Constructive Chaos
13 August 2007
Don't watch this if you are sad. There's a strange dynamic in humor, having to do with happy endings. Happy isn't happy.

The standard model is two dummies who do everything wrong. As the story progresses, more and more damage is done, and the plight of the comics gets worse and worse. For some reason, their disaster makes us feel lighter. Its such a strong model that when we deviate from it, we notice.

Then, at some point, someone — possibly Disney — changed the formula to what we have here. The guys are stupid as usual. They destroy everything as usual. They humiliate the policeman (or other authority figure) as usual. What's new is that it all adds up to them being celebrated for some unintended good.

For some reason, the effect is to make us feel worse. It was only with Peter Seller's Jacques Clouseau that the hero was so profoundly clueless (and French, extra clueless because he was french) that the adjusted formula works.

The only value in this is the performance of Ken Mars as the tortured sheriff.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.
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