World could use some real comedy today

The time has come for Pixar to establish a comedy college for live- action filmmakers.

After I watched "Finding Nemo" last weekend, it occurred to me that there are no modern moviemakers today who understand comedy -- especially physical comedy -- as well as the Pixar guys.

"Nemo" is loaded with wonderful little moments that demonstrate the wit and cleverness that are necessary to make a good sight gag sing. And if you go back and look at "Monsters, Inc.," "A Bug's Life" or either of the two "Toy Story" films, you'll see that the same thing applies to those films.

When you think of the great comedy films that fill the screen with wonderful little gems of intricately choreographed laugh-out-loud bits of business -- "Bringing Up Baby," "It Happened One Night," "His Girl Friday," "Adam's Rib," "Tootsie" or just about anything with the Marx Brothers, Laurel & Hardy or those three silent-screen geniuses, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd -- you begin to realize how lacking modern comedies are.

There's no dearth of comics in movies today, but not many go for sight gags. And when they do, they are undisciplined, lacking in grace and often downright obnoxious.

They'd rather go for flatulence than pratfalls. And by pratfalls, I don't mean someone being knocked down by Adam Sandler in a rage.

I mean the kind of things at which silent comics, and those who studied them, excelled -- a fall that was more than merely hitting the ground.

Think Chaplin in the gears of giant machinery in "Modern Times."

Think Keaton in "The General," on a moving steam engine's cowcatcher, using one railroad tie to knock several others from the track.

Think Lloyd hanging from a clock tower in "Safety Last."

Think Harpo Marx in "Horse Feathers" being asked by a homeless man if he'll help him with a cup of coffee, so Harpo reaches in his pocket and produces a steaming hot cup of coffee.

Think Oliver Hardy in "Block-Heads," seeing Stan Laurel in a wheelchair with one leg tucked under him, and, thinking Stan has lost his leg in the war, pushes him in the chair and eventually carries him.

Think Lou Costello getting knocked about while dancing with Joan Davis in "Hold That Ghost."

Think Danny Kaye's knighthood in quick-time in "The Court Jester."

Think Rock Hudson trying to get his oversized frame into an undersized sports car in "Pillow Talk."

Think Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau in "A Shot in the Dark," tiptoeing through a nudist camp, strategically covered by a guitar.

Think Dick Van Dyke tripping over the ottoman during the opening of "The Dick Van Dyke Show."

In fact -- go rent any of those and forget most of what's in theaters.

THIS SUMMER WILL no doubt go down in cinematic history as the most remake- and sequel-driven ever. Even movies that aren't supposed to be remakes actually are.

Take "Bruce Almighty," supposedly an original comedy. I was shocked at how much of it is cribbed from the 1977 comedy "Oh, God!"

In fact, "Bruce Almighty" is more faithful to "Oh, God!" than "The In-Laws" is to "The In-Laws"!

Morgan Freeman, dropping one-liners as God, isn't all that far afield from George Burns. The all-white room where Jim Carrey meets God resembles the all-white room to which John Denver is summoned to meet God. And both films end with a surprising endorsement of prayer.

The main difference between the films is that "Oh, God!" was gentle and sweet but still managed to be quite funny. And "Bruce Almighty" is occasionally funny, but it's also occasionally mean- spirited, vulgar and sleazy (with profanity, sex jokes and, of course, the obligatory flatulence and dog-urinating gags).

Then, despite the film's in-your-face, nasty attitude, it tries to shift its tone to gentle and sweet in the end, which seems disingenuous at best.

Also, while "Oh, God!" was character-driven, "Bruce Almighty" is pretty much Carrey driven.

E-MAIL: hicks@desnews.com

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