Last week I posted the following Facebook status: "Kate Stabile wonders why movie producers continue to think that a 2 minute comedy sketch will still be funny when stretched to 2 hours." I felt that I had more to say on this topic than was allowed by the pithy Facebook status update, and, gee, I just happen to have a blog with which to expand on that thought!
The prompt for this status update occurred while I was visiting imdb.com to solve some kind of movie mystery. Once on the page, I skimmed over the trailers available for view, and my eye fell on one title in particular: MacGruber. I stared dumbfounded for a moment until I realized that Saturday Night Live was going to once again take a popular sketch and stretch it until it looked nothing like what made us laugh in the first place. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this series of sketches, here is a link to one that made me chuckle:
http://www.hulu.com/watch/39814/saturday-night-live-macgruber-financial-ruin
Time and time again, movie producers have capitalized on the success of a comedy sketch; however, the end result is almost unfailingly sub-par. SNL has been a frequent offender in this respect. I can think of only one instance in which decent entertainment has been created from the seed of an SNL skit, and that one exception is Wayne's World. While not a high art classic by any means, Wayne's World managed to expand on the antics of its characters in a plausible way. Not only was it amusing, but it brought Queen back into the public consciousness with a clever and most excellent use of "Bohemian Rhapsody".
Efforts such as A Night at the Roxbury and The Ladies' Man (neither of which have I seen) have not fared nearly so well. I propose that the main reason for this failure is the nature of the characters within the format of the sketch. The hapless club-goers of A Night at the Roxbury and the titular lothario of The Ladies' Man are essentially one-dimensional. The one trait that they display or one activity in which they participate is both what makes the sketch funny and what makes it unsuitable for a long format. These characters do not have a back story or a hidden conflict. We don't need these elements to make us laugh, and frankly don't want them. The protagonists of Wayne's World were not quite so static in format and personality, and therefore had a better chance of being fleshed out. Considering that the bomb that MacGruber is perpetually trying to dismantle is set to go off after 20 seconds, and the humor in the situation lies with the distractions that cause him to fail in his attempt, I don't see what good can come out of removing him from this format. Sorry MacGruber, I hold out about as much hope for your movie as I do for you actually getting out of that bunker (or bank, or mafia hideout) unscathed.
What are your views on movies based on comedy sketches?
