" This goes to eleven! "
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Sad Truth or Funny Fiction? (Part 2)
Here's a simple question with a not-so-simple answer. If American Movie was a spoof - if it was a fake documentary comedy - how would your reaction to the film be changed? And if This Is Spinal Tap was a real documentry, how would your reaction to that film be changed?
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Well, if American Movie was fake it definitely wouldn't be that funny. The reason the movie was funny was because its real. When we first started watching it, it was almost unbelievable to us (especially in the environment we've grown up in) to believe that anyone swears that much, speaks that way, has a friend who can't get any stupider, looks thirty years out date, and has such a pitiful life. It would just be over rated if it were real. Its so funny because it is real. I really don't know what spinal tap would be like if it was real... Its pretty funny as it is-fake.
ReplyDeleteif American movie was not real it would be more funny because we saw how Mark lived and we felt sad for him so we didnt laugh at all of it. if it was fake we would not feel as bad for a fictional charecter as for a real one.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with Stephanie. I think that if American Movie was fake, then it would be all about the laughs. We would feel invited to laugh knowing that it didn't "harm" the characters since they were fake, they weren't true human-beings. If it was fake and the realistic element was taken out, we wouldn't take the film seriously. Since we knew that Mark and his friends/family were real, we felt bad for laughing at him and mocking him. We connected with his pain for reaching a dream and we basically just viewed him as human as possible. He wasn't a cartoon, he was the real deal.
ReplyDeleteIf Spinal Tap was a real documentary, I would feel kind of bummed out along with the band whenever they hit a bump in the road and didn't succeed. I feel as though people would mock them more if they were real since the documentary has so many ridiculous moments that blatently make the characters seem dumb.
I think if I found out that American Movie was a fake documentary, I wouldn't be surprised. The subjects in the documentary seemed so unreal, especially Mark and Mike, they were so ridiculous. But like Sylwia said, I would be able to laugh more comfortably because I wouldn't be laughing at someone's struggles, and life style. I would feel less pity and be able to laugh more. But if Spinal Tap was an actual documentary, I would be really shocked. If these were real people, I would still laugh at times, but I would feel more pity towards the characters. The characters seem really ignorant, and it would just be ridiculous to see real grown men that ignorant. I guess if I found out that Spinal Tap was an actual documentary, my reaction would change, but not in a good way. I would no longer find the characters as funny, but more pathetic.
ReplyDeleteI agree most similarly along the lines of what Sylwia is saying. Because American Movie is real, the pitiful nature of the characters makes the effect of the movie even greater, the suffering and the success. If the movie were to be fake with these characters being staged it would simply be a comedy. It would still be hilarious, but it would not have the same depth or lasting, meaningful effect on the audience. For Spinal Tap, if the movie was real I would not find this movie as funny as i do now. All of the craziness of the band members and the dysfunction of the band would leave me feeling sad. But since it is fake, the movie is truly hilarious because we don't take any of the crazy decisions or comments seriously.
ReplyDeleteIf I was going into this film thinking it was fake and a spoof I don't think it would have beeN such a surprise for me because most of the time this film is showing the ridiculous actions of these rock stars and kinda of over dramatizes how a rock star would really act. Though at times it does seem real and like what is happening is true of a rock star there is Just to much that is outlandish and unreal that I could not think it was true. On the other hand if I went into this film thinking that it was a real documentary I think I would have been really skeptical to the realness of this film and probabley not taken it serious but I definitley would have still been pretty amused By the film.
ReplyDeleteI think both of the movies would be about the same. Spinal Tap, if it was a real documentary, would still be pretty funny. The "this goes to eleven" would still be hilarious. Just the thought of an actual person saying something that absurd is ridiculously funny. The manager who carries around a pickle ball bat would be a little bit scary, but funny none the least.
ReplyDeleteAmerican Movie I think would be the same too maybe a little bit funnier. Just all the stuff Mark goes through and how all the people act would be funny. It was a bit sadder because of the real documentary part, but as a fake one it would be funnier.
Brandon Stark
ReplyDeleteIf American Movie was a spoof it would not be as funny as it was. Also i wouldn't take it seriously with all his debt and his children. It'd ruin the movie. You could fake those characters and their personalities but it wouldn't be that amazing.
