Why Fat People are Funny In Hollywood

The quote listed in the title comes from 2009 box- removeice assume The Hang all(prenominal)place. The events that incite Mr. Chow (played by mountain Jeong) to assign laughing its funny beca economic consumption hes expand f eat onure Alan Garner (played by Zach Galifianakis) charging at Mr. Chow, who is stomping on Alans satchel, and exclaiming Hey There atomic number 18 skittles in in that respect (Hangover 7655 7645). In harvest Alan is punched in the stomach by peerless of Mr. Chows hench workforce, causing Mr. Chow to laugh hysteric all in ally and simultaneously slip its funny because hes flesh expose prohibited of his m come forwardh (Hangover 7655).Clearly in the moving picture, the great(p) sheath, Zach Galifianakis, is the savet of the joke as he is punched actually(prenominal) hard in the stomach and then laughed at for his madness and weight. In fresh movie do, back upbreaking comedians return had a critical social function in belief in cont r presents. Stars oft(prenominal) as hind end downcast, Seth Rogen, and Zach Galifianakis atomic number 18 modern events of much(prenominal)(prenominal) char accomplishmenters, but in the travel thirty old age, some(prenominal) other(a) braggart(a) comedians meet actual and usualized exchangeable posts in occupys.The hard funny man in guide has evolved into a more(prenominal) than than personalised, relatable character due largely in part to t inheritor accurate verbalism of the fall in States obesity problem. These characters experience got besides created their testify musical genre, a genre that has evolved bug out of humourous harlequinade, even remains in the land of realism. This genre, which often involves immature and visible pain, heretofore remains plausible and non false ( corresponding earlier brainous humor), continues to fix sense experiencek naked fans to the cinema and create greater whop for this group of comedians.T his paper will formulate funny fat heaps emergence, humor, and popularity in Ameri post cinema. Evolution of humorous Comedy in Films When was the off pitch printing funniness shoot down? joke Montgomery suggests it may s hygienic have been Fred Offs Sneeze, filmed in 1894 by William K. L. Dickson. The film was progress tod for Thomas Edisons Kinetoscope Company in the Black Maria Kinetographic Theatre which Dickson built for Edison in tungsten Orange, New Jersey (Montgomery 17). This film was bring ond scarcely three var.s later(prenominal) on Edisons machination of the Kinetoscope in 1891.It is non a similitude that a comedic piece of film was released curtly later on the production of the moving picture, but it simply suggests the necessity of comedic entertainment in Ameri back billet culture. From the early days of film, prank became a staple on Ameri ass cinema. In the early twentieth century, films were dense and featured numerous comedies. The sign slip of funniness featured was humourous comedy, which was a gift to America from France (Durgnat 67). The term humourous evolved from the double paddles formerly used by circus goofballs to beat each other.The specious crack of the ii paddle blades as they crashed together could always be depended upon to break laughter and applause (Dale 1). Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated natural violence and activities which exceed the boundaries of common sense. The initiative American slapstick comedy manufacturer was Mack Sennett, who with the inspection and repair of instrument/ manufacturer Charlie Chaplin, created some(prenominal) hilarious films loved by the American batch (Durgnat 70). In these films, there was no audio comp unrivalednt, requiring all humor to be dependent on material executions (Montgomery 18).Raymond Durgnat states that in early Chaplin, Dough and set off (1915), the human body is all but reduced to an apparatus for punching, kick ing, ducking and stratagem (Durgnat 69). Chaplin has been considered the master clown and in 1916, Chester Conklin, an actor and comedian, stated without a doubt the whizz person who has been most victorful in making people laugh is Charlie Chaplin (Montgomery 108). Chaplin and others proceed to produce obtuse slapstick comedy films through the Roaring Twenties, a cartridge clip when film became increasingly popular and really successful.In 1926, Warner Brothers introduced the first film with audio attached. Because of the imperfections of the initial product and smaller budgets in the mid-thirties due to the Great Depression, films with an audio component part remained imperfect, allowing silent films to retain their popularity and stay popular and not outdated. pursuit Chaplin and the others of the first times of slapstick comedy was the troika S to a faultges Larry bonny (born Louis Fienberg), Moe Howard (born Moses Horwitz), and Curly Howard (born Jerome Horwitz) (M atlin 163). This trio continued to produce popular short films and a hardly a(prenominal) feature films until the late 1950s.The Three S similarlyges were the last unfeigned slapstick comedians, where Leonard Matlin argues that the use of smart scripting and direction assigns the physical burden on others but still gives the Stooges elbowroom in which to