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In Reply to: Re: that depends on why you see the film posted by jamesgarvin on July 18, 2005 at 17:38:16:
I think you are taking the idea of familiar experiences WAY too far. While it usually adds to the overall film impression, that element alone is never sufficient to elevate a bad movie much. In case of the Office Space it didn't, it simply made it slightly more enjoyable.Truth is you can find things that are familiar and dear to you in virtually any grade movie - even in a complete trash.
However, when evaluating movies there are other things that are far more important than familiar situation and subjects. As I mentioned, the Grand Illusion (I wrote Rules of the Game by mistake) is a perfect example how we, without any first hand experience in the events depicted, can easily see its value and beauty.
I keep mentioning the common human language, the language that has not changed much in centuries, and that is the fundamental part of our appreciation of things like movies. So a Virgin Spring can talk to you just as nicely as a movie about modern day office life.
Follow Ups:
I never wrote that familiarity with the subject matter is essential to enjoying a movie. Please re-read my posts. Only that it may help, and may explain your ambivalence to what is generally regarded, by many people of many backgrounds, as a pretty good film. I enjoy westerns, having never ridden a horse or shot at someone. Because the filmmakers are not making those films for people who have, because it is unlikely that anyone in modern day society has lived the life of a gunslinger. On the other hand, million of filmgoers in the United States have attended a school similar to that depicted in Election, and knew the types of people therein. Is it a caricature? Sure. That is what makes it funny. I am sure there were many people who saw the film and liked it not being familiar with the subject. But the filmmakers were pretty spot on in their depictions, and, using a little analysis (using the brain the look below the surface), conclude that they were filming about people they knew.I am curious. I read your posts every day. I cannot recall you writing about a comedy you enjoyed. Perhaps laughter is not your strong suit. Perhaps laughter is overrated. Maybe you could provide a list of comedies that you enjoyed. Perhaps your dislike of Election has less to do with the content than with an aversion to cracking a smile. What is that old saying? Everyone thinks they have a sense of humor, particularly those that do not have one.
Silly is is defending one's own sense of humor, so I am not gonna do that. I do love comedies, but I also do not segregate the films into categories. You have not seen me comment on comedies perhaps because you are a newcomer here. As I did a search on "comedy" under my name, or "commedy" as I sometimes misspell it, I found quite a few great hits.I simply comment on films as they come. The films I have not yet seen are pulled semi-randomly based on recommendations, etc. - my wife manages our Netflix account. I don't have any idea whether the next one will be a comedy or a disaster movie.
A different question might be - what is the proportion of comedies in films we consider great? I would admit it is not large, IMO.
I came up with fourteen films, however many hits there may have been, since January, 2000. Not too many. Many great comedies? Probably not. I have read comments from director, writers, and actors that good comedy is harder to do than any other genre of film, as the subject matter is generally more restrictive. Is it fair to compare a comedy with a drama, and conclude that one is better than the other? Well, the director intended you to laugh in the comedy, and if you found it funny, then it has succeeded. If the director of the drama intended you to cry, but you did not cry, although you may feel it better technically, is the drama better than the comedy? Or is the comedy better because it acheived the director/writer's purpose?Would you equate n A in a four credit hour upper tier engineering course the same as an A in a four credit hour home economics course? Most graduate schools do not. Well, that is what you are suggesting in your film analogy: A good film is a good film, regardless of the genre. Well, an A is an A, regardless of the course's subject. You seem comfortable taking out any appreciation of the director's intentions, the difficulty of the subject matter, and the fact that certain subjects are harder to film and write well than others. And letting your wife pick the movies? I knew this kid when I was growing up who loved to play with girl's dolls. Not a good outcome.
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