As a note when you bring up the infinity war moment: I can tell what the writers are attempting to do. They're trying to get that stereotypical comic book moment. Where the hero stops and quips mid fight. The issue is its done super horribly there. It literally interrupts the flow and the drama of the moment. A movie series that does moments like this perfectly? Lord of the Rings. Legolas and Gimili having their little "counting" contest in the middle of combat. The difference between the two narratively is the first one interrupted the drama of the moment to deliver the joke. The second one weaves the joke into the narrative of the moment. Legolas and Gimili never stop fighting to make their banter, and they look cooler doing it. Another character within the same medium to look to for this is Spiderman who makes non-stop quips and jokes while fighting. But he does it while fighting. That allows it to flow into the narrative more and shows that Spiderman is just much more of a 'cool guy' type of character. Another reason the moment doesn't work is it's not really in Cap's nature to stop and banter like that in a fight. Maybe in Thor's nature sure. But Cap's character thus far would show he would be in this moment and taking it seriously. A re-write of the scene while keeping the intention there would be having Thor comment on Cap's beard. Cap is taking on a group of enemies and having some difficulties responds "Kinda busy here!" Thor comes in and assists. Then Cap gives an acknowledging remark about the beard and they continue on the fight. It'd keep the tension of the battle going while still giving that 'comedy relief' that the writers wanted to throw in at that moment. That's just a rough idea there's a lot of different ways you can re-write the scene to inject comedy while not taking away from the drama of the battle.
I think we could have this moment right after Thor's arrival in Wakanda. He would kill the aliens that were holding Steve down, and then personally walk (or fly) up to him and help him get back on his feet, then, while Cap's still on the ground and getting back to his senses, Thor says "I see you copied my style", then, when Steve gets up, he pants and then starts adjusting his shields and says "and I see you copied mine", Thor gives that little laugh, Cap smiles, and they both start taking the aliens around them down
@@Diamonddrake there absolutely are stakes tho, Thor just saw his Kingdom get wiped out before getting in the ship heading to Earth, and, on the way there, he watched half of what was left of his people be killed while the purple giant who leads the army he's fighting in this scene held him unmovable. Besides, he saw his father, his brother and his sister die in front of him, so I'm pretty he understands that he only seems immortal compared to most beings across the universe, but he definetly isn't
I agree, it’s not really their character lol completely agree, clicked on the more button and wanted to add that spiderman works better and that I don’t see it coming from them two but then saw that u had already done that ahaha, also yhe that Legolas scene is sick!
What Disney fails to understand is that for comic relief to work, there has to be tension or drama to be relieved. This is especially a problem with Star Wars when there’s no tension or drama in fights because Jedi are nigh unbeatable and Mandolorians wear indestructible armor.
Which is very much not the case in the original, where it's relatively clear that if obiwan was to get caught in the death star he'll just get shot (he's very much trying to hide from the stormtroopers, who've been described as good marksmen), and the only 'duel' results in someone permanently dying.
The one word I'd use to decribe good will hunting is "human" because it covers so much of the human experience and emotion. And that is I think what brings out both the comedy and the tears with beautiful sincerity.
Yes and I was watching a video the other day whose thesis was that today's Hollywood denizens didn't really know how to human, only to LA and to social media, hence they are blind to the setups that make impactful moments in stories.
When Squamp showed the venn diagram of characters and asked what they all had in common, I, who had never seen the movie, had no choice but to look around at them all and say "uh....they're all human." Turns out, I was more right than I knew :D
A small moment I want to highlight in Good Will Hunting is that it also demonstrates that by putting natural comedy in characters, you CAN use comedy in serious moments without detracting. When Will and Shawn are hugging it out after arguably one of the most impactful and tense scenes in the movie, there is a pause, and Will asks if this breaks the boundaries of the therapeutic relationship, to which Shawn replies "only if you grab my ass". It characterizes Will as a person who is opening up, but is still working at it. He uses comedy not as a deflection here, but just to find a way to comfortably talk about what is happening right now, and relieve some pressure for himself, not the audience. Shawn replying in a more crass manner is a humour style similar to his friends, gently showing Will that he doesnt have to push it, and that existing in this moment is good enough. Of course, this characterization cant happen everywhere, but if specifically planned, can be incredibly effective. This was an amazing video essay, and im excited to see what you put out next!
Five videos and you're already on par with some who have been writing video essays for many years. You also highlight issues that aren't really talked about _literally everywhere_, which is nice
Good stuff. Don't let the low views slow you down, you had a couple one-hit wonders to get you going, and now you're building an audience. I'm eager to keep watching!
No, he didn't do a particularly good job with this one. He forgot to establish himself as a funny guy prior to the terrorism bit, so the audience knows he's not to be taken seriously at all times. The first joke you ever make to someone you don't know can't be like this
Great video. But I burst out laughing towards the end where you were making a solid point on comedy flowing with the narrative and not feeling forced by the writers but rather natural from the character, and then there was a hard cut to quick saxophone music. So jarring it made me laugh
infinity war had a moment that was genuinely quite sad and blended humour in pretty well which is extremely rare. when Gamora tells Peter to kill her so she can't be sacraficed for an inifinity stone Peter sacrafices the girl he loves more than anything and only bubbles come out of his gun. he pulled the trigger he made the choice to kill the girl he loved for the greater good a REALLY compelling moment and it was sad, and the humour of the bubbles didn't really feel forced it felt like that joke was thanos rubbing dirt in the wound Peter made and it works, so seeing the shitty Beard jokes in the battle of Wakanda is extremely tiring.
Even more darkly funny, is the comment Thanos makes when he sees that Peter has the iron will to shoot his own girlfriend because it's necessary. He's just met his daughter's boyfriend, taken the measure of his resolve, and he approves. "I like him."
Counter argument for the Thor and Cap scene, at that point in the fight, it feels like the arrival of Thor means the battle will be won. The lighthearted quip reinforced the feeling that the good guys are about to win, making their loss after Thanos’ arrival all the more shocking/gut wrenching.
It does provide a decent contrast to the start of Endgame, where Thor is deadly serious, and you can feel the weight of their mistakes. As an aside, it's wild that he can lose his parents, brother, friends, eye, and homeworld and still be cracking jokes. If none of that beat the humor out of him, honestly, it's kind of shocking losing half the universe's population did.
@@roguebarbarian9133 he was cracking jokes BECAUSE he was sad, chris killed that role, he is always on the verge of crying until he get back to earth with stormbreaker, but is when he is mourning, he really breaks with the guilt in the next movie
People are fighting and dying around them, as the video points out. Nothing about the tide of battle makes it good writing/direction, it's bad writing/direction.
@@AquaticMammalOnBicycle From his first appearance we know that Thor LOVES battles. He's never happier than when he's in the thick of combat. So makes sense that this is the time he's most likely to quip and joke - he's having fun for the first time since Ragnarok.
