And what have I said that would lead you to make prediction? I’m glad I had the foresight to write the (hold on…)…fifth paragraph of my OP. Too bad some people can’t read.
And that’s what you’d call a stereotypical portrayal of a catty career woman? Wig’s performance was anything but cliched.
Who do you think, cares you idiot. Why would I want to flat out insulted by a movie?
Uh, yeah, he’s the director. And if that sounds baffling to you, replace “black” in your quote with “actual” and you’ll get it.
I agree with you 100% about that one Jay scene in 40-Year-Old Virgin. He was otherwise a pretty funny character. There was also the issue of the South Asian dudes used apparently only because they talk funny (kind of a Letterman humor staple).
However, I thought the bouncer scene in this recent movie was really interesting, and well-played, and funny. It starts out with her abusing him, in a totally uncalled-for way, and moves to him insulting them, it’s a great reversal. And funny as fuck. “Not, you know, for the earth.” Funny.
I guess I see that it uses black speech stereotypes. But this is a movie full of unflattering stereotypes (white slacker stoners, anyone?), most of them funny.
So I kind of see what you mean, but not in the specific situation you mention.
Also of interest- there is a ton of improvisation in these movies. These lines may or may not have been written by Apatow and may or may not have been created by the actors. (edit- I see that you have acknowledged this)
I read your entire OP. I don’t think that actually addresses the question. My point wasn’t that you, necessarily, would make tht argument, but that it could, in general, be made if one of the characters had been black. And it would be just as convincing as the one made in the OP.
I don’t know. Maybe I’m missing something here. I really just can’t see evidence of what you’re talking about, and I very rarely find myself disagreeing with you with the face’s comments in threads on the topic of racism.
On second thought, you with the face only commented on 40 Year Old Virgin, which I can’t even remember very well. Please take my comments as referring to Knocked Up only.
Of course! There was nothing at all to that character except for the fact that she was mean to younger, prettier woman because she was younger and prettier and moving up in the world.
I don’t know, but I do think you’re reaching here. You had a bug up your butt (perhaps justifiably) after 40 Year Old Virgin, and maybe you were a little too eager to get upset about the same thing this time around. It happens; perception is a powerful variable.
Every other scene has dialogue that no actual person would actually say, but they leave it in because it’s a comedy, and it’s funny.
Well, you’re arguing that he’s using stereotypes rather than fleshing out characters, correct? Do you think that the stoners in the movie - poor, oversexualized drug addicts - don’t fulfill stereotypes about black men?
Also important is that it wasn’t really funny at all. That’s where my complaint lies. Not in the exploitation of race-based stereotypes, but in the tired, lazy exploitation of race-based stereotypes. We get it - black people say “tap that ass” and “bitches” (even though I’ve never really heard anyone say “tap that ass” in real life, or get away with calling women bitches to their faces). You showing me yet another one doing so is not going to make me laugh. Seriously, what part of that scene was funny to you and why?
I enjoyed the whole thing, but particularly the line “can’t have a bunch of old, pregnant bitches running around the club.” Also, “for this club, you know, not for the earth.”
As for why . . . I don’t know. It’s a crazy conversation with impeccable timing by the performers, that probably had something to do with it. I’m pretty sure it’s not because I secretly love minstrel shows.
Yes. That’s not to say that it wasn’t funny or well executed, but there was nothing about the character’s conception or portrayal that we haven’t seen many times before.
Yeah, but that wouldn’t be a lazy melding of stereotypes just to create a character, that would be a character with a few qualities that happen to be stereotypical to his ethnic group - especially if he were only one of four who shared the same traits.
What made him type is that his stereotypical traits were exclusive to his ethnic group - not universal traits that happen to be associated sometimes with his group like over-sexualized, drug-obsessed, and poor are.
Well, I just don’t believe you, but I can’t expect you to wrack your brain for examples. Kirstin Wig’s performance was a unique take on a passive-aggressive jealous employee, I thought, or else I wouldn’t have laughed. If it is cliched, well then it just happened to work for me that I didn’t know that.
EDIT: In other words, if one of the stoners were black, it wouldn’t be obvious that anyone said “This is a black character, so let’s make him poor, drug-addicted, and over-sexualized” like it was obvious that someone said "This is a black character, so let’s make him drop conjunctives, say “tap that ass”, and call them “bitches”.
Well then, in that vein, the bouncer character was also not cliched. When do you ever see that kind of character step aside and say how he realizes how stupid his job is, but he has no choice to do what he’s doing? It’s a complete off guard moment in the movie.
I’d like to echo this. I distinctly remember watching the bouncer scene in *Knocked Up * and thinking “wow – he actually took time to give the bouncer a real moment.” I left that scene with sympathy for him, and appreciating the way he taught the bitchy sister character an object lesson in kindness (he was way nicer to her than she deserved) without Apatow beating anyone over the head with it.
I’ll field this one. Funny stuff is in red, explanation in parenthesis:
I thought it was one of the funniest scenes in the movie, right after the “five chairs” scene in the hotel. And very little of the humor of the scene was derived from racial stereotypes.