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tduecen 
Tulane Fan
The internet
Member since Nov 2006
81234 posts
| So what happened comedic actors? (Posted on 10/10/12 at 9:46 am)
Robin Williams
Jim Carray
Adam Sandler
Eddie Murphy
Steve Martin
Tom Hanks
Think about some of these movies
Coming to America
Turner and Hooch
Bachelor Party
Good Morning Vietnam
Mask
Dumb and Dumber
Coming to America
Big
Roxanne
Beverly Hills Cop
The Jerk
Happy Gilmore
Is this a case of actors just working to get a check?
Are they all a little over rated in their comedic value?
Was it the work of writers who made them funnier than they are?
Poor script selection?
Moving towards more mainstream family friendly movies?
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Freauxzen 
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| re: So what happened comedic actors? (Posted on 10/10/12 at 9:52 am to tduecen)
Making people laugh, although rewarding, is taxing. I think it's actually far harder to make people laugh consistently than it is to be an above average drama actor.
But....
quote:
Was it the work of writers who made them funnier than they are?
Yes.
quote:
Poor script selection?
Yes and No. Going for the cheap laughs and simple plotlines of family friendly movies is just easier than something cutting edge.
I also think comedy gets old quicker than other genres of acting too.
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wildtigercat93 
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| re: So what happened comedic actors? (Posted on 10/10/12 at 9:53 am to tduecen)
Most of them got old
Its like making a "What happened to Joe Montana? Did QB coaches make him look better than he was?" thread
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Murray
Elon Fan
Member since Aug 2008
5624 posts
| re: So what happened comedic actors? (Posted on 10/10/12 at 9:53 am to tduecen)
quote:
So what happened comedic actors?
Comedy is a perishable commodity.
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dualed
LSU Fan
Member since Sep 2010
667 posts
| re: So what happened comedic actors? (Posted on 10/10/12 at 9:55 am to tduecen)
quote:
The Jerk
Top 10 comedy for me
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ProjectP2294 
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| re: So what happened comedic actors? (Posted on 10/10/12 at 10:00 am to tduecen)
Here's how I would rank them in the ability to consistently be funny if the script were right, at this time in their lives:
1) Tom Hanks (because he's the best overall actor on the list, and never had a schtick)
2) Steve Martin
3) Adam Sandler
4) Jim Carrey
5) Robin Williams
6) Eddie Murphy
But people earlier in this thread are right, comedy is hard, and some of these guys have made so much money in their lives that they don't see the need to try that hard, if the money is still rolling in.
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Roaad
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| re: So what happened comedic actors? (Posted on 10/10/12 at 10:06 am to tduecen)
quote:
Beverly Hills Cop
The Jerk
Happy Gilmore
Bachelor Party
Good Morning Vietnam
Coming to America
Big
These are all among the greatest comedic films of all time.
GMV is a fresh perspective on the Vietnam conflict. Both military, and journalist.
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tigerfan88
LSU Fan
Member since Jan 2008
2186 posts
| re: So what happened comedic actors? (Posted on 10/10/12 at 10:35 am to Roaad)
I think that's his point. These 6 actors made some of the greatest comedies of all time and none of them have made a really great comedy in the last 5 years or so.
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LoveThatMoney
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| re: So what happened comedic actors? (Posted on 10/10/12 at 10:40 am to tduecen)
Comedy is short lived. Most comedians are funny for only a short time before their "schtick" or routine becomes too familiar to audiences. Very few comedians last a long time in the limelight. All of these comedians lasted much longer than most.
But I can think back to many comedians and say, "Wow, I thought that guy was funny?" Off the top of my head, Bo Burnham, Nick Swardson, Dane Cook... All of their stuff that I liked, I still like, but their new stuff, if they have any, has lost its luster. Just the nature of the beast. So unless they have a great team of writers, which Adam Sandler tried to get with Happy Madison (and, for the most part, succeeded - at least commercially), they will fall off.
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ProjectP2294
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| re: So what happened comedic actors? (Posted on 10/10/12 at 10:51 am to LoveThatMoney)
It's different for stand ups and comedic actors though. It's easy for a stand up to fall away quickly after having a blow out first special. It's because they spent years creating and honing their first special and only used their best stuff for it, and when they have recreate what took them 5 or 10 or 15 years in just 15 months, they can't do it.
It's not that they weren't funny, it's that their first big thing was their peak.
With comedic actors though it's a bit different. Some of them clearly have a schtick, which limits their long term viability, but some just stop trying or get too comfortable with the people around them and don't listen when someone says they aren't being funny anymore.
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tduecen
Tulane Fan
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| re: So what happened comedic actors? (Posted on 10/10/12 at 1:15 pm to wildtigercat93)
Age doesn't exactly take away comedic talent like it does football skills so that is a very bad analogy.
Most are still relatively young Williams 61, Marting 67, Murphy 51, Hanks 56, Sandler 46, Carray 50.... So it isn't like their comedic skills dried up and diminished.
Many helped write most of their older hit movies and now rely on a bunch of new writers to write their new scripts and material. So I think it is combination of getting paid, unoriginal material, and wanting to diversify into other roles where they could make more money.
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Murray
Elon Fan
Member since Aug 2008
5624 posts
| re: So what happened comedic actors? (Posted on 10/10/12 at 1:18 pm to tduecen)
quote:
Age doesn't exactly take away comedic talent like it does football skills so that is a very bad analogy.
It's not age of the comic. It's age of the routine. Some comics evolve and stay relevant for a very long time.
There really is a simple answer to your question and its
quote:
Comedy is short lived. Most comedians are funny for only a short time before their "schtick" or routine becomes too familiar to audiences
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RealityTiger
LSU Fan
Baton Rouge, LA
Member since Jan 2010
8670 posts
| re: So what happened comedic actors? (Posted on 10/10/12 at 1:31 pm to Murray)
I imagine it would also be very hard to go on tour as a stand up comedian. Even if you have drama going on in your life or you just woke up on the wrong side of the bed, you have to go on stage that night and get in the mood to make people laugh.
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MetryTyger
LSU Fan
Metairie, LA
Member since Jan 2004
5931 posts
| re: So what happened comedic actors? (Posted on 10/10/12 at 1:44 pm to tduecen)
But the paradox is that Williams, Carrey, Martin and Hanks have all excelled in DRAMATIC films as well.
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iwyLSUiwy 
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20646 posts
| re: So what happened comedic actors? (Posted on 10/10/12 at 3:30 pm to ProjectP2294)
I think you under estimate Jim Carrey's acting ability. I agree Hanks is a great actor. But Carrey is actually a really good character actor. Which is pretty rare for someone tagged as just a comedic actor.
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LoveThatMoney
LSU Fan
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3083 posts
| re: So what happened comedic actors? (Posted on 10/10/12 at 3:37 pm to MetryTyger)
quote:
But the paradox is that Williams, Carrey, Martin and Hanks have all excelled in DRAMATIC films as well.
Agree with Williams, Carrey, and Hanks (and add Murphy and to a lesser extent, Sandler), but what dramatic roles has Martin done? I can't think of any.
In any case, I do get the feeling that Williams, Carrey, and Hanks (and maybe even Murphy), have enjoyed going dramatic. Hanks has pretty much entirely shifted to dramatic acting. So that's another thing. Even the comedic actors get tired of doing the same kind of comedy over and over again.
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