The Worst Cliches in Comedies

We all love movies. We spend billions each year to see those glorious moving pictures up on that big screen. And perhaps the most popular variety is the good old fashioned comedy film. Designed to make us laugh, or so they say. Many comedies are not funny for a very good reason: the writers are incredibly lazy and would rather recycle easy material rather than think of actual funny jokes. I present now the list of the cliches in comedies that make them automatically unfunny; the moments that make you immediately wretch in disgust.

Moment 1: A character careens across screen on a skateboard or something of that nature. They slam into a wall and fall to the ground. Then, with their last bit of strength, they reach back up and say the most hackneyed line ever committed to film: "I'm Okay..." then they fall to ground comically. This is unbearably funny, in fact it is literally the most unfunny thing you can possibly put in a movie. First off, as someone who has personally experienced a head injury, the last thing you want to do is humorously quip at how you are feeling, unless it's "O, God!! ahhhhhhh!!!!" Yes, this is awful and unfunny in every way, and the problem is, it is used constantly in films and tv shows, proving how incredibly lazy the writers actually are.

Moment 2: In any Disney sports movie, there will be a various cast of characters, among them a fat guy or kid. This character will apparantly be completely unaware of/ revel in their fatness. The only thing these characters seem to enjoy doing is being unqualified to play their particular sport, and also eat a lot. However, the defining trait of these obese athletes is their powerful flatulence. The character will fart in the most loud and artificial sounding manner, sounding more akin to someone with a mouth full of marshmallows playing a trumpet than actual gas. Also, these farts apparantly smell terrible, because they often cause opposing players to pass out in an exaggerated fashion, generally falling straight backwards. The fat person usually also has a funny last name that can be groaned in a sing-songy two-syllable pattern, (ie, GOLD-BERG!!)

Moment 3: This moment is when a character, usually a student becomes confused about something and takes part in this gem of a comedic sequence: The character will be confronted with a potentially perplexing scenario, a paradox if you will. He will then say something to the effect of "But he....but you...but they..." and then pass out in an incredibly exaggerated manner, with all of their papers and pens, etc. flying up in the air with the viewers seeing only their feet. Connected to moments 1 and 2, this has been discussed as one of the worst offenders on the list because of the longevity. This "gag" has been used going back to the early silent comedies of the 1910's. It still never fails to make me blush out of embarassment for the viewer, director, writer, and actor who think that it was a good idea to put in the film.

Okay, I am tired, but 3 more will appear tomorrow, and then 3 more the day after, etc. until I run out of stuff

Peace Love and Understanding