This is very succinctly explained and Good Will Hunting is such a perfect example to use. In general I really miss so many of the mid-budget movies of the 90s because they largely had this formula understood and today's movies are often just so tonally uneven and full of detached quips that make no sense for the characters to say. I was watching the original Scream last night and was reminded of how great the comedy of it was, how natural the behavior of the teenagers when they interacted with each other, and when and why they made jokes or didn't in different situations. Mid-budget 90s, man, I'm telling ya...
The way you implement writing techniques that you are talking about into the videos about said techniques is lowkey genius. Instead of just telling us what comedy does and how to use it well, you show us. You're 100% my fav video essayist.
Loved your observation!!! It’s something I hadn’t noticed before. Its comedy becomes a memorable part once discovered, especially since it’s not a film people expect to laugh at
I feel like the concepts in this video are things ive always been aware of subconsciously, but just never heard articulated so clearly and easily comprehensible. Bravo.
As cheap as some people may think of you as using a Robin Williams film, as he’s a comedic genius being able to improve and lighten the room easily. I think it works spectacularly for your goal of this video pretty well so good job.
My theory on humor: you know how there is a flicker of joy when something suddenly makes sense to you? Humor occurs when a bunch of bulbs light up in your head because something that you didn't imagine could made sense, is suddenly shown to. Connections between unconnected things are exposed, the logic behind illogic is revealed, and it tickles the brain.
I have, multiple times in the past few months, thought I had discovered a new interesting media vodeo essay channel. Only for it to be you every single time. Well done lol
Might argue that Good Will Hunting is a bad example for this thesis. I completely agree it's a great example of using humor to shift the mood of the narrative, thereby making the dramatic moments more impactful. However, its audience for humor is entirely internal, meaning when one character tells a joke the intent of the joke is to make another character laugh, as opposed to the theatrical audience. While a joke might be simultaneously funny to the audience, I'd speculate that the primary intention was to drive the relationships within the narrative and not beyond the bounds of the screen. Comedy is designed for the audience, character's may or may not react to the joke (typically they don't) and it may or may not drive the narrative anywhere (it often doesn't), but the intent is to make the audience laugh first and foremost. I'd propose Everything, Everywhere, All At Once a better example of a movie which uses comedy clearly designed make the audience laugh, while simultaneously using its gags to progress the plot in meaningful ways. Particularly the butt-plug fight. I lol'd.
I’ve always looked into what makes things funny. I like to try and make people laugh and wonder why certain things stick and others don’t. Your breakdown of a popular movie and breaking down different layers of comedy definitely shed some light! Looking forward to more content 🤝🏾
This is an interesting argument you make for comedy in movies, and I agree with most of it, but I think that their is a major difference in the comedy of good will hunting and the comedy in other movies. Goodwill huntings comedy is used to humanize the characters more and make you forget your watching a drama so the emotional parts hit better, but i dont think this type of comedy would work that well in something like "the fall guy", "pirates of the Caribbean" or "zoolander" for example. Those movies have comedy every second and a lot of it doesnt push the characters or story forward at all, yet the comedy is amazing. Basically what im saying is that comedy doesnt need to have a purpose, even if the comedy in some movies is kinda shit (avengers endgame), i like having a wide variety of movies that handle comedy different ly. From your 4th wall breakings, non stop jokes like deadpool, to the serious movies like pulp fiction that tend to have a few funny scenes, all comedy has its good and bad parts. Id be interested if you made a video talking about comedy in other genres.
Did a quick scan through comments and didn't see anyone else mention it, so I will: Overly Sarcastic Productions has a really good video about "bathos", which is the term they use to describe what this video is talking about with modern movies and an overreliance on comedy. Their video on lampshading also touches on it, both are super informative if anyone wants to see more discussion on the topic.
While I disagree with you on the comedy landing in Infinity War, I love this video. You did a great job challenging me and you did it through a brilliant screenplay like Good Will Hunting
The most iconic scene for me was when Will's friend visited his house and realized he had left without a goodbye. And then he smiles. I knew this scene was coming from the moment he talked about this with Will earlier in the movie. Still even though I was expecting it, it gave me a tear.
I think that is also what makes a good movie, when you can follow it ahead and figure it out. It doesn't have to be over complicated. It doesn't have to surprise you in a completely unexpected way. Sometimes it brings joy to just see it unravel. Which is why I enjoy watching a movie I liked, again. I already know what's going to happen, but it can still be entertaining.
Robin was such a treasure in so many movies he was in. He brought something to roles he was in be it in “Good Morning Vietnam”, “Dead Poets Society”, “Jack”, “Bicentennial Man” or so many others. Most people see a movie has Robin Williams in it and they immediately think comedy and yes while those movies do have comedy in them there is also a level of sincerity in the drama aspects that Robin brought to the roles and he is just such a great actor and able to balance both so well and naturally where the comedy does not feel forced and does lot detract from the drama in the movies he is in.
Ok, so maybe a nitpick, and I might be wrong but... I'm almost certain from my own film knowledge and an article I looked up after seeing this video, that the beard joke was improv. The writers had nothing to do with it, so they're not the ones to blame. If you wanna blame someone, blame Hemsworth or the editors for leaving it in. Saying the writers ruined this moment is putting blame on the wrong people. It was literally the actor making a joke in character. The "character" in this loose sense WAS making the joke. Plus I think the joke still works in context. Like these guys haven't really had a threat like Thanos. The entire movie they play fast and loose and quippy with him and his minions much like they do with any villain. The Dark Elves could have ended multiple worlds, and Thor still developed his Ragnarok-era quippiness throughout the movie, Loki wants to bring an alien army to Earth and enslave the whole planet and they're making Wizard of Oz references. After this event, Tony learns he has to pull himself up and become a true protector of Earth, but he's coped with stress using humour his whole life and that doesn't stop there, it only covers new stresses until in Iron Man 3 when he can't cope anymore. Plus he's not here in this moment, he's on Titan being somewhat serious about the Thanos fight until the actual fight itself begins and his humour takes a back seat. The Snap is the moment they realise they need to take this shit seriously and that's why Endgame is a much darker movie in comparison. They learned their lesson, the hardest way possible.
