In today's lesson within the unit, Film Genres and National Cinemas, students began their hilarious investigation into the world of comedy genre films. At the outset, students considered the idea of ‘physical comedy’, and how the human body can be used as an instrument by actors to initiate joy and laughter. Historically, and especially in the case of pre-sound cinema, actors had to rely more on their facial expressions and movements in order for the jokes to land successfully. When we consider actors such as Charlie Chaplin, we can still see his charm and appeal, despite (or perhaps in part, because of) his complete lack of dialogue in his silent film roles. However, it would certainly be incorrect to say that physical comedy is dead, and that the arrival of sound cinema caused its obsolescence. Rather, when looking at practically any piece of comedy or comedic act, physical comedy is not just a remnant but a foundation for laughter inducing performances. Upon discussion, the students were quick to bring up comics such as Rowan Atkinson (known for his portrayal of the title character in Mr Bean (1990=1995)), Jack Black (School of Rock (2003), Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)), and Jim Carrey (The Mask (1994), Bruce Almighty (2003)).
Throughout the lesson, the students considered the purpose of comedy in various films, and what film and comedic techniques were used to bring them to life. For my blog today, I will discuss the technique and theory of incongruity, and how decisively setting up contradictions to the audience’s expectations can elicit the most delightful viewing experiences. According to Morreall in The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, “While the Superiority Theory says that the cause of laughter is feelings of superiority, and the Relief Theory says that it is the release of nervous energy, the Incongruity Theory says that it is the perception of something incongruous—something that violates our mental patterns and expectations. This approach…is now the dominant theory of humor in philosophy and psychology” (Morreall, 2020). As previously stated, researchers have tried to explain the cause of laughter using various approaches. While there certainly are different causes and levels of laughter, the idea of incongruity checks the most boxes when applied to the film and television industries.
One of the examples that we looked at today was The True Memoirs of an International Assassin (2016), starring Kevin James. In this film, James plays an author named Sam who writes novels about ‘action hero types’ in dangerous but possibly realistic scenarios. As part of his writing process, Sam learns how to assemble a gun and handle weapons. He gets his head around the workings of various fighting techniques, and masters Spanish as a second language (as the bad guys in his latest story are Columbian). In addition, as part of his ‘research’, he consults his friend Amos, who is an older man that knows a lot about this kind of world, including a certain heroic individual known only as ‘The Ghost’. While Mason promises not to publish the story of The Ghost, he does so under the title “The True Memoirs of an International Assassin”. What starts as a marketing ploy quickly leads to real life danger, when the enemies of The Ghost come for Sam, believing he must be the elusive and faceless hero, given the specific details he reveals in his ‘novel’.
Considering this film in respect to incongruity theory, we can see how this works from beginning to end. The casting choice of Kevin James alone sets the stage for hilarious incongruity. As James is widely known to play endearing comedic individuals (such as Paul Blart in Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009)), and is not exactly a G.I. Joe lookalike, the very idea of him being mistaken for a highly sophisticated and dangerous assassin is laughable. This comes from playing off the audience’s expectations of what a super spy killer ‘should’ look like. For example, if the role of Sam was filled by Bruce Willis, fresh off the set of Die Hard (1988), and he expressed confusion at being mistaken for an action hero, this would not be funny, as it would affirm what the audience assumes is normal. One of the hallmarks of this film however (and keeping with the spirit of the Paul Blart: Mall Cop film series (2009-2015)), is the message to not judge a book by its cover. While Sam is not exactly the T-1000 killer machine cop from Terminator 2 (1991), he is shown early on to possess many useful skills needed to survive real life danger. After finishing a chapter of his book, he uses a survival knife to ‘ninja’ chop an apple in half, then uses it to hit the target on a dart board, while speaking Spanish fluently. This foreshadows Sam’s transformation into a true hero, and emphasises that the only real barrier in his way of achieving this (aside from some excellent examples of physical comedy, where he doesn’t always land the winning blow) is his own self doubt. This pattern of the funny ‘unlikely hero’ can be seen in films such as Kung Fu Panda (2008), The Master of Disguise (2002), and Get Smart (2008), where each character, not despite but because of their uniqueness and idiosyncrasies can save the day without conforming to the textbook definition of a hero. In this sense, comedy films like this not only entertain us, but allow viewers to embrace their own quirks, and can inspire us to be like Sam and fulfil our true potential.
References:
Morreall, John, "Philosophy of Humor", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2020 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.),https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2020/entries/humor/, accessed on 21/2/23
Netflix MENA. 2016, The True Memoirs of an International Assassin - Main Trailer - Only on Netflix, online video, viewed on 21 February 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf17WwFDp7s
Tano. 2017, The True Memoirs of an International Assassin Funny Clips, online video, viewed on 21 February 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toMlL7geqZE
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