Why Unfunny Comedies are the Worst

Comedy is one of the hardest genres to get right in entertainment. If a comedy works it can be one of the best experiences an audience can have but if the jokes fall flat and it fails to gain a laugh it becomes painful and worse than watching a bad film of any other genre. So why are unfunny comedies worse that other films that fail?

For me its all about story an unfunny comedy can still work if the story and the film making make up for the lack of humour. A common factor in most successful comedies is a good story and characters for example Ghostbusters is one of the best comedies ever made, it has the right balance of humour and story this is beneficial for the film overall because if it were to have bad jokes or was unfunny to someone it is still possible to enjoy the film for the story. This is why Deadpool was one of the worst cinema experiences of my life, I understand that the reason I did not enjoy the film was the fact that I did not find it funny and I accept that but there still should have been something to hold my interest something for me to latch onto but there was nothing other than a wafer thin "plot".

Of course there are examples of great comedies without a strong plot such as CaddyShack which I personally love and could watch it at any moment. It has no real plot its just scenes of comedians stitched together but it just works and I feel as if its down to the comedians themselves. Unfunny comedy is nothing new for instance I hate the Carry On films because I just don't find them funny, I can see that they are decently made and have talented people involved but I would find it easier to watch something a lot worse.

I think the reason why watching a terrible film is easier than watching a bad comedy is because a bad film can become humorous from how poorly made it is, or how bad a performance is. Watching The Happening is far more enjoyable than watching A Million Ways to Die in the West because its easier for us as an audience, we become overwhelmed by how much nonsense is in The Happening that it becomes intriguing and we wonder how someone could have made this. Whereas AMWTDITW just makes the audience cringe at the poor jokes and it makes for a much more miserable time because we know that someone found this funny.

I just wanted to share my brief thoughts on why I find it easier to watch bad films over bad comedies but I must admit that there are a few cases where a bad comedy can come full circle and transcend into one of the best experiences for example Encino Man.

Written By
Ashley Harvey