Comedy films are "make 'em laugh" films designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are light-hearted dramas, crafted to amuse, entertain, and provoke enjoyment. The comedy genre humorously exaggerates the situation, the language, action, and characters. Comedies observe the deficiencies, foibles, and frustrations of life, providing merriment and a momentary escape from day-to-day life. They usually have happy endings, although the humor may have a serious or pessimistic side.

Slapstick films are a type of comedy film that employ slapstick comedy with six main conventions: Pain with no real consequence, editing to turn a situation more unrealistic, impossible stiuations, zooms to confuse the audience, off screen use, using sounds for impossible stunts and tension for audience anticiapation.

Gross-out film is an informal name used to describe a genre of scatological comedy movies in which the producers aim to "gross out" their audience with disgusting and disturbing material. Gross-out films often feature jokes about feces, farting, snot, vomit and other bodily functions. Some famous gross-out films include American Pie, Austin Powers, Freddy Got Fingered, and several John Waters films.

A parody or spoof film is a comedy that satirizes other film genres or classic films. Examples include such films as Not Another Teen Movie, Scary Movie, This Is Spinal Tap, and Spaceballs. The five main conventions for this genre are:

• Sarcasm
• Stereotyping, e.g., the dumb blonde, the hardboiled detective
• Mocking other films or scenes from serious movies
• Violence with no consequence for characters' actions
• Obvious meanings to characters' actions

Subcategories

A

• Austin Powers

C

• Carry On films
• Cheech and Chong films

Articles in category "Comedy films"