Heat was funny, Tammy had it's moments where I laughed, but I agree it was a bad movie in general.
The Spy
- Thread starter goldmom
- Start date
Right.
I think Bill Murray has been as funny the last 20 as he was the previous 20. To be fair the last 20 I was mostly able to get his humor when it came out while while the previous 20 I had to look into archives.
I can actually see the girls Ghostbusters be decent, but even Kristen Wiig's act has grown a little stale. It'll take a lot of effort but it might happen.
This is a narrative that I've noticed too, and I honestly couldn't disagree with it more. There have been funny women throughout my lifetime, and well before, and I can think of countless examples. Gilda Radner, Carol Burnett, Beverly D'Angelo, Victoria Jackson, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Meghan Mullaly, Jan Hooks, etc all span several decades.
I'd be the first to agree that generally speaking women aren't truly equals in our country, or in most places in the world, but the comedic world ain't one of them. Especially when that narrative is used to defend and/or promote the marginally funny like McCarthy.
And you should self impose a week ban for the Murray comments. I'm just going to have to forget those, because I kind of like you and want to keep liking you, but it'll take me a while to get over that.
I've been on this board for over a decade and I've seen, participated in, flamed, trolled some really awful, terrible, ridiculous, race baiting, political hack jobs, outlandish stuff in my time but this might be the most egregious of them all by far. I mean, really, it's in a class all on its own.
Are you gonna poop on Indiana Jones next? Goonies? Please tell me you just watched Ghostbusters for the first time 10 years ago or 5 years ago, or you sat your daughter down and watched it w/ her and are judging it on how it's aged (still a terrible opinion).
As a matter of fact, I think it's one of the top 5 worst comedies ever. But it also took me 10+ years to watch Back to the Future. And I'd put that right up there with Caddyshack and Groundhog Day as far as fiunniest movies ever.
Early 40s, mid 40s?
I just wonder if it's an age thing. I'm 35 so maybe the 5-10 year gap makes some miniscule of a difference in the perception of the film b/c all of my friends love Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, Goonies, Indiana Jones - they're all kept in the same pantheon of our youth.
You think Back to the Future is one of the funniest movies ever made? That's a fantastic flick, but is it even really a comedy? For that matter, Ghostbusters is much more than a straightforward comedy.
Also....you think Groundhog's Day is one of the funniest movies ever made?
It's not an age thing. Unless he's like a hundred or something.
Ghostbusters and An American Werewolf in London are two of my favorite dark comedy/pseudo horror films out there. Don't know how people can't like it. It's an American iconic flick.
This is 40 is an amazing movie. I've never identified more with a movie character the way I did with Paul Rudd's character in that movie. It also had great music and Megan Fox.
My grown kids and their cousins and all their spouses still get together and can do entire scenes with all the dialogue from most of these movies. Goonies, Mr. Mom, Groundhog Day, Caddyshack. Even when they're just talking one of them will bust out a one liner from one of those movies and it makes everyone crack up. Every holiday when they're all together is just nonstop with the riffs.
Ok, I'll modify my Ghostbusters hot take slightly. I shouldn't say Ghostbusters wasn't that good. As a horror/comedy genre mashup, it is good. That's a genre that is extremely hard to do, judging by how few really good ones there are. And Ghostbusters is successful in that genre...and pretty much any move that can manage to make that actually work is by default at least good. I don't think it's one of the best in that genre, but it's certainly not bad. It's perfectly fine.
What I should have said specifically is...it's not all that funny. It's got amazingly few jokes, and a lot of them aren't all that funny. It's got a few really nice laughs, and a couple really inventive moves...but there are long stretches where nothing funny happens.
I loved it as a 11 year old or whatever...but watching it as an adult, I was really surprised how few laughs there are. I mean real laughs, not "I remember this part, let's all say it together!" laughs.
But it's good, it's fine, and it did hit a sweet nostalgic spot for our age group. I don't know if the new one can be as "good" as a horror comedy, but I tend to think the bar it has to clear as a comedy is pretty low, and given the people involved, it will probably clear that well enough to not be an embarrassment. Let's not forget, there WAS a Ghostbusters sequel, starring the same guys, same writer, same director, same everything, and it sucked. I don't know if it's necessary, but I don't think it's worth losing your mind over. The original creative team already crapped all over Ghostbusters, there's been innumerable cartoons and games and spinoffs, it's not like it's remaking Casablanca. And it's not like they're destroying all copies of the original.
What I should have said specifically is...it's not all that funny. It's got amazingly few jokes, and a lot of them aren't all that funny. It's got a few really nice laughs, and a couple really inventive moves...but there are long stretches where nothing funny happens.
I loved it as a 11 year old or whatever...but watching it as an adult, I was really surprised how few laughs there are. I mean real laughs, not "I remember this part, let's all say it together!" laughs.
But it's good, it's fine, and it did hit a sweet nostalgic spot for our age group. I don't know if the new one can be as "good" as a horror comedy, but I tend to think the bar it has to clear as a comedy is pretty low, and given the people involved, it will probably clear that well enough to not be an embarrassment. Let's not forget, there WAS a Ghostbusters sequel, starring the same guys, same writer, same director, same everything, and it sucked. I don't know if it's necessary, but I don't think it's worth losing your mind over. The original creative team already crapped all over Ghostbusters, there's been innumerable cartoons and games and spinoffs, it's not like it's remaking Casablanca. And it's not like they're destroying all copies of the original.
