Good afternoon.
Today we gather to celebrate the life of an extraordinary individual. We also mourn a tragic loss. One of my earliest friends, you have provided us all with bountiful memories and boatloads of laughs.
From my first high school party in “Superbad,” to Las Vegas for a bachelor’s trip in “The Hangover,” to the San Diego newsroom with Ron Burgundy, to even an obscure White Castle location with Harold and Kumar, we have certainly had our good times.
However, these past 10 years were far from smooth or easy. I know I, myself, would not have had the strength to carry on, to endure even a fraction of what you have endured. To help the audience better understand all that you have been through, I will provide a brief recount of your illness.
July 11, 2016: “Ghostbusters” is re-released, this time with an all-female cast. You express anger for the first time.
“Who the hell thought that was a good idea!”, along with a slew of misogynistic remarks that will not be named.
December 25, 2018: A once dynastic duo in Will Ferrel and John C. Reiley flop mightily in “Holmes and Watson.” Your sickness worsens, as anger turns to longing and sadness.
“My babies, my sweet babies — from Stepbrothers and Talladega Nights to this nonsense? Oh, what have I become?”
And the most noteworthy event of 2020: your beloved Adam Sandler stoops to all-time lows in “Hubie Halloween,” a decision that ultimately prompts his conversion to a drama actor.
“Drama kid? We used to make fun of those guys.”
“The world must really be crumbling.”
Increasingly, you watched as your former protégés turned to more serious roles, forgetting the men and women they once were, forgetting the joy they could elicit among an audience of strangers: Apart from Adam Sandler, there was Jonah Hill, Jim Carrey, Melissa McCarthy and Seth Rogan (though his career shift may be more attributed to THC than anything).
Despite this, you remained hopeful for a full recovery.
In fact, you told me about a therapeutic — a miracle drug you said, although likely a long shot (no, not Ivermectin). However, I was skeptical when you noted that the treatment consisted of Eddie Murphy starring in two Netflix cash-grab remakes.
Regrettably I was correct, with the release of “Coming 2 America” and “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” only worsening your prognosis.
I can now admit that even a toddler could have predicted the failure of said drug. After all, the remake is never funnier than the original.
Then on Sept. 23, 2024, Collider published this list of the best comedy films of the 2020s — an opportunity for reflection on your past four years. This list is as follows:
15. “No Hard Feelings”
14. “Another Round”
13. “Emma”
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12. “Hit Man”
11. “Palm Springs”
10. “The Menu”
9. “Poor Things”
8. “Licorice Pizza”
7. “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”
6. “Triangle of Sadness”
5. “The Holdovers”
4. “The Banshees of Inisherin”
3. “Barbie”
2. “American Fiction”
1. “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
And it was on this date, that your strength finally gave out.
You looked up at me, lying in your bedstead. Your ailing voice, vaporizing into the hospice air with every exhale. And I will never forget what you told me.
You told me that you could no longer recognize the person looking back at you in your reflection.
Then, your eyes came to a final close. And just like that, you were gone forever.
Well, for about five seconds.
Then, you were awoken, in what the doctor referred to as “terminal lucidity,” and you began reciting movie quotes at an almost frenetic pace.
"This one time, at band camp …” (“American Pie”).
“60 percent of the time it works every time” (“Anchorman”)
“You’re killin' me smalls” (“The Sandlot”)
“That’s what I call high-quality H2O” (“The Waterboy”).
“It’s just a flesh wound." (“Monty Python and the Holy Grail”)
“There’s so much room for activities!” (“Step Brothers”).
“This isn’t the real Caesar's Palace, is it?” (“The Hangover”).
"Yeah, baby!" (“Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery”)
But after the emphatic last line, your eyes closed — this time for good.
And with it, I could finally bode farewell to you, the comedy genre.
We are forever grateful for all that you have given us.
~~~~~~
As we now exit this period of mourning and enter one of reflection, let us ask how we got here. Simply put, we stopped creating true comedies — films designed solely to make people laugh. And the stats back it up.
