Overview

Film comedy has been around as long as cinema itself. Over the years, particular forms of the genre have emerged, evolved, and spawned other branches of comedy. While these subgenres may vary in their approach to humor, all of them have the same goal: amusing audiences. In Reeling with Laughter: American Film Comedies—From Anarchy to Mockumentary, Michael V. Tueth examines some of the most enjoyable comic movies of all time. Beginning with the anarchic romp Duck Soup (1933), each chapter explores a specific subgenre through a representative film. Along with the Marx Brothers’ classic, other subgenres discussed in this volume include romantic comedy (It Happened One Night), screwball comedy (Bringing Up Baby and What’s Up, Doc?), musical comedy (Singin’ in the Rain), sex farce (Some Like It Hot), satire (Dr. Strangelove), parody (Young Frankenstein), neurotic comedy (Annie Hall), Dionysian comedy (Animal House), mockumentary (Waiting for Guffman), and animated comedy (South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut). In this volume, Tueth provides the background of each film’s production and discusses their audience reception, critical appraisal, and the qualities that have characterized these enduring works. Reeling with Laughter will appeal to film students, as well as the general public eager to revisit these great American films.

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Reviews

Tueth (communication and media studies, Fordham Univ.) analyzes 12 US comedies as representative of 11 genres. Duck Soup is clearly anarchic comedy; It Happened One Night, romantic; Singin' in the Rain, musical; Some Like It Hot, sex farce; Dr. Strangelove, satire; Young Frankenstein, parody; Annie Hall, neurotic; Animal House, Dionysian; Waiting for Guffman, mockumentary; and South Park, feature animation. For screwball, Bringing Up Baby is joined by its undervalued remake, What's Up, Doc?. Each chapter provides an excellent introduction to its film(s). The author nods to the literary antecedents, chats about production details, cites other critics effectively, and moves easily between the film's general significance and close readings of important scenes. With all the quoted jokes and recollections, this makes for a delightful read, especially as Tueth prefers the subject texts over any imported theory. This excellent book would be valuable as a textbook and a solid basis for more extensive explorations of less examined genres (neurotic, Dionysian, mockumentary, and animation). Summing Up: Highly recommended. CHOICE

Author Information

Michael V. Tueth, SJ, teaches film and television studies in the Department of Communication and Media Studies at Fordham University. He is the author of Laughter in the Living Room: Television Comedy and the American Home Audience (2005).

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