In situation comedies, there tends to be certain patterns that emerge as you watch characters traverse the world of relationships. One which I've noticed popping up more often than I had thought is the relationship doppelganger. To explain that simply, I mean instances where one character begins dating someone who is clearly a younger or slightly altered version of another character on the show.
I have broken these kinds of relationships into 4 different kinds.
The Oedipal: Examples: Frasier, Two and a Half Men
The lead character has just met the perfect woman, someone who makes them feel something they haven't felt in a long time. And then the other characters on the show meet the new girl and there is a stunning physical and at times, personality similarity to the lead character's mother. Everyone else can see it and is unnerved by it, but the character in question is in denial. It finally takes seeing their new lover in a situation which makes it clear that they are very much the embodiment of their mother for them to finally understand what they have done.
In the case of Frasier, it took seeing some home movies of his mother, played by the same actress as his character's girlfriend, Rita Wilson, for him to finally see that he was dating his mother. And on Two and a Half Men, Charlie had to see his current girlfriend with her two sons to finally see the parallels between her and his own mother. The fact that he stays with her after noticing it pushed the joke way too far though.
The Ex/Desired Lover: Examples: Friends, Frasier
A character either breaks up with another character on the show or they secretly long to be with them, and they then start dating someone who is very similar physically and in terms of personality to that person.
With Friends, there was a single episode which followed Rachel's admission that she wanted to be with Ross, and the ill fated list that angered her so. So she ends up dating Russ, who is also played by David Schwimmer. Ross hated Russ, even though all the things he hated were things that he himself did. Of course, everyone but Ross and Rachel could see from the outset that they were very much the same person, which said everything about Rachel's feelings for Ross.
And on Frasier, just before Niles was going to ask Daphne out, she met Rodney at a singles bar, a man who looked and acted very much like him. Unlike Ross however, Niles almost immediately realizes the similarity. In the end, Rodney ends up falling in love with the woman that Niles had started dating and in the final segment, Niles ends up comforting Daphne about the breakup.
And these last two examples are both Seinfeld spins on this kind of thing.
Dating Your Best Friend: George dated a girl who physically looked a little like Jerry. It wasn't until she got gum stuck in her hair and had to get a short haircut that he finally saw it.
Dating Yourself: Jerry got engaged to a girl played by Janeane Garofalo who was basically him as a woman. He decided that he couldn't date himself because he hates himself.
Now, there are likely other variations on this theme that I've missed, but I think you get the basic idea of this particular category.
Showing posts with label gold. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gold. Show all posts
Monday, January 16, 2012
Monday, September 20, 2010
Comedy Gold: Electric Boogaloo
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gold
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I haven't done a comedy gold post in a long, long time, and I was thinking about a particular two word phrase that I've always loved.
It isn't so much a movie or television phenomenon, but a blogging/journalism running gag.
I am of course, talking about the use of the phrase "Electric Boogaloo".
As Wikipedia describes this particular kind of usage.
I think the reason this all came about was due to the fact that Electric Boogaloo just sounds so ridiculous, and it is fun to say and type. If you've never done it, try it.
See what I mean?
It is in the same realm of the or NAMBLA jokes on The Daily Show... it works so well for what it does.
Of course, there is always another level with these kinds of jokes as well. I mean, you could always take a third element from another line of sequels/bad movies to make your displeasure with a potential sequel really apparent.
I've even have a list of subtitles for you to use for your convenience:
Electric Boogaloo in Space
Electric Boogaloo vs Godzilla
Electric Boogaloo takes Manhattan
Electric Boogaloo Scared Stupid
Electric Boogaloo: Mission to Moscow
Electric Boogaloo: The Revenge
Electric Boogaloo 3D
The Next Electric Boogaloo
Electric Boogaloo: The Quickening
Electric Boogaloo: The Marsupials
I just hope the phrase doesn't become so ubiquitous that it loses its humor. That would be a shame.
It isn't so much a movie or television phenomenon, but a blogging/journalism running gag.
I am of course, talking about the use of the phrase "Electric Boogaloo".
As Wikipedia describes this particular kind of usage.
"X 2: Electric Boogaloo." Where X is a film, and is used to describe an unnecessary, ridiculous, or generally unwanted sequel. Originated from the sequel of the movie Breakin', Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo.
I think the reason this all came about was due to the fact that Electric Boogaloo just sounds so ridiculous, and it is fun to say and type. If you've never done it, try it.
See what I mean?
It is in the same realm of the or NAMBLA jokes on The Daily Show... it works so well for what it does.
Of course, there is always another level with these kinds of jokes as well. I mean, you could always take a third element from another line of sequels/bad movies to make your displeasure with a potential sequel really apparent.
I've even have a list of subtitles for you to use for your convenience:
Electric Boogaloo in Space
Electric Boogaloo vs Godzilla
Electric Boogaloo takes Manhattan
Electric Boogaloo Scared Stupid
Electric Boogaloo: Mission to Moscow
Electric Boogaloo: The Revenge
Electric Boogaloo 3D
The Next Electric Boogaloo
Electric Boogaloo: The Quickening
Electric Boogaloo: The Marsupials
I just hope the phrase doesn't become so ubiquitous that it loses its humor. That would be a shame.
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Monday, February 09, 2009
Comedy Gold: Again
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gold
2
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Today's edition of Comedy Gold is about a single word as the title indicates, and it will be utilizing an example from the work of The Kids in the Hall.
That word is again.
Now I know what you are saying? How can a single word be funny?
Again is like salt. Judiciously applied, it enhances the underlying flavors of whatever it is put in.
The circumstances I am thinking of rely almost exclusively on physical comedy either explicitly shown or as described by character. It isn't just seeing or hearing about something truly strange. It is the implication that the event that has or is currently occurring has happened before, making it funnier by extension.
