Director Todd Phillips said goodbye to big-screen comedies with 2019’s”Joker.”
The director of “Road Trip,” “Old School” and the “Hangover” trilogy cut his teeth on big, bawdy romps that drew a crowd. Why leave the genre behind for a supervillain origin story?
He blamed the woke mind virus for his curious career pivot.
“Go try to be funny nowadays with this woke culture…There were articles written about why comedies don’t work anymore—I’ll tell you why, because all the f***ing funny guys are like, ‘F*** this s***, because I don’t want to offend you.’ It’s hard to argue with 30 million people on Twitter. You just can’t do it, right? So you just go, ‘I’m out.’ I’m out, and you know what? With all my comedies—I think that what comedies in general all have in common—is they’re irreverent. So I go, ‘How do I do something irreverent, but f*** comedy? Oh I know, let’s take the comic book movie universe and turn it on its head with this.’ And so that’s really where that came from.”
It’s hard to blame Phillips. Besides, the strategy crushed it. “Joker” earned $1 billion globally.
Now, he’s back with “Joker: Folie a Deux.” And it’s safe to say the sequel won’t come close to that figure.
The film’s box office fortunes have been dropping precipitously in recent weeks. Early reviews have been brutal, and the sequel ballooned the saga’s budget from $55 million to a reported $200 million.
It’s time for another career pivot, and here’s the perfect path for Phillips.
Go back to comedy. Why? Several reasons.
One, he’s very good at it. Few directors have his sense of comic timing and ability to wring the most out of a talented cast. His body of work proves it.
Two, we’re still waiting for the return of big, broad R-rated comedies. Last year’s Jennifer Lawrence comedy “No Hard Feelings” felt like a step in that direction, but it’s hardly a modern classic. The more recent “Ricky Stanicky” inched closer to the goal, but the film took too long to find its footing.
Plus, “Ricky Staticky” debuted on Prime Video, not theaters. There’s nothing like watching a great comedy in a theater full of laughing patrons.
Third, the culture is starting to shake off the woke handcuffs. This year’s Tom Brady roast proved that problematic jokes are making a comeback.
A quick glimpse at the comedy scene shows some of the biggest names are rebels to the core.
- Shane Gillis
- Tyler Fischer
- Nikki Glaser
- Joe Rogan
- Tony Hinchcliffe (“Kill Tony”)
- Ryan Long
- Theo Von
- Tim Dillon
Dillon even has a small role in “Joker: Folie a Deux.”
Why not re-team with Dillon on a new, R-rated comedy project? Why stop there? Make the comedy a “who’s who” of the current comedy rebels. Long. Von. Rogan. Gillis. And others who may be on the rise.
Give them a killer concept and let them run wild. Encourage on-set improvisation. Tell them anything goes. Truly.
Then use their collective fan bases to promote the finished product. These comedians thrive outside mainstream Hollywood.
How?
They’ve built armies of loyal fans who hang on their every YouTube video and X post.
There’s little to lose here. Phillips can regain his comic mojo, even if the film fails to mirror his “Hangover” success. The film shouldn’t set a studio back any significant money. Comedies can be produced on a shoestring under the right circumstances.
No big, bloated CGI effects or exotic locales. Just funny people executing a hilarious concept.
If the film is a hit the culture will be all the better for it. Woke will suffer another body blow and be closer to the dustbin of history.
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