The trajectory of comedy has transformed rather radically over the years. Call it a result of the infamous ‘cancel culture’ or a much-needed consequence of increased awareness, but the fact remains that the public’s outlook on humor has changed conspicuously. And the same has had a particularly significant effect on the film industry.
While some actors might see this as a sign of change, fresh and essential, others aren’t too welcoming of said developments wherein they’re constantly being policed for every joke they make, as if one wrong word and their careers could come tumbling down.
Renowned English comedian Ricky Gervais has repeatedly voiced his concern about what seems to have become a pitiful condition of comedy today. Actor and comedian Jamie Foxx spoke about it too after shelving All-Star Weekend out of fear of being chastised, a sports comedy that would’ve marked his directorial debut had it seen the light of day. And now, Jennifer Aniston has weighed her opinion regarding the matter.
Jennifer Aniston Laments Over the ‘Tragic’ Condition of Comedy
Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler are making a grand comeback as Nick and Audrey Spitz in the much-anticipated Murder Mystery sequel which is just a couple of days away from airing on Netflix. Despite being on the receiving end of dire critical reviews, the 2019 film was reportedly viewed by more than 30 million households and enjoyed by a good amount of them. But it’s been almost five years since the film dropped and things have evolved a lot, especially in terms of comedies, something which the lead stars of Murder Mystery 2 seem to agree vehemently with.
Speaking with AFP in Paris, where the Jeremy Garelick-helmed film is set, Aniston remarked how comedy and films have “evolved” to such a great extent that comedians have to be extremely cautious with their content now, thereby rendering it difficult for them to make jokes liberally without constantly having to watch out for any serious repercussions.
“Now it’s a little tricky because you have to be very careful, which makes it really hard for comedians, because the beauty of comedy is that we make fun of ourselves, make fun of life.”
The Golden Globe-winning actress stated how back in the early days, one could “joke about a bigot and have a laugh” but the same would be frowned upon today. “That was hysterical. And it was about educating people on how ridiculous people were,” she said. “And now we’re not allowed to do that.”
Jennifer Aniston Talks About The Transformation of Comedy
Aniston, 54, who starred as the fan-favorite Rachel Green in NBC’s award-winning sitcom, Friends, pointed out how the 1990s show, which was once considered to be the epitome of hilarity, is now being deemed as offensive.
“There’s a whole generation of people, kids, who are now going back to episodes of ‘Friends’ and find them offensive. There were things that were never intentional and others…well, we should have thought it through…but I don’t think there was a sensitivity like there is now.”
The Horrible Bosses star also believes that to be one of the main reasons why Hollywood is releasing lesser comedies these days, urging people to not take everything “too seriously” because “the world needs humor.”
“Everybody needs funny! The world needs humor! We can’t take ourselves too seriously. Especially in the United States. Everyone is far too divided.”
Sandler, her co-star from Murder Mystery 2, who has collaborated with Aniston on numerous occasions, seemed to agree with her. He further added how comedies have also changed in terms of the far too exorbitant budgets and the industry’s tactic of making them appear as big-studio films and dramas instead. “They would give you a budget, not too much money, and say: ‘Do whatever you can with that,'” he observed. “And now they want us to look pretty awesome.”
Murder Mystery 2 will air on Netflix on March 31, 2023.
Source: France 24