If Spinal Tap was real than i'd probably laugh harder than i did the first time i saw it. It could be very believable that people would act like that. They did very well on the characters and the story was genius. I'd find the film funnier to watch and the humor would be 2x as better to experience
If American Movie was fake it would have flopped. Its appeal comes from the fact that it was a genuine portrait of a man in the thicket of a crisis of fulfilling his dreams or commiting to a life of mediocrity and of a regular job.
ReplyDeleteIf Spinal Tap were real, it would not have been made because a band of that much collected stupidty would not have a record deal, they would have won massive amounts of awards at the Darwin Awards.
If American Movie wasn't real then it would definently become less funny and less sad. It wouldn't be real so you'd feel less inclined to laugh and less inclined to feel sad too because you could just say to yourself that "oh this isn't real there's nothing to worry about" On the other hand if Spinal Tap was real then wow it would be so much more funny. Knowing that these guys were real would really make me laugh harder at the interviews. I don't think it would be sad at all because the guys in Spinal Tap obviously seem to be enjoying what they're doing or they wouldn't do it. I think a sense of "being real" makes any movie, just not documentaries funnier just because there's that little voice in the back of your head saying "woah this could be real".
ReplyDeleteI think if American Movie was fake it would be considered a flat out comedy. If we knew from the beggining that American movie was fake then we wouldn't really feel anything for the characters or there problems because we know that they didn't actually go through the real experience. For example when Mark finally makes the movie we wouldn't feel happy for him, and when Bill dies we wouldn't really have cared or felt anything because we know none of it actually happened. While in Spinal Tap if it was a real documentry it would be a lot more funnier it would just be really funny knowing that there are actually people who act like that. Then when we see a group member of the band leave, and we hear that the band has come to an end we would actually feel sader and care more. So if a documentry is real it is definetly more effective and gives the audience a greater appreciation for the film.
ReplyDeleteif before i saw American Movie and i knew it wasn't a documentary then i don't think it would be as funny. that is what makes this movie so hilarious. is the fact that it is real. since it is real we are more prone to laugh when something funny comes up, because it is not planned and just happened. and then we get to see the characters real expression or emotion that comes out. not what the director thinks that would happen. my reaction would be probably not to laugh as much because the whole movie was planned. i personally think that things that happen not on purpose are more funny that things that happen that are.
ReplyDeleteif Spinal Tap was a real documentary i think my reaction would stay they same. While i was watching i thought that this was really happening. However, i would most likely find more scenes funny because it would actually have happened.
I think if American movie was fake it wouldn't be as funny but it wouldn't be as depressing as it was. You really feel sorry for Mark thru the duration of the movie at how much his life sucks. But on the other hand however, if spinal tap was real I think it would be kind of unrealistic. (What kind of amp goes to eleven?) Anyways, I think the beauty of mockumentaries is the fact that you can really stretch out a joke, negating the need to write multiple corny jokes. The pro about narrative comedies though is that it kind of seems more beleievable to me. (Ironically because it's fake and completely staged.)
ReplyDeleteOwen Moynihan
ReplyDeleteIf American Movie was fake instead of real I would still laugh at all of the parts I did, though maybe not as hard, and I would think it was not sad at all. If Spinal Tap was real I would probably laugh harder and be sadder, pretty much the opposite of the other reaction. I don't feel that it would change my opinion of either significantly.
If American Movie was fake i think the movie would lose all its elements of tragedy and alot of its humor. Just knowing that Mark and Shank are real and arent faking adds this element of shock to its comedy. Making it fake would just make it as corny as the rest of them mainstream fake documentaries. And if Tap was real it would twice as funny. I think watching these guys and knowing their real would make it soo much funnier. The only thing is that when watching it, you have to have respect how cleverly they add the jokes to their interviews. I think its really funny knowing its fake becuase you gain alot more respect for how real the band acts
ReplyDeleteShould American Movie be fake, it would definitely bring with it more humour, and I believe that's because it's BELIEVABLE and not just crazy overdone. The language used, actions done, and people in the documentary are incredibly believable. You don't feel like you're watching an awkward "Epic" movie or "Scary Movie" number one hundred.
ReplyDeleteOn the flip side, should Spinal Tap be real, it would make it THAT much better. Seeing a couple of guys rocking it out with tight spandex and going ape crazy over their manager ranting about Austrailia or something would be an epic bit in a movie. I'd probably enjoy Spinal Tap more if it were real. Nevertheless, though, I adore it even being a spoof. I've enjoyed both of the movies a bunch.