Is the Hollywood Comedy Dead?

There was a time when a Farrelly Brother's-esque comedy would punctuate with low-brow fare once or twice a year. Now it seems to be the norm. Vince Vaughn and Judd Apatow are king. I love to laugh. But finding a truly funny comedy lately is becoming a rarity. I'm no elitist. I think that "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" is hysterical. "Blazing Saddles, never get tired of it. Ever since the success of "There's Something About Mary" Hollywood is grinding out potty humor like there's no tomorrow. With each film trying to best (or worse as the cast may be) the last big hit. How low can you go is the new motto. Is there something wrong with me? Why are my friends who see "Wedding Crashers" and "Knocked Up" touting them as the funniest films they've seen in years? I found "Wedding Crashers" forced and "Knocked Up" just drawn out and boring. My brother told me I should watch the movie "Old School." He couldn't believe that I hadn't watched it yet. After seeing it, I understood why I waited so long? He then told me that it gets funnier after the 6th or 7th viewing!! I didn't like it the first time, why the hell would I watch it again?!? I turned the big 4-0 in October, maybe that's it? Growing up on a diet of Abbott and Costello and the Marx Brothers may say something? Classic, fast talking, physical comedy. I understand that Hollywood is trying to get teenagers and twenty somethings in for repeat viewings. When I was a teenager we had such John Hughes staples as "The Breakfast Club" and "Sixteen Candles" to give us a taste of teenage life. Not "American Pie." How many kids do you know who want to experience sex for the first time turn to their mom's apple pie?

The funniest films I've seen in recent years were all barely a blip on anyone's radar. "Lars And The Real Girl," what's that? "Everything Is Illuminated," I've never heard of it? These were small independent films that had little or no money behind them for advertising. The only people that believed in them were the film crew and the actors working on them. The studios that distributed them released them but either in limited cities or direct to DVD. They put there money behind films like "40 Year Old Virgin" and "Meet The Parents" becoming the biggest hits the year the were released. There has to be a happy medium. But I guess while audiences continue to buy tickets for the potty humor train Hollywood will continue pushing them into our face. If I may, keep an eye out of those little films that you've never heard of. Look for small films that receive good reviews and add them to your Netlix list or write them down. You might be surprised how good they are? (and without the laxative humor)