No one sets out to make a bad movie. Yet most movies suck. The reasons are as wide and varied as the stars. Not the movie stars. A studio invests so much time and money in a project that they would lose more money canning it, than bringing it out. Hence, Ishtar, Water World, and The Adventures of Pluto Nash. Others are the result of self-styled auteurs, mostly men with a passion to make their mark, a dream, and a lot of money. But passion and a dream don’t necessarily translate into a good movie. Witness Ju Jitsu on Netflix. Bad writing accounts for most of these failures. A lot of stinkers are written by their directors, mostly first time. Passion is essential, but so is talent.
My favorite bad movie is Nothing But Trouble, written by Dan Aykroyd and his brother Peter, directed by Aykroyd, released by Warner Brothers. “Dan Aykroyd’s a big star. Let him have his movie. What harm can it do?” Not much, really, except to waste the time of everyone who saw it. Remember Sturgeon’s Law: Ninety per cent of everything is crap. That holds true for all popular media, including comics.
Some movies fail because of star meddling. “Ben Affleck’s a big star. Let him rewrite the script. What harm can it do?”
Modern comedies aren’t funny. There are exceptions. Brain Donors. The Hangover. But most modern comics substitute sarcasm for wit, or indulge in grotesque sight gags. However, most comedies aren’t funny. Some Like It Hot isn’t funny. Neither is It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Director Stanley Kramer thought having so many great comedians in the cast would be enough. It’s not. The script isn’t funny.
When you see a half dozen screenwriters, you catch a whiff of desperation. Are movies by committee, by and large, better than auteurs? Sometimes. Tootsie was adapted by Larry Gelbart, Barry Levinson, Elaine May, and Murray Schisgal from a story idea by Gelbart and Don McGuire. It’s funny. Really funny. It came out in 1982, so it hardly counts as a modern movie. Can you name recent comedies that make you laugh? Not the sporadic laugh coughed up as gratitude for a tiny drink of water in a desert, but laugh after laugh. Why aren’t modern comedies funny? Look at His Girl Friday and Duck Soup. Funny stuff! Back when people weren’t terrified of offending. Remember that all humor is based on tragedy and you see the dilemma.
I'm sure many people consider 'WaterWorld' and 'It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World' to be bad movies, but along with such supposed stinkers as 'Hudson Hawk', they are among my favorites.
And for the record, IAMMMMW had me laughing almost continuously. It was mostly Because Slapstick, but you just don't get that kind of comedy gold today.