# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/81 "2014-12-18T18:17:20Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > 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. Agreed with you and the Captain. It’s also worth pointing out that many (most?) of the nominations here are also nominated in the “comedies that DO hold up” sister thread. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/82 "2014-12-18T18:44:26Z")
I love both versions of The Producers, but I think in the original, the LSD (Dick Shawn) character was too contemporary to 1968, so it loses something as the years went by. But Mostel and Wilder as Bialystock and Bloom were great then and would be great now. And Lee Meredith of 1968 would certainly pass as acceptable looking even going by 2014 standards. ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/83 "2014-12-18T19:10:54Z")
> [@Osiris\_the\_1st](#): > > Nathan Lane put his own stamp on the character of Max, while Matthew Broderick did quite a Gene Wilder impression as Leo. To be fair, that wasn’t the [first time](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Funny_Thing_Happened_on_the_Way_to_the_Forum) Lane had played a Zero Mostel character (or the [last](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waiting_for_Godot).) ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/84 "2014-12-18T20:10:37Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Sir, I demand satisfaction! > > The “Asshole” scene alone is comedy gold and should be taught alongside “Who’s On First?” I knew it! I’m surrounded by assholes! Spaceballs: Still going from suck to blow in 60 seconds. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/85 "2014-12-18T20:16:12Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Much as I loved Woody Allen’s **What’s up, Tiger Lily?** when it came out (and still laugh at individual segments), the movie as a whole seems to rely on too many outdated attitudes. And it suffers by comparison with MST3K. When I watched it a while back with Pepper Mill, she didn’t find it funny at all. I’ll have to watch that again, because I remember it fondly. Especially when I make egg salad. But I don’t think it can be compared with MST3K. They can stand outside the movie and make jokes, which is far easier than making jokes while sticking to continuity within the movie. I can’t think of anyone else who has ever pulled this off. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/86 "2014-12-18T23:58:12Z")
> [@Grotonian](#): > > 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. Well, they aren’t doing it in front of teachers, or parents, or other old people, they do it when off on their own, goofing around having a good time. It certainly was common enough in suburban Michigan in the 80’s and 90’s for guys to do this, and I highly doubt it’s stopped other than for the highly oversensitive types. ---
**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 19, 2014, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/87 "2014-12-19T00:08:27Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > And Lee Meredith of 1968 would certainly pass as acceptable looking even going by 2014 standards. You think? [![](https://iv1.lisimg.com/image/5462663/600full-lee-meredith.jpg) ](https://iv1.lisimg.com/image/5462663/600full-lee-meredith.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/88 "2014-12-19T01:01:14Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > It certainly was common enough in suburban Michigan in the 80’s and 90’s for guys to do this, and I highly doubt it’s stopped other than for the highly oversensitive types. The 80s and 90s were 25+ and 15+ years ago, respectively. There has been a very large shift in public perception of homosexuality in the past couple of decades, which includes perceptions of slurs such as “fag”. I’m sure there are youngsters who use the term as a friendly greeting, but I really doubt it’s anywhere near as common as it was in the 80s or 90s. Culture can change significantly in a generation. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/89 "2014-12-19T01:13:02Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Not really. It’s still played for big laughs, and I don’t think there was any picketing > > Dudley Moore’s character was similar to Leslie Mann’s, in that they were both ridiculous characters whose absurd behavior was played for comedic effect. Arthur only became the hero when he straightened up a bit. …lul, whut? Dudley is the main character and star of the movie, his name is Arthur. The movie is called “ARTHUR.” “The 40 Year Old Virgin” is not about Leslie Mann’s character. She’s a one-off character portrayed as being comically horrific because of the drunk driving. There’s a HUGE difference between a single scene played for laughs by a side character and the main character of the move being portrayed the same way or engaging in the same kind of behavior. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/90 "2014-12-19T09:33:01Z")
> [@Grotonian](#): > > 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. 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. [/QUOTE] Huh, had no idea about the Cadillac thing. Can anyone else confirm that? I mean, they actually were in a Cadillac in the movie. I thought race was treated interestingly in AIB because they made it really obvious that those nice suburban kids actually were racist in that they were initially terrified of the black guy who helped them with their car. I did not say that kids these days call each other fag. They do use “gay” in a similar way, which means to me that they’d understand that teenage boys used to use a different word to each other too. FTR I don’t mean “gay” being used to mean lame, I mean them actually saying things ike “you’re so gay you…” See the Forty-Year-Old Virgin for an example; it’s not intended to actually say being gay is bad, it’s just that teenage boys and some grown men tease each other a hell of a lot and some of it can look very offensive from the outside. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/91 "2014-12-19T13:11:30Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > …lul, whut? > > Dudley is the main character and star of the movie, his name is Arthur. The movie is called “ARTHUR.” “The 40 Year Old Virgin” is not about Leslie Mann’s character. She’s a one-off character portrayed as being comically horrific because of the drunk driving. > There’s a HUGE difference between a single scene played for laughs by a side character and the main character of the move being portrayed the same way or engaging in the same kind of behavior. Right. The scenes are played for laughs the exact same way (if anything, 40yov is much worse), they’re funny for the exact same reasons, but your entire argument boils down to the names of the characters. Gotcha. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/92 "2014-12-19T15:13:15Z")
> [@Quarter\_Lane](#): > > 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. I think it’s stronger than an “impression.” During that scene, the song “Crying Game,” is actually played. The connection couldn’t be stronger unless expositional subtitles were used. ---
