Weirdness can work in sketch format. This is because there is no setup or explanation required for what is going on; the humour is supposed to be instantaneous. We see something that is weird on screen, and we laugh because it is weird, also in the knowledge that whatever's on screen will go away shortly.
There is potential for comedy to be found in the premise of "The 'burbs", but unfortunately the script fails to extract any of it. I know the ineptitude of the film can be traced directly back to the quality (or lack thereof) of the script, because director Joe Dante is capable of crafting great entertainment given the right material ("Gremlins", "Innerspace"). There are also a number of usually reliable performers here struggling with the weakness of what they are given. The paucity of the end result that reaches our screens can be explained by the approach that the script tries to take.
This is a feature film, so some attempt should have been made to flesh out the main character, to make the audience relate to him. You have a basic plot here, USE IT! USE IT TO AT LEAST HALF OF ITS FULL POTENTIAL PLEASE!!! There is no need for the humour here to be instantaneous like a sketch show, because we're working from a much broader canvas where the plot can even be established before the humour arrives. The 'sketch' analogy that describes the approach of the movie presents various problems which dog the film throughout its running time.
In a sketch, we laugh because something is weird. In a film, we expect the comedy to originate from the situation that has been presented to us. Too often in this film, we are shown things that are strange, and are expected to laugh because of this, despite the fact that their importance to the situation is TOTALLY arbitrary. The situation would still be the same if they weren't there, they're just thrown in to make us laugh. I would say though, that if you can't develop the situation competently enough so that it makes us laugh on its own, without the aid of cheap gimmicks, then comedy isn't your forte. That's a message to the writers...
Also, as I said, we laugh at a sketch because we know it will be over shortly. It should be obvious that the funny parts of the sketch are not strong enough to be sustained over a longer period. One of the worst things about watching "The 'burbs" is that if you don't find the 'awkward' weirdness funny (as you can surmise I didn't), you know that the execution period won't be mercifully brief, unlike a sketch. It was an awful moment when I realised I had to sit through this unfunny tosh for AT LEAST another hour and twenty minutes...
If you like the idea of stupid events that don't sit well with the overall plot of the film, then you might like this. The rest of us will just scratch our heads in wonder at why anybody might enjoy a comedy that is otherwise laugh-free.
There is potential for comedy to be found in the premise of "The 'burbs", but unfortunately the script fails to extract any of it. I know the ineptitude of the film can be traced directly back to the quality (or lack thereof) of the script, because director Joe Dante is capable of crafting great entertainment given the right material ("Gremlins", "Innerspace"). There are also a number of usually reliable performers here struggling with the weakness of what they are given. The paucity of the end result that reaches our screens can be explained by the approach that the script tries to take.
This is a feature film, so some attempt should have been made to flesh out the main character, to make the audience relate to him. You have a basic plot here, USE IT! USE IT TO AT LEAST HALF OF ITS FULL POTENTIAL PLEASE!!! There is no need for the humour here to be instantaneous like a sketch show, because we're working from a much broader canvas where the plot can even be established before the humour arrives. The 'sketch' analogy that describes the approach of the movie presents various problems which dog the film throughout its running time.
In a sketch, we laugh because something is weird. In a film, we expect the comedy to originate from the situation that has been presented to us. Too often in this film, we are shown things that are strange, and are expected to laugh because of this, despite the fact that their importance to the situation is TOTALLY arbitrary. The situation would still be the same if they weren't there, they're just thrown in to make us laugh. I would say though, that if you can't develop the situation competently enough so that it makes us laugh on its own, without the aid of cheap gimmicks, then comedy isn't your forte. That's a message to the writers...
Also, as I said, we laugh at a sketch because we know it will be over shortly. It should be obvious that the funny parts of the sketch are not strong enough to be sustained over a longer period. One of the worst things about watching "The 'burbs" is that if you don't find the 'awkward' weirdness funny (as you can surmise I didn't), you know that the execution period won't be mercifully brief, unlike a sketch. It was an awful moment when I realised I had to sit through this unfunny tosh for AT LEAST another hour and twenty minutes...
If you like the idea of stupid events that don't sit well with the overall plot of the film, then you might like this. The rest of us will just scratch our heads in wonder at why anybody might enjoy a comedy that is otherwise laugh-free.