What happened to absurdist comedy?

[Krantos]

So, I watched Mirror, Mirror last night (my wife picked it out). Surprisingly enough, I actually really enjoyed it. I wouldn't call it a good movie, but it was funny as hell.

Thinking about it today, I realized that it reminded me most of Mel Brooks's work (if you don't know who that is you should be ashamed). It certainly wasn't up to that level of quality, but it shared the same sort of disregard for it's own image. The movie wasn't meant to be taken seriously, because it doesn't take itself seriously.

However, I think a large part of why I liked the movie so much is that it was refreshing. You simply don't see that sort of comedy made any more. Mel Brooks' style of parody and self-parody simply isn't represented today.

I mean, in Spaceballs: the Movie, the villains find the Hero's hiding place by watching Spaceballs: the Movie. When was the last time A comedy had the stones to shatter the fourth wall that bad.

But it wasn't just Brooks. The Naked Gun movies, Airplane, Hot Shots. There was an era of absolutely hilariously classic comedies, but it ended.

It seems the only comedies these days are either dark nihilistic hipster comedies or The Hangover style garba- uh, films.

Am I just missing the good films, or are there really not any good comedies made anymore?

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

Step Brothers didn't take itself very seriously, and was rather funny itself...
Other films I have found funny recently:
The Other Guys
The Sitter
Office Space (yeah, it's old... get over it! :/)
Goon
21 Jump Street

 

[Saulkar]

Absurdist comedy still exists. It just migrated to the internet.

 

[PsychedelicDiamond]

Seltzer and Friedberg. They happened to absurdist comedy. And they ruined it for pretty much everyone.

there's still some pretty amusing stuff on the internet. You might like Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged.

 

[Murlin]

Some decidedly unfunny people used it to get easy comedy done. It's become dangerous to go completely absurdist with your laughs ever since.

I miss Monty Python...even with the wealth of material they left behind.

 

[Frybird]

Seltzer and Friedberg. They happened to absurdist comedy. And they ruined it for pretty much everyone.

And before that, Scary Movie happened.

Wich wasn't nearly as bad as the Seltzer/Friedberg movies (although the sequel was as awful as any of them), but they kind of started a trend where suddenly no one else dared to make Spoofs (kinda like Star Wars seemed to very slowly kill the Space Opera in Movies) and then everything had to be [Genre] Movie with broad appeal, pointless references and no spark of cleverness unless the lowest common denominator approved (wich brings us back to Seltzer/Friedberg)

EDIT: Actually in Germany there was a short-lived return of spoof movies that made fun of well known german pop-cultural trends of the 70ies (like "Der Schuh des Manitu" aka "Manitou's Shoe", wich parodied Films based of the works of Karl May, a popular author of Wild-West-Adventure Novels, or "Der Wixxer", wich parodied German Adaptions of Edgar Wallace Novels wich still have a huge fandom here for thier snarky dialogue, trippy stories, Klaus Kinski and for being set in a suspiciously awkward representation of "England")...some of the movies where kinda good however that trend quickly died down thanks to a bunch of awful follow ups.

 

[CaptainMarvelous]

In recent memory, Black Dynamite and Kung-pow kinda. The problem absurdist takes a lot of work or talent to be that good and humans are lazy

 

[PsychedelicDiamond]

EDIT: Actually in Germany there was a short-lived return of spoof movies that made fun of well known german pop-cultural trends of the 70ies (like "Der Schuh des Manitu" aka "Manitou's Shoe", wich parodied Films based of the works of Karl May, a popular author of Wild-West-Adventure Novels, or "Der Wixxer", wich parodied German Adaptions of Edgar Wallace Novels wich still have a huge fandom here for thier snarky dialogue, trippy stories, Klaus Kinski and for being set in a suspiciously awkward representation of "England")...some of the movies where kinda good however that trend quickly died down thanks to a bunch of awful follow ups.

I know. I'm german. I kinda liked Shuh des Manitu until i found out about Blazing Saddles and realized what Herbig did was pretty much the same, only worse and with more gay jokes. Der Wixxer, on the other hand, i remember being pretty okay. Nothing special but some of it was pretty funny.

 

[SonicWaffle]

It seems the only comedies these days are either dark nihilistic hipster comedies or The Hangover style garba- uh, films.

Am I just missing the good films, or are there really not any good comedies made anymore?

There is still a shit-ton of funny stuff out there. There's something you may have heard about called "television", and word on the street is that it hosts a hell of a lot of comedy...

 

[Something Amyss]

But it wasn't just Brooks. The Naked Gun movies, Airplane, Hot Shots. There was an era of absolutely hilariously classic comedies, but it ended.