4:37 I have to say: I believe this joke is a kind of red herring. SPOILERS By seeming flippant during this battle scene, our guard is lowered for the Avengers’ defeat at the conclusion of this movie. 💙 So treating it like a “genuine” attempt at comedy is misplaced. Things are still getting “worse”, but this joke is the audience’s fuel for the belief that the Avengers are going to win the day, as per usual. Whether you feel the joke is humorous or well timed or not, the presence of this joke does what it’s intended to do. The same (but better) is true of Okoye’s remark about Wanda’s arrival: “Why was she up there all this time?” It reinforces the relief at Wanda’s arrival, making the audience feel assured the Avengers will be fine. It’s a better joke, because THERE ARE PEOPLE FIGHTING FIR THEIR LIVES, THOR. I do think the flippancy shows how Thor still has some growth ahead of him; which is important for the future of a character that will need to display growth in future releases… But a lot of all this goes back and forth between treating the Avengers movies each individually, or as the larger entity But anyway, my point is: Criticizing Cap and Thor is better done against the characters, rather than at the writing itself; in universe analysis, rather than the creative one - or at least, to bear the two in mind when doing/reading a critique of the writing But don’t let that sound like I think any of this discussion should cease 💙💙💙
i think comic relief handled properly is demonstrated best by it going completely unnoticed to the audience. until your comment at the end of the video, i hadn't realized the frequency of jokes had decreased, mostly because there werent any interrupting the narrative you told. great work yet again :)
The Groot Captain America moment made total sense in the context of the story and characters, that’s why it landed well. I agree on his take that the beard joke which was just there as a cheap action shot transition.
Very good points here and so spot on that you've at once renewed my love for GWH as well as my hate for the pandering and self-regarding crap currently pervading the entertainment industry. Thank you.
The thing is, even a good comedy is sincere. Sincerity and comedy don't have to play against each other. Think of classic 90s comedies like Liar Liar, Happy Gilmore, My Cousin Vinny, or Mrs. Doubtfire. They still had sincere stories underneath all the funny parts. They didn't punish the audience for caring. We still celebrate when Fletcher Reid understand the value of honesty with his song, Happy learns to control his temper, Vinny accepts help from his wife and wins the case, and Robin's character learns some responsibility. Those stories are memorable because they're true in the deepest sense. And the comedy supports that truth. Also I do have to push back on the Infinity War critique... it is pretty common for soldiers to make jokes during even life-threatening situations. Admittedly they didn't stick the landing on that beard joke, but the basic concept is sound. Soldiers use it as a defense mechanism.
4:21 thank you for saying it! Not every movie has to be jampacked with jokes!!! y'all are fighting for the fate of the universe * Insert middle school level comedic relief moment *
I’ve been clicking on quite a lot of your videos lately, and in the best way possible I’m so surprised at myself for watching them to the end (shoddy attention span and all)… all this to say I love your videos and can’t wait to see more,
One movie where I found comedic moment being so greatly put was the All Quiet on Western Front (1930). I mean, the movie is a very heavy movie, being in WW1 and we see the effect of war on innocent young men, such as Paul. But I couldn’t believe I genuinely laughed when the soldiers were on the fields in between war and were genuinely talking about what the war is even for. It’s such a philosophical conversation for the moment but also in a natural way funny. At least I found the dialogue funny. I don’t even think it’s meant to be funny, just a relief moment in the movie but it stuck in my mind as a scene of calm in an anti-war movie like that. It wasn’t the best scene or anything but, it was a perfectly placed moment.
Good Will Hunting is a movie in its own category for me only because it's the first and maybe only movie I learned about long before the general public even knew it existed because I was in a teen theatre program over the summer and we had someone come in to teach us acrobatics. His name was Barna Moricz (that's probably spelled wrong) and he told me during break that he had just finished shooting a movie with Robin Williams. It was Good Will Hunting. All of us theatre people went on opening night to see it a year later when it finally released and I remember the director of the program slapping me on the back and shaking me saying "there he is! That's Barna!" It's the first scene with Robin Williams and Barna is the student who says something along the lines of "because truth... Is life" on answer to a question Williams asked. So, my great claim to fame in life is that I am 2 degrees separated from Robin Williams, and 3 degrees from Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. I'm willing to sign autographs for a small fee. The best part of it all is that Good Will Hunting is one of my favourite movies of all time and would have been even without this scenario just because it's such an amazing story. It's crazy to think how old it is when I can still remember the smell of cut grass, cigarettes and BO that I was smelling when I learned of its existence.
10:55 I somewhat disagree. There's a saying about how if the character cries then the audience doesn't cry and i think there is something similar with comedy too. If Bob tells a joke to John, I am not listening to the joke. I'm noticing how the first one wants to make the second laugh, how receptive the second one is, what topic of the joke is, etc. Since its a conversation I'm not a part of I don't wonder about the form since its not supposed to be tailored to me. I see what you mean about characters staying true to themselves : for example thor's "Another" from the first thor movie. As a joke it is directed to the audience, not the other characters at all. The characters might also find it funny but I don't need them to laugh for me to laugh.
This put into words exactly the difference I've been trying to tell people about old Star Wars and new Star Wars. The new ones just don't seem to take themselves seriously when they make jokes to the audience. There are funny moments in the OG trilogy, but they're always situational (Han seeing the group of storm troopers) or between characters (Leia quipping back at Han). They fit the narrative more than "they fly now?"
Sopranos, a gritty, dark show about the human condition of criminal mobsters also finds time for a "Rincoln Continental" joke. Funniest part about the sopranos to me is how its violent murderers that make me laugh, along with the heavy new jersey italian accents. Good vid Squampy
The Sopranos's humour is kind of like American Psycho's, in that the characters are all genuine and take themselves VERY seriously but most of the scenes are hilarious because they come off as ignorant, pathetic or clumsy while still retaining no humour about themselves. Both are even funnier because of their dark settings making everything absurd. The joke isn't mainly "Rincorn Continental", but that it's a bad, cheap joke that the characters think is brilliant.
You did a fantastic job of demonstrating what you were teaching while teaching it. You have great potential as a teacher! Never give up! The do as I do teacher is rare. Great work. Much love
As a marine, anyone who’s been in a fight/battle/firefight will quip or crack jokes. “I. Am Steve Rogers” joke was solid gold. Not only was the beard stuff hilarious but then they make a joke about language barriers. Both of which I’ve experienced in combat.
Love this vid, I agree with your take on Marvel always undercutting serious moments with jokes. However this did remind me of a moment I like quite a bit from braveheart. When they’re being pummeled with arrows from the english Stephen, the irishman looks at Wallace and says “the lord says he’s prettt sure he can get me out of this mess, but you’re fooked” how do you feel about this moment, do you feel that it was good given the surrounding context? Love to know what you think.
Yes! That was my understanding too. I guess one would have to have a copy of the shooting script in order to know if there was another original dialogue exchange that was meant to be funny. Would the scene have been as effective and memorable without any diffusion of tension? Sigh… Robin Williams ❤ One of a kind.
In Bruges (and McDonnagh generally) is an interesting example. It has very emotionally intense scenes, which are woven throughout with comedy and are very funny, and yet still deadly serious.
A professor of film/theatre always argued "if your making a comedy; find the suffering. If your making a tragedy, find the funny". A tragedy with no humor is exhausting and monotonous; with characters we struggle to relate to, and by extension, empathize with. A Comedy with no tragedy has no stakes in which to seriously challenge the relatable characters we've built through humor. To be clear, this doesn't mean undermining the subject matter in search of cramming in as many of these opposing beats into a piece, but rather take EXTRA care in identifying these key deviations from the greater theme, and making sure these moments have a chance to breath and stand on their own. When expressed well, these will often function as your strongest moments of character growth.