I like Bill Murray a lot. I think he's a great, maybe even underrated actor (which is hard given how much he's hyped/beloved). But I wouldn't categorize his work in Rushmore and the other Wes Anderson movies as hilarious. It's charming and amusing, and excellent. That's what he does now...that's what he wants to do and he's great at it. And he's a funny guy in real life...he's just left that shtick behind on film a long time ago. Really, you're going to laugh your ass off at Steve Zissou busting ghosts?
That's not a knock on the guy...that's evolution, and his choice. There's a reason why he's always refused to do Ghostbusters again...Bill Murray is the reason it hasn't happened. What's the last movie he was laugh out loud hilarious in...Kingpin probably? That's 19 years ago now. No knock on him...he's still great and he's an American treasure.
Now, the female thing...I think you are way off. First of all, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Meghan Mullaly are fully part of the current group of women I am talking about. I'm counting them. Carol Burnett is an all-timer. But really, the rest of your list? I'll grant you Gilda Radner, even though I don't think she's very funny, because people I DO think are funny insist that she is. But you're pulling out Jan Hooks? Beverly DeAngelo? Victoria freaking Jackson? Are you kidding me? Beverly DeAngelo was funny opposite Chevy Chase in the Vacation movies. Fine. What on earth did Jan Hooks do outside SNL (or Radner for that matter), and what did Victoria Jackson do at ALL, even on SNL.
I'm not saying those women aren't talented...but where were their TV shows? What movies did they write? What ground did they break?
You're really comparing them to the likes of Tina Fey, Amy Pohler, Mindy Kaling, Amy Schumer and their creative output? You really think they are as gifted comedic actors as Kristen Wiig or Melissa McCarthy or Jenny Slate? And female standups...you think Ellen, Elaine Boozler, Poundstone, Margeret Cho and Roseanne are funnier than Chelsea Peretti, Shumer, Iliza Shlesinger, Maria Bamford, etc? I don't.
There's a million more working Comedy Central, Adult Swim, web series, and standup that you've probably never heard of, but I could list them, and there are certainly others that I just haven't picked up on. The fact that you went to Victoria Jackson in your top five all-time just proves just how shallow that pool has been. Seriously, what was ONE funny thing Victoria Jackson ever did...maybe be the least funny thing in UHF?
But I'll say this....maybe all those women were super talents...just as talented as what's out there today. And maybe the state of the industry kept them from starring in their own TV shows, writing movies and TV shows, etc. But even then, my point stands...there are more hilarious women on the scene today, with VERY different types and voices and points of view, than there ever has been before. I can't even imagine that it's arguable, unless you just haven't been exposed to them.
Lou, you're supposed to be on a week long, self imposed, ban... but anyways...
I don't think it's fair to include people whose career started several years ago, like Fey, Poehler, JLD, etc in "today's" group. JLD's main comedic work happened in the 90s for Pete's sake.
But it's not really about how funny I think all these women are, which you named a few I had forgotten off the top, it's that there's this notion that somehow comedy was this all boy's club and women have just now broken through. But as you've so eloquently pointed out, there's been several popular female standups and some with leading comedic roles in sitcoms over the years.
I think you may be confusing more opportunity (for all) comedians with some explosion of equality. 20 years ago CC was just starting out, there was no youtube, or adult swim, or whatever other channels we have now that allow more opportunities for a bigger but just as diverse group.
It's like saying "Wow, back in the 1965 there were only (so few of this) in the NFL, but now there's so much more, we've come so far..." Well of course there's more, there's far more franchises now then there was in 1965, and the sport in general is exponentially more popular and lucrative too.
I don't think it's fair to include people whose career started several years ago, like Fey, Poehler, JLD, etc in "today's" group. JLD's main comedic work happened in the 90s for Pete's sake.
But it's not really about how funny I think all these women are, which you named a few I had forgotten off the top, it's that there's this notion that somehow comedy was this all boy's club and women have just now broken through. But as you've so eloquently pointed out, there's been several popular female standups and some with leading comedic roles in sitcoms over the years.
I think you may be confusing more opportunity (for all) comedians with some explosion of equality. 20 years ago CC was just starting out, there was no youtube, or adult swim, or whatever other channels we have now that allow more opportunities for a bigger but just as diverse group.
It's like saying "Wow, back in the 1965 there were only (so few of this) in the NFL, but now there's so much more, we've come so far..." Well of course there's more, there's far more franchises now then there was in 1965, and the sport in general is exponentially more popular and lucrative too.
JLD is easily doing some of her best work right now on Veep. Of course I'm going to include her, Pohler, Fey, and anyone else still active and killing it. I wasn't implying "started in the last month".
I'm not saying women just got funny, or that there have never been funny women. But there's never been this many funny women on the scene, and on the creative side as well. Obviously, that speaks to the fact that there are way more outlets, and opportunities, but there's no doubt there's way more types of female comedic voices. Opportunities have opened up, and a lot of them are killing it.
Who knows...maybe Victoria Jackson is a comedic genius, but never got a chance in the industry of yesterday, but that doesn't change my point.
