# Comedies People Love But You're Indifferent To **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 7, 2003, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedies-people-love-but-youre-indifferent-to/147082 "2003-01-07T03:20:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedies-people-love-but-youre-indifferent-to/147082/1 "2003-01-07T03:20:21Z")
To me Hype + Comedies = Indifference. It’s rather weird, 'cause people can hype up stuff in other catagories like drama or horror and I’ll love the movies. But if they hype up comedies and I see them, they are usually disapointing to me. Like I expected something way funnier. There are very few exceptions, and the only ones I can think of right now is the stuff done by **Monty Python** and Rowan Atkinson. Oh, and I love Mystery Science Theater 3000. What brought this on? I watched **The Princess Bride** for the first time tonight. Don’t get me wrong, I like the movie. But I must have been expecting something way funnier from the way everybody quotes it. I dunno. Maybe I will appreciate it in time. Other movies that people find hilarious and I just shrug at are: \ ***The Rocky Horror Picture Show** \*Most Mel Brooks movies, especially **Spaceballs** and **History of the World Part II** \ ***Clerks** , **Dogma** and most Kevin Smith movies. \*Almost all of the teen comedies of the 80s. Yes, this includes **Ferris Bueller’s Day Off**. Again, I like this movie, but not on the level that most people do. And this isn’t just towards movies. I liked **Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy** but not on the level that most people do. Which is weird, 'cause I like British comedy. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedies-people-love-but-youre-indifferent-to/147082/2 "2003-01-07T03:39:16Z")
**History of the World, Part One.** Funny, but not as funny as other Brooks movies. ---
**Author:** ![raygirvan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@raygirvan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raygirvan)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedies-people-love-but-youre-indifferent-to/147082/3 "2003-01-07T04:01:26Z")
_bean\_shadow_ Oh, definitely **Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy** : people wetting themselves saying “42” and “Oh, I’m so depressed”. And (sorry, given the largely US readership here) some US imports such as **Friends** and **Cheers**. ---
**Author:** ![Krisfer\_the\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Krisfer\_the\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krisfer_the_Cat)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedies-people-love-but-youre-indifferent-to/147082/4 "2003-01-07T04:11:21Z")
I guess I am not the f\*\*ked up freak that I thought I was… I thought **Rocky Horror** was WAY overrated… Serious suckage there… same for **A Fish Called Wanda** nothing funny in there… just abuse ---
**Author:** ![CyberPundit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@CyberPundit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CyberPundit)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedies-people-love-but-youre-indifferent-to/147082/5 "2003-01-07T04:15:08Z")
Some Like it Hot It Happened One Night When Harry Met Sally These are considered classics but I found them mildly amusing at best. ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedies-people-love-but-youre-indifferent-to/147082/6 "2003-01-07T04:16:52Z")
My immediate reaction to the thread title is any Mel Brooks movie - including Blazing Saddles. In fact, I’d go past indifference to active dislike. ---
**Author:** ![Oblong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c0e974/32.png) [@Oblong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oblong)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedies-people-love-but-youre-indifferent-to/147082/7 "2003-01-07T04:18:24Z")
First movie that came to mind was A Princess Bride. ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedies-people-love-but-youre-indifferent-to/147082/8 "2003-01-07T04:18:57Z")
**Blazing Saddles** was alright but that’s about as much as I"ll give it. I just didn’t find it as funny as I’d expected. **Rocky Horror Picture Show** - I flat out didn’t like this one, bored the life out of me. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedies-people-love-but-youre-indifferent-to/147082/9 "2003-01-07T04:34:49Z")
I like **Princess Bride** but didn’t find it as funny as a lot of people do – The only real quote I find funny taken out of context is the “nonsense, you’re just saying that cause no-one ever has” one. Mostly build up there I guess from years of everyone promising comedy nirvana. 😉 I didn’t find **There’s Something about Mary** funny at all. It could be cause I watched it home alone and movies like that are better in crowds, but then again I watched the MST3K movie home alone too, and could barely breath by the end. ---
**Author:** ![Albert\_Rose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Albert\_Rose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Albert_Rose)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedies-people-love-but-youre-indifferent-to/147082/10 "2003-01-07T04:36:01Z")
**Caddyshack** would definitely fit here. It seems to be just a bad sports movie filled with psuedo-smart-ass one-liners. Chevy Chase isn’t exactly _funny_. And let’s not forget **Slap Shot**. ---
**Author:** ![Tanaqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Tanaqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanaqui)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedies-people-love-but-youre-indifferent-to/147082/11 "2003-01-07T04:44:51Z")
Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I watched it the other night and I wanted to like it a lot but I couldn’t. I think it was partly because I recognized a lot of the funny bits before they happened simply from people quoting, etc. I don’t think it was a matter of hype so much - Office Space was very hyped but I laughed and laughed and laughed. I still found bits of MPATHG amusing but overall not as funny as I hoped. I liked the peasants though. “Help, help, I’m being oppressed!” ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedies-people-love-but-youre-indifferent-to/147082/12 "2003-01-07T04:52:08Z")
I’m glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t worship “The Princess Bride.” If you read the novel, the dialogue really IS fantastic. But the movie hasn’t aged well; it looks cheap and amateurish by Hollywood standards in a lot of ways, as if it was done on a really limited budget. The direction, photography and music is mostly very poor. Thge film doesn’t even seem to be edited correctly in a lot of scenes. It detracts from the dialogue. I thought “There’s Something About Mary” was terrible. Most of the jokes were poorly timed, and you know what they say about that. Again, a movie that seemed cheap and badly edited. ---
