For the actor Charles Chaplin, making people laugh in their films was the result of the balance between good material, the talent of an actor and the intelligence of the audience.. She explained it in a interview to the newspaper New York Times, in which he also made clear one of the maxims of his success. Understand that the job of a comedian is to take the pulse of the most complicated topics. That, and then turn them into jokes that analyze the great cultural dilemmas from fresh and critical points of view.
The opinion of one of the best-known comedians in the history of cinema seems to be reflected in the way Hollywood takes on humor today. In an era that explores new sensibilities and perspectives, the way to provoke laughter has become a reflection of ingenuity. At the same time, a way of understanding what is fun for a generation more attentive to the topics being discussed and how it is done. Which makes the premises that They seek to entertain in a journey through the interests and perspectives of a more demanding audience.
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To reflect on the matter, we leave you five comedies that you can watch right now on Star+. From the strange humor of a film that reflects on fame to a curious scenario in which three brothers reconcile with each other. Humor is the commonplace that unites these stories and their most subtle messages. Everything, to the rhythm of laughter. Its best and most interesting element.
The Last Yard
Trish (Jane Fonda), Maura (Rita Moreno), Betty (Sally Field) and Lou (Lily Tomlin) have spent much of their lives debating the same topic.. American football. Strangely enough, the group is obsessed not only with the game and its particularities, but also with its players. So when their hero Tom Brady and the New England Patriots team participate in Super Bowl LI in Houston, everyone will decide to attend the historic event.
But more than that, also, enjoying an unusual tour for a group that needs to bond again. Much more, understand that sport can only be the excuse to delve into the old and new topics that obsess them.
What can be interpreted as a simple premise — and it is, in some ways — easily turns into an exploration of friendship, time, and adventure. Much more so when director Kyle Marvin uses his cast’s talent for making people laugh and their undoubted chemistry when reflecting on harder topics. From old age, to death and loss. The Last Yard uses humor to delve into human nature. A point that leads to a completely new scenario in its exciting and hilarious final scene.
Beatriz at Dinner
Humor and sharp social criticism are combined in this film by Miguel Arteta, which at the time of its release in 2017, was considered the first great film of the Trump Era. Beatriz (Salma Hayek) is a holistic healer of Mexican origin, who enjoys a peaceful life. She has never felt obliged to delve deeper or ask questions about racism or, in any case, her ethnic origin. But that will change, when after her act suffers a breakdown, she must spend a night at a client’s house. What will lead her to face Doug Strutt (John Lithgow), a ruthless businessman who epitomizes the obsessions and pressures of immigration in North America.
Although the film does not directly denounce discrimination and prejudice, its premise uses satire to reflect on how difference is understood in the United States today. Beatriz will have to deal with malicious questions, mockery of their ethnic origin and even criticism of their legal status.
During a long night of involuntary talk, it will become clear that in American society, there are various pressures and pains that still need to be analyzed. Something that the film does with laughter, word games and a twisted sense of humor.
Birdman or (the unexpected virtue of ignorance)
Alejandro González Iñárritu’s film is a critical satire that delves into the darkest places in the world of entertainment. Especially when fame becomes a complicated scenario that requires complete dedication to stay afloat. At least, this is the case of actor Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton), who for much of his career played only one role. And he achieved celebrity thanks to that great and iconic performance. But now, in his old age, fame becomes something more bitter and harder to handle.
The director uses an astonishing sequence shot that spans the entire film, to meditate on recognition and its dark points. The camera follows Riggan as he tries to rebuild his life, reconstruct his past in more than just a handful of films, and aim to showcase his talent. But little by little, it is evident that not only will he not be able to, but he will also have to face, as he can and not always successfully, his own decline.
Winner of the Oscar for Best Picture in 2014, the film remains a cynical exploration of the trials and deceptions of fame. At the same time, a great malicious mockery about the desire to succeed at all costs. Something that Riggan will only achieve in the strange and unforgettable final scene of the story.
Trip to Darjeeling
This early work by Wes Anderson, released in 2007, is an almost spiritual experience that analyzes fraternal bonds from a kind and sensitive dimension. At the same time of absurd humor and a road trip that crosses India, while the members of a family try to understand each other. Which leads to the most hilarious situations and at the same time, a thoughtful point of view of love, goodness and maturity.
Like all of Anderson’s films, Darjeeling is a combination of seemingly disordered sequences. Particularly when the characters end up abandoned in the desert with a dozen suitcases, a printer, and a laminating machine. But all situations will come together in a common scenario. The journey through the feelings of its protagonists like a kaleidoscope of peculiar circumstances.
Gradually, what begins as a journey between distant brothers becomes a reflection on the links that unite the past and the future. Besides, of course, the way humor is the ideal way to tell stories, even those that carry a painful background.
Dirty 30
The barrier of the third decade of life is usually an uncomfortable border for many young adults. A premise that director Andrew Bush takes to a hilarious extreme. What begins as a birthday party becomes the scene for chaos and laughter. Which includes three friends, trapped in a routine, deciding that it is a good time to start living what they left behind in recent years.
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Of course, the cliché of the great party in which everything is allowed is not at all original. What it is, lies in how the director approaches female anxieties and their peculiarities. At the same time, what it takes to grow and mature in our time. A tough topic that the film addresses with jokes and laughter.