In the long tradition of American screwball comedies, Big Trouble, directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and based on the novel by Dave Barry, is something of a return to form in a medium that has excelled in defying old conventions over the last few decades. Even though more modern screwballs have tended to drift away from the roots of their 30s-40s brethren, some still strive to be like Bringing Up Baby or Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Films like O Brother, Where Art Thou? and I Heart Huckabees have done a lot to blaze new trails for the genre, but as a result they have to drift away from the original idea of a screwball. Big Trouble does its best to respect the roots that truly make screwball comedies different from any other kind of film, including a very farcical plot, witty dialogue, a generous helping of slapstick, and a gentle romantic undertone or subplot.
Screwball comedies are really an American cinema form, and while no one has ever specifically written a cannon or rule guide for what a screwball entails, there are a few elements that are generally featured in every film. The entire plot is typically very farcical, as can be seen in movies like Arsenic and Old Lace, which the average person would dismiss as completely implausible, yet hilarious. Quick and witty dialogue is usually a mainstay of the genre as well, often grouping two or more characters into a conversation that doesn’t lose beat for a second. The rapid-fire deliver was so influential, thanks to movies like His Girl Friday, that it has become a mainstay in modern television, specifically in shows like Arrested Development, Gilmore Girls, and 30 Rock. Of course, the use of slapstick is screwball comedies is not lost, either. Modern screwballs have become polarized ...
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... will be more eternal in a way, and that audiences of all times will be better able to relate.
The screwball comedy has not been an entirely static sub-genre of film. The times have shaped it as they have shaped any art form, and so the films that fall under that genre have changed as well. While Big Trouble would have seemed like a bastardization of multiple genres fifty years ago, the audience it was meant for can really appreciate it for what it is. The screwball comedy lives on not only in the classics that carved out the genre, but in the minds of modern screenwriters eager to lend homage to the form.
Works Cited
Belton, John. American Cinema/American Culture. 3 ed. New York City: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages, 2008. Print.
Big Trouble. Dir. Barry Sonnenfeld. Perf. Tim Allen, Renee Russo, Stanley Tucci. Walt Disney Video, 2002. DVD.
Interesting Ball is a quirky short film that is intertwined through five different stories – “Interesting Ball,” “Café Scene,” “Buttsuckers,” “Prank,” and “Broformers.” All shorts are brought together by one singular object – a red ball that mysteriously begins to hop on its own one day. Starting with a lonely housewife, leading its way to an awkward date, to two best friends who get a little too close for comfort, a group of “bros” who come
In the movie, the three main types of comedy I recognized were farce, parody, and satire. Farce is comedy designed to provoke the audience into simple, hearty laughter and often uses highly exaggerated or caricatured character types and puts them into improbable and ludicrous situations. It also makes use of broad verbal humor and physical horseplay. Some examples of farce in the movie are:
Nevertheless, the film The Ridiculous Six is another Adam Sandler style comedy that has viewers laughing all throughout. Along with the unbelievable amount of big name actors, the plot of the movie fits well with the amount of unexpected reveals and twists portrayed. Although there were some negative reviews and controversies, the movie is still loved by many that can see past the stereotypes and laugh throughout the movie like the writers and producers
Meneghetti, Michael. “Review: Ellis Cashmore (2009) Martin Scorsese’s America.” Film Philosophy 14.2 (2010). 161-168. Web. 6 Apr. 2014
An example in the film that highlights the demise of the studio system is when Joe pitches a script idea to a producer of Paramount. Joe is quick to say that the film only needs one main character, has many outdoor locations and can be made ‘for under a million dollars’ (Joe Gillis, Sunset Boulevard, 1950), which highlights the idea of saving money on a s...
When deciding what movie to do for this particular paper I faced a few issues. I knew what the requirements were, but I wanted something different and something I could have fun watching and writing as well. So, after looking around and pondering movies for weeks I finally decided on a perfect choice The 60’s directed by Mark Piznarski?
In addition, the intended audience is identical twins and can also be related to brother and sister siblings. Furthermore, there are two types of humor that are portrayed throughout the film, Slapstick and sophomoric humor. Moreover, the plot of the movie was not bad; however, the cheap jokes and themes portrayed such as the role of female character being offended and dishonored, various stereotypes were seen throughout the film, and inequality to gender role made the film more offensive and distasteful instead of humorous and fun. This being said, Jack and Jill is a film not worth time or money and I would not recommend
Comedy often allows for a subversion of the status quo that is not tolerated in more serious genres. Beginning in the 1930s, the subgenre of screwball comedy presented female characters who were active and desiring, without evoking negative characterizations as "unfeminine" or "trampish." Screwball comedies represent a specific form of romantic comedy that features a complicated situation--or more often a series of complications--centered around a strong-willed, unpredictable female. The comedy is generally physical as well as verbal. Screwball and other forms of romantic comedy do not just reverse the masculine/active, feminine/passive paradigm--which as E. Ann Kaplan notes accomplishes little in terms of change--but instead strengthens the female and weakens the male just enough to put them on more equal footing.
In this essay the following will be discussed; the change from the age of classical Hollywood film making to the new Hollywood era, the influence of European film making in American films from Martin Scorsese and how the film Taxi Driver shows the innovative and fresh techniques of this ‘New Hollywood Cinema’.
Stanley, Robert H. The Movie Idiom: Film as a Popular Art Form. Illinois: Waveland Press, Inc. 2011. Print
Barsam, R. M., Monahan, D., & Gocsik, K. M. (2012). Looking at movies: an introduction to film (4th ed.). New York: W.W. Norton & Co..
The mo lei tau culture can be referred to a type of humor that includes a variety of irrelevant elements and nonsense. The culture can be found earliest in the 1990s films, especially in Stephen Chow’s films. According to Farce, Pathos, and Absurdity in Stephen Chow's Film Comedies: From Beijing with Love and CJ7 Reconsidered by YU, K.W.E. (2010), a lot of Stephen Chow’s jokes and gags that are classified as mo lei tau are considered rather “low-down” because they are silly or vulgar and not generally acceptable. These kinds of mo lei tau jokes also appeared in Vulgaria, as the main characters are requested to have intercourse with a mule to get a movie deal. Just like some of Stephen Chow’s movies, some people also view Vulgaria as a film that cannot attract audience with taste; however, these kinds of movie included humor that only Hong Kong people can understand. The dialogue and setting of these films are familiar to Hong Kong people, some of the jokes inside the films do not have explanation and foreigners may not understand them when they are watching the film. Mo lei tau culture are deeply rooted in Hong Kong, jokes and gags that appeared in films will soon become a trend to include in daily
Barsam, Richard. Looking at Movies An Introduction to Film, Second Edition (Set with DVD). New York: W. W. Norton, 2006. Print.
Lyden, J. (2003). Film as religion: myths, morals, and rituals. New York, USA: NYU Press.
The comedy is also rather basic, the sort of humour that is based on running into walls and falling over, although, it has to be said that writers Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger have managed to write some truly funny scenes. For example, the fight over the dumplings between Shifu and Po for fantastic surreality. Or, the scene with Po’s rocket chair creation that has a promising and funny start, even if the conclusion is completely predicable.