FEATURE:
Laughter Lines
PHOTO CREDIT: Anastasiya Lobanovskaya/Pexels
Will We Get a Modern-Day Classic Comedy Soon?
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I know this isn’t strictly music-related…
IN THIS PHOTO: David Jonsson and Vivian Oparah in Rye Lane/PHOTO CREDIT: Chris Harris/20th Century Studios
but, as I am writing the treatment and story for a music-related comedy film, I am interested in exploring modern comedy. It is a very hard genre to ‘get right’. Whereas other genres like Horror can excel and produce surprises, it seems that comedy stalls. Maybe it is because of budgetary issues. Even bigger American comedies do not get the same budgets as other types of films. I know some of the very best comedies ever were made on a very small budget. I am thinking of the likes of Airplane! (1980) and This Is Spinal Tap (1984) – two of the greatest comedies there have ever been. That said, there is definitely a lot more money available from American studios. That is not to say that British comedy – or the entire genre – is in danger of dying. Recent releases such as Rye Lane show there is innovation and new angles to be found, but it is still quite safe in terms of its comedy (the film was criticised for gentrifying the South London area it was set in). Whereas there have been some incredible and boundary-pushing recent films, comedy is not offering up surprises. Even when it tries, it seems to miss the mark. I am wondering when the last ‘modern classic’ of the genre was. When it comes to answering that question, many look back to 2011’s Bridesmaids. An American-made comedy co-written by Kristen Wiig, has there been a better-received comedy since then? I guess one can call recent films like Knives Out (2019) and Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) comedy-adjacent at least. The latter is an award-winning film, but neither are out-and-out comedies. They have comedic elements. I am trying to recall the last pure comedy that set critics alight. I like the fact Rye Lane is doing well and has scooped more than its share of good reviews. The chemistry and heart of the film is clear, even if the comedy doesn’t go far beyond what you’d expect from a typical Romantic Comedy.
Olivia Wilde directed 2019’s Booksmart. Maybe that is a more recent ‘modern classic’. Again, that is an American comedy. I am not ragging on British comedy, but the best of the best has always come from America – and I think that is always going to be the case. They have the budget and studios that produce the bigger comedies. Maybe there is something in the culture that inspires broader and more ambitious comedies. Of course, when things do go bad for comedies, then it can leave a fouler taste and be subjected to more slander and vitriol! If a comedy really gets the tone wrong, is just plain offensive, gross, misguided, or flat, then it can bomb and disturb in a way other films simply can’t! It is risky getting things right. Many might argue that, actually, 2017’s Paddington 2 is a modern-day British classic. I might concede that. Every five years or so, we do produce something in comedy that is genuinely terrific. As we are in 2023, that six-year gap is being felt! I am not just talking about Britain exclusively when it comes to privation of expectation and a deficit in high ambitions and originality. America does produce the best comedy films in general, but even they have not done a whole lot over the past few years. I am not even talking about merely ‘great’ comedies. Rather, the ones that will be ranked alongside the very best in years to come. If you look at lists of the funniest comedies ever, you have to scroll pretty far down the list before you get anything fairly recent (and, invariably, I think that Bridesmaids usually is the highest-placed comedy that can be considered relatively ‘modern’.)
I see award-nominated films that have these great concepts and push things. Even if there is less money available for comedy films, what is holding back filmmakers from taking a gamble and doing something genuinely fresh and out-there? I don’t think a lack of talent is a reason why there are few genuinely terrific comedies being produced. Can anything come along that challenges the very best of the best? This is a moment that someone will ask the inevitable question. Sure, I have not written one myself, and scripting any film is hard enough. Comedy is such a subjective thing so, even if you think you have a masterpiece on your hands, it may not connect with a lot of people. Writing comedy is extremely difficult, and audiences will perhaps be less accepting or something that is a bit bonkers or has the same high concepts and ambitions as huge films in other genres. I am not saying the comedy I am writing (or trying to) could ever rank alongside the very best, but in terms of concept/hit rate/storylines, it is very different to everything out there – and it goes to great pains to ensure that there are as many jokes as possible on each page. Money is an issue. Even a conservative estimate of the comedy I am thinking of would place the budget at over $25 million. Few studios would ever take a chance on a new comedy writer with an idea that cost that much! Perhaps budget is killing a lot of bigger comedic ideas. Many might argue that the essence of a great comedy film are the jokes. Sure, you do not a bigger budget for jokes and set pieces that are larger in scale, but there are so many modern comedies where the concepts and scripts are so ordinary and predictable.
IN THIS PHOTO: Yara Shahidi/PHOTO CREDIT: Clara Balzary for DAZED
I am not sure what the problem is. Some simply terrific comedy writers are out there, but are they pitching projects that are being rejected by studios? It is frustrating that there is such potential for timeless and all-time-great comedies to come along…but it doesn’t happen. For every terrific and five-star comedy that we get every five years or so, there are a slew of average, pretty good or downright horrible ones! Whilst there has been a selection of refreshing and interesting comedies from the past few years, most stick in my mind because of the concept and acting rather than the jokes. Others are memorable because of the wittiness and comedy rather than anything original or brave. It is hard to balance and blend the two. I am finding it impossible to get a treatment to anyone. Finding a co-writer who can help bring my comedy to light, Simply getting it to the next stage is proving such a burden. I guess that hinders a lot of people. I have a long cast in mind that would include Elizabeth Olsen, Chelsea Handler, Florence Pugh, Hannah Waddingham, Whitney Cummings, Yara Shahidi, and Rachel Brosnahan. There are writers like Kristen Wiig, Michaela Coel and Greta Gerwig, who I admire but could never reach – the same goes for producers and actors like Margot Robbie. Maybe a lot of ideas and big plans are being dampened and extinguished by the sheet difficult in getting them to people. Perhaps they are changed or told to tone down when it comes to make something affordable or popular. I am not sure. Comedy is essential and one of the greatest forms of film. If you make a classic, it will live for years and give joy to generations to come. Whilst we have seen some sparks and potential classics fairly recently, it has been many a year since something has exploded onto the screen that can sit there with the absolute best. Let’s hope that this will be addressed and corrected…
SOON enough.