British vs American Comedy
The more and more I give stupid American college humor comedies a chance, the more I realize why I don’t laugh. I saw the movie “SuperBad” last night, which wasn’t half bad, but for the amount of attention and praise this movie got, I would have expected to be rolling on the floor with laughter. Instead, I chuckled here and there, and smiled at it’s sad attempt to write a movie about 3 guys trying to get laid before they graduate High school seem like an original idea. I could have predicted the whole damn movie! Shortly after I watched a british comedy called “Cashback.” it’s about a boy with insomnia who believes he can stop time and strip the girls naked that are walking around the grocery store of which he works the late shift. I fell asleep half way through because I’m takin the meds that make me crash, but regardless, I laughed harder in the half hour “cashback” then I did in full two hours of “superbad.”
I was recently forced into watching this show called “californiacation,” mainly because my friend has a crush on whats his name from “X Files.” Anyway, The show is about a sex addict living in California, brilliant idea for a show. So he’s in trouble with his wife because he cheats on her all the time, and he’s a big stupid jerk. Thats pretty much the show, Whatisname being a big stupid horny jerk. So the big knee slapper of the show happens when he goes to this party where all the chicks are hot.He goes to the bathroom, gets lost, he’s drunk, he doesn’t know what going on cause he a big dumb jerk and walks into a room where a naked girl is laying out on a bed….cause…that happens to me at parties all the time…so anyway, he stumbles over there thinking she’s his wife waiting for him and ends up going down on the wrong woman. His wife flips, and you can predict the rest of the show.
My friend asked why i wasn’t laughing, and why I didn’t like it. I told her I feel like sometimes American Comedy is like watching a 13 year old boy notice his best friends moms boobies. I also feel like the people writing this stuff failed their writing course in college. It seems like they write the joke first and the build an entire movie or tv show around this one joke. Anyway she asked me to name a comedy with the maturity level I prefer. I told her about this show “Couplings.” The show is very aunchy, however, I don’t feel like I’m watchin a 13 year old boy. My example was this episode where Jeff and his Lady are trying to spice some things up. You have no idea what they are spicing it up with, but just that Jeff and his lady are open minded. At one point…the gang is sitting at their usual spot…which is either a coffee chop or a bar, I can’t remember, anyway Jeff comes running in with the a bondage mask on and asks them how long it take to digest something metal…like a key. The gang laugh and jokes while Jeff is unaware of his bondage mask. He finally realizes why they are laughing and tells them his situation. Using the art of Flash back humor he tells the story as the show him handcuffing his lady to the bed, and while try to be sexy, put the key in his mouth, and starts choking. He leaps off the bed and coughs and ends up swallowing the key, once he realized what happened, he ran out on the room, leaving his lady handcuff to the bed to ask his friends for help.
By the time I was done telling her the story, my friend was cracking up, more than watching whatisname go down on the wrong girl. I don’t know, what is it about the british comedy that actually funny? Do they have better writers? better schools to teach the writers? Perhaps they are aware of how dumb it is to write an entire movie around a joke. I don’t get it, I’d like to think Americans aren’t that stupid, but apparently we are. Ok, I’m done typing this post, I’m gonna go laugh at the sight of boobie…heh….boobies.
Comments
I don’t think you can completely crap on the entire genre of “American Comedy.” I mean, despite every shallow piece of drivel Hollywood releases, you’ve still got Mel Brooks movies, everything with Bill Murray in it, and The Big Lebowski, to name few.
I think you’re confusing “American Comedy” with “20-something college kid comedy.” And even that genre has its share of gems (Animal House, Harold and Kumar [which, by the way, if you haven’t seen, is 30,000x more brilliant than you ever could have imagined]).
You and I grew up digging on Monty Python and the Beatles movies, so of course we’re going to gravitate towards them. They’re more dry, and even the slapstick is more nudge-nudge-wink-wink than laughing into the camera and slapping your knee. But think the big mistake you’re making here is supposed that British comedy is somehow smarter than it’s American counterpart. Monty Python was certain to flash a flabby white man-ass at least twice an episode. They’re just more polite about it.
I’m looking forward to responses from Kev, Mandy, Alex and Scout, however. While I may agree with them more than I disagree, it’ll be fun to play Devil’s Advocate.
Also, you really need to watch Dr. Who. It’s so british and amazing you’ll love it.
I said “american college humor comedies”
brittany said:I said “american college humor comedies”
the title of your post is misleading, however. i would say Superbad is more “American High School humour”. the thing with that is Britain doesn’t have the same structure of schooling as America does. High School as we know it doesn’t exist there, which is why we don’t see British "Superbad"s. though they are starting to change and adapt it actually, which is kind of sad.
there is as much terrible British comedy as there is American. bad writing ideas are universal. i think most Americans just suffer from a bit of Anglophilia and put most-things-British on a pedestal. i certainly did for a large part of my life.
as for which is better, i honestly don’t have a preference either way. if it’s smart (or even well-done puerile) comedy, i enjoy it. granted you are missing out on a LOT of good little bits from British shows & stand-up acts that you don’t even realize is there, but there is really no helping that. i only started understanding and dying at some of the jokes after i’d lived there for a year.
I tried watching Withnail and I 3 times before I finally gave up on it. I would much rather watch a montage of penises drawn into historical scenes.
Insomnia makes British girls get naked? This is great news!
I agree with John. I don’t think it’s a matter of British vs. American since I think both encompass a pretty wide range of styles. Yeah American comedy has those crappy Zucker/Abrhams/Zucker comedies (Date Movie, Disaster Movie, etc.) but even those were funny once back in the day of Airplane, etc. And the American Office is just as funny as the English version and both rule. And British humor is also Benny Hill and Mr. Bean which are not exactly high brow (although both have their moments). Also American comedies include all those Christopher Guest movies (Spinal Tap, Best In Show, A Mighty Wind) which are both deadpan and hysterical.