We're The Millers, The Hangover and other comedies with no jokes

[Thursday]

Have Ben Stiller or Owen Wilson added rather than subtracted from a comedy?

Stiller in Dodgeball was on the telly in the chippy when I was getting my tea and it made me think of this thread. Although I'm not sure Dodgeball is shit enough to get an entry in this thread in itself.

I find something really unsettling about Stiller and others I associate with him.

This whole category of dead-eyed American actors that seem to perform comedy, can even write it... but there's just something missing there. they don't have the attitude or soul of a comedian, they just sort of happen to do it.

[Shaky]

It's an awful thing to think but Owen Wilson's suicide attempt is still the most interesting thing about him.

[BritishHobo]

I really wanna like Will Ferrell, but his shrieking manchild thing is too full-on and close to reality. I remember my brother showing me Talladegla Nights and feeling fuckin exhausted by just watching him be a boorish cunt for however long the film was.

Fist Fight from the other year is a good recent one. As with so many of these, it had loads of really really brilliant US comedians in, I was really excited, thought it had to be so funny - but then it's just Ice Cube being a genuinely nasty prick for an hour and a half. Just so over-the-top, without the charm of Always Sunny. I spent the whole time thinking 'fucking hell, he's just an absolute piece of shit'.

[Mister Six]

I'd throw Horrible Bosses in here as well, a quite horrible mess of a film. Jason Sudeikis in particular appears to be making most of his dialogue up on the spot but can only manage euphemisms for "cock" a lot.

Not seen the 2nd one but this is the sort of shite I'm talking about:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdnETox-PJg

Yeah, it's really loathsome. For some reason I ended up seeing the sequel (maybe a long haul plane flight?) and weirdly, it's actually much, much better - the main characters stop being awful cunts and there are a few genuinely very good scenes. It does have that disgusting teal and orange filter dialled up to the max though.

[Mister Six]

I enjoyed the Starsky and Hutch movie a lot more than I expected I would. Directed by Hangover man though so mileage may vary. Wilson has Rushmore under his belt too. Dodgeball's good stupid fun.

Zoolander's an impossible watch though

If you're talking Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller then obviously there's The Royal Tenenbaums too, although it's Like Wilson carrying most of the heavy dramatic baggage. Owen Wilson's in loads of other Anderson stuff of varying quality.

I generally like Owen Wilson and don't mind Stiller though. But agreed on Zoolander.

[BritishHobo]

Horrible Bosses also has that fucked-up 'ha ha, imagine a hot crazy woman trying to rape you!!!!' thing.

[Mister Six]

And it ends with the side-splitting image of Charlie Day screaming "YOU BITCH!"

But yeah, Horrible Bosses 2 is substantially better and less unpleasant, somehow.

[Sebastian Cobb]

If you're talking Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller then obviously there's The Royal Tenenbaums too, although it's Like Wilson carrying most of the heavy dramatic baggage. Owen Wilson's in loads of other Anderson stuff of varying quality.

I generally like Owen Wilson and don't mind Stiller though. But agreed on Zoolander.

Wilson's presence has put me off a few Anderson films. Although I watched Bottle Rocket a while back and that was alright.

[mr. logic]

Wilson is excellent in Midnight in Paris, but that's probably because of the script.

[Poison To The Mind]

Wilson co-wrote the first three Wes Anderson films, and wrote his own dialogue for Midnight In Paris. Which has always made it more frustrating that he does so much atrociously unfunny shit written by empty vessels.

[neveragain]

And it ends with the side-splitting image of Charlie Day screaming "YOU BITCH!"

Bird.

[Clownbaby]

Sasquatch Dumpling Gang

[Captain Z]

I would say Zoolander is my favourite of all the movies mentioned in this thread, close with Dude Where's My Car?

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Zoolander should never have been mentioned in this thread. It's proper funny, it is.

[up_the_hampipe]

Zoolander should never have been mentioned in this thread. It's proper funny, it is.

Zoolander 2?

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

I haven't stumped up the courage to watch it. I don't know why I'm so reticent. I watched Anchorman 2 and that wasn't bad. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad.

[up_the_hampipe]

I haven't stumped up the courage to watch it. I don't know why I'm so reticent. I watched Anchorman 2 and that wasn't bad. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad.

Zoolander 2 is quite bad, aside from Kiefer Sutherland.

[St_Eddie]

Sasquatch Dumpling Gang

The Bash Street Kids reboot leaves a lot to be desired.

[Chollis]

I liked Zoolander, but Zoolander 2 was a fucking abomination. Avoid at all costs.

[shiftwork2]

I didn't know there was a third Hangover.  They've upped the ante from Las Vegas to Thailand so I can only conclude this was set in Yarmouth.

[shiftwork2]

Oh right it wasn't really set anywhere.  That's awesome!!

[confettiinmyhair]

Isn't it just catchphrase comedy, something which extends from Rob Schneider yelling "you can doooo it" in every Adam Sandler film? Something changed in American comedy films in the late 90s after the genuinely funny National Lampoon and SNL films of the 80s.

[thecuriousorange]

The last good comedy film was Napoleon Dynamite.