What Happened To Goofy Comedies?
Comedy movies, more so than any other genre of film, have greatly evolved with time. Film, in general, has progressed with each decade, as effects grow more impressive, directors gain more inspiration, and writers get with the times. Modern film, trendy and current as it may be, does still borrow from the classics. Horror filmmakers have been paying major homage to 80s slashers as of late, in addition to taking notes on the atmosphere-heavy eeriness of 70s supernatural flicks. Thrillers forever remain influenced by Hitchcock. Comedy, on the other hand, hardly resembles what it was in any previous decade. Marking whether comedy flicks are “funnier” or “better” than they were in past years is an impossible task, but it’s safe to claim they’ve lost their goofiness. In a sea of pretentious indie dramedies and action flicks with a few jokes marketed as comedies, there seems to be very little room for slapstick, juvenile nonsense or breezy fun. Whether that’s good or bad, it begs the question, “What happened to goofy comedies?”
Back in the 30s, The Marx Brothers were crafting loopy comedy greatness purely for laughs. They loaded flicks like Animal Crackers and Duck Soup with an endless onslaught of clever quips and physical gags, making for timeless, hysterical viewings. It takes impressive wit to write “dumb” comedy, and while the Marx Brothers’ films weren’t dumb in the vulgar or crass sense, the fellas certainly leaned into silly territory and didn’t shy from behaving outrageously for the sake of comedy.
The 60s saw the rise of comedian Jerry Lewis playing strikingly nutty characters in The Nutty Professor, The Bellboy, and The Ladies Man, among other dated yet pleasantly funny romps. Although The Nutty Professor does have a cute moral, the weight of its entertainment is carried by Lewis’ absurd presence, goofy camera mugs, and ridiculous voice. It may have grown cheesy and a bit off-puttingly surreal with age, but The Nutty Professor set the standard for sci-fi comedies and solidified Lewis as one-of-a-kind, comedic standout.
In the late 60s and early 70s comedy legend Mel Brooks brought us unrivaled classics with The Producers, Blazing Saddles, and Young Frankenstein. He introduced the world to Gene Wilder, who proved to be the rarest blend of sincere and shockingly hilarious. Mel’s films came with an edge that hadn’t been seen before; fearless jokes about matters deemed taboo, a willingness to parody anything, and a stream of hilarious lines, farcical characters, and clownish antics. He was very simply in the business of being funny, and unashamed by what it took to be. For every thought-out joke in a Mel Brooks movie, there was a laughably dumb moment to match.
The early 80s gave way to pioneering classics like Animal House and Airplane!, each of which uniquely broke ground and at least slightly influenced everything that came after. Animal House shattered comedy box-office records and proved National Lampoon was more than just a staple humor publication. Of course, nearly every movie following National Lampoon’s Vacation with “National Lampoon” in the title would gradually tarnish the name, but that depressing fact is beside the point. Animal House made John Belushi a star beyond television. It established Harold Ramis as a comedy-writing powerhouse. Most importantly, it took the slobs vs. snobs premise to college and illustrated that rambunctious, “boys will be boys” fraternity escapades could not only be shown on film, but make for profitable, evergreen material. Animal House paved the way for every silly high school or college comedy, as it was relatable and based in truth, but above all else an insane romp.
The influence of Airplane! is undeniably important. The Zucker Brothers and Jim Abrahams, hot off their John Landis-directed series of sketches, Kentucky Fried Movie, took the plot of an overly dramatic made-for-tv movie, wedged in hundreds of jokes, and created Airplane!. What made the film such a pop culture standout, aside from impeccable joke writing, was the idea of dramatic actors playing it completely straight while delivering outrageous lines and involving themselves in slapstick mishaps. This of course helped transition Leslie Nielsen from occasionally-seen dramatic actor to legendary comedic actor, and led to his unforgettable starring roles in The Naked Gun films. When discussing “goofy comedies,” few flicks come to mind more quickly than The Naked Gun.
David Zucker, Jerry Zucker, and Jim Abrahams were also responsible for the criminally underrated laugh-riot Top Secret!, as well as the Hot Shots! movies. What all their films share is the sole intention of being gut-bustingly funny. They didn’t toy around with deep character development nor any pandering underlying messages. The Zucker brothers and Jim Abrahams made films to spread laughter. They successfully did, in addition changing the way writers and directors approached parody films, although nothing since has touched Airplane! in terms of laughs-per-minute.