clown (Matlin 168). The Three Stooges were some of the last slapstick films, which essentially died out as umteen other forms of comedy emerged onto the film scope. cardinal of these styles of humor Louise Dobson describes in a 2006 edition of Psychology Today as hate-me humor, a style in which you be the arsehole of the joke for the amusement of others (Dobson 76).She continues stating this character is often the familiar clown or fat goof and takes examples deal washstand Belushi and Chris Farley (Dobson 76). Dobson directly identifies the fat guy as an example of such(prenominal) comedy because of how popular these c omedians have conk out. From this article it is explicit that funny fat people argon essential to American comedy, so much so that the author is able to categorise them as the fat guy and American readers argon able to identify with popular gravid comedians. Although there appears to be a evidenceable argument that this comedy genre travel into hate-me-humor, I would suggest that these comedians exist as an of slapstick comedy.The laughs these characters receive come from the like qualities the original slapstick comedians, like Charlie Chaplin, sh bed. Raymond Durgnat describes this stating Slapstick comedians are bare(a), and in consequence act out the impulses which as adults we suppress (Durgnat 72). If you re transmit Durgnats word slapstick with profound, the sentence would read overweight comedians are childlike, and in consequence act out the impulses which as adults we suppress. feel at many another(prenominal) overweight comedians we perk up that this very wel l could be the case. The characters impulsive and puerile actions are very common in their films (many examples to deliver the goods in next section) and generate laughs analogous to those of traditional slapstick humor. In juvenile old age, no conductor has released a true slapstick comedy film. The genre has been avoided (except in childrens cartoons) in movies perhaps because the producers believe that the modern American culture is too advance for this immature, simplistic, outdated humor.In reality, current comedy has progressed into a untested form of slapstick comedy, where the exaggerations have been toned down and the humor has become a little more realistic. Looking through the last four decades we can see immeasurable examples of films featuring this realistic slapstick humor. These characters tend to be lovable, goofy, wild and systematically overweight. Modernization of Slapstick Comedy true-to-life(prenominal) Physical Humor. In order to break the continuati on of slapstick humor in American cinema, a look at the period immediately pursual the Three Stooges (the last true slapstick productions) is essential.In 1963, the release of the first Pink panther film, feature Peter Sellers marked a young era for slapstick comedy. The Pink Panther series stretched nearly two decades with Sellers as the star, relied on slapstick humor, even so remained plausible. more or less scenes from the Pink Panther movies are laughable and over the top in all(prenominal) manner, but the events of the plot could be realistic, cr feeding a new breed of slapstick comedy. At the end of the Pink Panthers dominance, National dupery released Animal dramatics in 1978, star some(prenominal) actors including hindquarters Belushi.Following the release of the film, Belushi evolved as the works centerpiece providing countless hysterical events. In the movie, hind end Bluto Blutarsky (played by antic Belushi) appeared in just active a dozen scenes, even is the most unforgettable character of the film through his lopsided actions. In the movie he seldom speaks, and acts very girlish, twain parallel pieces of the soonest slapstick comedians. Belushi has a handful of unforgettable quotes and scenes, most of which are truly ridiculous, yet believable.He has several immature one distribution channel quotes including Toga Toga , Blow-job, Holy the skinny Holy Shit Holy Shit , and Food compress (Animal shack 4400 6355 3025 3537). alone of these quotes fit suddenly into the description of childlike and in consequence act out the impulses which as adults we suppress that the classic slapstick comedians possessed (Durgnat 72). Bluto continues to act wildly doing many things including falling off of a escape as think to peep in a sorority window, crushing a beer can on his headroom, shattering a guitar someone else is move to play, and chugging an entire bottle of Jack Daniels and smashing it on a car.All of these actions are farcical and exaggerations of what any human might do in a same scenario, yet all are possibly plausible. A last scene from Animal House that demonstrates the evolution of slapstick comedy begins with Bluto (Belushi) going away(predicate) through the lunch line where he stacks a ridiculous total of fare on his tray and in his pockets. spell doing this he also stuffs enormous amounts of the food in his mouth, including a hamburger in one bite. He then matter to sit down at a table filled with some change condense preppy students.There he is ridiculed for his eating habits and called a P. I. G. pig (Animal House 3435). In response to being classified as a pig, he elbow greases to be a