For those who like comedies...

[emjen]

Ok, this is a personal question, and please answer it with all of your objectivity (or subjectivity, anyway, the biased one).

When you want to watch a comedy, do you want to watch one that's good, or one that makes you laugh?

Of course, good ones make you laugh. But not always.

For me, laughing is important. If I laugh a lot - movie good. Laugh not a lot - movie bad.

The Big lebowski is an example of a good comedy, which made me laugh a lot, but also surprised me with the way the dialogues were handled. They good.

Orgazmo is another example, which is a movie where I had to laugh and laugh a lot, while i actually know the film is really bad and doesn't make sense at all. But I guess that's just my sens-o-humour.

The Royal Tenenbaums - bad. I had like 3 small giggles. But everyone seems to think this one's good. Well, not for laughing that is!

[redlum]

Not that simple.

Orgazmo - comedy

Royal Tenenbaums - drama, romance, f_airytale, and comedy.

Also, I'm not saying you do, but never judge a film by its supposed genre, and never pay attention to the way it is marketed. Example: Solaris - the uk spots had it as a intellectual, action sci-fi. When in reality it was about grieving and lost love, but set against a science fiction backdrop.

Not to mention there being many varities and extremities of comedy. Ranging from gross-out to subtle. In my experience the former wears thin very quickly whereas the latter sticks with me.

The Big Lebowski is in a league of its own, dont try to analyse, it just is.

Personally, I find that some of my biggest laugh-out-loud movie moments, come when I least expect them, and this is most likely to happen when its not obvious that someone is trying to be funny. I also prefer comedy with a dash of fear, or sadness generally because I dont expect or want to see a movie and just laugh. This is kind of sad, but I expect more of the arena. If I wanted non stop laughs, I'd go seek out a comedian in some form.

Of course there are some exceptions, certain comedians who will make me laugh and I'll love it no matter what, such as: Jim Carrey, Billy Crystal, Steve Martin, Robin Williams. But in every case my favourite of their films will be the one that has something else going for it like The Cable Guy, When Harry Met Sally, Parenthood, Good Morning Vietnam.

I mean something that makes me laugh the most is South Park, but even thats got deeper things going on beneath the surface.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ August 20, 2003 02:56 PM: Message edited by: redlum ]</font>

[Filmmaker58]

Laughing is good. When I'm recommending a movie, and it has just an ok story but some big laughs, I'll tell people that, and usually won't recommend it. Then there are those that are funny as **** and also have a story also. Those get the shining recomendations. (This year, Bruce Almighty). A movie with only a couple of giggles doesn't do it for me, especially if the story is lame (Legally Blonde 2)
However, if it's a good story with only a couple of giggles, that's ok.

[Tom Servo]

I judge comedies by how much they make me laugh. Often the story doesnt matter to me (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back), but the comedy can also be thought provoking and serious (Heathers). I guess I shouldn't judge them by the genre, but I do.