Posted: 2/12/20 at 1:06pm
Recently we purchased a smart TV thinking we were going to get access to a lot of new movies. Boy, were we disappointed. One stinker comedy movie after the next, with stars. Ever see "The Weatherman," starring Nicholas Cage? Want to see a movie about a mope, walking through life, complaining? No plot, no surprises, nothing at all to interest anyone. Then we ran across Steve Martin in "Novacaine." Boring! A loser dentist has sex with a patient in the dentist chair, after she flirts with him? Junk. And "Poms?" and "The Grand?"
Why on earth do stars risk their careers on obvious garbage movies? Are they broke? Do they need the money that bad? Doesn't anyone in Hollywood read the script before committing to a project? They can't blame the critics for the junk they produce. Who is responsible for killing the Hollywood comedy movie industry? Actually, I don't even want to see any movie with Adam Sandler, Will Farrell or Eddy Murphy.
UPDATE: Since no one has attempted a serious explanation of the issue at hand, I will attempt to answer the question, from the business point of view. First off, after viewing at least 100 foreign “comedy” films, the European “comedy” film industry is in worse straits than the U.S. Their films are barely watchable and incompetent.
Now for the USA: It is my belief that there are just 5 hugely talented comedy major project authors in the USA, so talented that they never produce a bomb and are extremely prolific. Of the 5, none work in Hollywood, and none have the fame required for a Hollywood movie. They are basically playwrights and novelists. Hollywood did have a genuine comedy film writer in Harold Ramis, who wrote a number of comedy films, and never a bomb. But he passed away awhile ago. My sister told me there was another guy who wrote "Home alone." Apparently he also passed away.
Getting back to Hollywood. The only choice for business people at the top is to use the criteria of fame for any attempt at comedy. You take a famous or “hot” standup, or sketch comedian, or anyone who has a current large fan base. You calculate the potential earnings based upon the fan base, and you invest accordingly. That is why comedy films are notoriously low budget. As for the script: Since there are no talented comedy film writers in Hollywood at the level of a Harold Ramis, you inquire to the representatives of the star if they have a writer who can write a film for the star. The answer will always be yes, the same people who write their sketch or standup material. Of course, this is a huge gamble, since you are dealing with amateurish comedy film writers. But you still could hit it in the marketplace based upon the fan base of the star. And the writer could get lucky, once or rarely, twice. The catch is that these lower level comedy people will ultimately reveal their comedy film incompetence over a series of movies. It is a hit or miss proposition, more misses than hits. The glaring example of this is Adam Sandler, the grossout King. Film one gross stunt after the other, string them together, and call it a movie. The result? - at least 8 atrocious flops. And that is the reality of the comedy film business in Hollywood. And of course, Hollywood execs will always shift the blame for their errors by promoting the falsehood, “Comedy doesn’t sell.” To that I say,"Did Woody Harrelson in the Kingpin sell, or Ghostbusters, or "Home Alone", 476 Million?"
The major question is, “Why doesn’t Hollywood aggressively seek out the 5 highly talented comedy major project writers in the USA for scripts?” The answer is that the business is so invested in fame, so entrenched in fame that no non-famous person ever gets a chance. Keep in mind that studio heads are not creative business thinkers - far from it. It is the same for actors. I have personally seen several stage actors who do have the talent of a Jack Lemmon. But they are not famous and would never get an opportunity for a major role in film. I saw one years ago named Ken Karp, fabulously talented, and could command the stage. Ken is much older today, too old for film, I’m sure.
NOTE: I know people are going to point to Judd Apatow. However, he has produced a number movies that flopped at the box office. I researched that point.
Updated On: 2/26/20 at 01:06 PM
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