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/93 "2014-12-19T18:00:19Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > And this is true in a lot of what was once “comedy” literature. Alice in Wonderland is a good example. Today, it’s mostly seen as a bizarre fantasy. At one point, it was a topical comedy with a lot of references to 19th century education. Most of the poems in the book are actually parodies of works that children would commonly have to memorize in school. Nearly all of those original works are no longer taught to kids. The only poetry parody that a modern reader is likely to “get” is the Twinkle Twinkle Little Star parody. The other ones can only be found in dusty old books. > [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Much of this is true, but a lot of the humor in _Alice in Wonderland_ still holds up just fine: the puns, the twisted logic, the cartoon violence, and the solemn absurdity. I remember being surprised at how funny the book was when I first read it as a kid, and I still think it’s funny. > > If people today mostly see it as a bizarre fantasy, it’s either because (1) they’ve never actually read it, or (2) they misread it because they don’t realize it’s supposed to be funny (imagine reading _The Hitchhiker’s Guide To the Galaxy_ or watching _Life of Brian_ without realizing _it_ was supposed to be humorous), or (3) their mind just doesn’t work that way—different people find different things funny. In my late teens – long ago now – I recall that in the “I’m more serious / sensitive than you” one-upmanship games which freshman-level university students played with each other, you gained “cred” for claiming (truly or falsely) to have found the _Alice_ books, as a kid, unsettling / creepy / sinister: to have enjoyed them and laughed at them, made you a highly shallow twit. Reading the books in childhood, I (genuinely) found them marvellously crazy and funny; except that for me, _Wonderland_ started off slowly and tediously. The first few chapters, with all the underground stuff and growing-bigger-and-smaller, I found dull and slightly depressing; once those first chapters were out of the way, the fun started but good, and never ceased. _Through The Looking-Glass_, I found a delight right from page 1. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/94 "2014-12-19T19:32:13Z")
> [@Quarter\_Lane](#): > > 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. I don’t think it’s plausible that the scene in _Ace Ventura_ was intended to be making fun of audiences for being shocked that there was a transgender character in _The Crying Game_, and if that was their intent then you may be the only person who “got it”. _Ace Ventura_ was a popular movie when I was a teenager, and it’s my recollection that the joke was widely understood to be basically “Ha ha, it’s funny that a straight guy unwittingly did something gay!” The Jim Carrey character’s reaction was supposed to be humorously over-the-top, but I don’t think the audience was expected to find the very idea of a straight man being upset at kissing a transgender woman to be ridiculous. And it’s not like the transgender character in _Ace Ventura_ was portrayed sympathetically. She was the villain. It also seems unlikely the the vomiting was supposed to be referencing audience reactions to _The Crying Game_. I doubt many of the people who watched _Ace Ventura_ had even seen _The Crying Game_. The “twist” in _The Crying Game_ was so well-known that people could be expected to make the transgender woman/_The Crying Game_ connection even if they hadn’t seen the movie. A year before _Ace Ventura_, _Hot Shots Part Deux_ had even included a joke (a “spoiler” during the closing credits) about how well-known the plot twist in _The Crying Game_ was. Anyone watching _Ace Ventura_ who _had_ already seen _The Crying Game_ would have understood the scene to be directly referencing _The Crying Game_ itself and not audience reactions to that movie – in _The Crying Game_ the main character runs into the bathroom and vomits after seeing the pre-op transgender character nude. _The Naked Gun 33 1/3_, released the same year as _Ace Ventura_, also had a scene spoofing _The Crying Game_ in which a man vomits after discovering that a sexy woman (played by Anna Nicole Smith) has a penis. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2014, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/95 "2014-12-19T23:07:23Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Right. The scenes are played for laughs the exact same way (if anything, 40yov is much worse), they’re funny for the exact same reasons, but your entire argument boils down to the names of the characters. > > Gotcha. Jesus. Viewers react differently depending on the character’s significance to the story they are engaged in. They will accept side or tertiary characters behaving in ways they would not accept the primary character to behave. Arthur- PRIMARY character. Drunk Girl in 40 Year Old Virgin- NOT the primary character. Do you understand how this works? ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2014, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/96 "2014-12-20T00:17:49Z")
Yes. Do you understand that someone who is predisposed to picketing a movie over a comedic drunk driving scene isn’t going to give a flying fuck either way? Do you understand that you’re picking a ridiculous nit? Do you understand that, thanks to you, this thread has taken an utterly absurd turn? ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2014, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/97 "2014-12-20T20:36:53Z")
Dont you people know that… Arthur he does as he pleases All of his life, he’s mastered choice Deep in his heart, he’s just, he’s just a boy ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2014, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/98 "2014-12-20T22:39:02Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Yes. Do you understand that someone who is predisposed to picketing a movie over a comedic drunk driving scene isn’t going to give a flying fuck either way? Do you understand that you’re picking a ridiculous nit? Do you understand that, thanks to you, this thread has taken an utterly absurd turn? I was inspired to watch that scene again on YouTube, and it’s frickin’ hilarious! ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2014, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/99 "2014-12-20T23:16:25Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > I was inspired to watch that scene again on YouTube, and it’s frickin’ hilarious! Love that movie. ---
**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 21, 2014, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358/100 "2014-12-21T00:27:02Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Huh, had no idea about the Cadillac thing. Can anyone else confirm that? I mean, they actually were in a Cadillac in the movie. I thought race was treated interestingly in AIB because they made it really obvious that those nice suburban kids actually were racist in that they were initially terrified of the black guy who helped them with their car. This is veering real close to “fried chicken and watermelon are delicious” territory. Yes, there is a stereotype about African Americans and Cadillacs, but I think you also have to remember that a lot of people love Cadillacs. Especially old white men. Furthermore, I also think it’s a stereotype that wasn’t as strong when AIB was made almost 30 years ago. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedy-movies-that-havent-aged-well/707358.md?page=6)