its just an extension of slapstick. laughing at someones misfortune. the plank eric sykes. laurel and hardy was built on that. i suppose you think thats cruel? i remember thinking at the time about canon and ball, despite being highly unfunny in my eyes, i used to feel sorry for bobby's mistreatment. the same with stan laurel. abbot and costello, eric and ernie. in fact i find them funnier now than when in my 20's. i think i realised in the workplace when people were taking the piss and giving me banter it helped if you joined in. it defused the cruelness bit. most of my family gatherings involve cruel banter as long as its funny. not to everyones taste i know plus it depends how sensitive you are as a person. i think because im a bit of an ugly git with not a lot going for myself, it helps morale to laugh at others. and its so much nicer when were supposed to. there does come a point when my sympathy overrides my ability to laugh.
Yes I realize that, still not funny. I find all Gervaise humour has a streak of cruelty running through it and am not impressed by it. I liked Eric Sykes but not particularly impressed by slapstick.
being totally honest i remember being petrified by the punch character as a very small child. all the kids would be sat laughing and i would be scared and horrified and wanting him to be punished. my dad used to hit my mother. so maybe too close to home? i think those early years affect a bigger part of our make up than we think. my wife says i've got a tremendous right hook. see? instead of letting it get me down i try and make fun of it. we aren't in this planet for much longer, especially the younger ones on here.... so why not try and force a smile? it's easy for me. i just look in the mirror. or at my wife. it's either that or start crying...
I thought The Office was brilliant but it was as much to do with those around him. Hated anything I've ever seen Gervais in since.
theres something about small fat blokes that brings out the bully in people. him and james corden alone on looks instantly trigger hatred. corden even more so when he opens his mouth. but once you can get past appearances you can appreciate the humour. except for corden. disclaimer i am a short fat bloke. even after life?
afterlife? i watched it and was in two minds whether it was brilliant or a bit below the belt cashing in on what is a sad subject and too close to home for a lot of people. not quite making light of the loss of a loved one cos of the way it was done. but then i started questioning the whole process of making tv stuff when i saw him in tears really moved (triggered my tear ducts too) yet he was at the end of the day just pretending. so i found it hard to fully digest. strange that cos i can watch other sad stuff and really buy into it and it usually brings tears to my eyes. i do like his no holds barred humour where nothing is taboo. but when it was supposed to be serious it hit me from a weird angle. hard to explain really.
Never shed so many tears as I did when they had to shoot Old Yeller. Sniffles all around the cinema. It was support film for Bonnie And Clyde.
