The Comedy of Obesity: The De-Evolution
By Dustin Rowles | Posted Under Seriously Random Lists | Comments (18)
There have been a lot of overweight people in the history of film who have been funny — Fatty Arbuckle, Jackie Gleason, Oliver Hardy, Curly Howard, Porky Pig, Lou Costello, and the fat one in “The Little Rascals” to name a few — but the idea that comedians are funny because they are overweight seems like a more recent development. It’s likely the result of the full-blown fat epidemic in America, but the comedy of obesity is full-blown now. How did we get from John Belushi in Animal House and John Candy in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles to Kevin James in Paul Blart: Mall Cop? “The Biggest Loser” is the top-rated program on NBC; ABC Family just began airing a show called “Huge,” about a fat-camp for teenagers. Fox, the classiest of all networks, even aired a dating reality show last season referred to as The Fatchelor. Who do we blame for the comedy of obesity?
Today’s Seriously Random List is not one of ranking. It’s one that, using 11 highlighted films, tracks the evolution of obesity movies since Animal House. It’s meant to expose just how low-brow we’ve gone and, perhaps, leave you wondering just how much further we can devolve. Sad as it is, and as much as I love the movie, it appears that Tommy Boy may have been the turning point, but it was The Nutty Professor that pushed it over the edge.
Animal House (1978)
Typical Fat Joke
(Otter, referring to Blutarsky): “No, it’s okay, just keep your hands and feet away from his mouth. “
Stripes (1981)
Typical Fat Joke
“Well, my name’s Dewey Oxburger. My friends call me Ox. I dont know if you’ve noticed, but I got a slight weight problem.”
Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)
Typical Fat Joke
“Was that seat hot or what? I feel like a Whopper. Turn me over, I’m done on this side. I’m afraid to look at my ass. There’ll be griddle marks.”
Tommy Boy (1995)
Typical Fat Joke
“Fat guy, little coat. Fat guy, little coat.”
“I can actually hear you getting fatter.”
Angus (1995)
Typical Fat Joke
“I don’t sweat. I rain.”
The Nutty Professor (1996) and The Nutty Professor 2 (2000)
Typical Fat Joke
“Boy’s so fat when they cut his ass open with a pen-knife it bleed chocolate milk; what would you do for a Klondike bar?”
“The other day I got out the shower and I bend down to reach for a towel, and I felt a sharp pain in my chest. Shot through my chest and up around my shoulder and down my spine. I thought “Oh, Lord.” I thought I was dying. I bent over and looked, and I was standing on my own titty.”
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
Typical Fat Joke
“Of course I’m not happy! Look at me, I’m a big fat slob. I’ve got bigger titties than you do. I’ve got more chins than a Chinese phonebook. I’ve not seen my willie in two years, which is long enough to declare it legally dead.”
“I’ve got a crap on deck that could choke a donkey. Aww, it’s SQUIDGY. Christ, I’m gettin’ all emotional from it, ya know?”
Big Momma’s House (2000) and Big Momma’s House 2 (2006)
Typical Fat Joke
“You too fat to be ballin’.”
Shallow Hal (2001)
Typical Fat Joke
“I saw the way your friend Mauricio looked at me; I thought he was going to shoot me with a tranquilizer gun and tag my ear.”
“Haven’t you ever heard that beauty is in the eye of the beholder? / Have you heard the song “Who Let The Dogs Out?”“
Norbit (2007)
Typical Fat Joke
Norbit: Rasputia, you can’t drink wine.
Rasputia: Why the hell not?
Norbit: You’re with child.
Rasputia: With child? I ain’t with no… Oh. Oh, that was… I had gas. I still got it.
Rasputia: [farts] There’s your child. Now go get me something to drink.
Rasputia: [farts again] Twins!
Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009)
Typical Fat Joke
Try 2/3rds of the trailer:
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Comments
Posted by: Darcy at July 6, 2010 3:17 PM
I see this as part of the larger trend of audiences, in general, becoming less discerning and more stupid. Or, perhaps more aptly, of film producers *assuming* audiences are becoming less discerning and more stupid. Whichever came first, the audiences becoming stupid or movie producers assuming the audience was stupid, it's happened and audiences these days have the attention span of a gnat. Why invest time in character development, even if you're just developing a fat joke, when you can just show a fat guy and have people laugh when he falls over for being, you know, fat.
Here's how I see a typical pitch for a Kevin James movie:
Kevin - "See there's this guy, and he's fat."
Movie producer - "I like it. What else?"
Kevin - "Um ... he's also a thief, but ... you know ... a FAT one."
Movie producer - "I LOVE IT! Make it happen!"
So, in summary, here's how to make a Kevin James movie:
1) Plot = Fat guy is a
2) ???
3) PROFIT!