Last night, my husband and I went on a date. We don't get to do this very often because he is getting his Master's degree, but last night we set aside some time for just us. We went to our favorite bar-b-que restaurant and chowed down. (after 8 weeks of vegetarianism, this felt very sinful!) Then we decided to go and see a movie. I had heard from several people about a comedy that was suppose to be quite funny - Baby Mama. I had seen the previews and watched the trailer on the Internet and it looked pretty good. My husband did what he likes to do, read the review and check the "grade" that it got in the newspaper. Our paper rated this particular movie a B. Pretty good for a chick flick type comedy, so we decided to give it a try. I was in the mood for a good laugh after having thought about some serious and somewhat sobering things through out the day. My husband's father is in the hospital (again) not doing well, another friend on chemo is not doing well, and a friend of mine is feeling frustrated with me over this trip to Virginia. I thought it would be good for both my husband and myself to laugh at some totally silly stuff.
We sat through the movie and even though it was cute and entertaining, it wasn't really that funny. I am not sure if I even laughed out loud. If I did, it was not one of those belly laughs that I enjoy. Sadly, all the funniest parts were already revealed in the previews. My husband and I left the theater, just a little disappointed, but not really wanting to say so. I started thinking about the friends who thought it was funny. One of them is a friend who I know that I don't agree with when it comes to comedy. Even though she and I think a lot alike in some ways, when it comes to what is funny, we just aren't on the same page. I realized this when she actually was happy to own "Cheaper By The Dozen" and I found the movie nerve racking and stressful.
I sometimes wonder if there is something wrong with me because I do not think these kinds of things are funny. And I believe that I have a sense of humor. In fact, my boss says to me several times a week, "You are so funny!" (I never have thought of myself as funny...some people do though)
All day today, I have pondered the type of things that I think are funny. When I was in the worship service today, I laughed more often and with deeper feeling than I did at the movie. My pastor is very funny, very intelligent, but also very funny. I wondered why I laugh more at church than at a funny movie. I guess I laugh at things that I can relate to. I can laugh at Matt's jokes about silly human behavior...I do some of things that he makes jokes about. I did not really think it was funny to watch someone urinate in a sink. I snickered, but really funny? Not really.
Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy comedies. Some of them are very funny. I should be embarrassed to admit that I like humor that is slightly distasteful...like Seinfeld. LOL! That has to be one of the funniest shows ever. And Friends. So, it has nothing to do with urine since one of the funniest Friends episodes ever is when Chandler pees on Monica because she got stung by a jelly fish. So, I don't know, maybe the fact that the movie we saw last night had a good amount of dishonesty and a lot of hurt and disappointment. Maybe those things disturbed my thinking enough to inhibit the funny bone and keep me from laughing.
Overall, the date with my hubby was good. We laughed over dinner and laughed over how we didn't really laugh at the movie. It was cute, but not outstanding. I don't regret having seen it, but won't be tempted to buy it and watch it again. And I will keep trying to figure out the answer to my question to myself, "What is funny?"
...a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance...
Ecc 3:4
2 comments:
It depends on my mood which type of comedy I'd rather see. Sometimes silly ones are great, like Monty Python and the Holy Grail, usually when I don't feel like thinking at all. Sometimes I feel like hearing something really original and requires some thought to laugh at, like Thank You for Smoking. I don't really like the ones like Cheaper by the Dozen or Meet the Parents where the entire movie is someone suffering through something. Some people can laugh at other people's expenses. I sit there and get stressed out because I put myself in his situation.
There are exceptions, of course. Little Miss Sunshine was great, but it seemed like for the entire movie, the family dealt with their situations in different ways. The father and mother got a little stressed out at one point, but it wasn't like the entire cast was running through the movie with their tails between their legs. The Big Lebowski was good because the main character was a lazy, unemployed guy who, when being dragged off the street into a car by an unknown person, reacts by telling the man to "Watch it; I've got a beverage, here!"
You should have gone and seen Iron Man. Supposed to be the best movie of the year so far, and one of the better comic book movies to date.
If you wanted a comedy, I would have gone and seen Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Dad probably is difficult to see a comedy with since he has such an aversion to crudeness, but the writer is the same guy that did Knocked Up. They don't use the best language, and they might be a little bit liberal with their...bedroom jokes, but they've usually at least had a little relevance to real life experiences and doesn't keep me biting my nails.
Heck, I would have rather gone and seen Harold and Kumar more than Baby Mama. The first movie was entirely about two guys trying to get burgers from White Castle in order to satisfy their "munchies". Very silly.
But yeah, funny is different things to different people. Funny can be something completely obvious that someone points out when you haven't thought of it or have forgotten about it. Funny can be personalities that you find so interesting and different from your own that you can't help but laugh at how different they are. Funny can be something totally embarrassing to another person, especially if it is harmless. Funny can be something said or shown that is very bold that you wouldn't normally say or do in an everyday situation. Funny can be something completely absurd.
LOL! You are right, Adam. Next time, I will ask your recommendations. Dad and I both agree, we should have seen Iron Man!
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