Unfunny Comedies?

I think "modern" comedy shows and movies and actors is all about popularity and not about being funny.

 

SNL was ALWAYS political. The first cast wasn't immune from politics. Maybe not as in-your-face as they have been since last November.....!
Not sure what you mean by the "new folks". Do you mean the show in general since 1980 when the original cast was dissolved?
It's been 37 years! There have been great cast members since 1980, maybe even better. I personally am very nostalgic about that first cast because I was young then, but watching online and on DVD, a lot of that season doesn't hold up well today but that's the consequence of topical humor.

I don't know your age- I'm 52 so I remember the late night shows from "back in the day". When were you in college?
Keep in mind, until SNL debuted in 1975-76, the late shows still reflected the humor and presentation of pre-baby boomers- almost still tied to Vaudeville!
Carson was of that era, but always kept it more or less current.

 

Gen "X" here, as I said the new "crew" to me is not funny. I split my ribs on the original crew. It truly is a taste thing. To me the modern 1980 up cast and writers focused on certain types of audiences, that's fine, but to me it was not funny. If you and other folks dig their style then more power to ya. Sctv was also funny to me. You gotta love em! That's the cool thing about being human, truly no 2 on this planet are the same in mind and opinion, even if they claim to be. Its cool Don!

 

I'd say every cast has been hit-and-miss! Again, I think the original cast had better all-around personalities and I do prefer them, but I wanted to point out that there have been great cast members throughout.
I'm not criticizing you, or your personal comedic tastes! SCTV- now you're talking!!!

 

In the middle of watching "The Gods Must Be Crazy 4: Crazy Hong Kong"..... this is earning itself that title of 'unfunny comedy'. (The forgotten third one, where the bushman finds a hopping Chinese mummy, was still pretty damn funny.)

 

I saw the first The gods must be crazy, it was cute, but the other ones I missed....

 

That's true. I do work at a national lab though.

 

There's a reason. After the second one (which was also a wide release), the series fell in the hands of Chinese companies, who kept turning out sequels - still starring N!xau. The third one's great, but the fourth one's awful.... haven't seen the fifth yet.

 

Get Hard.
Superstar.
Porky's.
Comedies starring Katherine Heigl.
Gentleman Broncos.
Death To Smoochy.
Car 54.

 

I was never a Jerry Lewis fan, but a lot of his later work was absolutely awful. "Which Way To The Front" representing the worst. Absolutely awful.

 

I thought "Get Hard" was funny - Hart and Ferrell made a good team - but can't argue the rest!

 

I thought waynes world 2 was better than the first one. That's an SNL spinoff and a sequel!

 

Lewis is good in small doses, and I sort of have a soft spot for him, he's the only famous person I know of who was born on 16th March, my Birthday.

 

First one that came to mind is The Toy with Richard Pryor and Jackie Gleason.

 

Pryor was the funniest man on the planet. The funniest "movie" I ever saw was his first concert movie. Some how it didn't really translate to (regular) movies.
Watching his standup you would think that he would be a great actor with the way he told stories and took on characters but it didn't work out. Some of his movies were OK. The Toy was weak.

 

I couldn't agree more.

 

Looking at his films, it looks like he made a conscious effort to become mainstream and not 'the dirty comedian'. Toy, Superman, the horrible deaf/blind comedy with Gene, Jojo...........All of them showed him at his worst. he had no timing, scripts were awful. He was even embarrassing in that bone that Eddie Murphy tossed him.

 

He was good in Silver Streak.

 

Yes, but that was before he made that change. He was also really good in Blue Collar. I can't really put my finger on a year, but it was after the comedy with Gene where they wore the chicken suits.

 

I had to unlike your post, after rereading it: monty python?!?

 

Has anyone mentioned "Anchorman 2" as an unfunny movie? What a let-down after the first one.

But, to be fair, the original theatrical cut was far better than the "R-Rated Super-Sized" re-release, where good jokes were replaced with lesser ones, jokes remain that no longer have a set-up, and some scenes were funnier when they were shorter (like the 'smoking crack on TV' bit).

 

I thought "Stir Crazy" was funny when it came out, but I watched it again a couple years ago and thought it was pretty meh. A few laughs popped up but the story was a mess and it never quite clicked.

It also underutilizes Pryor. Why bother to cast Pryor and then use him as a borderline supporting character?

 

Kevin Smith's "Zack & Miri Make A Porno" with Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks.

I usually like Kevin Smith's stuff but this one went absolutely nooooo-where...

 

I saw one film of his (and only one) that I thought was anywhere near funny-- National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation from 1989. That was hilarious (at least I thought so)!

Per the topic, though, I thought that Home Alone 3 was nowhere near as funny as the first two.