Example: If a character walked into a room and found his friend with both his hands glued to his face, and then remarked that Chuck had gotten his hands stuck to his face again, it would make that scene funnier than it otherwise would have been.
Again also serves as an explanation when uttered by a second character. For instance, if one character encountered another hanging by his underpants from a coat hook in a public restroom and after a short pause said something like "You were talking to The Incredible Hulk's girlfriend again, weren't you?" There was a sketch on the third season of The Kids in the Hall involving a burglar and a guy in the shower which ends with a naked Bruce McCullough passed out on top of a fully clothed, knocked out Scott Thompson which had the punchline, "Gary, are you gay again?" which also utilizes this effect.
There is a third variation which also comes into play in some situations... mainly when there is espionage, heist schemes, assassination or general business involved. While in the middle of a weird or difficult task, a member of the team mentioned that it is like that incident. Example: After a particularly grim set of events that have a lot of black humor (as well as some odd funny coincidences), a jaded ex-CIA man who got roped back into doing one last job might say "It is the Picabo job all over again".
So as you can see, again in comedy has a lot of range, and its place in the arsenal of any comedy writer should not be forgotten.
That word is again.
Now I know what you are saying? How can a single word be funny?
Again is like salt. Judiciously applied, it enhances the underlying flavors of whatever it is put in.
The circumstances I am thinking of rely almost exclusively on physical comedy either explicitly shown or as described by character. It isn't just seeing or hearing about something truly strange. It is the implication that the event that has or is currently occurring has happened before, making it funnier by extension.
Example: If a character walked into a room and found his friend with both his hands glued to his face, and then remarked that Chuck had gotten his hands stuck to his face again, it would make that scene funnier than it otherwise would have been.
Again also serves as an explanation when uttered by a second character. For instance, if one character encountered another hanging by his underpants from a coat hook in a public restroom and after a short pause said something like "You were talking to The Incredible Hulk's girlfriend again, weren't you?" There was a sketch on the third season of The Kids in the Hall involving a burglar and a guy in the shower which ends with a naked Bruce McCullough passed out on top of a fully clothed, knocked out Scott Thompson which had the punchline, "Gary, are you gay again?" which also utilizes this effect.
There is a third variation which also comes into play in some situations... mainly when there is espionage, heist schemes, assassination or general business involved. While in the middle of a weird or difficult task, a member of the team mentioned that it is like that incident. Example: After a particularly grim set of events that have a lot of black humor (as well as some odd funny coincidences), a jaded ex-CIA man who got roped back into doing one last job might say "It is the Picabo job all over again".
So as you can see, again in comedy has a lot of range, and its place in the arsenal of any comedy writer should not be forgotten.
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Thursday, January 15, 2009
Comedy Gold: The Bowling Pin
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gold,
movies
0
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There are certain things that no matter how many times you see them, they still make you laugh.
I've decided to do a series of entries about things that always seem to work for me in comedic, dramatic and horror situations. And I am starting with something I've dubbed "The Bowling Pin", based on the shape of the human body and how the whole gag plays out.
The Bowling Pin is a piece of physical comedy wherein the actor involved gets knocked over their body remains straight and rigid, and as they hit the ground, they roll on their shoulder/head with their legs straight up in the air, so they resemble a bowling pin that has been knocked down by a ball.
The moment which I think best exemplifies the Bowling Pin comes from a scene in Bad Santa where Willie (Billy Bob Thorton) and Marcus (Tony Cox) are trying to teach a naive kid to box at a gym so he doesn't get picked on, and one thing leads to another and all three end up on the mat after being struck in the groin. Marcus is struck down below on two non-consecutive occasions, and on the second strike, he ends up going down hard, and hits the canvas as a rigid mass and ends up in this position:
At the time, I thought it was funny because it was a little person ending up in that position, and I thought that only someone like Verne Troyer or Warwick Davis could make that work comedically because it is almost like something out of a cartoon.
And then I saw a trailer for Paul Blart: Mall Cop which had a particular scene end with Kevin James's Blart jumping into a glass door and bouncing off, and hitting the ground like so:
And I laughed hard. It is probably the only good laugh in that movie, but every time I see that maneuver play out, I just can't help but laugh. It is a thing of beauty when I see someone get the Bowling Pin treatment.
I've decided to do a series of entries about things that always seem to work for me in comedic, dramatic and horror situations. And I am starting with something I've dubbed "The Bowling Pin", based on the shape of the human body and how the whole gag plays out.
The Bowling Pin is a piece of physical comedy wherein the actor involved gets knocked over their body remains straight and rigid, and as they hit the ground, they roll on their shoulder/head with their legs straight up in the air, so they resemble a bowling pin that has been knocked down by a ball.
The moment which I think best exemplifies the Bowling Pin comes from a scene in Bad Santa where Willie (Billy Bob Thorton) and Marcus (Tony Cox) are trying to teach a naive kid to box at a gym so he doesn't get picked on, and one thing leads to another and all three end up on the mat after being struck in the groin. Marcus is struck down below on two non-consecutive occasions, and on the second strike, he ends up going down hard, and hits the canvas as a rigid mass and ends up in this position:
At the time, I thought it was funny because it was a little person ending up in that position, and I thought that only someone like Verne Troyer or Warwick Davis could make that work comedically because it is almost like something out of a cartoon.
And then I saw a trailer for Paul Blart: Mall Cop which had a particular scene end with Kevin James's Blart jumping into a glass door and bouncing off, and hitting the ground like so:
And I laughed hard. It is probably the only good laugh in that movie, but every time I see that maneuver play out, I just can't help but laugh. It is a thing of beauty when I see someone get the Bowling Pin treatment.
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