But this does make the characters one-dimensional. Other successful comedians posses an incongruity at the core of their personality, such as Steve Martin (“the would-be sophisticate who is socially inept”), Bill Cosby (“an adult with child-like enthusiasms”) and Bob Hope (“the womanizer who never gets the girl”).
Mark Stolzenberg, in How To Be Really Funny, discusses types of behavior that generates laughter: silly walks, silly faces, silly sounds, silly body movements, and funny gestures. A character can also suddenly deviate in the way that he speaks by playing with rhythm, pitch, tempo, volume, and timing. He could also speak gibberish while presenting it as a meaningful utterance. Incongruity can also be expressed in his makeup, hairstyle and wardrobe.
Besides deviant behavior patterns, humor is also generated whenever a character expresses exaggerated or understated reactions to a situation, absentmindedness, aimlessness, superfluous motions, and mechanical or automatic movements, as long as these behaviors suddenly break established patterns, and conclude by being non-threatening to the audience.
Continual repetition of any behavior is also a deviation from the norm and will produce laughter. Another common comic type is the bumbler, best exemplified by Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther movies. This character poses as an authority figure, a police detective, who in actuality is an incompetent fool.
One process for designing comic characters that radically deviate from expected norms of behavior is to work with the framework of Aristotelian ethical theory. Aristotle, in Nichomachean Ethics, designed a theory of virtues and vices. For each “sphere of action” he indicates a “mean”, which is the norm or appropriate behavior for that type of situation. From this “mean,” he then constructs an “excess” which represents the exaggerated behavior pattern for a type of situation, and a “deficiency,” which represents the understated behavior pattern for this kind of situation. Extreme cases of either type of deviation from the “mean” will produce laughter.
ARISTOTLE’S ETHICAL CONCEPTS Table of Virtues and Vices Action
or Feeling Excess Mean
Fear and Rashness Courage Confidence
Deficiency
Cowardice
Pleasure and Pain
Getting and Spending(minor) Licentiousness Temperance Insensibility
Prodigality
Getting and Vulgarity Spending(major)
Magnificence Pettiness
Honor and Vanity Dishonor(major)
Magnanimity Pusillanimity
Honor and Ambition Dishonor (minor)
Proper Ambition Un-ambitious
Anger Irascibility Patience Lack of Spirit
Self-Expression Boastfulness Truthfulness Understatement
Conversation Buffoonery Wittiness Boorishness
Social Conduct Obsequious Friendliness Cantankerous
Shame Shyness Modesty Shamelessness
Indignation Envy Liberality Illiberality
Righteous Malicious Indignation Enjoyment
Following are examples of comic characters from the popular films classified in terms of the Aristotelian virtues and vices
Excess Character Traits Rashness (Courage-Fear)
Forrest (Forrest Gump): Running in the jungle to rescue his fellow soldiers in Vietnam.
Licentiousness (Temperance-Pleasure/Pain)
Venkman (Ghostbusters): Lusts after the female student during the ESP experiment.
Prodigality (Liberality-Getting/Spending)
Joker (Batman): Throwing money into the crowd at the Gotham City parade.
Vanity ( Honor/Dishonor)
Joker (Batman): Admiring himself in the mirror as his girlfriend Alicia watches.
Ambition (ProperAmbition-Honor/Dishonor) Joker (Batman): Wants his face on the one dollar bill.
Irascibility (Patience-Anger)
Joker (Batman): Easily angered and prone to violence.
Boastfulness (Truthfulness-Self-expression)
Joker(Batman): Boss Grissom could not run Gotham City without him. Buffoonery (Wittiness-Conversation)
Ray Stantz (Ghostbusters): Over-enthusiastic whenever he talks about the supernatural.
Obsequiousness (Friendliness-Social Conduct)
Hotel Manager (Ghostbusters): He tries to placate clients waiting to use the Ballroom.
Shyness (Modesty-Shame)
Forrest (Forrest Gump): Forrest is shy when Jenny first makes a sexual advance towards him in her college bedroom.
Envy (Righteous Indignation-Indignation)
Joker (Batman): He is envious of Batman getting all the publicity.
