Pondering the Death of American Comedy

Myles Herod, Entertainment Editor

Some days, I wake up thinking that things can’t be all that bad in the entertainment industry. Then, I remember the state of Hollywood comedies. Trust me, it’s pitiful.

Most comedies – be it movies, TV shows, whatever – work for a handful of reasons. Some toy with our beliefs and values. Others throw something unexpected at the audience, shocking our senses. The rest take something familiar and exaggerate it to point of absurdity.

Particularly in the third category, comedies nowadays are gutless. They feed the audience exactly what they would expect while expending the absolute minimum of creative thinking.

No one really values intelligence anymore. Today’s entertainment is manufactured by suits and statistics.

Sadly, the mainstream mentality seems unaware of the stifling conservatism to which it has grown accustomed.

Just think how little nourishment a good new idea receives, and how devoid of ambition the horizon currently appears. Name any Adam Sandler film: Click, Just Go With It, Grown Ups, Bed Time Stories, etc. The titles alone suggest monotony.

Even worse was The Hangover II, a sequel so unnecessary, it dismally found itself rehashing the very same premise of its popular predecessor, only this time with a smoking monkey. Pathetic.

Consider 2007, when Michael Cera reined and ‘bromance’ comedies ruled. Was it better? Perhaps not, but the likes of I Love You Man and the superb Superbad are treasured memories compared to the trite of 2011.

Even Adam Sandler was strangely more versatile back then, too. Recall Funny People? Or dare I mention Punch Drunk Love, which arguably contains his best on-screen performance?

Along with the uptick of big-screen remakes, which are hardly worth anyone’s breath (unless there’s artistic merit to it), the ultimate default of cinematic comedy has been the ‘buddy’ picture. More specifically, the black, Asian and white buddy picture.

Am I the only one who would rather watch paint dry than see another bi-racial pairing of a popular standup comedian or action star with a white-bread ninny? It seems like every other month Hollywood blows its load on this tried cliché. Luckily, Jackie Chan is nowhere to be found. Possibly deported?

Now, I’m certainly not suggesting that every comedy needs to be Oscar-worthy. Far from it. I love the screwball shtick. In fact, Dumb & Dumber and Borat are some of my favorites.

The difference is, those at least had creativity and soul in their gags, instead of the hackneyed mediocrity that grows more and more prevalent with each passing year.