Comedy is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on
humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement
and most often work by exaggerating characteristics for humorous effect.
Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black
comedy being an exception). One of the oldest genres in film, some of the very
first silent movies were comedies, as slapstick comedy often relies on visual
depictions, without requiring sound. When sound films became more prevalent
during the 1920s, comedy films took another swing, as laughter could result
from burlesque situations but also dialogue.
Comedy, compared with other film genres, puts much more
focus on individual stars, with many former stand-up comics transitioning to
the film industry due to their popularity. While many comic films are
lighthearted stories with no intent other than to amuse, others contain
political or social commentary (such as Wag the Dog and Man of the Year).
Subgenres :
A comedy of manners satirizes the manners and affectations
of a social class, often represented by stock characters. Also, satirical
comedy-drama & the plot is often concerned with an illicit love affair or
some other scandal. However, the plot is generally less important for its
comedic effect than its witty dialogue. This form of comedy has a long
ancestry, dating back at least as far as Much Ado about Nothing created by
William Shakespeare.
Slapstick films involve exaggerated, boisterous action to
create impossible and humorous situations. Because it relies predominately on
visual depictions of events, it does not require sound. Accordingly, the subgenre
was ideal for silent movies and was prevalent during that era. Popular silent
stars of the slapstick genre include Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Roscoe
Arbuckle, and Harold Lloyd. Some of these stars, as well as acts such as Laurel
and Hardy and The Three Stooges, also found success incorporating slapstick
comedy into sound films.
In a fish out of water comedy, the main character or
character finds himself in an unusual environment, which drives most of the
humour. Situations can be neo noir crime comedy, satirical comedy-drama &
black comedy as sometimes as fantasy comedy behinds swapping gender roles, as
in Tootsie (1982); an age changing role, as in Big (1988); a freedom-loving
individual fitting into a structured environment, as in Police Academy (1984);
a rural backwoodsman in the big city, as in "Crocodile" Dundee, and
so forth. The Coen Brothers are known for using this technique in all of their
films, though not always to comic effect. Some films including people fitting
the "fish-out-of-water" bill include The Big Lebowski (1998) and A
Serious Man (2009).
A parody or spoof film is a comedy that satirizes other film
genres or classic films. Such films mockumentary, employ sarcasm, stereotyping,
mockery of scenes from other films, and the obviousness of meaning in a
character's actions. Examples of this form include Mud and Sand (1922), Blazing
Saddles (1974), Airplane! (1980), Young Frankenstein (1974), and Scary Movie
(2000).
The anarchic comedy film, as its name suggests, is a random
or stream-of-consciousness type of humour which often lampoons a form of authority.
The genre dates from the silent era, and the most famous examples of this type
of film would be those produced by Monty Python.[3] Others include Duck Soup
(1933) and National Lampoon's Animal House (1978).
The black comedy film deals with normally taboo subjects,
including death, murder, crime, suicide and war, in a satirical manner.
Examples include Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), Monsieur Verdoux (1947), Kind
Hearts and Coronets (1949), The Ladykillers (1955), Dr. Strangelove or: How I
Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), The Loved One (1965), MASH
(1970), The King of Comedy (1983), Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983),
Brazil (1985), The War of the Roses (1989), Heathers (1989), Your Friends &
Neighbors (1998), Keeping Mum (2005), Burn After Reading (2008) and The Wolf of
Wall Street (2013).
Gross out films are a relatively recent development and rely
heavily on vulgar, sexual or "toilet" humour. Examples include
Porky's (1982), Dumb and Dumber (1994), There's Something About Mary (1998),
and American Pie (1999).
It was not uncommon for the early romantic comedy film to
also be a screwball comedy film. This form of comedy film was particularly
popular during the 1930s and 1940s. There is no consensus definition of this
film style, and it is often loosely applied to slapstick or romantic comedy
films. Typically it can include a romantic element, an interplay between people
of different economic strata, quick and witty repartee, some form of role
reversal, and a happy ending. Some examples of the screwball comedy are: It
Happened One Night (1934), Bringing Up Baby (1938), Philadelphia Story (1940),
His Girl Friday (1940), and more recently What's Up, Doc? (1972).