Deficient Character Traits Cowardice (Courage-Fear)
Sallah (Raiders of the Lost Ark): When Sallah sees snakes in Well of Souls, he tells Indiana Jones to go first.
Insensibility (Temperance-Pleasure/Pain)
Louis (Ghostbusters): At the end of the story, Louis is oblivious to the danger he has just experienced.
Cheapness (Liberality-Getting/Spending)
Uncle Frank (Home Alone): He will not pay for the pizzas.
Pettiness (Magnificence-Getting/Spending)
Kevin’s Sisters (Home Alone): They don’t help Kevin pack his suitcases. Timidity (Magnanimity-Honor/Dishonor)
Cowardly Lion (The Wizard of Oz): He is afraid to go in the Witch’s Castle to save Dorothy.
Un-ambitiousness (Proper Ambition-Honor/Dishonor) Kevin (Home Alone): All he wants is to be left alone at home. Lack of Spirit (Patience-Anger)
Egon (Ghostbusters): Egon is a scientific nerd who is passive and indifferent to the sexual advances of the secretary.
Understatement (Truthfulness-Self-expression)
Venkman (Ghostbusters): Almost all of his reactions are understated. Boorishness (Wittiness-Conversation)
Egon (Ghostbusters): Egon is a scientific nerd who only talks about his research topics.
Cantankerousness (Friendliness-Social Conduct) Mr. Peck, the EPA Inspector (Ghostbusters): Self-righteous.
Shamelessness (Modesty-Shame)
Burglars (Home Alone): Marv brags that they are “the wet bandits.”
Malicious Enjoyment (Righteous Indignation-Indignation) Marv (Home Alone): Blocks sinks so water will overflow onto the floor.
HUMOROUS CHARACTERS IN THE MEGAHIT MOVIES Wizard of Oz
Scarecrow (with exaggerated mannerisms), Tin Man (the human encrusted in the mechanical), the Cowardly Lion (the king of the jungle who lacks courage), and the Wizard (a man who pretends to have magical powers that he really lacks)
Star Wars
R2D2 and C3PO (the human encrusted in the mechanical with exaggerated worrisome and bickering behavior)
Raiders of the Lost Ark
The Nazi Agents in Cairo (they exhibit idiot behavior by saluting monkeys and wearing inappropriate wardrobe: short ties and pants).
Ghostbusters
Peter Venkman (understated behavior), Ray Stantz (exaggerated enthusiasm), Egon Spengler (nerd scientist), and Louis (socially inept)
Batman
Joker (a mass murderer with a child-like sense of humor)
E.T.
E.T. and Elliott (when drinking beer or wearing inappropriate clothes) Home Alone
The Burglars (the audience laughs whenever these characters get beaten up because of their immoral behavior, yet neither is ever seriously harmed)
The Phantom Menace
Watto (the greedy junkman eventually loses the bet with the Jedi Knights and has to let Anakin go free)
Jurassic Park
Dennis, the fat computer technician (his greed places all the people in Jurassic Park in danger, and ends up getting him killed)
Forrest Gump
Forrest (because his non-normal behavior always leads to success) Lion King
Timon and Pumba romp through the jungle and show Simba the ways of a carefree life
Return of Jedi
Ewoks (funny little furry creatures that help Luke triumph over the Imperial forces)
Independence Day
Russell Casse (the drunk who ends up saving the world) and Captain Steve Hillier (who exhibits a sense of humor as he fights the aliens)
The Grinch
The Grinch (filled with rage and resentment, his exaggerated and obsessive meanness becomes humorous)
Men in Black
K (the understated character who is always “cold” in a situation) and J (who always exaggerates and over-reacts to a situation)
HUMOR IN THE MEGAHIT MOVIES
General Categories of Humor
These general categories apply to all three sources of humor: language, situations, and characters.
Inappropriateness: Deviations from expectation of appropriate patterns of behavior. Home Alone
“Where are the passports and tickets?” asks Kevin’s mother. “I put them in the microwave to dry them off,” answers Peter.
Incongruity: Deviations from the expected patterns of objects in situations. Home Alone
The family is in Rob’s apartment in Paris. The movie, “IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE,” is playing on the television, but the movie dialogue is spoken in French.
