Darkest film that could be considered 'comedy'?

MakeEmLaugh · 30-03-2015 11:38PM #1

What is the darkest film that could be considered a 'comedy'? Many will say Dr Strangelove, as it deals with nuclear annihilation and the end of the world.

Some might say Pulp Fiction, as it derives humour from things as absurd and outrageous as a gun accidentally going off and killing someone, and having to deal with the consequences of cleaning up their brain matter.

For me, the darkest film which could still be called a comedy is Todd Solondz's Happiness. One of its main characters is a psychiatrist named Bill (Dylan Baker) who is, unbeknownst to those around him, sexually attracted to children.

At one point he desperately attempts (eventually succeeding) to drug his son's adolescent friend so that he can sexually assault him (which he does, off-screen).

The scene in which he tries to find out what his son's friend would like to eat, while his wife is oblivious, is both funny and extremely dark.

Iranoutofideas · 30-03-2015 11:41PM

American Psycho

degrassinoel · 30-03-2015 11:45PM

Seen that (Happiness) shortly after it's release in the cinema, at least half the audience walked out before the end.

I watched it til the end with my ex, dark is right. Though i personally didn't find any of it funny, i'd have to agree it's in that category. Bleak humour at best imo

Harry Palmr · 30-03-2015 11:46PM

The King of Comedy and After Hours are two favourites of dark comedy. Man Bites Dog would be another contender.

fluke · 31-03-2015 12:03AM

That feckin Calvary

shazzerman · 31-03-2015 12:27AM

Naked. Johnny is hilarious: "what's it like being you?".

La_Gordy · 31-03-2015 12:32AM

Loved Happiness. Remains one of the most grim films I've ever seen, but the humour was great.

Turtyturd · 31-03-2015 12:56AM

The Day the Clown Cried?

31-03-2015 04:16AM

I think you hit the nail on the head there with 'Happiness' OP. I thought it was a 'good' film, but one I'll probably never watch again.

From our own shores; 'Adam and Paul' was quite a dark and bleak film but because of some of the dialogue used, especially in conversations between the title characters as they struggle through their day from one mishap to another, I laughed probably a lot more than I should have while watching it.

jacksie66 · 31-03-2015 04:34AM

This post has been deleted.

Padraig Mor · 31-03-2015 09:01AM

Kind of the reverse: The Butcher Boy. Many people regard it as a comedy but I think of it as a very dark drama, with Francie convincing himself that his desperate life is a 'normal', funny one.

Birneybau · 31-03-2015 12:12PM

'God Bless America' and 'Super' both have some seriously fcuked up stuff in them.

brevity · 31-03-2015 12:16PM

Seven Psychopaths maybe?

conorhal · 31-03-2015 12:51PM

degrassinoel wrote: »

Seen that (Happiness) shortly after it's release in the cinema, at least half the audience walked out before the end.

I watched it til the end with my ex, dark is right. Though i personally didn't find any of it funny, i'd have to agree it's in that category. Bleak humour at best imo

ooh yeah, that was easilly one of the best films I never wanted to see again.

Very Bad Things was quite enjoyably dark.

fitz · 31-03-2015 02:12PM

conorhal wrote: »

Very Bad Things was quite enjoyably dark.

Was going to post this too....that movie is hilariously dark.
Starship Troopers is another one that cracks me up...

darkdubh · 31-03-2015 02:45PM

Harry Palmr wrote: »

The King of Comedy and After Hours are two favourites of dark comedy. Man Bites Dog would be another contender.

Was going to mention those.The King Of Comedy is a classic dark comedy and its storyline about stalking celebritys and the lengths Robert De Niros character goes to get on tv has a current resonance.

Birneybau · 31-03-2015 02:52PM

I'd almost call 'Nightcrawler' a very dark comedy.

the raven 15 · 31-03-2015 03:28PM

The fisher king.

Brilliant movie.

The Strawman Argument · 31-03-2015 05:00PM

Find it hard to think of a film that balances a dark topic with such seriousness and awareness of where it can naturally inject some really funny moments as Festen. Can imagine some people sitting through it and being baffled anyone would call it a comedy.

Nightcrawler's a really good recent suggestion, got a kind of similar thing going through it as the King of Comedy in the lead performance imo.

titan18 · 31-03-2015 05:58PM

Wristcutters: A Love Story

Title says it all really. A black comedy about people who've killed themselves and are in a purgatory for people who've committed suicide.

eternal · 31-03-2015 05:59PM

titan18 wrote: »

Wristcutters: A Love Story

Title says it all really. A black comedy about people who've killed themselves and are in a purgatory for people who've committed suicide.

Liked that a lot.

madma · 31-03-2015 06:07PM

adam & paul

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5 · 31-03-2015 06:20PM

Heathers is hilarious despite centering on an unhealthily attached teenage couple who disguise several murders as suicides and avoid being caught because parents, teachers and peers are so enthralled by the whole teen suicide thing. Far from a perfect film, but anything that can make a bereaved father weeping 'I love my dead gay son!' funny deserves some credit. The dialogue has dated ('How very!') but the satire's pretty fresh.

It probably actually seems darker now than it did at the time, in fairness. Mean Girls was pretty much as close to a remake as anyone's dared :pac:

Harry Palmr · 31-03-2015 08:09PM

Society by Brian Yuzna is worth a mention - 80s teen angst which by the end has become the stuff of a particularly strong cheese nightmare. I only have fairly vague memories of this one now but the effects in the climax by the twisted genius Screaming Mad George are quite something. Its a film you experience rather than enjoy I think.

Lingua Franca · 31-03-2015 08:39PM

Turtyturd wrote: »

The Day the Clown Cried?

I read the script to that film a few weeks ago. It was not one bit light hearted or humorous. Jerry Lewis would have had to seriously up his clowning game to distract from the relentless misery.

FloatingVoter · 31-03-2015 09:31PM

Royal Screeching Town wrote: »

Heathers is hilarious despite centering on an unhealthily attached teenage couple who disguise several murders as suicides and avoid being caught because parents, teachers and peers are so enthralled by the whole teen suicide thing. Far from a perfect film, but anything that can make a bereaved father weeping 'I love my dead gay son!' funny deserves some credit. The dialogue has dated ('How very!') but the satire's pretty fresh.

It probably actually seems darker now than it did at the time, in fairness. Mean Girls was pretty much as close to a remake as anyone's dared :pac:

.....and Winona when we all had a crush on her. To the teenage me, you either rated Winona as a ride (pun fully intended) or you were a kind of male Heather.

The Strawman Argument · 31-03-2015 09:47PM

Lingua Franca wrote: »

I read the script to that film a few weeks ago. It was not one bit light hearted or humorous. Jerry Lewis would have had to seriously up his clowning game to distract from the relentless misery.

Lewis was supposed to have deviated HUGELY from the script during production, decided to give it a strong autobiographical slant. I believe the writer wanted their name completely removed from it but couldn't as the screenwriters guild place such importance on original writers Lewis hadn't actually done enough for that. I believe the writers family have been cited as a bigger barrier to its release than Lewis himself.

I was quite surprised how closely Life is Beautiful managed to be like what I've always imagined the Day the Clown Cried must be like, except somehow worse.

Technocentral · 31-03-2015 09:52PM

"Happiness"

darkdubh · 31-03-2015 10:59PM

Technocentral wrote: »

"Happiness"

Been mentioned with slightly more detail.

Buttros · 31-03-2015 11:16PM

Buffalo Soldiers

Laugh out loud funny and very dark

Foggy Jew · 31-03-2015 11:51PM

Little Miss Sunshine. Sublime.

Darkest film that could be considered 'comedy'?

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