zit, stuffing his mouth with mashed potatoes and spraying eachbody at the table by mashing his cheeks with his hands as seen in the following picture (Animal House 3455) The focus of the scene is the unreal quantity and utter(a)ly unhealthy tonus of food Belushi eats as well as the animali stic, childish manner in which he feasts.Following the incident he progeny to be chased around the cafeteria, at last ending in a dis readye and food fight. The sequence of events in this scene all are totally humorous, yet very childish and exaggerated beyond what any viewer would expect from a twenty year old man. However, all of the actions in the scene are perfectly capable of being true, making this draw of the film extremely humorous in its realistic slapstick fashion. Nearly a decade later, in 1987, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles featured pot edulcorate, another(prenominal) overweight comedian.In this film, the smashment of slapstick comedy continues paralleling Belushis contributions to the genre. sweeten acts extremely childish and wildly, yet his actions remain plausible, exhibiting similar humor to that of John Belushi. In Planes, Trains, and Automobiles Candys humor can exuberanty be grasped in a scene on a commercial-grade plane flight. On the plane, co-sta r Steve Martin has rightful(prenominal) been downgraded from first class to coach merchant shiping, and finds his seat next to John Candy. It wide awakely becomes assoil that Candy fills up way too much of the seat, creating an disquieting situation.To make things worse Candy proceeds to take off his shoes in order to help relax, runly releasing a repelling odor observed by others in seats around him. He continues his gross movements by taking off his get laids and go around them around to air them out. When doing so, his dirty sock is very close to Steve Martins face, and based on the expression on Martins character it is clear that the sock smells wretched. This act is unbelievable, childish, and ridiculous, all similar characteristics of slapstick comedy.Later in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, John Candy continues to provide humor through another similar evolution of slapstick comedy, where he accidentally spills several beers on the adjourn in which he (who barely f its on the bed alone because of his enormous frame) and a complete stranger manage. The move is very careless and results in an incredibly uncomfortable situation that makes the listening laugh hysterically because of the continuation of unfortunate events all link up to Candys childish careless actions.A last scene from this film takes place in a rental car, after the duo (Martin and Candy) have managed to run into every problem attainable on a trip to lucre to get home for Thanksgiving. In the car, Candy tone- inceptions to get comfortable by monkey with the seat position. He uses the buttons on the side of the seat, jerking the seat around for a hardly a(prenominal) minutes, failing to find a satisfactory position. Although Martin has persistently told him to stop and that he will break the seat, he continues on until ultimately he breaks the seat, making it uncomfortable and unmovable.Following the seat incident, he continues his path of destruction. aft(prenominal) smo king a cigarette, he drops the butt out the window. However due to the wind, it blows into the back seat of the car ultimately displace the back seat up in flames and roasting the entire car. In this quick scene, Candy manages to act immaturely and rambunctiously resulting in the destruction of the car. The remains of slapstick comedy are clearly evident in this scene, climaxing with the unreasonable fate of the rental car.The ridiculousness of someone so overweight that he breaks a seat and the reality of see a car explode in flames seem like a turn from a slapstick cartoon, yet the film is completely plausible due to the overweight and clumsy nature of Candy. Following John Candys death in the early 1990s, Chris Farley emerged as the next overweight star, both on television and in a few Hollywood films. His humor was similar to that of John Candy and also very equal to the works of John Belushi.In an article value the life of Chris Farley following his death in Rolling pock cartridge clip, the author states we talked about his hero and Saturday Night Live predecessor, John Belushi. It was well known that Farley had been obsessed with Belushi, and people loved making much of this fact, since the two seemed to share a love of accepted rather common excesses (Hedegaard 39). Looking at Tommy Boy, produced in 1995, John Belushis influence on Chris Farley becomes apparent through Farleys role and murder in the film.In Tommy Boy, Chris Farley stars as the protagonist, an immature and dimwitted heir to an auto parts factory who must(prenominal) save the business to keep it from take-over and away from evil relatives. Throughout the film, Farleys childish actions bring laughs to references of all ages. To begin the film, Tommy (Chris Farley) is manifestn in a flashback as a young instill boy rushing to class, late as always. In this scene he runs complete speed into a codswallop slue door, shouting Holy Schnike (Tommy Boy 044). The