the lives of millions of innocent people.” Still society embraced The Great Dictator as a challenge to hate and the need for peace. Americans also found relief in the mockery of Hitler that at the time must have been a very real fear. As we have discussed comedy often times is a way for a group of people to discuss issues which are normally touchy; this movie could be thought of as one of the largest examples of a society or societies using a single movie to exhale their fears. (It was after all, according to Wikipedia, a year later that the United States entered WW2.) This movie could have been seen, and can be seen now as a presentation of the moral obligations the United States faced.
~Matthew Neal
http://www.dvdtown.com/review/Great_Dictator_The/10922/1621/
The Big Lebowski
The Big Lebowski is the tale of The Dude, real name Jeff Lebowski, a man who lives his life to bowl, smoke pot, and consume White Russians. One day, however, two goons sent by a porno producer rough Lebowski up one night and urinate on his rug, one which he claims really "tied the room together". This is all a case of mistaken identity that soon unravels into a case of lies, deceit, and romance, with The Dude and his buddies Walter and Donny, cast as the detectives. A wild cast of characters and comic mishaps and misunderstandings ensue, as well as hallucinatory images and a radical Busby Berkeley-esque number.
Initially, The Big Lebowski was not given a fraction of the credit it was due. It was seen merely as a parody of Raymond Chandler potboilers. This may be an element, but when you look deeper, the film's comedy becomes much more.
The Big Lebowski was released in 1998, at the peak of the grunge and slacker era. The Dude himself is a beacon of this time, and is even referred to as such by the narrator. Much humor, as well as underlying drama, spurs from this theme of wasted opportunity, an issue dealt with by the generation The Dude lived through (The psychadelic 60s), as well as the era he exist in (the 90s). In addition, much humor derives from Donny's innocence, he is seemingly pucked from a happier time (perhaps the 50s), and Walter's obsession with his time in Vietnam, something that the country still burned from.
The Big Lebowski is a cultural mishmash and a masterpiece of relevant comedy.
Grandma's Boy
Grandma's Boy looks at the idea of young living in this country. It follows the stereotype of young adults and their hobbies. Drug use and premarital sex are just some of the vices portrayed in this movie. This is often the portrayal shown and therefore probably has at least some input in the thoughts on this generation of people by others. Using this stereotype it's very easy for the film makers to make a comedy. Who hasn't heard a funny story about a time when a friend or associate had a crazy night out drinking or doing drugs? It's something that's become rampant among people in our generation. Also to some extent a lot of generations have behaved in a similar manner at this particular age. So the film makers were halfway there as all they had to do was add some jokes and just follow the formula.
AmericanPie
The movie American Pie released in 1999 and directed by Paul Weitz tells a story about four high school friends that are about to graduate and are all trying to loose their virginity. It tells the basic story that mostly everyone who went through high school can relate to the struggles and times that the characters in the movie experienced. These four boys all play quite different roles: jock, intellectual, partier, and then what seems to be a normal teenager. Through out the movie the film goes over the boys senior year in high school and the different journey each character takes to loose their virginity.
This movie stereotypes high school males, and their attempt to loose their virginity in high school. This movie is great because mostly every man who went through high school talked about the struggles and events that these normal high school students went through. It also stereotypes the jock, partier, and intellectual kids that every high school has. This film is a great example of high school life and the priorities that any normal teenage has on their mind such as: girls, partying, and friends.
Blazing Saddles
Blazing Saddles (1974), arguably Mel Brooks' best work, is a hilarious comedy that highlights the events that transpire when an innocent criminal, who happens to be black, is made sheriff of follows a young black railroad worker named Bart, who is made the sheriff of a frontier town, called Rock Ridge. When he first arrives there, he is mainly met with mistrust and other bad feelings. His right hand man is the supposedly washed up and alcoholic partner Jim. Over the course of the movie a plot is uncovered that Rocky Ridge is soon to be destroyed in order to make way for the railroad that must come through. When Bart and Jim find this, they combine to help save the town that once despised them and during the course of that, win over the very same people that used to patronize them.
This movie is hilarious and also possibly one of the greatest comedy cult classic movies of all time. It is full of sexual innuendo, racial jokes, and is far from politically correct. I think it is very important that there are movies like this out there because while this movie is far from viewable for audiences, it makes people laugh and joke about serious social issues and prejudices. I also think this movie is important because people, when faced with such serious issues such as racism and sexism and discrimination, they can think back on it and laugh, and being able to talk about these things is the only way to change them, so Mel Brooks not only created a comedy film, he also created one that made a social commentary.
