Irreverent Humor

Speaking of irreverent humor, I'm reminded of The Smothers Brothers Show on CBS in the mid-late '60's. I barely remember it myself, but now looking back on it and what I've heard/read about it since, they were very "edgy" for their time, and there were several things they wanted to do that CBS didn't let on the air.

But I understand these rating things for movies are a game the movimakers play - a movie with a G rating won't sell nearly as well as if it has just one short scene that makes the rating PG.

I think that's the point, THE SIMPSONS guys know their fans WANT and EXPECT "irreverence" ... you pick up a "G" movie and you think "Where's the edge? Where's the part of the Simpsons where the kids laugh at Homer saying DO-OH! funny but the parents catch the social satire?

The Ratings folks are an evil lying lot, make no mistake about it (See the revealing THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED to know the depths of their sickness) ... but I'm thinking THE SIMPSONS thanked them for the PG.

Chuck Norris jokes are not irreverent, they are very reverent. If you don't think Chuck Norris is reverent, then he'll come kick your ass until you say otherwise.

Irreverent means different things to different people: originally 'against reverence' or something pertaining to theism, it can apply to scatalogical humor, ethnicity, personal hygiene, nattily dressed ferrets, etc. :}

Morning Monkey,

I haven't seen "The Simpson's Movie," and it's not on my list, but when I've surfed my way to an episode of the series--by accident, it's not a regular destination--I usually ride the wave. I think it's funny and the writing’s great, for what it is.

The Smother's Brothers, that was before my time--cough, cough--Well, it was! Laugh In was my time. I didn't really "get it." I was too young--Well, I was!--But it was, "Very interesting ... But stupid!" (Remember that German character, the peeping Tom, he was behind a bush--no, not Chaney, and he didn't have a shotgun--[BANG! that's irreverence, times two! I didn't say it was a good joke. Just irreverent.] The character played off the little old woman character in the hair net, she'd hit him with her handbag.) Who cares ... moving on.

I think, it'd be dangerous to throw punches at Chuck Norris, or any other "name," if your punch wasn't right-on, and/or, if you didn't shine a positive light on that "name." (Public domain exceptions could/would apply if; the studio legal department accepted the liability. Not a word makes it on the big screen without quad. checks. At least, that's the word, I've heard.) And, there better be a lot riding on that joke. Did Chuck Norris do his character? I have to believe there was more than that one line. Someone took on his persona. No wasted lines Monkey, a fundemental rule.

Shadow Ferrett is so right. The boogie man being afraid of Chuck Norris pays respect to the aging urban warrior. Maybe ... I'm saying, maybe, his publicist made a call to the writers of Simpson Movie. Think about it? He has been popping up in some odd places lately. Chuck should have a reverse royalty situation going on now.

A rant about this movie will do you no good, Monkey. Ultimately, no one forced you to watch the movie. It was your choice to leave the room ... or was it? Maybe you should think about a new safe word?

(I apologize for being personally irreverent about you in my last paragraph. I don't think your husband would force you to watch the Simpson’s Movie. And I don't think you'd wear a purple leather onesie or hang upside down from a hook in the ceiling with your eyes taped open. So if I used that image, or wrote that about you it would be wrong, and you would be right to rant, I think.)


For What It's Worth,

AL

Allegra Lunesta said:

The Smother's Brothers, that was before my time--cough, cough--Well, it was! Laugh In was my time. I didn't really "get it." I was too young--Well, I was!--But it was, "Very interesting ... But stupid!" (Remember that German character, the peeping Tom, he was behind a bush--no, not Chaney, and he didn't have a shotgun--[BANG! that's irreverence, times two! I didn't say it was a good joke. Just irreverent.] The character played off the little old woman character in the hair net, she'd hit him with her handbag.) Who cares ... moving on.

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The Smothers Brothers was on just a year prior to Laugh in.

And the Smothers Brothers were the epitome of irreverent. That's why they were canceled.

The Smothers Brothers made jokes about their mother. Not only did they deserve cancellation, they deserved to spend some time in their rooms thinking about the appropriateness of their behavior.

I think in this context, "irreverent" is more synonymous with "crass" or "crude" than actually having any religious connotations.

I actually like being able to distinguish between a humorous PG movie that might be apropriate for kids as opposed to a PG-13 one that might not. The movie Top Secret comes to mind. It was released before the PG-13 rating was invented and was rated PG, but I wouldn't want my kids watching it.

