MovieChat Forums > The Whole Nine Yards (2000) Discussion > Has comedy come out of age?

Has comedy come out of age?

posted 11 years ago by reversingtime
5 replies | jump to latest

Having watched this film a couple of days ago, got me really wondering what is really deemed as funny. This movie released in the year 2000 would probably be a hell lot funnier, as it appears to me, if i had only watched it back then. But now its just seems to have fallen flat. So my question really is has the face of comedy changed? Because it does seem to me that in the last decade or so we have had some really funny sitcoms, tv series and even movies where humor is all about being brilliant. Tv series such as curb your enthusiasm, arrested development, 30 rock, desperate housewives, modern family and a host of others were the hallmark of good smart comedy. But in the decades before, humor from movies such as Dude, where's my car, the american pie series, Ace Ventura, Men In Black, The Mask, Dumb and Dumber - were the accepted norm of comedy standard. This type of humor probably falls short by today's standard and might be considered as zany and ludicrous. Even critics wouldn't dare to be caught liking this sort of film in this era. Does comedy actually mean being brilliant or just a bunch of silly stuff that gets you laughing just as much perhaps even more? Do smart people prefer a certain type of comedy than the average person? Sorry but I'm really confused!

[–] olliemankz 10 years ago

I don't have the same problem with it. In fact, this is the first comedy at which I have out-loud laughed in a long time.

I was already enjoying it when Oz and Figs enter the room where Jimmy is sitting, Oz sees Jimmy, tries to run out the door and bounces off Figs, which sends him past the end of the couch into the lamp, which he takes with him the floor ... we can't see what happens there because it's behind the end of the couch ... I hope Matthew Perry didn't get hurt. I mean, that was some brilliant slapstick that took me by surprise. Perhaps slapstick proves that the movie wasn't all it could have been, but I think that is largely Buster Keaton made his name on and I loved his stuff ... albeit, now that is ancient. I dunno. I liked this movie a lot. Was a little disappointed in the ending in that it seemed sort of a let-down in suspense but all in all found it funnier than much of what I have seen lately. Or perhaps I just feel humor today is so jaded. But that might be another way of looking at sophisticated, which might be what you really like.

[–] CptHowdy87 10 years ago

Are you sure you posted on the right board?

The Whole Nine Yards is a pretty clever little movie with plenty of subtle humor and certainly no over-abundance of sight gags like a lot of comedies. Would you seriously put this movie in the same class as Dude Where's My Car? ? Either way, I think you're on the wrong board.

[–] alekesam 9 years ago

That's one of the (many) reasons I like TWNY (and not the sequel) is because of how balanced the humor is. Subtle, often understated and pushes the OTT physical stuff when it absolutely needs to.

Plus, the movie's soundtrack is stellar.

[–] Dan_Garten 8 years ago

Yeah.

[–] HarlemEagle42 (18445) 3 years ago

People still like those movies you mentioned (maybe not the sequels). And Men in Black has some wit behind its humor, not just weird gags.