Now that Airplane! and Animal House have been specifically acknowledged, we can give 80s movies, in general, their credit for being some of film history’s silliest escapes. The aforementioned slobs vs. snobs premise ran rampant in films throughout the 80s: Caddyshack, Revenge of the Nerds, Up The Creek, and Policy Academy are some notable titles, but the concept of everyday schlubs standing up to jocks or preps was the base of a near endless amount of comedy flicks from 1980 to 1989. People at the time apparently loved an underdog story; more so slap-happy dorks and loveable oafs stumbling their way towards acceptance, with loads of sex, booze, and off-color jokes along way.
Also prominent in 80s comedies was the “family trip gone awry” plot, as seen in Vacation, Summer Rental, and The Great Outdoors, among others. This provided an airy, empathetic framework through which comedic actors like Chevy Chase and John Candy could flex their comedic chops as audiences were bombarded with charming larks and kooky characters. Vacation, upon a revisit, does contain some dark moments (i.e. unknowingly dragging a dead dog, or leaving a dead elderly woman on a doorstep,) but thanks to writer John Hughes and director Harold Ramis these rather unsavory bits are carried out in a loony, not to be taken seriously fashion.
Discussing the lighthearted joy of comedy films in the 80s would be blasphemous without the mention of John Hughes and his timeless contributions. His films inarguably touched on real-world, personal issues, but these themes were tackled in a light manner, with innocent humor and nutty gags injected to ease the weight of misery. Look at Pretty in Pink, for example: The film deals with a confused, teen girl lost and in search of her place, while her out-of-work, depressed father wallows around the home making no effort to get his act together. While that may sound grim on paper, not once throughout the movie are you forced into sickness over a character’s despair, nor are you left dejected following the conclusion.
The Breakfast Club, Uncle Buck, Weird Science, Sixteen Candles, and all of Hughes’ classics captured a raw look into the daily troubles of layered individuals, but these flicks are most fondly remembered for their wacky moments — The giant pancake in Uncle Buck, the drunken bar scene in Weird Science, and of course Long Duk Dong in Sixteen Candles, who we may not be able to have a laugh with much longer due to inevitable cancellation. While these movies had heart, as most 80s comedies did, they were ultimately vehicles for chuckles with just enough character growth and steamy relationships for viewers to connect with.
As for 90s comedies, only God could fully explain the drug-induced nonsense going on there. Despite the decade not offering as many beloved classics as the 80s, one might argue the 90s did bring some all-time greats — and certainly the zaniest lot of flicks viewers have ever seen. Between Dumb and Dumber, Wayne’s World, early Sandler films, and virtually any Jim Carey movie, there’s no denying the weirdness was out in full-force from ’90 to ’99. Much like the 80s and before, the top priority of 90s comedies evidently was being funny, in a supremely over-the-top way.
The early 2000s was very much a continuation of the 90s in terms of incorporating strategic stupidity and gross-out humor, but with a lot more college/party flicks packed in. The American Pie series, Road Trip, Van Wilder, and a laundry list of other films depicted young people drinking, boning, getting into hijinks, and finding their identities in the process. This era was getting a little more real, at least in the sense of teens truly being teens, but harsh reality was seldom seen on screen in popular comedies.
More recently, though it feels like ancient history now, we were blessed with comedic staples like Superbad, Step Brothers, Role Models, Hot Rod, and other heavyweight comedies which you may still hear quoted if you hang out in annoying crowds. Minds like Seth Rogan, David Wain, Adam McKay, and Andy Samberg were still supplying the laugh-packed, goofy heat so many of us crave. Does that make us lowbrow? It might. The point is comedy movies through the late 2000s still largely relied on gross gags, pratfalls, and stoner jokes.
For the sake of everybody’s mental wellbeing, we’ll ignore the lengthy list of horrendous parody flicks like Meet The Spartans and Disaster Movie that littered the decade, but the fact remains — filmmakers were predominately still *trying* to craft through and through funny ventures.
Having provided an overview of silly comedies from the 30s to just several years ago, it’s vital to note a couple of facts. There have always been more sophisticated comedies and dramedies in the mix. Woody Allen movies like Annie Hall and Manhattan don’t exactly fall under the category of “goofy.” Albert Brooks’ films were certainly highbrow, and an endearing sort of real. The Coen brothers’ brand isn’t “silly,” per say. The world of filmmaking has always been wide open to a variety of comedic styles, and this all isn’t an overly wordy way of saying “Films were goofy and slapstick and now they’re not.”
