# Comedy movies that haven't aged well **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 16, 2014, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358 "2014-12-16T03:51:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/61 "2014-12-17T03:38:05Z")
> [@CaptMurdock](#): > > I have to SMH at some of the choices in this thread. _Blazing Saddles_ isn’t as funny as it used to be? _This Is Spinal Tap_? I swear, to this day, the “Stonehenge” sequence still makes me lose it. David St. Hubbins: I do not, for one, think that the problem was that the band was down. I think that the problem may have been, that there was a Stonehenge monument on the stage that was in danger of being crushed by a dwarf. Alright? That tended to understate the hugeness of the object. Ian Faith: I really think you’re just making much too big a thing out of it. Derek Smalls: Making a big thing out of it would have been a good idea. ---
**Author:** ![dzeiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@dzeiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzeiger)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/62 "2014-12-17T04:00:03Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Did _any_ of Burt Reynolds’s comedies age well? Several were box office hits, but I can’t think of a one that has a following today. I just re-watched _Cannonball Run_ a couple nights ago. Still some amusing bits, but a lot more “couldn’t be done today, and probably a good thing” stuff. Everyone stocking up on beer for their cross-country drive, so many of the jokes based on the lowest possible racial denominator, etc. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/63 "2014-12-17T04:03:08Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > …deliberately neutered to not offend Mrs. Grundy… Is she still at it? Criminy, I haven’t heard her name for forty years. Something I love about you, kid, is that you always have a memory jogger in your posts. ---
**Author:** ![Grotonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c2a13f/32.png) [@Grotonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grotonian)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/64 "2014-12-17T08:37:43Z")
Some of the 80’s comedies from my youth are embarrassing. “Adventures in Babysitting” has the unfortunate scene where the white kids are forced to sing at the Blues club and get a raucous response from the black patrons for the line, “Cruising down the highway in a big ole Cadillac!” And “Bill and Ted” call each other “Fag” far too frequently. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/65 "2014-12-17T11:50:45Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Picked up a copy of Ghostbusters to show my son since I remember how big of a hit it was at the time. Not very funny, pretty slow, aged special f/x. He quickly lost interest and I soon followed. > While I can still watch Airplane! and enjoy it nowdays I can’t say the same for the NakedGun films. Must be you. My son, my daughter and my wife and I still bust a gut every time we watch Ghostbusters. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/66 "2014-12-17T13:30:07Z")
Most comedies don’t last well. Shakespeare, for example - I have no idea why exam boards in the UK usually insist on us teaching comedies at GCSE and sometimes A level. Why not Hamlet? That story holds up well through the ages. Jokes about what colour stockings someone’s wearing (Twelfth Night) need explaining to modern audiences and jokes that need explaining don’t actually make you laugh. Humour is in the moment and it’s pretty rare for it to last beyond that moment. > [@Sampiro](#): > > Mel Brooks’s _Spaceballs_: just absolutely unwatchable today, IMHO. > Doesn’t hold up 1% as well as the movies it lampoons. I have to agree. It’s a pacing thing and also perhaps because Star Wars has been parodied to hell since then so it’s all old hat. Still, it was great for its time, and that’s not bad at all. > [@Grotonian](#): > > Some of the 80’s comedies from my youth are embarrassing. “Adventures in Babysitting” has the unfortunate scene where the white kids are forced to sing at the Blues club and get a raucous response from the black patrons for the line, “Cruising down the highway in a big ole Cadillac!” And “Bill and Ted” call each other “Fag” far too frequently. I think they both have a few problems (Bill and Ted less so; love both those movies), but what’s the problem with the Cadillac thing? And kids these days have no problem with male teenagers calling each other fag in a friendly way. It’s exactly like the “you’re so gay” jokes that people shoot at each other, only something you do when you’re not actually saying that being gay is bad, you’re just taking the piss. And it was used a lot in a particular scene in the 40-year-old Virgin many years after Bill and Ted. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/67 "2014-12-17T13:52:26Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > _Smokey and the Bandit_ is still pretty good, albeit a period piece. There you go. It’s also one of the greatest road trip movies, [from the dog’s perspective](http://bestride.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/smokeybandit_031pyxurz.jpg), that you will find. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/68 "2014-12-17T14:59:51Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Mel Brooks’s _Spaceballs_: just absolutely unwatchable today, IMHO. > Doesn’t hold up 1% as well as the movies it lampoons. Sir, I demand satisfaction! The “Asshole” scene alone is comedy gold and should be taught alongside “Who’s On First?” ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/69 "2014-12-17T15:11:49Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I’ve always acknowledged that _The Birdcage_ has lol moments, but I’ve also always had a BUNCH of problems with it. Yep. It stank from the git go. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/70 "2014-12-17T15:21:59Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > OTOH, while not exactly a comedy (though it has comedic moments), I watched _Lilies of the Field_ recently and was surprised how well it holds up- much better than _Guess Who_. I think \*Lilies \*will always hold up; _Guess Who_ should be deleted from all entertainment formats, everywhere. It is amazing how bottom drawer it seems now. Back in the 60s, though, even into the 70s, it was pretty excellent. Even more anachronistic than the race-mixing question, is the portrayal of the rich girl and a rich international doctor giving a shit about what their parents thought about their prospective spouse. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/71 "2014-12-17T15:41:35Z")
