Screwball Comedy: Difference between revisions

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* ''[[The Awful Truth (Film)|The Awful Truth]]''
* ''[[The Awful Truth]]''
* ''[[Bachelor Mother]]''
* ''[[Bachelor Mother]]''
* ''[[Ball of Fire]]''
* ''[[Ball of Fire]]''
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* ''Holiday''
* ''Holiday''
* ''[[It Happened One Night]]''
* ''[[It Happened One Night]]''
* ''[[Its a Wonderful World]]'' (the film - page at the moment redirects to [[The World Ends With You (Video Game)|The World Ends With You]])
* ''[[Its a Wonderful World]]'' (the film - page at the moment redirects to [[The World Ends With You]])
* ''[[It Started With Eve]]''
* ''[[It Started With Eve]]''
* ''[[His Girl Friday]]'' (A remake of the play/movie ''[[The Front Page]]'')
* ''[[His Girl Friday]]'' (A remake of the play/movie ''[[The Front Page]]'')
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* ''[[Libeled Lady]]''
* ''[[Libeled Lady]]''
* ''Midnight''
* ''Midnight''
* ''[[Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (Film)|Mr. Deeds Goes to Town]]''
* ''[[Mr. Deeds Goes to Town]]''
* ''[[My Favorite Wife]]''
* ''[[My Favorite Wife]]''
* ''[[My Man Godfrey]]''
* ''[[My Man Godfrey]]''
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* ''[[The Palm Beach Story]]''
* ''[[The Palm Beach Story]]''
* ''[[The Philadelphia Story]]''
* ''[[The Philadelphia Story]]''
* ''[[To Be or Not To Be]]''
* ''[[To Be or Not to Be]]''
* ''[[Top Hat (Film)|Top Hat]]''
* ''[[Top Hat]]''
* ''[[Topper (TV)|Topper]]'', followed by two sequels. Based on two novels by Thorne Smith, who also wrote the book on which ''[[I Married A Witch]]'' is based.
* ''[[Topper]]'', followed by two sequels. Based on two novels by Thorne Smith, who also wrote the book on which ''[[I Married A Witch]]'' is based.
* ''[[Twentieth Century]]''
* ''[[Twentieth Century]]''
* ''[[You Can't Take It With You (Theatre)|You Can't Take It With You]]''
* ''[[You Can't Take It With You]]''


Later and modern examples of screwball comedy include:
Later and modern examples of screwball comedy include:
* ''[[I Was a Male War Bride (Film)|I Was a Male War Bride]]''
* ''[[I Was a Male War Bride]]''
* ''[[What's Up Doc]]'': Peter Bogdanovich's [[Homage]] to the genre
* ''[[What's Up, Doc?]]'': Peter Bogdanovich's [[Homage]] to the genre
* ''[[Switching Channels]]'': A remake of ''[[His Girl Friday]]'' (which as noted above was a remake of ''[[The Front Page]]'').
* ''[[Switching Channels]]'': A remake of ''[[His Girl Friday]]'' (which as noted above was a remake of ''[[The Front Page]]'').
* ''[[The Hudsucker Proxy]]'': Another homage, written and directed by [[The Coen Brothers]]
* ''[[The Hudsucker Proxy]]'': Another homage, written and directed by [[The Coen Brothers]]
* ''[[Miss Pettigrew Lives for A Day]]'': A modern [[Pastiche]] of the genre
* ''[[Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day]]'': A modern [[Pastiche]] of the genre
* ''[[Arthur (Film)|Arthur]]'' is about equal parts [[PG Wodehouse (Creator)|PG Wodehouse]] pastiche and screwball pastiche.
* ''[[Arthur (film)|Arthur]]'' is about equal parts [[P. G. Wodehouse|PG Wodehouse]] pastiche and screwball pastiche.
* ''[[Oscar]]''
* ''[[Oscar]]''
* ''[[Date Night (Film)|Date Night]]''
* ''[[Date Night]]''
* ''[[After Hours (Film)|After Hours]]'' and ''[[Something Wild]]'' can be seen as darkly [[Post Modernism|postmodern]] '80s variations of the genre.
* ''[[After Hours (film)|After Hours]]'' and ''[[Something Wild]]'' can be seen as darkly [[Post Modernism|postmodern]] '80s variations of the genre.
* ''The [[Runaway Bride]]''
* ''The [[Runaway Bride]]''
* Conversely, the 1928 silent Marion Davies comedy ''The Patsy'' can be regarded as a sort of very early prototype for the genre.
* Conversely, the 1928 silent Marion Davies comedy ''The Patsy'' can be regarded as a sort of very early prototype for the genre.
* ''Ticktock'', a ''horror novel'' by [[Dean Koontz]], is deliberately written as a [[Screwball Comedy]].
* ''Ticktock'', a ''horror novel'' by [[Dean Koontz]], is deliberately written as a [[Screwball Comedy]].
* ''[[Dharma & Greg (TV)|Dharma and Greg]]''
* ''[[Dharma & Greg|Dharma and Greg]]''
* ''[[House Sitter]]''
* ''[[House Sitter]]''
* ''[[Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle]]'' is a non-romantic version, in which uptight, nervous Harold gets broken out of his shell by laid-back Kumar. [[Bringing Up Baby|And there's a big cat and everything]].
* ''[[Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle]]'' is a non-romantic version, in which uptight, nervous Harold gets broken out of his shell by laid-back Kumar. [[Bringing Up Baby|And there's a big cat and everything]].

Revision as of 12:44, 8 April 2014

No, this doesn't mean what you think.

The Screwball Comedy has a pretty precise definition: a comedy film -- usually in black and white, although some were made in color -- in which an uptight, repressed, or otherwise stiff character gets broken out of his or her shell by being romantically pursued by a Cloudcuckoolander (or a similar character type). It does not just mean "zany comedy." The Producers, say, is not a screwball comedy, although it is screwy, ballsy, and very funny. It is characterized by fast-paced repartee, farcical situations, escapist themes, and plot lines involving courtship and marriage and showing the struggle between economic classes.

In other words, a Parody of a Romantic Comedy.

Classic screwball comedy examples include (period 1934-1944):

Later and modern examples of screwball comedy include:

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