Time for an Easter Classic--4: Comedic Films

While you might think that there are a number of comedies or dramadies set around Easter, you’d be wrong. There are actually very few. And yet, I think comedies set around Easter could be very marketable.

There are, by the way, lots of films in this genre that have important scenes set at Easter. One that comes to mind is Steel Magnolias [1989] by Robert Harling. The climax of the film takes place at Easter and we go to an Easter egg hunt for the kids in a town park. At the hunt, we watch bucolic pictures of kids finding eggs, but as the kids roam around, the adults get to interact. So we get to see all of the major characters of the film wrapping up where they are right now in their lives, given what we’ve seen they had to deal with in the film.

Here’s a bit of the final scene at the Easter egg hunt where the husband of a pregnant woman has been dressed up as a giant bunny to please the kids. Shortly after this scene, she unexpectedly goes into labor. These two aren’t the leads in the film, but they’re one of the many supporting stories as the film begins with this young woman arriving in town and ends with her giving birth years later: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCeHJlt4JYI

It’s a lovely scene. As such, it’s a reminder of how holidays can be used in film to provide a setting for conversations. An Easter egg hunt in particular could be a rich venue for important scenes in a film. And the nature of the holiday itself lends itself to both emotional discussions and comedic situations. Something to consider as you go about writing a script.

A true comedy set in and around the world of Easter bunnies is Hank & Mike [2008] by Paolo Mancini and Thomas Michael. Is it a great film? No. But it has some funny moments. Is it set in reality, like Steel Magnolias? No. It’s set in a world where some mammoth enterprise employs all the Easter bunnies in the world ; they decide Easter isn’t much of a holiday and start firing Easter bunnies. Enter Hank and Mike, two best friends who don’t know how to do anything beyond being Easter bunnies. Take a look at the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=HsW4RhymEwo

When you write, you make decisions about the world you’re creating. In Hank & Mike the decision was made to have these be guys who wear their bunny outfits all the time. That alone makes for some comedic moments.

The most interesting thing here is just that germ of an idea—it’s a different way of looking at an Easter bunny. And that one different idea lets an entire film explode.

So if you enjoy writing comedies, think about how you could play around with Easter in your story in a new way… be wild, be outrageous. If the writing is good, you could really have a winner.

Next week is Easter and we'll have our final look at this genre. Grab your chocolate bunny and I’ll grab mine and let’s get together next week!

Copyright © Diane Lake

28Mar21

Email Diane a question to Diane@DianeLake.com