Action comedy :
Films in this subgenre blend comic antics and action where
the film stars combine wit and one-liners with a thrilling plot and daring
stunts. The genre became a specific draw in North America in the eighties when
comedians such as Eddie Murphy started taking more action oriented roles such
as in 48 Hrs. and Beverly Hills Cop. These type of films are often buddy films,
with mismatched partners such as in Midnight Run, Rush Hour, 21 Jump Street,
Bad Boys, Starsky and Hutch, and Hot Fuzz. Slapstick martial arts films became
a mainstay of Hong Kong action cinema through the work of Jackie Chan among
others. It may also focus on superheroes such as The Incredibles, Hancock,
Kick-Ass, and Mystery Men.
Comedy horror :
Comedy horror is a type of film in which the usual dark
themes and "scare tactics" attributed to horror films are treated
with a humorous approach. These films either use goofy horror clichés such as
in Scream, Young Frankenstein, Little Shop of Horrors, Haunted Mansion, and
Scary Movie where campy styles are favoured. Some are much more subtle and
don't parody horror, such as An American Werewolf In London. Another style of
comedy horror can also rely on over the top violence and gore such as in Dead
Alive (1992), The Evil Dead (1981), The Toxic Avenger (1984), and Club Dread -
such films are sometimes known as splatstick, a portmanteau of the words
splatter and slapstick. It would be reasonable to put Ghostbusters in this
category.
Comedy thriller :
A genre that combines elements of comedy and thrillers, a
combination of humor and suspense or action. Films such as Silver Streak,
Charade, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, In Bruges, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Grosse Point
Blank, The Thin Man, The Big Fix, and The Lady Vanishes.
Fantasy comedy :
Fantasy comedy films are types of films that uses magic,
supernatural and or mythological figures for comic purposes. Most fantasy
comedy includes an element of parody, or satire, turning many of the fantasy
conventions on their head such as the hero becoming a cowardly fool, the
princess being a klutz. Examples of these films include The Chipmunk Adventure,
Being John Malkovich, Ernest Saves Christmas, Ernest Scared Stupid, Night at
the Museum, Groundhog Day, Click, and Shrek.
Comic science fiction :
Sci-fi comedy films, like most hybrid genre of comedy, use
the elements of science fiction films to over the top extremes and exaggerated
science fiction stereotypical characters. Examples of these types of films
include Back to the Future, Spaceballs, Ghostbusters, Evolution, Innerspace,
Galaxy Quest, Mars Attacks!, Men in Black, and The World's End.
Romantic comedy :
The romantic comedy film subgenre typically involves the development of a relationship between a man and a woman. The stereotyped plot line follows the "boy-gets-girl", "boy-loses-girl", "boy gets girl back again" sequence. Naturally, there are innumerable variants to this plot, and much of the generally light-hearted comedy lies in the social interactions and sexual tensions between the pair. Examples of this style of film include It (1927), City Lights (1931), It's a Wonderful World (1939), The Shop Around the Corner (1940), Sabrina (1954), Annie Hall (1977), When Harry Met Sally... (1989), Pretty Woman (1990), Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), and There's Something About Mary (1998).
The romantic comedy film subgenre typically involves the development of a relationship between a man and a woman. The stereotyped plot line follows the "boy-gets-girl", "boy-loses-girl", "boy gets girl back again" sequence. Naturally, there are innumerable variants to this plot, and much of the generally light-hearted comedy lies in the social interactions and sexual tensions between the pair. Examples of this style of film include It (1927), City Lights (1931), It's a Wonderful World (1939), The Shop Around the Corner (1940), Sabrina (1954), Annie Hall (1977), When Harry Met Sally... (1989), Pretty Woman (1990), Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), and There's Something About Mary (1998).
(Thanks WikiPedia)