Anchorman : The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Anchorman
Anchorman, the 2004 hit comedy starring Will Ferrell, takes you back to the 1970s, where Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) is the top rated San Diego anchorman. In this great comedy, Ferrell is the top dog in San Diego with a corny send off, "Stay Classy San Diego" and an extremely humorous news team. Then walks in a young, bright, ambitious newswoman in Veronica Corning stone (Christina Applegate), who Burgundy and his new steam don't mind and greatly appreciate her good looks, until she rises to the top and becomes co-lead anchor. Burgundy and Corningstone strike up a relationship that is just as quickly extinguished because of Burgundy's blatant sexist views. Burgundy falls from the city’s graces, loses Corningstone, and even his news team. He must find a way back to the top, while regaining his friends and girlfriend.
This movie is hysterical and it kept me laughing from start to end with its great slapstick and just silly humor. There are plenty of sexist jokes, as well as the usual just very odd but funny scenes that Will Ferrell has become famous for. Two huge issues brought up in this movie are that of diversity in the work place, as well as gender issues. Before a woman Corningstone shows up at the news station, all of the news team members are white males, and when she does arrive all four members of the news team look down on her and only appreciate her as “eye candy”. I think that it is good to have a movie like this that is filled with such obvious sexist views, so that it can be laughed about and maybe diffuse the situations a little bit in the real world. It also is dealing with a serious issue, which was and still is lack of diversity in the work room, but by the end of the movie, everything has worked out and the whole news team has come to respect a woman in the work room.
CORKY ROMANO
One movie that is really old, but I thought was funny, is Corky Romano. The character Corky Romano, played by Chris Kattan, is a middle age Veterinarian who really has a strong enthusiasm for his job. When the family mob gets in trouble with the FBI, they send Corky to be a spy for his family. Although Corky does not fit into his family's description of hardcore mob people, he agrees to help in order to get the respect and honor of his father and brothers.
The movie satirizes how an outcast would do anything to have a group accept him. Corky has lived his entire life being the joke of the family. The only reason why he decided to go undercover was to have his family appreciate him. This is satirical because it is similar to popularity contest in high school. For example, buying designer clothes to fit in or listening to certain music. Many times, people think that it is necessary to do certain things to get someone to like you, but in reality it is not needed.
Calendar Girls
The comedic film, Calendar Girls, is about a group of ladies in the Rylston Women's Institute. One of the ladies husbands got leukemia and died. Every year the ladies make a calendar of scenic views of their neighborhood. The year after he died, the ladies decide to make a calendar that will raise money for leukemia research. One of the ladies suggest that they pose nude beacuse it will sell more calendars. Their calendar was a huge hit and became world famous.
I think this movie is accurate. Well, first of all it is based on a true story. Another reason why I think it is accurate is because some people will do a lot for a good cause, especially if a person has a connection with a certain foundation or cause. Also, I think its funny that a lot elderly women are in little societies like the Rylston Women's Institution or the Red Hat Society. Overall, I think the film does a good job depicting that particular group of people.
Caddyshack
The movie Caddyshack is a comedy about a poor caddy named Danny who tries to get a scholorship and win the anual caddy tournament. They work at a prestigious golf resort run and consumed by rich snobs. There becomes more tension when more down to earth and lively people start appearing at the country club. There is a huge and very distinct seperation regarding class in this movie.
The people at the resort think that they are superior and better than those with less money. The rich members degrade and belittle the caddies and people who are different from them. Although this movie is very funny, it can also be very true. Some resorts or clubs have financial and/or social regualtions.
The Producers
Although a remake, The Producers is a classic comedy of Mel Brooks and in my opinion second only to "Blazing Saddles." It was originally a Broadway Musical, then made into a movie. It never received much critical acclaim as is typical for popular comedies. The story centers on Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom who figure out that a fortune can be made by producing a flop on Broadway. The movie makes light of every issue that could be offensive to white, middle class Americans. The pair put on a musical about Hitler winning WWII and make it incredibly homo erotic as well. They cram in as many offensive, and singularly unsuccessful things into their musical as possible and in the end the musical has become so absurd that it's hysterical and a hit.
In typical Mel Brooks fashion, Brooks pokes fun at all the issues of the world that are deemed to hot to handle and in bad taste to discuss. For anyone with half a wit, it is insanely funny because of how much it crosses the line.
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