Jokes undercutting the emotional impact of a serious moment is the exact reason why I despised The Last Jedi and stopped watching the new trilogy. Well, that and Rose depriving us of Finn's otherworldly glorious self-sacrifice.
Well you did do the interruption thing right after saying that it would ruin the moment which I guess is supposed to double as meta humor except you just said it ruins the moment so…. it kinda did. It didn’t seem to at first. But then you mentioned you stopped making jokes at the serious part of the video… which I didn’t notice because there wasn’t enough time for me to realize the jokes were gone before that one joke popped in again. Otherwise, you make good points. But I would argue that comic relief is fine and can relieve people from drama whether they’re mature enough to handle it or not! I also think a joke can be placed in spots you said they can’t but it depends on the joke and the execution… The Infinity War styled humor is fine as long as it’s not a repeated pattern.
Very thought-provoking Video. Very enjoyable! I would amend your statement slightly in my opinion. "When you force comedy, you pay for it at the expense of narrative." Only because Good Will Hunting shows us that as long as the comedy supports the narrative, it enhances the narrative, often bringing us closer to the characters and the event. Because, after all, we use comedy ourselves to get through daily life. It's how it's used, not necessarily if it's there. if it works in the narrative. then, in your case with GWH, you don't mind the cost. or perhaps it's better to say the cost is drastically reduced, or even a benefit rather than a cost at that point.
My favorite joke was in fast & furious. Dwayne Johnson comes up and Kevin Hart's like "somebody hide the baby oil" and he replies with "somebody hide that big ahh forehead" and I don't remember if it's actually in the movie but it gets a chuckle out of me every time
I agree that the comedy was misplaced in the battle at Wakanda but when the snap happens the impact still hits hard so overall narrative and stakes weren't harmed by the comedy.
This movie perfectly blends drama and comedy. The jokes don't feel forced, here. The dialogue just feels realistic and flows naturally. Robin Williams, you will be missed.
yes yes yes! A character needs a reason to say a line. I'm an actor and for jokes in action scenes where they are CLEARLY not thought through whether the character would say it I default to making the motive "coping?" most of the time lol. Same rules for exposition. Very simple. Have characters talk to each other not writers talk to the audience.
About the comedy theory "there's always a victim", it's more that every joke is at the expense of at least one character. The character doesn't have to be a victim, but he doesn't know something that others (and often the audience) knows. You can see more of that in "La dramaturgie" by Yves Lavandier. I'm not sure it's available in english, but it's worth to look for. Laugh generaly comes from a lack of balance, from the unexpected. Falling isn't funny except when it's unexpected : if someone jump of a cliff, he falls and that's it ; but if he attached himself to something and still falls, the unexpected induces laugh. Having 2 sides with different informations produces unexpected interactions from one or both sides, thus break the equilibrium of the scene.
Thor fighting the end of the world with people dying around is just a Tuesday to him. Closest thing I know to this release of tension humor in great stress irl is the Marine Corps. Normal if you’re familiar. All your other points stand.
"those who can, do. those who understand, teach. those who can neither do, nor understand, criticise." _ aristotle any guesses as to which category you, sitting in your apartment making videos about how other people do things, fall under?
For anything that isn't a direct comedy The joke should come from A. The character telling a joke in a situation where it makes sense B. Two characters having a natural sounding exchange in dialouge that is inadvertantly funny (the Terantino method) Or c.put the Humor subtly within the preformances (barry lyndon comes to mind) And I'm sure there are other ways Just Don't talk down to the audience
I think the latest Deadpool movie highlights what you said about characters making jokes versus writers making jokes. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed deadpool and wolverine, but it definitely felt like every character was written by the same person. literally every character had the same type of quick witted banter that deadpool would have. so much so that there were many lines in the movie that could have been delivered by deadpool but were said by wolverine, or wade's blind roommate, or cassandra nova. I just remember thinking about that after the movie was over.
I forget where I heard this but I think that fart joke was improvised too. Which I think, if true, makes it even better and funnier because its their genuine laughs in that scene. RIP Robin Williams
I remember being shocked when I laughed in this movie, I didn't expect it but I was pleased
Exactly!
@@SquampopulousIf you haven’t heard of Mr.Inbetween it’s a comedy show similar to Barry, but it takes itself way more seriously
You were shocked to laugh at a movie that featured the one of the most prominent comedians of all time?
“When you don’t mind the cost of comedy, you pay for it at the expense of your narrative”.
I believe the dropped mic is yours.
Bravo.
As a note when you bring up the infinity war moment:
I can tell what the writers are attempting to do. They're trying to get that stereotypical comic book moment. Where the hero stops and quips mid fight. The issue is its done super horribly there. It literally interrupts the flow and the drama of the moment.
A movie series that does moments like this perfectly? Lord of the Rings. Legolas and Gimili having their little "counting" contest in the middle of combat. The difference between the two narratively is the first one interrupted the drama of the moment to deliver the joke. The second one weaves the joke into the narrative of the moment. Legolas and Gimili never stop fighting to make their banter, and they look cooler doing it.
Another character within the same medium to look to for this is Spiderman who makes non-stop quips and jokes while fighting. But he does it while fighting. That allows it to flow into the narrative more and shows that Spiderman is just much more of a 'cool guy' type of character.
Another reason the moment doesn't work is it's not really in Cap's nature to stop and banter like that in a fight. Maybe in Thor's nature sure. But Cap's character thus far would show he would be in this moment and taking it seriously.
A re-write of the scene while keeping the intention there would be having Thor comment on Cap's beard. Cap is taking on a group of enemies and having some difficulties responds "Kinda busy here!" Thor comes in and assists. Then Cap gives an acknowledging remark about the beard and they continue on the fight. It'd keep the tension of the battle going while still giving that 'comedy relief' that the writers wanted to throw in at that moment. That's just a rough idea there's a lot of different ways you can re-write the scene to inject comedy while not taking away from the drama of the battle.
very good points
I think we could have this moment right after Thor's arrival in Wakanda. He would kill the aliens that were holding Steve down, and then personally walk (or fly) up to him and help him get back on his feet, then, while Cap's still on the ground and getting back to his senses, Thor says "I see you copied my style", then, when Steve gets up, he pants and then starts adjusting his shields and says "and I see you copied mine", Thor gives that little laugh, Cap smiles, and they both start taking the aliens around them down
It’s absolutely in Thor’s character as he’s a god and there’s no stakes for him, good points and excellent rewrite idea
@@Diamonddrake there absolutely are stakes tho, Thor just saw his Kingdom get wiped out before getting in the ship heading to Earth, and, on the way there, he watched half of what was left of his people be killed while the purple giant who leads the army he's fighting in this scene held him unmovable. Besides, he saw his father, his brother and his sister die in front of him, so I'm pretty he understands that he only seems immortal compared to most beings across the universe, but he definetly isn't
I agree, it’s not really their character lol completely agree, clicked on the more button and wanted to add that spiderman works better and that I don’t see it coming from them two but then saw that u had already done that ahaha, also yhe that Legolas scene is sick!