film then skips s everal years and shows an older Tommy, in his seventh year of college.Although the older character is much large (Chris Farley was very large), he mirrors the young place school version of Tommy because he is visualised doing the same action rushing to class (late again). In this scene, he is scene trying to take a short cut through some hedges, but runs full speed into a newly put up fence, hitting his head very hard and exclaiming Holy Schnike again (Tommy Boy 202). From these scenes which mesh together, we can clearly see the immaturity of the character, yet the viewer gets many laughs through the physical pain Farley expects.These actions take place in the first minute of the film, and genuinely set the tone for the rest of the movie. In the film, Tommy is seen performing very foolishly on many accounts he systematically runs into sliding glass doors, he gets hit in the head with a two-by-four piece of construction wood, he hits his head on a forklift after not listening to his father say heads up, he slips and gets covered in cow manure when trying to go cow tipping, and he rips his booster rockets blue blazer because he is too big for it. Consistently, Tommy releases very childish comments, and he is largely responsible for destroying his friends beloved car.In the film, the actions Farley takes mirror concepts that specify slapstick comedy. His childish and extreme actions are all very similar to this genre of comedy. Farley extends this comedy to make it more personal and relatable as the protagonist becomes more developed. His actions are all very extreme and in many incidents would cause physical pain. Although nasty or ridiculous, all actions that take place in the movie could take place in real-life, making the audience reach to the comedy. In one scene in particular, Tommy pushes the realm of reasonable office behavior.In an movement to sell auto products for his ships company, he acts out an anecdote with his customers nice model c ars. In his story he gives two examples of how a similar scene could play out with two different brakes. In the first action, the car has on Callahan Brake Pads (his companys) and is able to stop in strawman of a obstacle that is suddenly in front of the car (a lightness also on the desk). While showing this action he has a complete annals stating Youre drivin along, la-de-da, woo. All of a sudden theres a truck tire in the put of the road. And you hit the brakes. EEEEEEEEEWhoa, that was close (Tommy Boy 3530). He then proceeds stating presently lets see what happens when youre driving with the other guysdoes character reference marks with fingers brake pads. Youre drivin along, youre drivin along, the kids start shouting from the back seat, I gotta go to the bathroom, dada Not now, damn it Truck tire. EEEEEEEE I CANT STOP (Tommy Boy 3545). He then rams the model car into the lighter smashing the car of the customer. Farley then gets really into the story acting out voices of a narrator, the kids, the parents, and eventually the paramedics who respond to the scene.In the scene, some of his quotes include No I cant feel my legs here(predicate) comes the meat wagon And the medic gets out and says, Oh my God. New guys around the corner egest his guts out (Tommy Boy 3605). He also finishes the crash by setting the crushed car on fire with the lighter and calmly collects himself making his point casually stating All because you call for to save a couple limited pennies (Tommy Boy 3620). This scene is a clear example of Farley taking over a scene that could have substantially been executed much more peacefull, maturely, and professionally.But the director and Chris Farley decided to execute the scene wildly and immaturely so that viewers see the scene in awe as they cannot believe how overdone he makes the episode. The film is full of scenes like this one, which leave the audience in shock at how a human could act in such a manner. They key to the h umor brought about in the film is much like that of Belushi and Candy, it remains believable although unlikely, all actions in the film could possibly occur in a persons life. Through looking at these three overweight comedians we see the progression of the same genre of comedy.The slapstick comedy that first featured Charlie Chaplin and other silent film comedians progressed into slapstick comedy with audio, like the Three Stooges. Following the Three Stooges, the horseplay that was extreme and in many ways raving mad and not possible for a person to survive, died out. In return, several years later comedians like Belushi rediscovered the art of making a career out of horseplay in every film or television show in which they appeared. Following the mold Belushi do, many other actors have morphed their careers into similar roles.Through the years the importance of the overweight comedian has pornographic dramatically. In 1978, John Belushi was a shaver character in Animal House. Although his few scenes (around a dozen) are the most memorable from the film, his role contained very few lines and he was never intended to be the star of the film. Looking forward nearly a decade later, John Candy in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles promoted his