I first caught him on “The Great American Dream Machine” show on PBS back in the early 70s. Really great segments.
I do agree that he is oftentimes stuck in a rut though, doing the same thing over and over.
But it really helps to understand his humor to understand the direction he’s coming from. He’s does certain things in order to highlight various absurdities of human nature. Since I started watching him so long ago, I see his point of view and thus enjoy so much of his work.
So: We really was extremely funny. He still is, but not as original as he used to.
I like Albert Brooks alot. I find about 90% of his work funny but of course some are better than others. I hated the horrible remake of The Inlaws. Ruined a great original movie.
I also like the fact that his birth name is Albert Einstein.
Aw, well, if you can find it in your hearts to be that generous, maybe someday I’ll forgive Albert Brooks for making Lost in America. Hope springs eternal.
Never saw Lost In America so my abiliy to comment intelligibly on it is limited to this: the morning jocks I listen to frequenly have Garry Marshall on their show, and they like to once in a while play the audio of the scene where Albert Brooks’s character is trying to persuade Garry Marshall’s character to give him his money back. I find it quite funny.
Never saw the remake of The Inlaws, and my comments on that one are limited to these: When I saw the billboard announcing the advent of the flick, I felt that it was a movie that didn’t need to be remade. Also, when I saw the billboard, I thought that Michael Douglas and Albert Brookos looked impossibly creepy.
I thoroughly enjoyed Albert Brooks’s performances in Defending Your Life, Broadcast News, Finding Nemo, Mother, and The Muse.
So . . . a director is not allowed to make a comedy with a dramatic center? Better let Charlie Chaplin, and Woody Allen, and Billy Wilder, and Lily Tomlin, and many other great artists know.
Subtle comedy is a very specific, difficult (impossible really) thing to try and explain. In Lost in America for example-
While talking over the phone to Hans the car dealer (whom Brookes also voiced):
“That includes all the options?”
“Yes, everything, except leather”
“Oh, that doesn’t include leather?”
“Well, it includes something we call Mercedes leather”
"Oh. What is that?
“Well, its like a very thick vinyl”
Some people will watch that scene (or read the above words) and not for one second consider it comedy. They won’t even notice that it was written as such. They’ll just think its meaningless background dialog. Others (like me) will think its hilarious.
(To the tune of “Star-Spangled Banner”) – “As we stand here wai-ting, for the ball game to start…” “Next!”
There was also an album called “Sold Out” or “Sells Out” which had tracks aimed at every popular radio format of the time, ostensibly to get as much airtime as possible. The call-in talk show bit was hilarious.
Unfortunately, I don’t think any of his albums has been released on CD.
Albert Brooks is one of those comedians … it’s a situation where people have to assure me that he actually is very funny, because I watch him and feel nothing.
One of the reason why Brookes is so talented is that he is completely aware that a lot of people feel that he isn’t. At all.
Way back in the mid-seventies in one of his short SNL films about some kind of ‘Comedy Institute’ he did a bit where he was trying to convince someone that he was funny. It was just him and a big, blue-coller-ish guy arguing in one of those one-way mirror observation rooms:
the guy - “You’re not funny!”
Brookes - “No, no, I am funny!”
the guy - “NO! You’re NOT FUNNY!!”
After going to something else and then cutting back to find that the guy is on the verge of beating him up, Brookes is saying, “Okay, okay you’re right I’m not funny. I’m not funny at all. Guys, let me out of here!”
