Home› The Lodge
breamfisher
Senior MemberPosts: 5,277 Senior Member
"Funny" actors/comics/etc. you just don't "get."
breamfisher
Senior MemberPosts: 5,277 Senior Member
Rather than derail fishingcomic's thread with a statement about Jim Carrey, I figured I'd start my own thread....
Jim Carrey is one of the supposed funny guys I just don't get. To me, he's basically a one-act wonder: rubber-faced guy who goes for over-the-top slapstick. I really don't find his movies to be that funny, and quite honestly the last things I saw him do that I thought were good were the Vera DiMilo and Fire-marshal Bill skits on "In Living Color."
Will Ferrell: again, a one-trick pony. Funniest bit he did was as Alex Trebeck on "Celebrity Jeopardy." Otherwise, his clueless act gets boring for me, fast.
Ben Stiller: yeah... Haven't been impressed with him since "The Ben Stiller Show." Comedy seems too forced, kinda only has one act.
Steve Carell: Yeah, one of those, too.
Adam Sandler: nope.
Am I missing something on these guys? Don't get me wrong, I like good comedy. Mel Brooks can basically do no wrong by me. Dom DeLuise was great other than "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" which suffered because it was a musical (hates them I does), Harvey Corman and Tim Conway, together or apart were excellent. And let's not forget the 3 Stooges and Abbott and Costello. But a lot of the more modern comedians have a humor that escapes me. Am I missing something?
Jim Carrey is one of the supposed funny guys I just don't get. To me, he's basically a one-act wonder: rubber-faced guy who goes for over-the-top slapstick. I really don't find his movies to be that funny, and quite honestly the last things I saw him do that I thought were good were the Vera DiMilo and Fire-marshal Bill skits on "In Living Color."
Will Ferrell: again, a one-trick pony. Funniest bit he did was as Alex Trebeck on "Celebrity Jeopardy." Otherwise, his clueless act gets boring for me, fast.
Ben Stiller: yeah... Haven't been impressed with him since "The Ben Stiller Show." Comedy seems too forced, kinda only has one act.
Steve Carell: Yeah, one of those, too.
Adam Sandler: nope.
Am I missing something on these guys? Don't get me wrong, I like good comedy. Mel Brooks can basically do no wrong by me. Dom DeLuise was great other than "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" which suffered because it was a musical (hates them I does), Harvey Corman and Tim Conway, together or apart were excellent. And let's not forget the 3 Stooges and Abbott and Costello. But a lot of the more modern comedians have a humor that escapes me. Am I missing something?
Replies
Will Farrell ... A Ricky Bobby ... again funny
Ben Stiller ... Tropic Thunder ... funny
albeit I will say they were funny in a large part due to their co-stars but as a whole I agree with Bream
& have been burned by renting 2 movies which will be my last...Paul Rudd
Liked Sandler in his Bob Dylan look alike role---Rain Oer Me
Away from actors---liked earleir Farrelly Bros Movies like
Kingpin and Outside Providence----not so much after
will ferrell just isn't funny....period
jim carrey made some OK "dumb" funny.....dumb & dumber comes to mind.....but his best work was dark (cable guy) or serious (truman show)
sandler made a couple of minor classics in tommy boy & billy madison.....but he never really changed his shtick and it grew old
stiller has made some really good movies....he himself never struck me as super funny, though
will ferrell isn't funny
I mean, how could you not get Chazz Reinhold?
On the other hand, except for the movie where he played Andy Kaufman, I've never been able to sit through a Jim Carrey movie.
I never dug Chris Farley.
Rob Schnieder.
Kanaloa.
Comedy is, IMO, the most subjective of art forms. Different strokes for different folks. I'm not a huge fan of any of the comedians mentioned in the OP, but I have found all of them funny in at least some roles. Obviously, a large number of other people do, as well. WHile popularity is not generally a proxy for quality, in the field of comedy it just may be, because of the near-total subjectivity of the form.
I would say to those who didn't like Jim Carey to watch "Fun with **** and Jane". His later stuff (like "**** and Jane") is less "Ace Ventura All-righty then" then all of his first movies.
I've caught flack for saying I'll continue to watch Jim Carey movies because of his anti-gun nutter rants, but ... oh well.
I do get him sometimes and others not so much. People claim to hate it, but Liar Liar with all of its hackiness is still pretty funny to me.
Mike
I agree about the Three Stooges. I have never thought they were funny at all. I can't even understand how people think they are funny.
I never used to like Will Ferrell, but Ricky Bobby was hilarious so I went back and watched a couple more of his movies. He makes me laugh.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh81LMz1sPo