This is something I've been thinking about for the last few days, especially since I saw Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy a couple of days ago.
The likes of John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, Mike Myers, Billy Crystal, Eddie Murphy, Steve Martin, John Candy et al gave us films that we'd now call classics, such as The Blues Brothers, Wayne's World, Ghostbusters, Animal House, Three Amigos etc. Most of these are still funny to this day, and were often extremely innovative.
The more recent films by SNL regulars just don't seem to have the charm and belly laughs that the older films have, or even appear to have been made with the same amount of passion and effort. Will Ferrell is a funny guy and carries a lot of the movies he's in, but the scripts for a lot of the movies he's in just feel like they were knocked up over a weekend. Adam Sandler seems to get big budgets for his films but again they seem rushed and are often based on rehashed ideas from old movies. Chris Farley was underused in bit-parts and over the top in main roles, and David Spade's films were/are almost all dire without exception. I do like Chris Rock's performances but they're usually in someone else's rubbish film.
I would accept that it's because they're just shameless cash-in movies if that weren't true of most of the old ones too. Blues Brothers and Wayne's World were both direct spin-offs of SNL sketches and I love both films and probably always will. In ten to twenty years time will people regard Anchorman or, god forbid, A Night at the Roxbury with as much affection? Unlikely.
So I ask, why are the current hip Hollywood crowd just not coming up with the comedy goods like their predecessors did, or am I just missing the point entirely? Maybe they need to do more hard drugs or something.
The likes of John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, Mike Myers, Billy Crystal, Eddie Murphy, Steve Martin, John Candy et al gave us films that we'd now call classics, such as The Blues Brothers, Wayne's World, Ghostbusters, Animal House, Three Amigos etc. Most of these are still funny to this day, and were often extremely innovative.
The more recent films by SNL regulars just don't seem to have the charm and belly laughs that the older films have, or even appear to have been made with the same amount of passion and effort. Will Ferrell is a funny guy and carries a lot of the movies he's in, but the scripts for a lot of the movies he's in just feel like they were knocked up over a weekend. Adam Sandler seems to get big budgets for his films but again they seem rushed and are often based on rehashed ideas from old movies. Chris Farley was underused in bit-parts and over the top in main roles, and David Spade's films were/are almost all dire without exception. I do like Chris Rock's performances but they're usually in someone else's rubbish film.
I would accept that it's because they're just shameless cash-in movies if that weren't true of most of the old ones too. Blues Brothers and Wayne's World were both direct spin-offs of SNL sketches and I love both films and probably always will. In ten to twenty years time will people regard Anchorman or, god forbid, A Night at the Roxbury with as much affection? Unlikely.
So I ask, why are the current hip Hollywood crowd just not coming up with the comedy goods like their predecessors did, or am I just missing the point entirely? Maybe they need to do more hard drugs or something.
Mike started a new genre of humour and IMO is one of the most brilliant comedy writers of our time.
)! I agree with what you're saying, but I don't think it's unfair to compare him to the older members because he feels like one of the pioneers of that generation. The current members don't feel like they're advancing or coming up with anything new. Maybe I'm just being a bit of a comedy snob, like those that say there's no good music being made these days; there is, it's just not necessarily the mainstream stuff any more.