In 2008, comedies made up 21% of the total U.S. box office market share; in 2024, this was down to 10%. But beyond that, on Collider’s ranking of the top comedies of the 2020s, there is only one true comedy on the entire list — “No Hard Feelings” — and it’s ranked fifteenth. “Hit Man” (12) is an action; “The Menu” (10) is a horror; “Glass Onion” (7) is a mystery; “The Holdovers” (5) is a drama. And while “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (1) is undeniably a phenomenal film, “comedy” would probably be the fifth or sixth genre I’d associate with it. Honestly, if I had laughed during any of these films in the theater, I would have attracted more glares than if I were to scream “fire” at the top of my lungs.
Now, comedy has not ceased to exist altogether, though it certainly has evolved. On the TV front, sitcoms that feature absurd or outlandish humor have taken a back seat to dark comedies and well-developed satires like “The White Lotus,” “BoJack Horseman” and “Succession.” Meanwhile, stand-up is perhaps as popular as it has ever been, with Netflix handing out “Comedy Special” deals to just about anyone with a pulse. However, somewhere along the way — amidst this renaissance in TV and stand-up — the “true comedy” movie was forgotten.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Chris Rock speculated the reason behind the decline, proclaiming that “Everybody’s scared to make a move … Comedy is about exposing things, but now you can’t say anything without it turning into a career-ending event.” There is certainly weight to this argument, with many actors having also spoken up about how they likely would not have been able to recreate their previous works in today's climate.
From a studio producer's perspective, more than ever, comedy must be carefully crafted to be both funny and sincere while also avoiding offense at all cost. This has likely curtailed producers from taking risks, while encouraging skillful, comedic writers to take their talents to other avenues where greater creative liberties are afforded and where the bar for what is considered “acceptable” humor is lowered (e.g. stand-up comedy).
But comedy movies are distinct from other mediums of comedy. For one, they serve as a reflection of the era they were produced in. For example, “Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)” captures the carefree nature of the 80s, “Anchorman” resonated with the 2000s' love for absurd humor and quotable lines. And, in 15-20 years, our children too will note that the movies of the 2020s encapsulate just how humorless and overly politically correct our era is.
But it does not have to be this way.
Listen, we can all appreciate living in a time where we strive to treat everyone with dignity. But we can accomplish this and maintain our moral clarity while still fostering an environment where edgy —and yes, occasionally offensive humor — can thrive. The two are not mutually exclusive. And yet, it seems that we have forgotten that comedy movies do more to unite than to divide, oftentimes transcending the identity of its audience. That is, you don't have to be a man or woman, white or black, straight or gay to find the food poisoning scene in “Bridesmaids” absolutely hilarious or McLovin, a Hawaiian organ donor with no apparent last name, an undeniably classic bit from “Superbad.”
Moreover, comedy movies serve to provide an escape when times are difficult or stressful. From personal experience, they were one of my main sources of joy during lockdown. Sure, they had my parents wanting to lobotomize me due to my constant reciting of Will Ferrell lines, but we moved past that, and here I am now.
Beyond that, while all forms of humor aim to bring joy, comedy movies have a unique ability to deliver insightful, well-developed, thought-provoking stories — whether it’s about a group of high schoolers getting drunk or, even better, a group of frat bros getting drunk. Simply put, the sheer scale, complexity, and performances of a comedy movie are on an entirely different level from a stand-up routine, TV episode, and certainly a TikTok or Instagram Reel. And thus, they have the potential to evoke deeper emotions and greater joy in their audiences … that is, if they are done right.
It is for all these reasons that I say that a world where comedy movies are thriving is a better world — certainly one I’d prefer to live in.
So hopefully in a few years we may meet again, where I shall deliver yet another laborious sermon — this time not to mourn the death but rather to celebrate the rebirth of the comedy genre.
`Alex Berkman is a Trinity junior. His column typically runs on alternate Wednesdays.