> [@Patch](#): > > David St. Hubbins: I do not, for one, think that the problem was that the band was down. I think that the problem may have been, that there was a Stonehenge monument on the stage that was in danger of being crushed by a dwarf. Alright? That tended to understate the hugeness of the object. > > Ian Faith: I really think you’re just making much too big a thing out of it. > > Derek Smalls: Making a big thing out of it would have been a good idea. Derek Smalls: Point of order - are we doing \*Stonehenge \*again tonight? ---
**Author:** ![CGav8r](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/34f0e0/32.png) [@CGav8r](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CGav8r)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/72 "2014-12-17T18:38:41Z")
Marty DiBergi: “This tasteless cover is a good indication of the lack of musical invention within. The musical growth of this band cannot even be charted. They are treading water in a sea of retarded sexuality and bad poetry.” Nigel Tufnel: That’s just nitpicking, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/73 "2014-12-17T19:56:19Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I’ve always acknowledged that _The Birdcage_ has lol moments, but I’ve also always had a BUNCH of problems with it. Now you can add really really dated: it would be unthinkable to hide a gay couple’s orientation from the girlfriend’s parents no matter how conservative they were. > My main problem even in the '90s was the lack of believability of Williams and Lane as a longtime couple who love each other and the lack of any evidence that the son considers Lane a co-parent. Since the actors were good all around I think that this was the fault of writing that was deliberately neutered to not offend Mrs. Grundy and it seriously hurts the movie 20 years later. > [@handsomeharry](#): > > Yep. It stank from the git go. The original film, _Le Cage Aux Folles_, remains hilarious. We still watch it every few years. \ I saw _Love At First Bite_ back in the 70’s and have fondly remembered how hilarious it was ever since. Finally got a chance to see it again a couple of months ago and was astonished by how bad it is. Two good one-liners, literally nothing else good about it. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/74 "2014-12-17T20:20:48Z")
“A black chicken!” ---
**Author:** ![Grotonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c2a13f/32.png) [@Grotonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grotonian)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/75 "2014-12-18T06:10:08Z")
I think they both have a few problems (Bill and Ted less so; love both those movies), but what’s the problem with the Cadillac thing? And kids these days have no problem with male teenagers calling each other fag in a friendly way. It’s exactly like the “you’re so gay” jokes that people shoot at each other, only something you do when you’re not actually saying that being gay is bad, you’re just taking the piss. And it was used a lot in a particular scene in the 40-year-old Virgin many years after Bill and Ted. [/QUOTE] The problem with the Cadillac “joke” is the stereotype that African-Americans love Cadillacs, even to the point of hooting and cheering at the mere mention. I teach at a large, suburban high school our kids do not call one another, “fag”, with affection. It is considered an insult here in Michigan. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/76 "2014-12-18T06:36:21Z")
In my own experience, Mel Brooks movies are only funny when you’re 12. (_Young Frankenstein_ excepted.) ---
**Author:** ![BaldDudePeekskill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5e925/32.png) [@BaldDudePeekskill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaldDudePeekskill)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/77 "2014-12-18T12:37:04Z")
Beetlejuice seems to have aged well. Maybe not laughing out loud, but enjoyable ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/78 "2014-12-18T14:46:13Z")
> [@CaptMurdock](#): > > I have to SMH at some of the choices in this thread. _Blazing Saddles_ isn’t as funny as it used to be? _This Is Spinal Tap_? I swear, to this day, the “Stonehenge” sequence still makes me lose it. > No offense, but did you guys get your funny bones shot off in Vietnam? Gotta agree with the Captain. Most of the movies being cited are still funny as hell. The ones that aren’t generally weren’t funny to begin with, like _Spaceballs_. The wife and I still quote _Blues Brothers_ before starting out on any road trip. ---
**Author:** ![Osiris\_the\_1st](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9de0a6/32.png) [@Osiris\_the\_1st](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Osiris_the_1st)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/79 "2014-12-18T15:40:51Z")
> [@MovieMogul](#): > > Well, I love musicals and found the film version insufferable (I never saw it on stage). **The Producers** original film is a master class in keeping things tight and stream-lined, and Mostel and Wilder are brilliant. But the musical just extends everything beyond its breaking point (though I think Brooks stopped being funny after the 70s), and while Lane is game, Broderick is a dud. Nathan Lane put his own stamp on the character of Max, while Matthew Broderick did quite a Gene Wilder impression as Leo. ---
**Author:** ![Quarter\_Lane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/c68b51/32.png) [@Quarter\_Lane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quarter_Lane)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/80 "2014-12-18T16:42:42Z")
> [@Poysyn](#): > > Ace Ventura was on TV the other day and we were all watching it. Although we enjoyed most of the physical comedy, the whole storyline involved the police Lieutenant that isn’t biologically female (including all of the spitting once the men realized HORROR OF HORRORS that they had kissed someone that was born male) wasn’t just offensive, it was deeply horrifyingly offensive. I won’t defend the movie or these scenes, and I haven’t watched it in a decade, but I will point out that I saw Ace Ventura when it first came out, and at the time I had the impression that the vomiting and spitting up was a parody of the audiences’ reactions to “that scene” in _The Crying Game_. It was all so over the top specifically because it was pointing out how inappropriate it was. Basing a major plot point and running jokes around understanding the cultural reaction of a completely different movie is still pretty dumb. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358.md?page=5)