I am a fan of comic relief as well, but I do not think that it is necessary in order for the film to be successful. It takes the seriousness out of the movie, and for that reason, it should not be used in serious kind of movies. But, for comedic movies, I think that it is a good idea to an extent. If you overuse it, not many people will find it funny anymore.
A good example is from the movie Hot Fuzz, which I am a big fan of. It makes fun of serious movies, and there is that one person that always breaks the tension in every big scene. It is something that I think more immature people get into, and yes I am saying that I am immature. For this reason is why it is a good fit for Disney movies, because for the most part, little kids watch Disney movies. In almost every Disney movie there is that one character or two that break the tension.
While I agree that comic relief is certainly necessary in comedies, I would disagree that it should not be used in serious types of movies. Although it would be odd to have lots of random, short bursts of comedy in more intense movies, I do not think that it should be completely excluded from these works. It is often beneficial to have moments of relief even in the action packed movies that keep us on the edge of our seats. Sometimes, we need to remember that the movie we are watching is just a movie, and comic relief is able to bring us back to reality.
ReplyDeleteSimilarly to Chad, I enjoy watching movies where one character tends to “break the ice” during an intense scene by saying or doing something stupid; the incongruity theory plays a role in this scenario. The character will either do this on purpose or by accident, but it always results in laughter from the audience.
These types of situations are frequently seen in Disney movies, which is one of the reasons that Disney is so successful. These works attract kids because of the exciting plots and yet can still maintain the attention of adults with the use of comic relief. Adults are so busy every single day and rarely get any moments to just do nothing and relax. There is always something that needs to be done and watching Disney movies is unfortunately not among their priorities. However, these movies are great in the sense that they allow viewers to see comic relief firsthand. It is proven that laughter causes relaxation, and the smallest of moments in these movies can help the audience find relief in whatever is going on in their lives. It takes serious concepts and turns them in a way that is humorous, which is what we need to do with our lives sometimes. We are always so stressed and worried that we need to find the humor in our situation and learn to laugh.