# Why do Americans like really awful actors so much in films. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 31, 2013, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-like-really-awful-actors-so-much-in-films/654409 "2013-03-31T10:54:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-like-really-awful-actors-so-much-in-films/654409/61 "2013-04-07T08:25:01Z")
Ken001, you write “. . . Americans like some “comedy” movies . . .” and “. . . the American audience loved being there . . .” Again, this is overgeneralizing. Many Americans don’t like the comedy movies you’re talking about. Many Americans would hate being manipulated like the audience for that TV show taping was. A lot of Americans immediately recognize when a comedy is going to be stupid, relative to their tastes and don’t bother seeing such films. A lot of Americans would never go to a taping of a TV show. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-like-really-awful-actors-so-much-in-films/654409/62 "2013-04-07T14:44:04Z")
> [@Ken001](#): > > I guess I read the OP to be asking why Americans like some “comedy” movies when they contain very faint humour at best. To be honest I agree except it doesn’t bother me, if people like the stuff thats fine. > > There are cultural differences at play. Some years ago when in the US I went to a Hollywood TV studio to watch a game show. The audience were instructed and played like Pavlov’s dogs by a couple of impresarios in the wings holding up signs for laughter, clapping, jeers yadda yadda yadda. My Kiwi friends and I cringed with embarrassment - our polite reserve could not let us join in. > > Looking back no harm was done, the American audience loved being there, and we were just uptight. But hey - we still have our dignity. 😃 The OP seems to hit on three things and is very confused about it. Is it something uniquely American to like comedies with annoying and/or horrid characters? Since he appears to be British multiple examples of annoying or horrid characters in British comedy were given. In fact I could probably find at least one such character in every British comedy I’ve seen. It’s a staple of all comedies. But if its something he likes it doesn’t count. Is there something uniquely American to like low brow comedy? Again using the example of British comedy, how about Benny Hill? Or Punch and Judy? Or the dirty jokes in Shakespeare? Have you seen Spanish TV or Japanese gameshows? Low brow humor is universal. But if its something he likes it doesn’t count. Are there cultural differences that make some things funny to one group and not funny to others? Of course there are. Do we really have to ask? I loved Monty Python but I didn’t get the Reginald Maulding references. Sabido Gigante won’t be funny to me in any language. But given the worldwide popularity of the movies the OP mentioned he seems to be picking things that have very wide appeal. But because he doesn’t like it, winning! I didn’t like Grownups. Does that mean I’m British? ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-like-really-awful-actors-so-much-in-films/654409/63 "2013-04-07T15:03:45Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > You seem to be misreading your own post. If Rowan Atkinson or Ricky Gervaise don’t play annoying characters, then nobody does. > > Seriously, you’re flip-flopping back and forth. Gervaise’s characters are okay, because he’a a genius, but Steve Martin’s characters are annoying, because… what? Because he’s American? > > I give this thread a D-. Maybe it’s a matter of taste. I like Atkinson and Gervaise and most of the time Martin. But I can’t stand Sandler. It seems to me Sandler simply tries too hard to make you laugh. I don’t think that’s a mark of a good actor at all. My theory is that the more annoying a character is the more likely the general public will like them. ---
**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:** [April 7, 2013, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-like-really-awful-actors-so-much-in-films/654409/64 "2013-04-07T15:13:57Z")
> [@Doggo](#): > > Sez who? I don’t know, maybe every person who has responded to you? > [@](#): > > If you understood the post, Nobody understood your inane post. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-like-really-awful-actors-so-much-in-films/654409/65 "2013-04-07T15:38:10Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > Maybe it’s a matter of taste. I like Atkinson and Gervaise and most of the time Martin. But I can’t stand Sandler. It seems to me Sandler simply tries too hard to make you laugh. I don’t think that’s a mark of a good actor at all. > My theory is that the more annoying a character is the more likely the general public will like them. Apples and oranges. I too like Atkinson and Gervais and mostly dislike Sandler. But it’s not because or in spite of the fact that I am an American. In fact I think the OP will find that the low brow annoying character movies are the ones that travel the best and have the most universal appeal worldwide. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-like-really-awful-actors-so-much-in-films/654409/66 "2013-04-07T18:15:57Z")
As far as bad Adam Sandler films go, Grownups is Citizen Kane compared to Jack and Jill, That’s My Boy, Little Nicky and some of his other films. > [@Doggo](#): > > Sorry to not be clear. It’s “playing awful characters who are selfish, annoying”. Well, I can’t really speak of movies outside of America. But here in America, we do seem to enjoy a lot of films having characters that act like immature jerks - Adam Sander, Will Farrell, Vince Vaughn, Ashton Kutcher, Luke and Owen Wilson, Ryan Reynolds, Seth Rogan, Seth MacFarlane, Seann William Scott, Dane Cook, Daniel Tosh, The Hangover, Harold & Khumar, Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Archer, Entourage, all Farrelly brothers films, all Todd Phillips films, all Judd Apatow films. I think it comes from the fact that Americans tend to have a disdain of “authority”. These characters are often surrounded by the same sort of oversensitive, pompous, politically correct, entitled morons and idiots we are surrounded by. But they are able to say and do the things we want to say and do, but without any consequences. Also, a lot of these characters experience an epiphany where they are forced to become mature adults. People like those stories too. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-like-really-awful-actors-so-much-in-films/654409/67 "2013-04-07T18:22:20Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Americans tend to have a disdain of “authority”. These characters are often surrounded by the same sort of oversensitive, pompous, politically correct, entitled morons and idiots we are surrounded by. Funny, my idea of the movie/tv version of “authority” is more like totally insensitive, pedantic, and tyrannical. But maybe that kind of authority doesn’t give you the problems it does me. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-like-really-awful-actors-so-much-in-films/654409/68 "2013-04-07T19:28:36Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > Funny, my idea of the movie/tv version of “authority” is more like totally insensitive, pedantic, and tyrannical. But maybe that kind of authority doesn’t give you the problems it does me. Maybe you shouldn’t have pulled those pranks against that mean old dean. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-like-really-awful-actors-so-much-in-films/654409.md?page=3)