You can't trust that explanation for the ratings that they throw out. I remember a while back seeing some action/horror flick that had an explanation something along the lines of "Rated R for non-stop action/violence..." It think it was one of the Resident Evil films.

I remembered thinking that they might as well just have said, "Rated R for all the reasons that you'd want to see a movie like this in the first place."

What about the Simpson's movie, III? Would you be okay with that for your kids?

The ratings are close to useless for determining what my kids can watch. It's suspense or emotional tension that they just can't handle. There's no rating for that. Oh, and when Lyle shot the cow in front of the schoolbus. That was also not acceptable to them.

Monkey said:

Hmm...you guys are missing the point, here.

...I don't think that "irreverent humor" should bump a movie's rating.

I had no problem with the movie,
I had no problem with the rating,
I had a problem with the reasoning given for the rating.

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I totally agree with you Monkey. But I haven't seen the movie and I can't think of what it is that would push Bart and Co. from PG to PG-13. Maybe it's just semantics, ultimately. What would you call it, instead of irreverence, if you were calling it?

paprikapink said:

What about the Simpson's movie, III? Would you be okay with that for your kids?

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I'm pretty much a psychotic fan when it comes to the Simpsons. My kids have seen and can quote pretty much every episode and we saw the movie on opening night and own the DVD.

Well, what I consider to be "irreverant humor" is humor that makes fun (usually quite accurately) of people or issues that some holier-than-thou folks think are too "sacred" to be made fun of.

You know, Presidents, popes, religions, etc. In other words, the stuff that deserves to be made fun of the most.

The reason they give a "warning" about this is because those same folks tend to have aneurysms when exposed to that kind of humor.

III said:

I'm pretty much a psychotic fan when it comes to the Simpsons. My kids have seen and can quote pretty much every episode and we saw the movie on opening night and own the DVD.

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Maybe now is a good time to mention that Matt Groening's niece and I were bridesmaids in the same wedding once. And I have his autograph on the 1987 "Life in Hell Funky World of Fun" calendar that he did with Lynda Barry.

chartreuse said:

Well, what I consider to be "irreverant humor" is humor that makes fun (usually quite accurately) of people or issues that some holier-than-thou folks think are too "sacred" to be made fun of.

You know, Presidents, popes, religions, etc. In other words, the stuff that deserves to be made fun of the most.

The reason they give a "warning" about this is because those same folks tend to have aneurysms when exposed to that kind of humor.

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That's a pretty glib interpretation. What about movies that make fun of mental retardation or homosexuality or racial stereotypes or pets dying or date rape? Do "those folks" tend to have aneurysms when something that's special or sensitive to them is made fun of? Are those subjects too "sacred"? Who are you to tell someone else date rape isn't funny? The straw man you're using could be applied to many more camps than the ones with which you disassociate yourself.

paprikapink said:

Maybe now is a good time to mention that Matt Groening's niece and I were bridesmaids in the same wedding once. And I have his autograph on the 1987 "Life in Hell Funky World of Fun" calendar that he did with Lynda Barry.

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That is so cool.

paprikapink said:

The Smothers Brothers made jokes about their mother. Not only did they deserve cancellation, they deserved to spend some time in their rooms thinking about the appropriateness of their behavior.

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Um. Yeah. Sure.

They were very political and that's what got them canceled. Not their silly jokes about their mom and who she liked best.

I think you bring up an interesting argument here. Where does the MPAA determine a line is crossed when it comes to something so immeasurable as "tone" and "style"? It gets tricky.

Shadow_Ferret said:

Um. Yeah. Sure.

They were very political and that's what got them canceled. Not their silly jokes about their mom and who she liked best.

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My apologies Shadow_Ferret. I shouldn't be flip about a TV show that you revere. I'll try to be more sensitive in the future.

Shadow_Ferret said:

The Smothers Brothers was on just a year prior to Laugh in.

And the Smothers Brothers were the epitome of irreverent. That's why they were canceled.

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I thought they were canceled because the head of CBS was pals with President Johnson--whose administration was the butt of many jokes on the show.

III said:

The movie Top Secret comes to mind. It was released before the PG-13 rating was invented and was rated PG, but I wouldn't want my kids watching it.

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Not yet. In a few years, it should be mandatory that they watch it.

Tiger said:

I thought they were canceled because the head of CBS was pals with President Johnson--whose administration was the butt of many jokes on the show.

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Right. Political humor and irreverence toward that administration.