E.T.
“Be good, be good,” Gertie says to E.T. as she closes her closet doors. Elliott pushes Gertie aside and opens the doors. Elliott sees E.T. dressed in girl’s clothes with a blonde wig on his head. He has a rabbit fur around his neck and wears a black hat with flowers. The visual incongruity of E.T. dressed in a girl’s clothes causes the laughter.
Irony: Deviations from the expected intended meaning of a statement. Usually, the exact opposite meaning is expressed from the normally understood meanings of the words.
Batman
Suddenly, the museum door slams open. The bodies of dead patrons lie on the museum floor. The Joker enters wearing a French artist’s cap. The Joker is surrounded by his band of thugs. “Gentlemen, let’s broaden our minds. Lawrence!” Lawrence turns on the large radio that he is carrying as the Joker leads a dance parade into the museum. They proceed to knock statues off their platforms and spray paint on the works of art. Misdirection: Deviations from the expectation of honesty and unambiguous communication.
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Belloc and Marion are alone in a tent in the desert. Marion says to Belloc that she has already told him everything she knows. She says she has no loyalty to Jones, who has brought her nothing but trouble. Marion walks out from behind the screen. She looks beautiful in the white dress. She radiantly smiles at Belloc as she spins around to show him the dress. She places her red pants over a knife that lies on the table. “I don’t think we need the chaperon,” she says as she picks up the wine bottle. Belloc gestures the guard away. The audience already knows Marion’s capacity for liquor. This important trait was established during her introduction scene in Nepal. That was the setup, and in this scene it pays off. The audience expects that Marion plans to get Belloc drunk, take the knife hidden under her pants, and escape through the unguarded exit. What the audience doesn’t realize is that Belloc has developed a tolerance for this liquor because it’s from his family stock, and he’s been drinking it for years. When revealed, this unexpected information surprises the audience, confounds their expectations, and generates the humor in the situation.
Ghostbusters
The Ghostbusters are on the top of Dana’s building. Gozer’s voice speaks out, demanding that they choose and perish: they must ‘choose the form of the Destructor. Venkman understands. He explains that whatever they think of will appear and destroy them. He orders the rest to empty their heads and think of nothing. Then, the voice of Gozer states that the choice has been made. Everyone had emptied then minds except Ray. Suddenly, the giant, Mr. Stay Puft Man, rumbles through the city streets. He has a big happy grin on his face and is dressed in a little sailor’s uniform, as he turns the corner at Columbus Circle. Taxis collide into each other in an effort to escape. The audience was expecting the most horrible creature that they could imagine, but instead they got the comically absurd figure of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. This character, in normal size, is the most harmless creature imaginable.
Rule of Three: Deviations from the expected pattern established in the first two cases. The punch line, which is the surprise radical deviation from the pattern, occurs in the third case.
Batman
The Joker is broadcasting his message to the Mayor of Gotham City. “Now you fellows have said some pretty mean things, some of which was true under that fiend Boss Grissom,” says the Joker.
“He was a thief and a terrorist, but on the other hand, he had a tremendous singing voice.”
Linguistic Categories of Humor
Misinterpretation of Ambiguous Words: Deviations from expected word meaning. Ghostbusters
When the Ghostbusters finally reach the roof of Dana’s building, they watch as the supernatural powers transform her into a primitive demonbeast. Venkman turns to the others and says, “Okay, she’s a dog.”
Double Entendre: Deviations from the norm of not discussing sex explicitly in public. Batman
The newspaper reporter Knox has just returned to the newsroom. When he approaches his desk, he sees a woman’s legs on the desktop. “Hello, legs,” says Knox.
“I’m reading your stuff,” says the woman from behind the newspaper. “Well, I’m reading yours,” responds Knox.
The blonde woman, wearing reading eyeglasses, puts down the newspaper and says, “Hi, I’m Vicki Vale.”
“Vicki Vale, yeah, photographer. Vogue. Cosmo. Look, you want me to pose nude, you’re going to need a long lens,” says Knox. This was Knox’s attempt to avoid small talk.
