You Ever Notice...and What's the Deal...

[Pig'sSaysAdios]

All this talk of adult humor and such has made me realize something: "adult" humor is strangely very immature and childish, while "kid" humor can be a lot more sophisticated and mature. I mean, think about it: what do you often see in adult humor? Fart jokes, body part injuries, bathroom humor, people acting like doofuses (or doofi?) . . . stuff that's often said to appeal to kids because of how lowbrow and unintelligent it is. Now think about this: what do you often see in kid humor? Characters engaging in punny word play, (dated) pop culture references, double entrendres and innuendos . . . stuff that actually goes right over their heads. Maybe we should reconsider what we classify as "adult" and what we classify as "kiddy" stuff.

Yeah, that's something i've been thinking about for a long time. Kids won't think something is funny just because farts are involved, and adults won't giggle just because you talk about "dancing in the bed". This is the main reason most modern "adult" comedy movies tend to suck.

 

[D'Snowth]

What really stirred it up for me was rewatching KANGAROO JACK, which was supposed to be an adult comedy until they added more CGI kangaroo scenes and marketed it as a kids movie . . . now, ignoring that, let's assume it's still an adult comedy movie . . . it has all the stuff in it that you would expect to find in a kids movie that I previously mentioned: farting camels, poop jokes, violent slapstick that would otherwise seriously injure or maybe even kill someone in reality, a fat comic relief sidekick (well, okay, that one may be a little more universal), among other things . . . really, the only thing adult about that movie is the underlying themes of the mafia and mob hits, the sexual tension between Jerry O'Connell and Estelle Warren's characters, and language . . . that's about it. I otherwise don't see what's so "adult" about everything else I just mentioned - even without the rapping, wise-cracking kangaroo who wasn't even really the main focus of the movie anyway.

Don't get me wrong, there are some adult comedy movies out there that are genuinely funny, like a couple of my favorites: DODGEBALL and YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, but again, a lot of the supposed "adult humor" in those movies is really just immature and childish . . . it only seems "adult" because the adult mind is able to understand the context many of the jokes and innuendos imply. I mean, DODGEBALL did something for me as a teenager that GOOD BURGER did as a kid: I was literally laughing so hard throughout the whole movie I almost never stopped. But what's the difference? DODGEBALL is an "adult" movie, and GOOD BURGER is a "kids" movie . . . but both are very, very similar in terms of quirky characters, a lot of visual and verbal humor, and tons of cartoonish slapstick.

Though, to be fair, DODGEBALL does still have its share of actual adult humor that would be inappropriate for kids, much of it sexual in nature.

 

[mr3urious]

Even better is when there are jokes in kids' entertainment that fly right over even adults' heads. A lot of the stuff from Rocky & Bullwinkle certainly counts, or even this little bit from one of your most reviled shows.

 

[D'Snowth]

It can certainly work in reverse as well, and I think a really good example of that, even something Nostalgia Critic brought up, is Disney's HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME. It's a kids movie, but holy crap, look at all the subject matter they explore in it: persecution, religion, lust, genocide (open to interpretation), "and all under the name of the Mouse." That sounds more like an adult movie on paper, if you ask me.

 

[LittleJerry92]

It's definitely their (in my opinion) darkest movie adaption next to The Black Cauldron.

 

[D'Snowth]

And a lot of older Don Bluth movies are like this as well, but then again, that's one of the main reasons he wanted to branch out from Disney, because he felt kids could handle more complex storytelling with darker and more mature themes . . . though, it's funny that he ended up doing movies like A TROLL IN CENTRAL PARK and THE PEBBLE AND THE PENGUIN, which are pretty much the exact kind of movies he felt Disney was reducing themselves to.

 

[LittleJerry92]

Ever notice how "desserts" is "stressed" spelled backwards?

 

[mr3urious]

Ever notice how "desserts" is "stressed" spelled backwards?

Seeing what they can do to your waistline if you eat too many of them, it's very apropos.

 

[Pig'sSaysAdios]

And a lot of older Don Bluth movies are like this as well, but then again, that's one of the main reasons he wanted to branch out from Disney, because he felt kids could handle more complex storytelling with darker and more mature themes . . . though, it's funny that he ended up doing movies like A TROLL IN CENTRAL PARK and THE PEBBLE AND THE PENGUIN, which are pretty much the exact kind of movies he felt Disney was reducing themselves to.

Yeah, and when Bluth hit his slump in the 90s, that was when Disney was doing it's darkest and most complex stories to date.

 

[Pig'sSaysAdios]

apropos.

Heheh, "apropos".