luckyeddie Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 3 minutes ago, Mandy Lifeboats said: I would challenge anyone to watch Fawlty Towers for the first time and not find it funny. It was brilliantly written and there are so many moments of absolute genius. Prunela Scales acting is sublime. Nearly 50 years after it was shown we still use "Basil Fawlty" and "Fawlty Towers" to describe poor hotels and rude staff. Also the fact it was based on a real experience makes it even funnier for me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted September 7, 2023 Moderator Share Posted September 7, 2023 41 minutes ago, Paddywhack said: Fawlty Towers was never funny. I thought it was only me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy Lifeboats Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 2 minutes ago, Seat68 said: I can't accept that challenge as I have watched it, I did not enjoy it, too close to farce for me. I would go as far as to say, for me, its one of the worst comedies. That's just personal taste though. I always struggle with accepting this explanation (no offence intended). Presumably you watched a small amount, decided that you didn't like it and watched no more? Or did you just watch highlights that other people describe as funny? Either way, you didn't experience the full picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seat68 Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 1 minute ago, Mandy Lifeboats said: I always struggle with accepting this explanation (no offence intended). Presumably you watched a small amount, decided that you didn't like it and watched no more? Or did you just watch highlights that other people describe as funny? Either way, you didn't experience the full picture. I watched it all. There are so few episodes in the 80s I watched it as my peer group loved it, they also loved The Young Ones, I watched it so I had an inkling what they were on about when they were quoting things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted September 7, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted September 7, 2023 As a teenage Monty Python fan, I was disappointed when Cleese made a sitcom. Sitcoms were a boring format, only liked by parents. That said, it did make me laugh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckyeddie Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 9 minutes ago, blandy said: I thought it was only me. No, you're funny. Don't believe what others say 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted September 7, 2023 Moderator Share Posted September 7, 2023 2 minutes ago, Mandy Lifeboats said: I always struggle with accepting this explanation (no offence intended). Presumably you watched a small amount, decided that you didn't like it and watched no more? Or did you just watch highlights that other people describe as funny? Either way, you didn't experience the full picture. I’ve seen all of them, and probably more than once. Different strokes for different folks, but it’s a type of comedy that does absolutely nothing for me. Man being brutally unkind to (depicted) idiotic foreigner. Man being rude to guests. One dimensional portrayal of other regular guests. Nagging wife. I could go on, but it barely raised a smile. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 I had a friendship group that would quote bits of Monty Python to each other, all the stupid voices and all the stupid quotes. ’weee i am the knight that says pong!’ ’oooh, the knight that says pong we are the pims of poop’ All that shite. It got to a point where I sort of drifted away from them. Met up a few years later at the wedding of a mutual friend, there they all were, quoting the knight that says pippitypoo or whatever it was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted September 7, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted September 7, 2023 8 minutes ago, chrisp65 said: I had a friendship group that would quote bits of Monty Python to each other, all the stupid voices and all the stupid quotes. ’weee i am the knight that says pong!’ 'Peng', actually. Yep, that was me and my mates. This little exchange has made me finally understand my tastes in comedy. It was a generational thing. My parents were into the three 'S's - slapstick, stand-up and sitcoms. Norman Wisdom, Arthur Askey, Terry and June, etc. Whereas MY three 'S's were satire, sketches and surrealism - the 'alternative comedy' of its day. TW3, Milligan, Pete and Dud, Python, etc. Which of course my parents hated. It probably explains why in more recent years I've enjoyed the likes of The Fast Show, Little Britain and HIGNFY, but very few sitcoms (give or take the odd Father Ted). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seat68 Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 I loved Monty Python, mainly Flying Circus, but also the films. That was genius, nothing like it at all, and if it was repeated now, I would watch it. I rated Cleese in that but I rated them all. It was the first comedy series that really grabbed me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lapal_fan Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 But any group of friends who continue to do stupid voices/impressions in earshot of people not within that group are nerds. I have different friend groups who like different things, like Ace Ventura, Vic and Bob, Bottom, Red Dwarf, Monty Python, Only Fools, Dads Army, Little Britain etc, but you'd very rarely hear any of the parts said out loud if there were people who weren't involved in that group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted September 7, 2023 Moderator Share Posted September 7, 2023 1 hour ago, Mark Albrighton said: I’d say John Belushi in terms of what the hell is everyone seeing here? You ever seen that Saturday Night Samurai character he did? Tiresome. And, leaving aside the music (which I know is a big part of the film), I simply don’t get the blues brothers. As a supposedly comedic film, what are the funny bits meant to be? Unless the thinking was just “You know what’s funny - car crashes! Let’s just do that all the way through the film.” I could have written this post. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinker Posted September 7, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted September 7, 2023 1 hour ago, Seat68 said: I can't accept that challenge as I have watched it, I did not enjoy it, too close to farce for me. I would go as far as to say, for me, its one of the worst comedies. That's just personal taste though. The car scene, not funny? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted September 7, 2023 Moderator Share Posted September 7, 2023 2 hours ago, Mark Albrighton said: I simply don’t get the blues brothers. As a supposedly comedic film, what are the funny bits meant to be? I mean it's not just a comedy really, is it? Sort of musical, absurd, almost adventure type thing. Carrie Fisher repeatedly trying to kill Jake is kind of funny. Bumbling Police, thick Nazis, Are you the Police? No Ma'am, we're musicians. And the line about "we got both kinds of music - Country AND Western" loads of one liners and stuff. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seat68 Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 24 minutes ago, tinker said: The car scene, not funny? The least funny scene. I don't find it funny at all, particularly that scene. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MakemineVanilla Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 2 hours ago, Paddywhack said: Fawlty Towers was never funny. To quote a Yorkshireman: "It were alright for them that like laffin!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xann Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Designer1 Posted September 7, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted September 7, 2023 (edited) The Blues Brothers, Rik Mayall and Fawlty Towers are all great. Shut up you bunch of bellends! *seriously though, they ARE. Edited September 7, 2023 by Designer1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seat68 Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 2 minutes ago, Designer1 said: The Blues Brothers, Rik Mayall and Fawlty Towers are all great. Shut up you bunch of bellends! *seriously though, they ARE. you're a bellend (Blues Brother is an almost perfect film) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 1 minute ago, Designer1 said: The Blues Brothers, Rik Mayall and Fawlty Towers are all great. Shut up you bunch of bellends! *seriously though, they ARE. Rick Mayall had definite peeks and troughs. Kevin Turvey had promise, Alan B’stard was timely, but bloody hell his general gurning and running around shouting ‘knickers’ and hitting his own cock with a frying pan schtick, the Drop Dead Fred film, bloody hell that was grating. I’ll give him a 5. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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