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.
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?
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.
I don’t know, maybe every person who has responded to you?
Nobody understood your inane post.
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.
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.
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.
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.