What Disney fails to understand is that for comic relief to work, there has to be tension or drama to be relieved. This is especially a problem with Star Wars when there’s no tension or drama in fights because Jedi are nigh unbeatable and Mandolorians wear indestructible armor.
Which is very much not the case in the original, where it's relatively clear that if obiwan was to get caught in the death star he'll just get shot (he's very much trying to hide from the stormtroopers, who've been described as good marksmen), and the only 'duel' results in someone permanently dying.
that's not a Disney probably that's a George Lucas problem 😅
@@sathalel4084 If you read the other replies to this thread before you commented, you'd see why that wasn't true.
@@reganator5000 I think it has more to do with the fact that Obiwan knows he will get overwhelmed by them eventually, if they knew he was there.
Disney removes all tension to stay “family-friendly”. They’ve become Gary Stu.
The one word I'd use to decribe good will hunting is "human" because it covers so much of the human experience and emotion. And that is I think what brings out both the comedy and the tears with beautiful sincerity.
Yes and I was watching a video the other day whose thesis was that today's Hollywood denizens didn't really know how to human, only to LA and to social media, hence they are blind to the setups that make impactful moments in stories.
When Squamp showed the venn diagram of characters and asked what they all had in common, I, who had never seen the movie, had no choice but to look around at them all and say "uh....they're all human." Turns out, I was more right than I knew :D
A small moment I want to highlight in Good Will Hunting is that it also demonstrates that by putting natural comedy in characters, you CAN use comedy in serious moments without detracting. When Will and Shawn are hugging it out after arguably one of the most impactful and tense scenes in the movie, there is a pause, and Will asks if this breaks the boundaries of the therapeutic relationship, to which Shawn replies "only if you grab my ass". It characterizes Will as a person who is opening up, but is still working at it. He uses comedy not as a deflection here, but just to find a way to comfortably talk about what is happening right now, and relieve some pressure for himself, not the audience. Shawn replying in a more crass manner is a humour style similar to his friends, gently showing Will that he doesnt have to push it, and that existing in this moment is good enough. Of course, this characterization cant happen everywhere, but if specifically planned, can be incredibly effective. This was an amazing video essay, and im excited to see what you put out next!
this is the type of comment that increased the value of the video
@@ACShotRunI completely agree
@ACShotRun Appreciate you, glad it resonated!
Five videos and you're already on par with some who have been writing video essays for many years. You also highlight issues that aren't really talked about _literally everywhere_, which is nice
thanks! I try to be different and professional
Haven't seen this in a minute. Thanks for the insightful look. R.I.P. Robin Williams.
one of the greatest. i believe it is still on Max
Goat
A legend ❤️
Good stuff. Don't let the low views slow you down, you had a couple one-hit wonders to get you going, and now you're building an audience. I'm eager to keep watching!
thanks for the kind words!
Don’t mean to subdue a very sweet comment, but isn’t “a couple one-hit wonders” kind of an oxymoron? Lol
@@sakurasensations4786how much one hit wonders should someone have?…one?
Pffft
Getta loada this guy
I know a couple people that should hear this lol
That terrorism joke was a gold way to prove your point. Good job 😂
I thought it was terrible. It would have been passable if he hadn't drawn more attention to it by explaining it after as well.
i actually burst out laughing - just because of his delivery
I actually laughed extremely loud xD
No, he didn't do a particularly good job with this one. He forgot to establish himself as a funny guy prior to the terrorism bit, so the audience knows he's not to be taken seriously at all times. The first joke you ever make to someone you don't know can't be like this
Yeah I grinned at this
Great video. But I burst out laughing towards the end where you were making a solid point on comedy flowing with the narrative and not feeling forced by the writers but rather natural from the character, and then there was a hard cut to quick saxophone music. So jarring it made me laugh
Hahaha
Love your essays, they are straight to the point and articulate some great stuff that so many creators overlook. Cheers mate
thank you!
6:06 Master card jumpscare
1:51 why did I laugh at that joke...
Shock factor
@@SomethingorOther4 Why did I laugh at this...
@@hmingkalay9414Shock factor
infinity war had a moment that was genuinely quite sad and blended humour in pretty well which is extremely rare. when Gamora tells Peter to kill her so she can't be sacraficed for an inifinity stone Peter sacrafices the girl he loves more than anything and only bubbles come out of his gun. he pulled the trigger he made the choice to kill the girl he loved for the greater good a REALLY compelling moment and it was sad, and the humour of the bubbles didn't really feel forced it felt like that joke was thanos rubbing dirt in the wound Peter made and it works, so seeing the shitty Beard jokes in the battle of Wakanda is extremely tiring.
Even more darkly funny, is the comment Thanos makes when he sees that Peter has the iron will to shoot his own girlfriend because it's necessary. He's just met his daughter's boyfriend, taken the measure of his resolve, and he approves. "I like him."
I didn't feel like it was funny. I thought it was more like a fuck you from Thanos to Peter. It kinda made me feel angry.
Yes i forgot all of your jokes by the end of the video. Well done
Counter argument for the Thor and Cap scene, at that point in the fight, it feels like the arrival of Thor means the battle will be won. The lighthearted quip reinforced the feeling that the good guys are about to win, making their loss after Thanos’ arrival all the more shocking/gut wrenching.
It does provide a decent contrast to the start of Endgame, where Thor is deadly serious, and you can feel the weight of their mistakes. As an aside, it's wild that he can lose his parents, brother, friends, eye, and homeworld and still be cracking jokes. If none of that beat the humor out of him, honestly, it's kind of shocking losing half the universe's population did.
@@roguebarbarian9133 he was cracking jokes BECAUSE he was sad, chris killed that role, he is always on the verge of crying until he get back to earth with stormbreaker, but is when he is mourning, he really breaks with the guilt in the next movie
@@Sauvva_a lot of people seem to miss that it’s often when people are at their lowest, or most difficult times, that they joke the most.
People are fighting and dying around them, as the video points out. Nothing about the tide of battle makes it good writing/direction, it's bad writing/direction.
@@AquaticMammalOnBicycle From his first appearance we know that Thor LOVES battles. He's never happier than when he's in the thick of combat. So makes sense that this is the time he's most likely to quip and joke - he's having fun for the first time since Ragnarok.
This is very succinctly explained and Good Will Hunting is such a perfect example to use. In general I really miss so many of the mid-budget movies of the 90s because they largely had this formula understood and today's movies are often just so tonally uneven and full of detached quips that make no sense for the characters to say. I was watching the original Scream last night and was reminded of how great the comedy of it was, how natural the behavior of the teenagers when they interacted with each other, and when and why they made jokes or didn't in different situations. Mid-budget 90s, man, I'm telling ya...
