Good-natured comedy - Is it still alive?

jaykhunter

I've been wondering, how come there aren't family comedys that everyone can enjoy? Like Ghostbusters, Police Squad, Police Academy, Ferris Beuller, Steve Martin/John Candy etc? Good-natured, wholesome entertainment. Was that just an isolated experience from the 80s? Am I just over-looking a lot of films?

It seems today that comedy is either adult (eg The Hangover) or childish & CGI (Up, Monsters vs Aliens etc etc). Are there no live-action comedies that everyone can enjoy? I'm struggling to think of films that myself (26), my niece (14), and my mom would all like watching....Shrek 1....Toy Story...Monsters Inc (but the ones coming to mind are CGI).

Is it just that there was amazing comedians back then, and it's all parody jokes/vacuous catchphrase-based characters now? Have all the good jokes been said already? Am I just an old coot and the awesomeness experienced in my youth is not available for today's youth?

Anyway, please let me know if there are more modern films that are just awesome in a family-friendly kind of way - easy-going, fun-filled family adventures...that isn't CGI

Sleazus

I'd argue they are still being made - just nothing to the quality of the films you mention.

If you want wholesome family comedy suitable-for-all-ages but still fun, Galaxy Quest is the most recent example which comes to mind - and that has a serious skewering towards nerds.

Zoolander comes pretty close to being an old-style screwball comedy (despite an orgy sequence - )

And Paul Blart is suitable for all ages. Not really noteworthy beyond that - it is perhaps the most average it is possible for a film to be - but it's fairly inoffensive.

Joycey

Anything made by Seth Rogan surely?

Knocked up. Superbad (maybe). Other ones that I cant think of now.

Your niece might like Juno, I wasnt impressed TBH but I could see why people might like it

jaykhunter

thanks for the replies I suppose one of the pre-requisites is that there can be no (or very little) swearing. So no sex scenes, blowjob jokes, no storylines about teens trying to get laid etc etc

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

THere seems to be a lot of immature teen movies about (or were) but this is the MTV generation and that is what they want to see.

Looking back, I think the plots were better back in the 80s/90s, as well as the jokes. Good comedies, generally speaking, are much harder to find these days.

Kess73

Little Miss Sunshine may come close on some levels.

Zipp101

Most things by Jim Carey./

Too many comedies today use "randomness" as a basis for laughs which is good providing it's subtle. eg.Napoleon Dynamite,Anchorman.

Fair to say there's not too many accessible comedy-classics made today.

Sleazus

Kess73 wrote: »

Little Miss Sunshine may come close on some levels.

I've always consider Little Miss Sunshine more of a Dramedy - I don't think it's in the same vein as the examples given by the OP. Excellent film (among the best of the decade), but probably not a "good-natured comedy".

Ridley

...what's wrong with CGI?

Anyway, don't know what you count as today but Rat Race on this side of the millennium.

Oh, and I'd recommend checking out The 10th Kingdom aswell. Not a film but a miniseries with no breaks on the DVD thankyouverymuch. Closest you'll get to a live action Shrek.

S.M.B.

I wouldn't consider Police Academy to be good-natured, wholesome entertainment.

krudler

People tend to look back at things from the 80s with rose tinted glasses, Ghostbusters is full of adult themed jokes that would go way over kids heads, same as Ferris Bueller and Police Academy (the podium blowjob sequence to name but one) 80's movies could get away with a hell of a lot more than movies of today

fluke

Little Miss Sunshine

Cheaper By The Dozen

Night At The Museum


How about those?

krudler

How is Little Miss Sunshine wholesome family entertainment?

the grandfather is doing heroin and Steve Carell is suicidal

fluke

jaykhunter wrote: »

thanks for the replies I suppose one of the pre-requisites is that there can be no (or very little) swearing. So no sex scenes, blowjob jokes, no storylines about teens trying to get laid etc etc

Okay so suicide and heroin use aren't family entertainment but just following the pre-requisites here!!!
2/3 ain't bad...

Besides Krudler have you got any examples that the OP is asking for???

S.M.B.

The greatest good-natured comedy of the past 10 years has to be School of Rock.

Quality film and the lack of other appropriate suggestions just shows how difficult a job it is (just as it was in the 80s).

jaykhunter

S.M.B. wrote: »

The greatest good-natured comedy of the past 10 years has to be School of Rock.

Quality film and the lack of other appropriate suggestions just shows how difficult a job it is (just as it was in the 80s).

School of Rock is exactly the type of good-natured comedy I was talking about! I don't mind jokes that are adult but go over kids' heads (actually I'd prefer it, like in Shrek)

Definitely though, there was some risque scenes in Police Academy (esp the blowjob scene) so I'm really just on about recent (this century) live-action comedies that you wouldn't get squirmish watching with your parents or kids (to an extent, I know Naked Gun has a hilarious it's-not-a-statue-it's-a-real-boobie scene which is so, so funny to me!)

Galvasean

Zipp101 wrote: »

Most things by Jim Carey./

Too many comedies today use "randomness" as a basis for laughs which is good providing it's subtle. eg.Napoleon Dynamite,Anchorman.

Fair to say there's not too many accessible comedy-classics made today.

Anchorman is about as subtle as a brick to the face!

As far as good natured comedies of recent years, I suppose Eddie Murphy has been trying to corner that market with the likes of Meet Dave, Haunted Manshion, Daddy Day Care, Imagine That etc. None of whicha re any good though.
RV, Cheaper by the Dozen and Night at the Museum kind of fit the bill too.
But, as said before I think School of Rock is probably best.

Ridley

There's Johnny English, the live-action Asterix movies and Steve Martin's Pink Panthers aswell but, like Night at the Museum, there's a quality barrier.

Necronomicon

Get Smart is one that comes to mind. Really enjoyed that.

Dont be at yourself

Hot Fuzz?

Penn

Elf
Get Smart
School of Rock
Paul Blart - Mall Cop
Night at the Museum

Vic Vinegar

NekkidBibleMan wrote: »

Hot Fuzz?

Death by church steeple, garden sheers and axe!

Very wholesome.

pablohoney87

Yes man is worth a look.

Joycey

School of Rock might be one of the worst films ive ever seen, cant believe people are actually recommending it. Second only to Nacho Libre as worst film ive ever watched the entirety of. And Shrooms is up there as well actually. And Wickerman while we're at it

S.M.B.

Joycey wrote: »

School of Rock might be one of the worst films ive ever seen

Your opinion might be one of the worst opinions I've ever seen.