I think imdb formerly had this listed as a comedy, and now AV Club has included it on its top-50 list of best comedies after 2000.
http://www.avclub.com/article/50-best-comedies-2000-239056
I'm baffled by this. Are people saying it's one of those so-bad-it's-hilarious movies? Or did the director actually intend this to be a dark comedy?
I don't know if it was intended as a comedy (sorry) but I did think it was very funny and I laugh every time I think about it. Usually when I tell someone about it I am laughing and have to mention that it's not really a comedy because I can't tell someone about it without laughing. I agree it's weird to think of it listed beside Zoolander. I think the same thing when I see Wes Anderson movies listed as comedies.
shareOf course it was intended as a dark comedy. It's obvious. It takes a special kind of talent to make serious deadpan human drama and grief this cacklingly hilarious.
That said, if you don't share this sense of humour, if you're not tuned into it, I can totally see it flying over the heads of like half the audience. In which case it wouldn't be obvious. And I can only picture what it might've been like seeing it in theatres, if half the audience like me was laughing hysterically and the other half just confused what they're laughing at.
I don't even know how to explain it. It's the kind of humour that makes you shake your head and say "Man oh man". It's the whole premise. Force majeure, "unforeseeable circumstances that prevent someone from fulfilling a contract", an avalanche that breaks up a marriage.
It's bitterly-dark humour. It makes you cringe and smile at the same time, holding in laughter as this awkward tension builds up, and then with perfect comedic timing, well, the most obvious example and funniest scene in the movie, involves a drone...
As a fan of dark comedy, this is easily one of the best movies I've seen all year. It is absolutely pitch-perfect, which doesn't happen by accident.
--- grethiwha -------- My Favourite Films:
http://www.imdb.com/list/Bw65XZIpkH8/
Tomas' over-the-top breakdown cracked me up. Now I'm wondering if people watched it and felt deeply moved or something Granted, it turned kind of sad when his kids had to comfort him, but this whole movie was full of light and dark moments.
"What race are you? If you don't tell me I'll just...assume the worst."
My wife and I cracked up at that part too, but it was one of the only times we laughed. We thought it was a so-bad-it's-funny moment, but we didn't get that sense from the rest of the movie.
(I do like dark humor)
We thought it was a so-bad-it's-funny momentIt was supposed to be bad, though? That's what made it funny...
Absolutely it's comedy in the vein of David Brent in The Office. It's cringeworthy but funny at the same time.
shareThis film is a comedy, but not really a black comedy, or satire, or dark comedy. It's really about the crisis of contemporary masculinity, so there will be lots of cringing (if you're a man) at the subtle jabs they poke here and there.
One of the most memorable (and hilarious) scenes for me is when the avalanche occurs, and the father rushes back after running away, instinctively, to retrieve his iPhone. Genius.
There are a few humorous moments; however, this movie is not a comedy, dark or otherwise. It's pure misery and emotional stress from beginning to end. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
share