The way you implement writing techniques that you are talking about into the videos about said techniques is lowkey genius. Instead of just telling us what comedy does and how to use it well, you show us. You're 100% my fav video essayist.
thanks!!
this a great breakdown my dude!
Appreciate it adam
Loved your observation!!! It’s something I hadn’t noticed before. Its comedy becomes a memorable part once discovered, especially since it’s not a film people expect to laugh at
exactly! glad you agree
9:38 "Give relief to this tension," as Morgan comes back from ma's bedroom.
1:45 Missed opportunity to use a "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!" joke there.
I feel like the concepts in this video are things ive always been aware of subconsciously, but just never heard articulated so clearly and easily comprehensible. Bravo.
As cheap as some people may think of you as using a Robin Williams film, as he’s a comedic genius being able to improve and lighten the room easily. I think it works spectacularly for your goal of this video pretty well so good job.
Why would anyone think it's cheap to use a Robin Williams film?
@@Disgruntled_Grunt I’m just saying. Some people are cynical.
My theory on humor: you know how there is a flicker of joy when something suddenly makes sense to you? Humor occurs when a bunch of bulbs light up in your head because something that you didn't imagine could made sense, is suddenly shown to. Connections between unconnected things are exposed, the logic behind illogic is revealed, and it tickles the brain.
I have, multiple times in the past few months, thought I had discovered a new interesting media vodeo essay channel. Only for it to be you every single time. Well done lol
Haha that’s awesome
Might argue that Good Will Hunting is a bad example for this thesis. I completely agree it's a great example of using humor to shift the mood of the narrative, thereby making the dramatic moments more impactful. However, its audience for humor is entirely internal, meaning when one character tells a joke the intent of the joke is to make another character laugh, as opposed to the theatrical audience. While a joke might be simultaneously funny to the audience, I'd speculate that the primary intention was to drive the relationships within the narrative and not beyond the bounds of the screen. Comedy is designed for the audience, character's may or may not react to the joke (typically they don't) and it may or may not drive the narrative anywhere (it often doesn't), but the intent is to make the audience laugh first and foremost.
I'd propose Everything, Everywhere, All At Once a better example of a movie which uses comedy clearly designed make the audience laugh, while simultaneously using its gags to progress the plot in meaningful ways. Particularly the butt-plug fight. I lol'd.
I’ve always looked into what makes things funny.
I like to try and make people laugh and wonder why certain things stick and others don’t.
Your breakdown of a popular movie and breaking down different layers of comedy definitely shed some light! Looking forward to more content 🤝🏾
This is an interesting argument you make for comedy in movies, and I agree with most of it, but I think that their is a major difference in the comedy of good will hunting and the comedy in other movies.
Goodwill huntings comedy is used to humanize the characters more and make you forget your watching a drama so the emotional parts hit better, but i dont think this type of comedy would work that well in something like "the fall guy", "pirates of the Caribbean" or "zoolander" for example. Those movies have comedy every second and a lot of it doesnt push the characters or story forward at all, yet the comedy is amazing.
Basically what im saying is that comedy doesnt need to have a purpose, even if the comedy in some movies is kinda shit (avengers endgame), i like having a wide variety of movies that handle comedy different ly. From your 4th wall breakings, non stop jokes like deadpool, to the serious movies like pulp fiction that tend to have a few funny scenes, all comedy has its good and bad parts.
Id be interested if you made a video talking about comedy in other genres.
Did a quick scan through comments and didn't see anyone else mention it, so I will: Overly Sarcastic Productions has a really good video about "bathos", which is the term they use to describe what this video is talking about with modern movies and an overreliance on comedy. Their video on lampshading also touches on it, both are super informative if anyone wants to see more discussion on the topic.
While I disagree with you on the comedy landing in Infinity War, I love this video. You did a great job challenging me and you did it through a brilliant screenplay like Good Will Hunting
The most iconic scene for me was when Will's friend visited his house and realized he had left without a goodbye. And then he smiles. I knew this scene was coming from the moment he talked about this with Will earlier in the movie. Still even though I was expecting it, it gave me a tear.
I think that is also what makes a good movie, when you can follow it ahead and figure it out. It doesn't have to be over complicated. It doesn't have to surprise you in a completely unexpected way. Sometimes it brings joy to just see it unravel. Which is why I enjoy watching a movie I liked, again. I already know what's going to happen, but it can still be entertaining.
I love this kinda stuff. Keep up the good work!
Robin was such a treasure in so many movies he was in. He brought something to roles he was in be it in “Good Morning Vietnam”, “Dead Poets Society”, “Jack”, “Bicentennial Man” or so many others. Most people see a movie has Robin Williams in it and they immediately think comedy and yes while those movies do have comedy in them there is also a level of sincerity in the drama aspects that Robin brought to the roles and he is just such a great actor and able to balance both so well and naturally where the comedy does not feel forced and does lot detract from the drama in the movies he is in.
There’s a reason this is my favorite movie ever. Also ur a great explainer and make really good vids, keep it up!
Thanks! Will do!
I disagree on that specific bad example, but really enjoyed your style, your observations and some of your arguments and conclusions. Subscribed.
Ok, so maybe a nitpick, and I might be wrong but... I'm almost certain from my own film knowledge and an article I looked up after seeing this video, that the beard joke was improv. The writers had nothing to do with it, so they're not the ones to blame. If you wanna blame someone, blame Hemsworth or the editors for leaving it in. Saying the writers ruined this moment is putting blame on the wrong people. It was literally the actor making a joke in character. The "character" in this loose sense WAS making the joke.
Plus I think the joke still works in context. Like these guys haven't really had a threat like Thanos. The entire movie they play fast and loose and quippy with him and his minions much like they do with any villain. The Dark Elves could have ended multiple worlds, and Thor still developed his Ragnarok-era quippiness throughout the movie, Loki wants to bring an alien army to Earth and enslave the whole planet and they're making Wizard of Oz references. After this event, Tony learns he has to pull himself up and become a true protector of Earth, but he's coped with stress using humour his whole life and that doesn't stop there, it only covers new stresses until in Iron Man 3 when he can't cope anymore. Plus he's not here in this moment, he's on Titan being somewhat serious about the Thanos fight until the actual fight itself begins and his humour takes a back seat.
The Snap is the moment they realise they need to take this shit seriously and that's why Endgame is a much darker movie in comparison. They learned their lesson, the hardest way possible.
Nice, well integrated use of jokes to lighten the mood whilst getting across your point
4:37
I have to say:
I believe this joke is a kind of red herring. SPOILERS By seeming flippant during this battle scene, our guard is lowered for the Avengers’ defeat at the conclusion of this movie. 💙
So treating it like a “genuine” attempt at comedy is misplaced.
Things are still getting “worse”, but this joke is the audience’s fuel for the belief that the Avengers are going to win the day, as per usual.
