When Jake and I first started dating, we both really wanted to see Dick Tracy again. For me, it was one of those childhood movies I always remembered. Even as an adult, I still carried images of gangsters in brightly-colored suits and a young Madonna in skin-tight black lace. Jake at least carried images of the latter, as well, so we scoured Blockbuster until we found a copy and watched it together on my couch. Surprise, surprise: it was still good—great, actually, and fun to watch.
I caught it again last night, and again, I couldn’t pull my eyes away. It’s like stepping into a vintage comic book. The bright cartoon colors seep into my brain, and I’m hypnotized. I adore the offbeat performances by some of Hollywood’s elite, including Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, Dick Van Dyke, and James Caan. Madonna as the hot jazz vocalist is stunning, and Warren Beatty looks dashing in bright yellow. More than that, it’s a simple battle of good versus bad with violence, action, suspense, and a big romantic smooch before the curtain closes. It’s got something for everyone, including a glorious score by Danny Elfman!
Oh my gosh, give me her wardrobe!
Jake brought this up a couple weeks ago after we watched Date Night. Date Night is funny. I was entertained—thoroughly, during certain scenes—and I would recommend it to comedy fans. But Jake made a good point. He was annoyed by the penis jokes. He wanted to know why movies have to push the envelope. Why do we have to take it far and then go just a little further? The penis jokes could have easily been dropped. In fact, they felt forced and not funny. Does Hollywood think we like penis jokes? That we can’t live without them? I’m beginning to think so.
When we discussed Date Night, we went back to a shared favorite, Old School. Yes, Old School is not for kids, but in the vein of Dick Tracy, Old School never went too far. There weren’t any awkward dirty jokes that went on too long. The dirty jokes were subdued, in comparison with recent comedies I’ve seen. The nudity wasn’t crude. The drinking scenes were harmless, and cuss words were made laughable by use of “earmuffs.”
So the question remains: will we ever go back to movies like Dick Tracy, or do we require gore, profanity, and penis jokes to get us through a film? Jake is getting sick of it. I’m getting sick of it. I bet there are other people who are sick of it, too.
The funniest parts of recent comedies are the parts that make the mundane comical. Case in point: the best scene in crude, rude Get Him to the Greek was the “stroke the furry wall” bit. The best scene in
I’m from the school of ‘Life ain’t what it used to be and never was,’ so I’m with you, kid.
Many thoughts are running through my head. As i’m doing this on my phones tiny keyboard, i’ll be brief! 1: you are very right, but left out horror movies! They too, are pushing the envelope! Very graphic violence which isn’t all that scary. What about Psycho? The Birds? Gratuitious slasher films have their place I guess, but the whole torture genre really turns me off. Paranormal Activity scared the bejeezus out of me, and hardly anything happens! Its using the audiences mind and imagination to its advantage. 2: the other issue is that there are very few original ideas anymore, so it seems hollywood is making up for it by “pushing the envelope” and doing a bunch of remakes with more swears and violence. 3: there is a reason the old movies stand the test of time…they are just plain better! However, some very crude movies which the violence and/or swearing are not only necessary, they make the movie better. Case in point: Pulp Fiction. Who enjoys watching this on television?
Now that we’ve had this conversation, I can’t watch movies the same way! You’ve ruined me! But yes, I agree with you. I think that we live in a culture that is all about taking things to the next level, pushing the envelope, doing the outrageous and expectations of toilet humor. I think of movies from my childhood (Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken, Uncle Buck, Batman Forever, Labrynth…oh, this list makes me laugh) and they are “tame” in comparison to, say, Bridesmaids. Now, I will admit that I love Bridesmaids, but I also appreciate modern movies that understand restraint and don’t feel like they have to go there to get a laugh or to get a point across. Case in point: I watched Crazy Stupid Love last night and I thought of you. Ryan Gosling plays this crazy womanizing guy who takes a new girl home every night, but there isn’t one ounce of nudity in this film (some implied nudity on his part, but it’s not offensive). In fact, there’s a lot of bedroom action implied, but very, very little shown. There is swearing, but it isn’t gratuitous and it’s chosen carefully. A lot of the comedic moments are based on random circumstance, the unexpected and a gem of a moment when a high school girl impersonates a seal in the middle of a conversation…not penis jokes…Viva le Dick Tracy…with The Hangover thrown in every few months instead of every night.