The comedy genre aims to make people laugh and provide entertainment. It relies on humorous content to achieve this goal. Two great directors in this genre are Wes Anderson and the Farrelly Brothers, known for their comedy films.
Over time, comedy has evolved and created several new subgenres, each with its own target audience. Children's comedy is geared towards kids between the ages of 5 and 12, while parody comedy appeals to a younger audience of 15-30-year-old men. Romantic comedy, on the other hand, is a genre that is more popular among women aged 13-24 due to their connection with romance. A great example of these subgenres would be Freaky Friday (2003) a children's comedy. This is a classic comedy movie geared toward a younger audience. Scary Movie (2000) is on the complete other side, meaning it is for a completely different age group. A very popular romance comedy is How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003), this movie was a hit for the target audience and still is often talked about to this day.
We never stop and think about what truly makes comedy, comedy. In the film industry, comedy usually includes a very positive outlook, everything in this film would be light-hearted to contribute to the genre. Another key content in comedy is personal experiences. Most situations in this genre come from familiar and personal events, having the audience make humorous connections with said situation. Happy endings are also frequently found in comedy. The point is not to disappoint the audience with a controversial ending, it is better to have the audience enjoy the ending as much as the whole film. Having simple and understandable plots, for all ages and cultures, is a very important characteristic of a comedy. Lastly, this genre is all about clever writing at a fast pace. The humor is often sarcastic which is enjoyed by the audience, as well as the fast pace. Keeping the audience engaged is just what the fast pacing does, this genre is all about having the viewers enjoy the film and not get bored of it.
Production is a really big part of this genre. This is because the choices in the production can make or break the film. Timing is a key technique for comedy. It is essential for the delivery of punch lines and is responsible for the audience's reaction. Another technique is messing with people's expectations. Comedy is meant to catch people off guard and have unexpected turns of events, this captivates these individuals much more.
Comedy is the ideal genre for marketing campaigns. The marking of this genre is in complete correlation with the genre itself. Comedy movies can be marketed in such humorous and silly ways, just as the movies are, meaning those influenced by the marketing will get what they expected and signed up for. An example of marketing in a comedy movie is Deadpool (2016). The advertising for the movie perfectly conveyed the genre. One of the marketing decisions was the many billboards around towns and cities, these billboards ranged from funny quotes or a ninja figure doing odd poses. A very memorable marketing technique was for The Simpsons Movie (2007). This movie transformed a famous convenience store, 7-Eleven, into Kwik-E-Marts (a convenience store in the Simpsons world). They were able to advertise their movie uniquely, by using famous convenience stores. Some truly believe that this marketing was funnier, more creative, and better than the actual movie.
Film Sample #1: Good Boys (2019)
Good Boys is a film about three sixth-grade boys who are Max, Lucas, and Thor. This is a 2019 film directed by Gene Stupnitsky, and produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. In this film We see the three characters going on the journey of wanting to learn how to kiss, this is to impress their crushes at a party. This film is all about exploring the complications and challenges of growing up throughout middle school and managing friendships. The comedy or humor is the most important element in the film as it can engage and entertain the viewers. This also helps in being able to tackle those uncomfortable but relatable moments and experiences growing up. The humor helps balance out the more serious parts of the movie with some comedy that fits in with the overall context. Overall, this film can use comedy to make it have a less serious tone. It does involve some issues a lot of people go through and this comedy helps viewers relate and be able to see they’re not alone. This genre gives a lighter mood, which is very necessary with the topic talked about throughout the film.
Film Sample #2: Clueless (1995)
Clueless is a film about the life of Cher Horowitz. She is a high schooler known for being very rich and beautiful, and of course popular. It is known that Cher has just about everything she wants, but the only thing she can't seem to find is love. She and those around her are very self-centered but this film shows her progress. Her evolution of learning empathy and how to not be selfish. This comedy is very classic and is full of many humorous moments. The most important thing about this film is that they use comedy to convey the lesson in the film. The message in this film is all about evolving and having new morals in life. Cher was able to acknowledge her selfishness and was capable of fixing it as well. With the humor in the film, we can relate to the characters and their personal moments. The film's humor is what makes it such an enjoyable film to this day.
