Laughter in films that are not comedies

Drew Ott

Drew Ott

Wish I were banned.
Maybe this goes in film discussion, but I'll put it here because it may turn into discussion outside just film.

I just got back from seeing 2001: A Space Odyssey at the theater. I enjoyed it much more than I ever have watching on DVD, and I've always liked it when watching on DVD.

The one and only negative aspect of the viewing experience was the audience. Maybe I'm in the minority on this one (and let me know if I am), but I don't find much in 2001 particularly funny. Even if there are some subtle darkly comedic elements, they would never be enough for me to laugh audibly at.

The audience laughed at 80% of HAL's lines. They cracked up when the astronaut (forgot his name) floated off into deep space, and also when Dave flew in through the manual pod bay door.

It's just frustrating. Maybe these parts are funny and I'm being too uptight. I'm really not sure, but it doesn't make much sense to me right now.



Another film that this happened on to a lesser degree was There Will Be Blood. The audience roared with laughter through most of the 2nd and 3rd acts. A few lines could have deserved a quiet chuckle, but not this much. It turned what could have been an amazing experience into one where I had to say, "I bet I'll love this when it gets to DVD."
 
your not being uptight. its just stuff is funny sometimes to the crowd, and i can understand them laughing, even if its not neccisarily Benny Hill funny. Not defending it, nor attacking it.

Same thing happened when i went to see There Will Be Blood, just gotta go with it i guess. I think that laughing it self is an expression of other emotions a movie makes people feel, so its not neccisarily funny, its more of a reaction of sorts. :/
 
HAL is one of the greatest/scariest sci fi characters ever created. I saw it in a theater too and there was also laughter--nervous laughter. No one makes comedies blacker than Kubrick. You can't steer into or out of the skid with HAL, he's been mindfacking movie goers for 40 years and as far as I can tell hasn't lost his first step. He's gonna take it to he hole every time and dunk over your.
 
Having seen 2001 in a theater a few times myself (assuming you saw it at the Paramount, Drew?) - I can tell you I've had the same experience. I've also seen the same thing happen every year with Lawrence of Arabia (which to be fair does have quite a few funny lines in it).

I think Zak is on to something - as that's the vibe I've gotten in both movies there.
Seems that the crowd has a tendency to laugh during scenes they are truly enjoying - I think there is also an overall assumption in those screenings that everyone in the theater has already seen the film.... so there seems to be a "oh wow, remember this scene?" sort of vibe going on.

While I never found HAL particularly funny - I can tell you from someone who has seen that film many many times that the first time I was able to see it on a big screen off a 70mm print I was absolutely giddy ... I don't remember if I actually laughed, but I can understand why someone would, I guess.
 
I can see you're really upset about this. I honestly think you ought to sit down calmly, take a stress pill and think things over.
 
One of the things that put me off going to the theater any more is audience reaction. It's a double edged sword in a way. It can add to a the movie going experience or it can take away from it. For me personally, it takes away a lot especially in movies I am truly interested in seeing. I hate having to hear questions and inappropriate comments while I am trying to watch a movie. For comedies it's less of an issue but for most other films I just prefer to watch it at home.

As for 2001, I really can't think of a scene in that movie that would make me laugh out loud.
 
pan's labrynth. i saw it in the theater. the homicidal maniac behind me laughed the entire movie. based on the amount he laughed, his favorite parts were the main antagonist getting his cheek cut open with a knife and later sewing his cheek up; random soldiers getting shot, and the doctor with glasses getting killed.

totally ruined it.
 
Should I ever open my own chain of theaters, patrons will be furnished with a 2"x4" strip of duct tape to be used in the pursuit of a quiet, un-interrupted viewing experience.
 
Big Bad said:
I remember people laughing in The Departed in the very end when people kept getting shot.
Click to expand...

Spoiler Alert... for those who still have not seen the Departed

oh hell yeah, people laughed and clapped when Marky Mark shot Matt Damon at the very end. The laughter was just happiness, not necessarily funny.
 
I have to admit that the seemingly endless series of head-shots near the end began to feel kind of comical, after a little while.
 
I found myself laughing quite a lot, with regard to the Joker, but it was almost always nervous laughter.
 
sometimes people laugh at a movie because it is ridiculous. for example: the village. personally i like it when the audience gets really involved in the film and reacts strongly to what is going on.
 
I've never laughed at anything in 2001, but I have laughed at hardship situations.
Not becuase I thought it was funny, but because I understand the situation.

In the past my sense of humour has almost caused a few problems, in particular, while drinking with a few guys fresh out of the joint. "You robbed a train (?), hahahha", not good from their POV but we always got it resolved in short order.

Point is, laughter does not always mean funny, it can mean different things sometimes.

//Another example. A life long alcoholoic buy's a Mr.Sub sandwich in order to start eating again and get a bit healthier. In the process of opening it up, he spills it all over the floor and is left with nothing. I laughed, but quickly, lol, had to explain why. It bothered him, that he couldn't do something that simple, but still I had to laugh. Not at him, just the situation.

That and robbing a train, man, I almost got punched out for laughing at that one, hahaha.
 
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