An Army of Laughers

Rating: Null/10 (14 March 2004)

Spoilers herein.
I'm convinced that comedians don't so much find what is funny, they invent it. Because it comes from comedians, we laugh. Humor is not timeless but always mutating depending on who the leaders are. In this way, we are simple recruits in the army of laughers. We may complain, but there it is.
The Marx brothers are still funny, but for different reasons. It would be better to say that they are funny again. When I first saw `Stripes,' I thought it hilarious. Now it seems not even campy.
Why is this? My own theory is that Bill Murray learned his craft just when overt irony was fashionable. This was after Lenny Bruce could be pure by being profane and before we got into nostalgic humor. So he developed his routines around the notions of not being the character. This is his purest: a cool guy who is not cool, knows it and believes that not cool IS cool. Its reverse Austin Powers, who we're supposed to laugh at. Here, we're supposed to laugh at being made to laugh.
It was a gas then.
Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.