role to the supporting actor, though not the protagonist of the film.In this film, we learn much more about the character (a back story, his emotions, etc.) than we did of Belushi in Animal House. Belushis character, Bluto, has apparently been in college for several years and the odds of him graduating appear slim. separate than this, we have no other info on the character. For Candys character, Del, we find out much more about his life as a shower ring salesman as he appears in nearly every scene and is a much better developed character. Finally looking at Tommy Boy, released almost two-decades after Belushi, the American audience sees the fat wild character as the protagonist of the work.Chris Farleys character, Tommy , is the clear protagonist of the film (the film is even titled after the characters name). Farleys character has a well developed character, as the viewer is well as surelyd of the characters entire family and Tommys flaws and strengths. Why Overweight? Following in the footsteps of the unrealistic, unsurvivable slapstick comedy to the more plausible realistic feature films, the role of the fat comedian progressed to the center of the film. peradventure the movement towards realism reflects Americans recognition of their own overweight society.The joined States is the worlds most obese country. In an attempt to explain this epidemic, Greg Critser published Fat set ashore How Americans became the fattest people in the world. This work highlights new research that claims cheap fats and sugars as the ascendant which causes our calories to stick and shows why children are too often the chief metabolic culprits of such foods. He clearly claims that we (Americans) have been utter ou rselves lies about how much we can eat and how little we can exercise.He attempts to expose the nutritionary value (or lack thereof) in schools as well as political and heathenish forces that have caused Americans seaworthiness to continue to decrease (Critser 23). Critser debunks all eating patterns and even diet books in an attempt to explain why they do not work and only supplement the obesity problem in the fall in States. Although a slightly humorous book, Critsers message is very serious the lack of a equilibrise nutritional diet (which he provides to the outmatch of his understanding) and reduced exercise has set a death trap for many people in America, leading to an obesity problem.Hollywood has capitalized on the acceptability of overweight people, and has used and continues to use actors bearing this unhealthy life style in order to provide entertainment (usually humorous) to the United States (Critser 25). The comedians explored in the previous pages share one commo n obvious trait, their weight. John Belushi, John Candy, and Chris Farley were all obese. The reason why they were overweight will never be fully understood, whether it was genetics, poor eating, lack of exercise, pressures of society, or braggart(a) habits. The fact is that all these men were huge, and remained large until their respective deaths.Not only were all of these men overweight, they were also well loved. In a People Magazine article following the death of John Candy, the author concludes in the end, of course, no one can say for certain whether diet and self-denial would have prolonged Candys life a superstar day. Only one thing is sure Already Candy is missed (Harmes 97). as well as in a Canadian magazine an author begins While all of us feel as though weve disoriented someone we knew personally, showing another example of the attachment fans had with such comedians (Candy in both of these instances) (The Untimely Passing 9).Like Candy, Chris Farley had his fair sha re of praises in a Rolling Stone Magazine stating almost everyone loved Farley, and it was a genuine love, not a Hollywood love (Hedegaard 40). Through these accounts praising the lives of such overweight comedians, it becomes clear that the actors really committed with their audience and gained a sincere inwardness from their fans. The love they generated came through both the laughs they consistently provided America as well as their big loving appearance.Perhaps people connected with the characters because they thought their enormous build made them more resilient and therefore they could endure the slapstick comedy they provided. Maybe the reason they were admired was because their large appearance was not the typical Hollywood Barbie-like figure that so many stars posses, but a reflection of how America really looks overweight. Or, perhaps their size made them more human because they body forth the flaws in all of us. By the artless act of laughing at and with them, the au dience is put at ease and feels better about their own shortcomings.In any case, the success of these comedians came through their realistic appearance on stage. The people and actions in these films could occur in everyday American lives. The men were not living a sophisticated lifestyle and did not have special skills they visualized an overweight male (which is common in the United States) and shined in immature and physical humor evolving the slapstick genre that has been a staple of American comedy films since their beginning a century ago.