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Jesse David Fox:Upon finishing watchingPalm Springs, I thought,Good movie!
Repeat.And then I closed my laptop.
Such is quarantine life.
August quickly continued the trend withAmerican Picklestarring Seth Rogen (andSeth Rogen).
Do you feel like the coffin is fully shut?
Is the coronavirus the time of death?
If so, what was the cause of this American pickle we find ourselves in?
While films likeCandymanandWonder Woman 1984were pushed to the fall when theaters will (hopefully?)
(I suspect humor is kind of the secret sauce of theAvengersmovies and their success, too.)
Which is a shame.
Its an infectious phenomenon, to use a now-slightly-arcane definition of the word infectious.
It made me remember all over again how much I miss seeing comedies in theaters.
This is a thing that is really lost in the age of LOL the actual laughing-out-loud part.
It doesnt have to beEurovision.
It can be anything.
The movie had already gotten savaged by critics and was about to get demolished at the box office.
But something happened as I was watching it.
And we couldnt stop.
It was sheer, magnificent idiocy, and I miss it so much.
I realize thatVacationis a widely loathed film, so maybe Im just dumb.
But do people even make movies like that anymore?
The second is the continued polarization of movie budgets.
Comedies that are notJumanjifall between that gap.
That gap has also become Netflixs sweet spot, right?
Its not that Netflix is stealing these movies from the studios, like they might be with other genres.
So, the comedies are being made, but we lost the joy of seeing them together.
You know, I asked Judd Apatow about this and he wasnt sure where he stood on the matter.
Do you think it would have improved the experience of watching these movies?
I chuckled maybe once.
But it would be a lie.
I am positive that, had I seen it in a theater, I would have LAUGHED.
(Even if that group was just a few people.)
Perhaps Im exaggerating, but Im not exaggerating.
Its an interesting example because I was a bit surprised while it was happening.
(I remember a lot of people saying it might look likeSuperbad, but its not its better!)
Which makes sense, because nowadays the only middle-budget film studios put out are hopeful awards contenders.
It was the festivals hottest-selling ticket, topping two high-profile reunions.
I bring it up becauseMacGruberwas savaged by critics and is about to return as a TV show.
So, in that way, it makes sense for film comedies to join their TV siblings.
And comedys not alone in getting penalized out of some sense of respectability!
But even people who specialize in comedy arent immune to this line of thought.
BE:I do think devaluing the power of laughter is part of it.
And I want to scream: Youre LYING!
I sat next to you!!
YOU LAUGHED JUST AS MUCH AS I DID!
But maybe that is simply not a thing they give a shit about.
And maybe thats kind of the problem.
(Yes, I am talking aboutThe House.)
Shit, now I miss airplanes, too.
