Summer Movies--#10

Last week’s look at 1989’s Do the Right Thing by Spike Lee contrasts sharply with this week’s look at another summer film from 1989—Weekend at Bernie’s by Robert Klane.

While this film remains a staple in the ‘stupid’ comedy genre, it’s hard to understand why. When you check out the reviews on IMDB, for example, they aren’t very good. Go to Rotten Tomatoes and you’ll see that critics and audiences there didn’t rate it high either.

So what’s the deal?

I think it has something to do with the genre—a genre I’m calling ‘stupid comedies’—and not just because they’re stupid when we see them. As near as I can tell, they’re stupid even to the people writing and directing them. Even to people at the studios producing them.

It has something to do with how some people who make movies see the movie audience—they see that audience as stupid, or at least, they see a lot of them as stupid. They think the audience only wants dumb things they can laugh at, really low, slapstick comedy, so they produce films that are, when you really think about it, stupid. Dumb and Dumber is another in this genre that comes to mind. Things like Harod and Kumar go to White Castle and Shallow Hal and on and on.

These ‘stupid’ comedies are summer movies—almost always. It’s as if, out of school in the summer, the moviemakers assume all audiences just want to laugh at the antics of idiots.

Can you tell ‘stupid’ comedies aren’t my favorite genre?

Anyway, back to Weekend at Bernie’s: take a look at the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4MOXx-4pJ8

So what’s the appeal? Why is this film considered a cult yuk-it-up film?

Because moviegoers are just as stupid today as they were in the 80s? Maybe, but maybe something else is going on here.

Sometimes people just want to see something that’s so outside their reality, so…well, stupid… that they just forget their problems and laugh at the stupidity. A film is just SO stupid that you bad mouth it as you leave the theater… but you’re still sort of laughing at its stupidity, you know?

What does this mean for the writer? It means if you’re a fan of these aimless ridiculous films, well, try to write one. These films make money—every summer. So come up with your own aimless, stupid, low-brow scenario and go wild. Be as stupid as you can get… and maybe you’ll end up being seriously funny.

The thing about writing is that you can put anything on the page—make it as outrageous as you want—just get it down. Then, later, when you’re done, go back and edit it. Did you go too far with sick humor or something, fine, edit it out. But on that first pass, just go for it—make it as ridiculous as you can imagine.

Who knows, maybe you’ll come up with the next blockbuster in the genre!

Copyright © Diane Lake

06Sep20

Email Diane a question to Diane@DianeLake.com