Whether you feel the joke is humorous or well timed or not, the presence of this joke does what it’s intended to do.
The same (but better) is true of Okoye’s remark about Wanda’s arrival: “Why was she up there all this time?” It reinforces the relief at Wanda’s arrival, making the audience feel assured the Avengers will be fine.
It’s a better joke, because THERE ARE PEOPLE FIGHTING FIR THEIR LIVES, THOR.
I do think the flippancy shows how Thor still has some growth ahead of him; which is important for the future of a character that will need to display growth in future releases…
But a lot of all this goes back and forth between treating the Avengers movies each individually, or as the larger entity
But anyway, my point is:
Criticizing Cap and Thor is better done against the characters, rather than at the writing itself; in universe analysis, rather than the creative one - or at least, to bear the two in mind when doing/reading a critique of the writing
But don’t let that sound like I think any of this discussion should cease 💙💙💙
i think comic relief handled properly is demonstrated best by it going completely unnoticed to the audience. until your comment at the end of the video, i hadn't realized the frequency of jokes had decreased, mostly because there werent any interrupting the narrative you told. great work yet again :)
The beard joke I could see that, but that I am Groot I am Steve Rogers had the whole audience cracking up. Love this video though!
The Groot Captain America moment made total sense in the context of the story and characters, that’s why it landed well. I agree on his take that the beard joke which was just there as a cheap action shot transition.
I binged your videos thus far, you're pretty good! We will watch your career with great interest
Why does the humor research guy look like he's never actually laughed.
Very good points here and so spot on that you've at once renewed my love for GWH as well as my hate for the pandering and self-regarding crap currently pervading the entertainment industry. Thank you.
Not gonna lie, this went from a logical breakdown to a personal gripe real quick.
The thing is, even a good comedy is sincere. Sincerity and comedy don't have to play against each other. Think of classic 90s comedies like Liar Liar, Happy Gilmore, My Cousin Vinny, or Mrs. Doubtfire. They still had sincere stories underneath all the funny parts. They didn't punish the audience for caring. We still celebrate when Fletcher Reid understand the value of honesty with his song, Happy learns to control his temper, Vinny accepts help from his wife and wins the case, and Robin's character learns some responsibility.
Those stories are memorable because they're true in the deepest sense. And the comedy supports that truth.
Also I do have to push back on the Infinity War critique... it is pretty common for soldiers to make jokes during even life-threatening situations. Admittedly they didn't stick the landing on that beard joke, but the basic concept is sound. Soldiers use it as a defense mechanism.
officially a loyal viewer. This is so good
glad you enjoy!
Comparing Chris Australian to the late great Robin Williams in the thumbnail is such an insult to both of them. 😅
Great video
4:21 thank you for saying it! Not every movie has to be jampacked with jokes!!! y'all are fighting for the fate of the universe * Insert middle school level comedic relief moment *
Love what you're doing, man.
The Good Will Hunting bit was good too. lol
this channel is soooo good!
i really appreciate it!
I’ve been clicking on quite a lot of your videos lately, and in the best way possible I’m so surprised at myself for watching them to the end (shoddy attention span and all)… all this to say I love your videos and can’t wait to see more,
Chuckie with the RETAAAINERRR. I had tears in my eyes the first time I saw that.
I dont like GH but your analysis is very insightful. I especially loved the end of your video, which Blew My Mind.
Thank you.
One movie where I found comedic moment being so greatly put was the All Quiet on Western Front (1930). I mean, the movie is a very heavy movie, being in WW1 and we see the effect of war on innocent young men, such as Paul. But I couldn’t believe I genuinely laughed when the soldiers were on the fields in between war and were genuinely talking about what the war is even for. It’s such a philosophical conversation for the moment but also in a natural way funny. At least I found the dialogue funny. I don’t even think it’s meant to be funny, just a relief moment in the movie but it stuck in my mind as a scene of calm in an anti-war movie like that. It wasn’t the best scene or anything but, it was a perfectly placed moment.
I need to rewatch this masterpiece & introduce it to my daughter
First video of yours - congrats on all the success & keeping the momentum!
4:50 eren would what
Good Will Hunting is a movie in its own category for me only because it's the first and maybe only movie I learned about long before the general public even knew it existed because I was in a teen theatre program over the summer and we had someone come in to teach us acrobatics. His name was Barna Moricz (that's probably spelled wrong) and he told me during break that he had just finished shooting a movie with Robin Williams. It was Good Will Hunting. All of us theatre people went on opening night to see it a year later when it finally released and I remember the director of the program slapping me on the back and shaking me saying "there he is! That's Barna!" It's the first scene with Robin Williams and Barna is the student who says something along the lines of "because truth... Is life" on answer to a question Williams asked. So, my great claim to fame in life is that I am 2 degrees separated from Robin Williams, and 3 degrees from Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
I'm willing to sign autographs for a small fee.
The best part of it all is that Good Will Hunting is one of my favourite movies of all time and would have been even without this scenario just because it's such an amazing story. It's crazy to think how old it is when I can still remember the smell of cut grass, cigarettes and BO that I was smelling when I learned of its existence.
10:55 I somewhat disagree.
There's a saying about how if the character cries then the audience doesn't cry and i think there is something similar with comedy too.
If Bob tells a joke to John, I am not listening to the joke. I'm noticing how the first one wants to make the second laugh, how receptive the second one is, what topic of the joke is, etc. Since its a conversation I'm not a part of I don't wonder about the form since its not supposed to be tailored to me.
I see what you mean about characters staying true to themselves : for example thor's "Another" from the first thor movie. As a joke it is directed to the audience, not the other characters at all. The characters might also find it funny but I don't need them to laugh for me to laugh.
I exhaled from my nose when you mentioned the exhale from the nose thing :) 0:40
This put into words exactly the difference I've been trying to tell people about old Star Wars and new Star Wars.
The new ones just don't seem to take themselves seriously when they make jokes to the audience.
There are funny moments in the OG trilogy, but they're always situational (Han seeing the group of storm troopers) or between characters (Leia quipping back at Han).
They fit the narrative more than "they fly now?"
I personally love making comics and stories so these videos are like my new instruction manuals
I watched 5 minutes of this video and sadly I cant continue to watch any longer, because now you made me not wanna get spoiled good will hunting
Sopranos, a gritty, dark show about the human condition of criminal mobsters also finds time for a "Rincoln Continental" joke. Funniest part about the sopranos to me is how its violent murderers that make me laugh, along with the heavy new jersey italian accents. Good vid Squampy
The Sopranos's humour is kind of like American Psycho's, in that the characters are all genuine and take themselves VERY seriously but most of the scenes are hilarious because they come off as ignorant, pathetic or clumsy while still retaining no humour about themselves. Both are even funnier because of their dark settings making everything absurd. The joke isn't mainly "Rincorn Continental", but that it's a bad, cheap joke that the characters think is brilliant.
