Understanding Parody Comedy

By: Alex Bennett
Text Type: Informational
Date: 12/10/2021

Films have the unique ability to encapsulate aspects of the world and amplify a specific narrative. This is most commonly depicted in documentaries, drama, and realism. This ability, however, is not specific to these genres. Comedy films have a very distinct ability to achieve this understanding of the world. They enhance narratives to attract audiences and create comedic experiences. Within the comedy genre lies the subgenre of parody comedies.The purpose of these films is to imitate other things, whether that's other films or real life. This film genre is often overlooked, however it is often reflective of the culture of the time period. Specifically the films that are popular during that time period. This genre has faced a lot of controversy as a whole, it is praised for its comedic value while still criticized for the manner in which it presents the media. With big name actors and a repetitive plot, it feels like there is no hope for the future of spoof movies. How can modern movies still encapsulate the humor of those of the past? What makes a good parody comedy?
Airplane! is a spoof comedy that came out in 1980, directed by David Zucker. This film was made in response to mass production of disaster films in the 70s. This nearly 40 year old film encapsulates what a good parody should be. It is a disaster comedy set in an airplane with one goal: A safe landing. Its wide cast of characters makes for an exciting and hilarious story. With an underlying plot to win back his stewardess girlfriend, our main character Ted Striker finds himself stuck in an airplane with no pilots. One of the most important aspects of parodies is tone. Establishing tone as a comedy can be difficult as it attempts to understand the audience and their perspective. Airplane is executed so well because it contains a well written screenplay. In addition to this, aspects like timing and acting contribute to the execution of this screenplay. One of the most important aspects of a parody specifically is the tropes. Every parody comedy benefits off of the common tropes found in other films. For example Airplane has two African-American characters, both of which act in a manner that is “typical” for them to behave. By exaggerating these tropes the audience is able to draw connections to other films, and even to stereotypes we see in real life. References are absolutely key in Airplane, the opening scene sets the tone of the film. It begins with a reference to another famously known disaster film, Jaws, depicting the plane flying emerging through the clouds in the same manner in which the shark does in Jaws. The overall narrative is entertaining as we, as an audience, are able to connect the story to our lives.
Parody movies are often more than just surface level. There is a significant cultural impact that these movies held. The parody genre was born as a way for many aspects of life to be looked upon in a new perspective, to find the humor in life. Airplane’s many tropes can also be understood as time capsules, a reflection of life in the past. An example of this is the sequence of random people emerging into and out of the airport, while this scene is funny on its own, there is also the element of nostalgia to some people, as the operations of airports have changed significantly from the 1980s to present day. Shows like Saturday Night Live were recently born around the time of this movie, the American people specifically, were taking a moment to find relief and laughter during this time. Article “How To Write A Good Genre Parody” written by Eric Owusu states that a good parody should “include pop culture references of your current time”. Airplane references several popular films of the time period. One worth mentioning is the film Airport (1974) of which it is almost a direct parody, even the names being nearly the same. The movie airplane birthed others of similar nature, establishing the formula for a good parody. The characters are a message themselves about contemporary issues of the world. Having various nationalities board the plane depicting internal cultural conflicts and how majority populations expect others to behave. When we see women act differently from how we anticipate, for example, we find it both humorous and reflective. That is to say that over exaggerating stereotypes can contribute to our awareness of them.
Just because a film is comedic does not also mean that it cannot have artistic elements as well. The film Airplane acts as a lesson to future parodies to come. The element of pacing and understanding an audience may not seem inherently artistic, but a further exploration can reveal how important that is. Visual humor is emphasized by how and when it is depicted. Art is supposed to draw emotions out of an audience, even if that emotion is humor. The manner in which the dance sequence, for example, takes place is reflective of glamorous and extensive dance scenes in other films. This is both comedic and artistic as it challenges how the art form of dance can be seen as out of place or over done. As explained in an article by Beth Bonnstetter there is an importance of the audience’s ability to recognize and assess satiric criticism in film and television”. This quote used to say that a comedy’s ability to be critical is an extension of the audience, and being able to do so can be artistic in nature. Comedy films as a whole are forms of art as they exist to speak on things that might otherwise go unspoken. Addressing topics that may be considered “strange” or “crude” push comedy films where others may not go. References to women’s bodies can be seen in this movie, even a depiction of the top half of a nude woman can be seen in this film. This can be interpreted as a mention to the taboo subject of how we view women. Analysis aside, this form of unsuspecting humor surprises and entertains an audience.
Despite being funny in nature, there are serious industrial aspects of parody comedies. This is often how this genre fails to reach its full potential. The parody industry is now very large and extensive, but it wasn’t always that way. Originally the parody comedy was a form of self awareness developed in the film industry. It was quickly widely successful and the use of slapstick comedy and quips made it easy to watch and understand. As it developed however, there was a sort of formula that was passed on, film to film. This formula grew stale overtime and the audiences were able to predict how these films would occur. This issue became more prominent as lawsuits were filed against this genre of media. As explained in an essay written by Diane Waldman there is a “a fear of the damage competition from television could do to the film industry; an initial view of television as closer to a business than an art, and therefore not worthy of parody’s fair use defense.” This quote essentially claims that as the parody genre leans toward an act of making money in the form of business, it loses its right as a filmatic adaptation. This genre profits off of mocking others, and it faces the question of the difference between copying and mocking. Copyright issues are still seen today in films that aim to solely profit off the existence of others. What initially started as a fun and introspective genre has been reduced to a series of lawsuits and controversies. In this process it seems as though what originally made this genre stand alone, now is seen as a cheap form of media. While there are exceptions, it would be ignorant to believe that this genre is the same as it once was.
Overall the parody film genre can be understood as a revolutionary form of media that grew too big. Once people understood how to make people laugh it became harder and harder to expand upon this as a whole. Films like Airplane will live in infamy as they laid the groundwork for years of humor to come. Airplane uses its wide cast and estranged characters to create a film worth rewatching. The parody comedy genre developed from something unexpected and interesting into a larger scheme. The artistic ability of comedy to understand an audience and the world is truly unique. Eliciting laughter from a crowd at a rapid rate is impressive. It pushes the boundaries of our understanding of culture, and these forms of film influenced the media for years to come. A good parody should approach the world as a whole, and embrace the time period it exists in. Airplane excellently achieves this, and makes the audience understand culture in a deeper matter. More than anything else, parody comedies are funny, they create a fun viewing experience and allow for the audience to laugh at the absurdity of the world.

References:
Waldman, Diane. “Just Travesties: TV Parodies of Hollywood Films and Copyright Infringement Lawsuits.” Film History, vol. 27, no. 3, Indiana University Press, 2015, pp. 73–103

Bonnstetter, Beth E. “Mel Brooks Meets Kenneth Burke (and Mikhail Bakhtin): Comedy and Burlesque in Satiric Film.” Journal of Film and Video, vol. 63, no. 1, [University of Illinois Press, University Film & Video Association], 2011, pp. 18–31,

Owusu, Eric. “How To Write A Good Genre Parody” The Script Lab- An Industry Arts Company 2015