Additionally, lighthearted, oddball, and gross-out comedies are still being made. Happy Madison productions is alive and well, after all, and whether that’s your cup of tea or not, there’s a welcomed place for dumb comedies in a world where they’re greatly outweighed by drier, more serious comedy movies. In fact, Netflix recently released a Tyler Spindel-directed Happy Madison flick titled The Wrong Missy, starring David Spade and Lauren Lapkus. The divide between critics and audiences was telling.
The critic score on Rotten Tomatoes is currently sitting at 35%, which isn’t atrocious, though the negative reviews aren’t merely negative — they’re teetering on furious. Writers are using phrases like “bad taste,” “absolute junk,” “a waste of time,” and one person even claimed “humanity deserves better.” Interestingly enough, The Wrong Missy was ranked the most watched program on Netflix for more than a day, meaning many gave it a chance, and plenty of folks loved it. For what it was, it was a funny, breezy escape, and that’s what so many are after. Obviously a film in which Rob Schneider plays an inaudible shark guide isn’t going to please critics, and perhaps fear of being panned is what prevents filmmakers from making silly films that are just meant to be a merry passing of time.
When nearly every movie Sandler’s team puts out gets a single-digit critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s understandable most others wouldn’t want to write, shoot, and release a film exclusively for laughs. Snooty cinema buffs notoriously tear comedies apart, unless of course they hold some deep meaning or exhibit hot-button social commentary. Is that what audiences crave as well?
In a social media-crazed world in which everyone seems to know everything; every issue has been politicized, and every piece of pop culture is meant to feel “real,” it’s safe to assume that might be what most film lovers or casual movie-goers do want. The general public flocks to reality television. They watch YouTubers react to other YouTubers. They “stan” celebrities, and idolize people rather than characters. Why look up to Uncle Buck when a real person is “going off” on Twitter?
When a new socio-political issue arises every minute and everyone’s made to feel as though they have to weigh in on it, they expect art to touch on these matters as well. Hell, people want to hear about race relations and gender identity from the brands they buy from, so of course they want films to reflect the culture and have something meaningful to say.
Above all else, viewers do long for a film in which they can closely relate to a character, or feel part of a story. Being that we’re now exposed to every piece of available information, life has gotten harsher. At least it seems that way. It makes sense that movies, even under the umbrella of comedy, would be moving in the direction of more serious subject matter, with more authentic depictions of tragedy.
We’re seeing more misery in comedies — more alcoholism and drug abuse, more death, more racial injustice, more raw examples of mental illness, and more negative results of one-night stands, all illustrated in a less zany, “haha isn’t this silly” light. Given our current climate, and where we’ve been heading as a society for quite a while now, these sorts of comedies have their important place. Furthermore, people generally seem to hold a greater desire for these less comical portrayals of real-life trauma. Even when social media’s turned off, many want to continue immersing in some form of what they believe to be true.
Also, it’s no secret there’s been a crackdown on what can and can’t be joked about. Humor, as a whole, is getting increasingly more confined, and many are trying to navigate being funny within this ever-changing social climate. This isn’t to say “goofy” equates to racy jokes or insensitive subject matter, but much of what was safe to poke fun at even 10 years ago isn’t okay now. Comics are walking on eggshells. Comedic actors are limiting themselves. Writers are playing it “better safe than sorry.” Given where we are, there’s a lot less inclination to make straight-up comedy films.
With all that being said, many of us still value film as a means of escape. We remain diehard fans of light or silly comedy that’s meant strictly for laughs. Film’s a reflection of life, however, and life has changed immensely for all of us; in a particularly rapid way over the last 5 years. Let’s chalk the recent lack of goofy comedies up to film being a sign of the times — People, in general, have gotten more sincere. They want authenticity and messages in their movies. Many don’t want to escape so much as they want to immerse or learn. Writers and directors are feeling more pressure to craft honest, real stories. At a time when most aren’t entirely sure what’s acceptable to joke about, making something strictly for the purpose of laughs is a big risk. Fortunately, Mel Brooks movies are out there, most 80s comedies haven’t been pulled from streaming services yet, and there’s sure to be a handful of new writers and directors who aren’t afraid to create goofy nonsense for our viewing pleasure.