**Author:** ![LoN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cab0a1/32.png) [@LoN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LoN)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedies-people-love-but-youre-indifferent-to/147082/13 "2003-01-07T05:21:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bean\_shadow \* > \*\*To me Hype + Comedies = Indifference. It’s rather weird, 'cause people can hype up stuff in other catagories like drama or horror and I’ll love the movies. But if they hype up comedies and I see them, they are usually disapointing to me. Like I expected something way funnier. There are very few exceptions, and the only ones I can think of right now is the stuff done by **Monty Python** and Rowan Atkinson. Oh, and I love Mystery Science Theater 3000. > > What brought this on? I watched **The Princess Bride** for the first time tonight. Don’t get me wrong, I like the movie. But I must have been expecting something way funnier from the way everybody quotes it. I dunno. Maybe I will appreciate it in time. > > Other movies that people find hilarious and I just shrug at are: > > \ ***The Rocky Horror Picture Show** > \*Most Mel Brooks movies, especially **Spaceballs** and **History of the World Part II** > \ ***Clerks** , **Dogma** and most Kevin Smith movies. > \*Almost all of the teen comedies of the 80s. Yes, this includes **Ferris Bueller’s Day Off**. Again, I like this movie, but not on the level that most people do. > > And this isn’t just towards movies. I liked **Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy** but not on the level that most people do. Which is weird, 'cause I like British comedy. \*\* You just named almost all my favorite things… though I guess some of the fun from them is the communal thing. If you see Rocky Horror with a bunch of people or trade Hitchiker’s refs with people, its cooler then being on your own. I gotta agree with you on the Mel Brooks and Kevin Smith stuff-- funny, but nowhere near as funny as their cults thing. The Princess Bride is the greatest movie ever. ---
**Author:** ![LoN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cab0a1/32.png) [@LoN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LoN)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedies-people-love-but-youre-indifferent-to/147082/14 "2003-01-07T05:28:18Z")
I just realized that these are cult things… there are supposed to be people who don’t like them. I definatly see the flaws with “The Princess Bride,” but it is warm and fuzzy and fun. ---
**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedies-people-love-but-youre-indifferent-to/147082/15 "2003-01-07T05:33:14Z")
I can’t think of any movies off the top of my head that fall into this category, but I never, ever found the TV series Seinfeld funny. Which is odd because I think he’s a terrific stand-up comedian. But his show just didn’t do it for me, no matter how many of my friends told me how hysterical it was. ---
**Author:** ![ChrisM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@ChrisM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisM)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedies-people-love-but-youre-indifferent-to/147082/16 "2003-01-07T05:40:49Z")
Back in high school, one of my friends assured me that **The In-Laws** with Peter Falk and Alan Arkin was the funniest movie he’d ever seen. I did not find the evidence presented convincing. I’ve never understood why people rave about **Everybody Loves Raymond.** Now that I’m married and have a kid I find it somewhat funnier than I used to, but I still seem to be missing something. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedies-people-love-but-youre-indifferent-to/147082/17 "2003-01-07T06:00:51Z")
A while ago I watched _American Pie_ on video. About 10 minutes before the end I realised that I had not laughed once. Knowing this ensured that I didn’t laugh for the next 10 minutes and it became the only “comedy” I have watched to completion without a single chuckle. Strangely I didn’t particularly dislike the movie it was just that every joke could be seen coming. Most of the stff in the OP I like, except the Brooks movies. ---
**Author:** ![buckgully](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb9ed0/32.png) [@buckgully](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buckgully)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedies-people-love-but-youre-indifferent-to/147082/18 "2003-01-07T06:13:02Z")
I can’t imagine renting Rocky Horror and expecting to get anything out of it. That would be like reading about paintings in a book with no pictures. The movie is truly, horribly bad. Now, going to see Rocky Horror Picture Show at midnight with a bunch of people looking to party and who know what’s going on is something totally different. That’s really the appeal. It’s similar to watching a live version of MST3K, only with a lot more people shouting riffs, and some parts are more formalized. It’s usually pretty fun in that situation. On the other hand, I don’t understand the appeal of Kevin Smith movies at all. I just can’t get into them the same way as most of my friends. ---
**Author:** ![ratty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ccd318/32.png) [@ratty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratty)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedies-people-love-but-youre-indifferent-to/147082/19 "2003-01-07T06:27:14Z")
Any comedy featuring Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, or Jim Carrey. I just don’t understand the appeal. Maybe it’s because I’m not overly fond of slapstick. ---
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedies-people-love-but-youre-indifferent-to/147082/20 "2003-01-07T06:44:13Z")
Like a lot of people who’ve already posted to this thread, **The Princess Bride** is fine, but it’s not one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen. A beloved comedy I actively dislike: **The Blues Brothers**. Who would’ve thought car chases could be so tedious? And I love screwball comedies, Cary Grant and James Stewart, but thought **The Philadelphia Story** was at best fitfully amusing. Other classics I’m not that fond of: **Born Yesterday** and **Adam’s Rib**. (The jury’s still out on Katharine Hepburn.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedies-people-love-but-youre-indifferent-to/147082.md?page=2)