Family Guy 10/5

Cafe Society
#1

Peter was really annoying with the Bird’s the Word song.

But I have a question – I know this scene was a reference to another movie, one I know I’ve seen, and it’s not coming to me…!

Specifically – the scene where Brian and Stewie are taking the record out to a field, kicking and stomping on it, then beating it with the bat, then Stewie rushing at it again as they were first leaving. I know this is a reference to another movie, where some characters are destroying something in exactly the same way – with the slo-mo filming and music background. And it’s something I know that I saw not all that long ago. But I’m just not placing it. Arghhh!

Any help here?

#2

That’s the fax machine-stomping scene from Office Space. A great nod to that classic scene in this week’s FG, and in my opinion was about the only worthwhile thing in the whole episode.

#3

I thought the Surfin’ Bird stuff was freaking hilarious. I’ll never be able to get Peter’s dance out of my head. I thought the Office Space bit ran long though.

#4

Thanks – I was just coming back to say I’d found it. Wikipedia episode description already has that “cultural reference” up.

I saw “Office Space” just a few months ago – so that’s why that scene felt so recently familiar.

Yeah, I’d agree – this episode was pretty weak.

#5

Ack! Make it stop! I’ll never get that song out of my head!

Yeah, it was pretty funny tonight. But I find that Family Guy often takes a funny gag and draws it out to an uncomfortable/irritating length. I guess that’s the point…that it starts to make you uncomfortable. But sometimes I could do without it. I start to think they couoldn’t come up with anything funny to fill time, so they dragged one gag out forever.

Hey, have you heard?

#6

The Office Space gag is really demonstrative of a tyoe of humor that’s way too common these days. The humor is derived from recognition, rather than any real cleverness from the writers. Family Guy goes to that well way too often.

#7

Oh, absolutely. I think that’s what made Peter’s dance so funny to me… it’s an uncharacteristic form of humor for the show.

#8

Enjoyed it, but it was a weird switch to the jesus plot.
Cracked up over the scene where Lois says “I have a mammogram tomorrow Peter”. as if that meant something.

#9

They forgot to bring the funny.

#10

I thought it was funny, but it will be excruciating in re-runs.

#11

I actually turned off the volune on the interminable "song scenes. The Jesus storyline would have been a slap in the face to Christians if it was not so badly done as to be pathetic.

#12

I guess the Surfin’ Bird segments were as annoying as they were supposed to be. I kind of like the storylines that only happen because Peter is both legally retarded and insane.

Nice takeoff on that scene from Annie Hall.

#13

It seemed to me that they were shooting to outrage part of the public by saying “Jesus Christ!” over and over again. The best example is when Jesus asked Peter to pick up a copy of Cracked magazine for him.

Aaron Sorkin used that same tactic in an episode of “Studio 60”, where the writers on the show wanted to piss off the censors.

#14

I thought it was really funny, but not particularly inventive. I like the song, that helps.

#15

It was funnier the first time they did that.

God: JESUS CHRIST!!
JC: What, Dad?
God: Get the Escalade. We’re outta here!

#16

I forgot all about that episode. That was God lighting the Clam on fire trying to impress a girl, right?

And it was funnier the first time. Like most things Family Guy.

#17

That joke really was funny. I mean, I don’t even particularly mind most of the time they bring religion jokes into the sketch. But this was awful as well as tasteless.

I mean, the total thought process that went into this was, “Hey, what if Jesus acted like, a Rock Star or something. Dude. We’ll show the classic ‘Rise-and-Fall’ story, with no odd twists or amusing or interesting bits, instead treating Jesus Christ like some Hollywood cipher. Yeah, that’s a winner.”

#18

You know, I wasn’t going to post this, but it occurred to me that I hadn’t seen how the episode ended. I fell asleep first time, about 15 minutes in. Then after I remembered, I went to bed the next night and tried to finish it, and fell asleep AGAIN! Finally the next evening I finished the episode. Guess the Jesus part wasn’t too interesting. :rolleyes: The first 15 was good though.