So Mel Brooks and Zucher Brothers movies.

This generation's equivalent is the Friedberg/Seltzer movies. Yes, something went horribly, horribly wrong.

 

[The]

So, I watched Mirror, Mirror last night (my wife picked it out). Surprisingly enough, I actually really enjoyed it. I wouldn't call it a good movie, but it was funny as hell.

Thinking about it today, I realized that it reminded me most of Mel Brooks's work (if you don't know who that is you should be ashamed). It certainly wasn't up to that level of quality, but it shared the same sort of disregard for it's own image. The movie wasn't meant to be taken seriously, because it doesn't take itself seriously.

However, I think a large part of why I liked the movie so much is that it was refreshing. You simply don't see that sort of comedy made any more. Mel Brooks' style of parody and self-parody simply isn't represented today.

I mean, in Spaceballs: the Movie, the villains find the Hero's hiding place by watching Spaceballs: the Movie. When was the last time A comedy had the stones to shatter the fourth wall that bad.

But it wasn't just Brooks. The Naked Gun movies, Airplane, Hot Shots. There was an era of absolutely hilariously classic comedies, but it ended.

It seems the only comedies these days are either dark nihilistic hipster comedies or The Hangover style garba- uh, films.

Am I just missing the good films, or are there really not any good comedies made anymore?

Have you ever watched The Mighty Boosh? It's impossible to explain in words, except, well, absurd. In fact, absurd is too light a word to describe it. It's so fucking weird, I would occasionally have a hard time watching it, finding myself turning away just as quickly as I turn back to it again. It's a TV series that's basically a mix of British Comedy and monster B-movie conventions. I don't know how else to describe it or to even try to explain the basic plot. The first season is about two zookeepers and their encounters with a host of strange creatures and worlds. I think the one thing it doesn't do (at least doesn't need to do and not often) is to break the fourth wall and use pop culture references. Their brand of humour is strong enough to not need to fall back on them as other comedies (especially many sitcoms). Watch an episode or two, I think you'll find it to quench your thirst for absurdity.

 

[The]

Absurdist comedy still exists. It just migrated to the internet.

I remember watching my first Gmod video wondering when TV or Film would start trying out something like this. I think they would definitely have a harder time with it, since I doubt TV and Film conventions work with this type of absurdist style as easily or as in context as much as Video Game and Internet conventions.

I'll just leave this here:

(It's a prequel)

 

[Weaver]

Leslie Nielson died, that's what happened to it.
RIP.

I do find a lot of absurdist/bizarre comedy in Anime. So, there's that.

 

[In Search of Username]

Check out vectorbelly.com, the finest absurd humour I've ever seen. Seriously, I laugh out loud every time at the early comics on there.

 

[Bazaalmon]

Stephen Chow has done some absurdist wire-fu style movies, notably Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle, which came out in 2001 and 2004 respectively. as far as the last 5 years or so, I can't think of a single one worth watching.
As far as television goes, My favorite in absurdist buffoonery are Spaced, The Mighty Boosh, Black Books, The IT Crowd, and Black Adder. Huh. They're ALL British. Americans must hate funny. Although Workaholics is pretty funny, I don't know if it really qualifies as absurdist.

 

[Chemical Alia]

Yeah, I always liked that kind of comedy. Dracula: Dead and Loving It is one of my favorite movies. Some of my favorite cartoons had that kind of humor too, like Eek the Cat and the Thunderlizards.

 

[RufusMcLaser]

Don't forget The Young Ones! Another Elton (he of Blackadder fame) production.
American TV was blessed with a few seasons of Arrested Development.
I agree with OP, the drift away from absurdism in the movies is a sad thing. We're fortunate that it's doing so well on the web, and to a lesser extent on TV. It's tough to resist the conclusion comedy has drifted away from the unexpected, and towards liberal use of vomit and kicks to the scrotum.

One tiny exception: Anchorman.

 

[Launcelot111]

As far as television goes, My favorite in absurdist buffoonery are Spaced, The Mighty Boosh, Black Books, The IT Crowd, and Black Adder. Huh. They're ALL British. Americans must hate funny.

Thank you for that measured and well reasoned critique of comedy. You've really swayed my views.

OT: I agree wholeheartedly. The Naked Gun/Airplane type movies are some of my favorites, but the only good ones along those lines in recent years that I can think of are Undercover Brother and Get Smart, and both of those are kind of stretches. The Friedberg/Setzer movies have done absurd terribly, sure, but if anything, I blame Seth Macfarlane, who's removed absurdity so far from context that it's become a parody of itself. It's popular, sure, but I think it's obscured what absurdism can do. Community is doing its very best to counter that, though. It doesn't always reach, but when it does, it wins.