Contradictions: Deviations from the expectation that a person will utter consistent and truthful statements. Home Alone
Kevin stands alone on the balcony then shouts as he jumps up and down. “This house is so full of people it makes me sick. When I grow up and get married, I’m living alone. DID YOU HEAR ME? I’M LIVING ALONE! Humor is generated by the contradiction of “being married” and “living alone,” plus Kevin’s exaggerated reactions while having a temper tantrum.
Logic Violation and Incorrect Reasoning: Deviations from the expectation that characters will be reasonable and make correct inferences. Wizard of Oz
While traveling on the road to Oz, Dorothy comes to a crossroad and must decide in which direction to continue. A Scarecrow hangs from a post in the field. He speaks out, suggesting first that she go in one direction, then the opposite, then finally in both directions. He explains that he can’t make up his mind because he hasn’t got a brain. Humor is generated because the Scarecrow’s advice to Dorothy is logically impossible. The exaggerated actions and movements of the Scarecrow also generate humor in the scene, for he’s a walking, talking, and singing incongruity.
Ghostbusters
The Ghostbusters are considering leasing a building for their business from a middle-aged female real estate agent. Egon and Venkman walk through the rubble of a dilapidated building. Venkman thinks the building is overpriced, while Egon believes it should be condemned. Ray Stantz suddenly slides down a fire-pole. He’s excited by the building and wants to spend the night. Venkman then tells the agent that they’ll take it. The humor of the sequence is based on the stupidity of making a bad decision for childish reasons after Venkman and Egon have established the realistic grounds for rejecting the building.
Ghostbusters
Dana exits from the elevator, says hello to a man, then walks down the hallway. A door opens and her neighbor, Louis, enters the hallway. He says hello to Dana and tells her that he thought she was coming from the drugstore. He reveals himself to be a hypochondriac. Louis explains how he taped a twenty minute workout on his video machine then played it back at high speed so that it only took ten minutes to do. This enabled him to get a great workout.
An Incorrect Definition or Explanation: Deviations from the expectation that characters will utter true and correct statements and explanations.
Gho
stbusters
Venkman explains to Dana that “Gozer” was “big” in Sumaria.
A Literal Truth Inappropriately Stated: Deviations from the expectation that characters will only make informative statements. Ghostbusters
The burnt door falls to the floor as the Ghostbusters enter Dana’s apartment. The apartment has been completely destroyed. They walk toward the ledge. To the side is a staircase. “Where do the stairs go?” asks Ray. “They go up!” replies Venkman. Venkman stating an uninformative literal truth generates humor.
Batman
Bruce Wayne is speaking to Vicki Vale and Knox. “I’ve seen your photographs from Corto Maltese,” replies Bruce. “You have a wonderful eye,” continues Wayne. “Some people think she has two,” interjects Knox.
Ghostbusters
Dana tells the Ghostbusters about the supernatural experiences she had with her refrigerator. She heard a voice call out the name Zuul. To this, Venkman responds, “Generally, you don’t see that kind of behavior in a major appliance.” This is a literal truth that is inappropriately stated in this situation.
Exaggeration: Deviations from the expectation that characters will react to a situation with an appropriate emotion or behavior. The Wizard of Oz
When the Wizard yells at the Cowardly Lion to go, the Lion turns, runs down the hallway as quickly as possible, and jumps through the window to escape the wrath of the Wizard of Oz.
Understatement: Deviations from the expectation that characters will react to a situation with an appropriate emotion or behavior. Ghostbusters
The giant Mr. Stay Puft Marshmallow Man rumbles through the city streets. He has a big happy grin and is dressed in a little sailor’s uniform. As he turns the corner at Columbus Circle, taxis collide into each other in an effort to escape. Screaming crowds of people run through the streets. “Now there’s something you don’t see everyday,” says Venkman. True to his character, Venkman uses a hackneyed cliché to utter a major understatement when confronted with an extraordinary situation.
Wizard of Oz
Dorothy arrives in Munchkin land. Beautiful colors and the musical theme inform the audience that Dorothy is now “over the rainbow.” Dorothy walks around the colorful garden then utters her classic line to Toto, “I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas any more.”
The Megahit Movies Page 24