Nifty video on my favorite movie ever :) great vid dude
You did a fantastic job of demonstrating what you were teaching while teaching it. You have great potential as a teacher! Never give up! The do as I do teacher is rare. Great work. Much love
This video was a masterpiece to watch. 10/10, keep up the good work
Oh God, Thor: Ragnarok pissed me off SO MUCH for this exact narrative. Like, dude, don't you have a whole ass kingdom to save?
Really enjoying your videos. Everything you say just makes perfect sense. Thank you 🫶
Putting Robin Williams in your movie also tends to help. Or well...I guess it used to help.
RIP to the legend.
As a marine, anyone who’s been in a fight/battle/firefight will quip or crack jokes.
“I. Am Steve Rogers” joke was solid gold. Not only was the beard stuff hilarious but then they make a joke about language barriers. Both of which I’ve experienced in combat.
Did you *stop* fighting to do it? No? Thank you for your service.
Excellent video, my guy.
Much appreciated
Love this vid, I agree with your take on Marvel always undercutting serious moments with jokes. However this did remind me of a moment I like quite a bit from braveheart. When they’re being pummeled with arrows from the english Stephen, the irishman looks at Wallace and says “the lord says he’s prettt sure he can get me out of this mess, but you’re fooked” how do you feel about this moment, do you feel that it was good given the surrounding context? Love to know what you think.
fun fact, that line was improvised. so this isn’t really the writers
Yes! That was my understanding too. I guess one would have to have a copy of the shooting script in order to know if there was another original dialogue exchange that was meant to be funny. Would the scene have been as effective and memorable without any diffusion of tension?
Sigh… Robin Williams ❤ One of a kind.
In Bruges (and McDonnagh generally) is an interesting example. It has very emotionally intense scenes, which are woven throughout with comedy and are very funny, and yet still deadly serious.
I love your style and delivery!
thank you!
A professor of film/theatre always argued "if your making a comedy; find the suffering. If your making a tragedy, find the funny".
A tragedy with no humor is exhausting and monotonous; with characters we struggle to relate to, and by extension, empathize with. A Comedy with no tragedy has no stakes in which to seriously challenge the relatable characters we've built through humor.
To be clear, this doesn't mean undermining the subject matter in search of cramming in as many of these opposing beats into a piece, but rather take EXTRA care in identifying these key deviations from the greater theme, and making sure these moments have a chance to breath and stand on their own.
When expressed well, these will often function as your strongest moments of character growth.
Jokes undercutting the emotional impact of a serious moment is the exact reason why I despised The Last Jedi and stopped watching the new trilogy. Well, that and Rose depriving us of Finn's otherworldly glorious self-sacrifice.
Well you did do the interruption thing right after saying that it would ruin the moment which I guess is supposed to double as meta humor except you just said it ruins the moment so…. it kinda did. It didn’t seem to at first. But then you mentioned you stopped making jokes at the serious part of the video… which I didn’t notice because there wasn’t enough time for me to realize the jokes were gone before that one joke popped in again.
Otherwise, you make good points.
But I would argue that comic relief is fine and can relieve people from drama whether they’re mature enough to handle it or not!
I also think a joke can be placed in spots you said they can’t but it depends on the joke and the execution…
The Infinity War styled humor is fine as long as it’s not a repeated pattern.
Very thought-provoking Video. Very enjoyable!
I would amend your statement slightly in my opinion. "When you force comedy, you pay for it at the expense of narrative."
Only because Good Will Hunting shows us that as long as the comedy supports the narrative, it enhances the narrative, often bringing us closer to the characters and the event. Because, after all, we use comedy ourselves to get through daily life. It's how it's used, not necessarily if it's there. if it works in the narrative. then, in your case with GWH, you don't mind the cost. or perhaps it's better to say the cost is drastically reduced, or even a benefit rather than a cost at that point.
Great video! Subscribed!
My favorite joke was in fast & furious. Dwayne Johnson comes up and Kevin Hart's like "somebody hide the baby oil" and he replies with "somebody hide that big ahh forehead" and I don't remember if it's actually in the movie but it gets a chuckle out of me every time
I agree that the comedy was misplaced in the battle at Wakanda but when the snap happens the impact still hits hard so overall narrative and stakes weren't harmed by the comedy.
This movie perfectly blends drama and comedy. The jokes don't feel forced, here. The dialogue just feels realistic and flows naturally. Robin Williams, you will be missed.
yes yes yes! A character needs a reason to say a line. I'm an actor and for jokes in action scenes where they are CLEARLY not thought through whether the character would say it I default to making the motive "coping?" most of the time lol. Same rules for exposition. Very simple. Have characters talk to each other not writers talk to the audience.
Ok you convinced me I'll watch good will hunting for the third time this year
About the comedy theory "there's always a victim", it's more that every joke is at the expense of at least one character. The character doesn't have to be a victim, but he doesn't know something that others (and often the audience) knows.
You can see more of that in "La dramaturgie" by Yves Lavandier. I'm not sure it's available in english, but it's worth to look for.
Laugh generaly comes from a lack of balance, from the unexpected. Falling isn't funny except when it's unexpected : if someone jump of a cliff, he falls and that's it ; but if he attached himself to something and still falls, the unexpected induces laugh. Having 2 sides with different informations produces unexpected interactions from one or both sides, thus break the equilibrium of the scene.
Thor fighting the end of the world with people dying around is just a Tuesday to him. Closest thing I know to this release of tension humor in great stress irl is the Marine Corps. Normal if you’re familiar. All your other points stand.
This was a really helpful video, thank you so much, I really appreciate it :)
Imagine having an ability that makes someone briefly break from reality but still keep it real..
10:33 I see you😂
I love how you applied the concept to your own video
"those who can, do.
those who understand, teach.
those who can neither do, nor understand, criticise."
_ aristotle
any guesses as to which category you, sitting in your apartment making videos about how other people do things, fall under?
Well, that's, just like, your, opinion, man
Ur camera angle makes you look like one of the celebrity heads from futurama
For anything that isn't a direct comedy
The joke should come from
A. The character telling a joke in a situation where it makes sense
B. Two characters having a natural sounding exchange in dialouge that is inadvertantly funny (the Terantino method)
Or c.put the Humor subtly within the preformances (barry lyndon comes to mind)
And I'm sure there are other ways
Just
Don't talk down to the audience
I think the latest Deadpool movie highlights what you said about characters making jokes versus writers making jokes. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed deadpool and wolverine, but it definitely felt like every character was written by the same person. literally every character had the same type of quick witted banter that deadpool would have. so much so that there were many lines in the movie that could have been delivered by deadpool but were said by wolverine, or wade's blind roommate, or cassandra nova.
I just remember thinking about that after the movie was over.
I forget where I heard this but I think that fart joke was improvised too. Which I think, if true, makes it even better and funnier because its their genuine laughs in that scene. RIP Robin Williams
Fun video, great job!