Written By Marie Yan
We think too much and feel too little
– Charlie Chaplin
Birth: The First Comedy
The first comedy movie was ‘L’Arroseur Arrosé’, produced in 1895. The film lasts only about a minute long and it shows a boy playing a prank on a gardener. This movie is an example of many early silent comedies. Silent comedies often emphasize and highlight visual and physical humor. They usually have simple plots and storylines, but they can still be quite amusing and enjoyable to watch.
Growth: Acceptance of Comedy as a Genre
Silent comedy films became more and more famous and accepted because they helped people get through hard times, especially during the 1920s-1940s since the world was at war. Charlie Chaplin’s movie “Modern Times” was released in 1936 and it is considered to be the greatest silent movie of all time. Since 1936 many other actors and filmmakers began making films that made use of comedic themes and characters, these movies became known as “Comedy Movies” because they were based on comical themes or slapstick comedy style.
Modern Comedy TV Shows and Movies
The Good Place
Rotten Tomato rating: 97%
IMDb rating: 8.2/10
Google Audience rating: 4.8 of 5 stars
Sub-Genre: Sitcom
The Good Place is a great TV show that was created by Mike Schur and Robert Carlock. It is about a group of people who are sent to an experimental afterlife where they go on a huge adventure together in an effort to earn their way into ‘heaven’. One of the reasons why this show has gained such wide acclaim is because of its ability to create entertainment out of philosophical concepts, hooking both thinkers and casual comedy-enjoyers.
Brooklyn 99
Rotten Tomato rating: 95%
IMDb rating: 8.4/10
Google Audience rating: 4.9 of 5 stars
Sub-Genre: Sitcom
Brooklyn 99 is about a group of workers who work at the ninety ninth precinct of the New York police department. This show is fascinating because it features a great cast and hilarious storylines. The character development in the show was also well organized and fitting to the story.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
Rotten Tomato rating: 76%
IMDb rating: 6.9/10
Google Audience rating: 4.6 of 5 stars
Sub-Genre: Action Comedy
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is a story about four teenagers who get trapped in a video game where they have to complete a mission or else they will stay in the video game forever. The movie features an all-star cast including Dwayne Johnson and Kevin hart. Overall, the movie was quite enjoyable, and I would recommend it to people of all ages searching for a hearty laugh.
3 idiots
Rotten Tomato rating: 100%
IMDb rating: 8.4/10
Google Audience rating: 4.9 of 5 stars
Genre: Coming-of-age comedy drama
3 idiots is a Bollywood film that shows three old college friends reuniting. Throughout the movie, there are flashbacks of the three friends and their experiences in one of the best universities in India (IIT). The movie goes against very traditional stereotypes like arranged marriage, materialism, and social hierarchy. It tells us the importance of loving and caring for one another and that we should do what we want in life and not what society expects of us.
What Makes a Comedy Film Great?
What makes a comedy great is often debated, but there are some key elements that most comedians seem to agree on:
- A clever plot with many twists
- Funny dialogue and scenes
- A great cast with good chemistry
- A good timing on delivering punchlines
Though all of these elements are crucial for a comedy to be successful, I personally think that for a comedy movie or TV show to be great, it needs to be a nice moving story that makes you care about the characters on a personal level.
With that said, a comedy movie I’m looking forward to watching is “Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3”. The Guardians of the Galaxy movies are about a group of intergalactic criminals who must work together to stop ‘bad guys’ from destroying or taking over the galaxy.
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies are a great blend of action filled adventure, goofiness, and heartwarming moments between the characters. I would highly recommend watching each volume of the Guardians of the Galaxy, but be warned, because there are many violent scenes and scary characters which some people might find uncomfortable watching, the age rating of the movies is 13+.