Hey man, don't forget when asking opinions to keep your own too. If people dump on your humor or tell you what they would change...take it piece meal. If you run back and change everything that's causing the ruckus you might be losing the most appealing part to your target audience. You didn't make that short for people not into your humor. You made it to identify with YOUR audience...some people responded negatively. That's totally cool, but not nearly as much as a concern as people who DO like it. Get there feedback and made adjustments for THEM. Otherwise, you're doing the "trying to please everyone" thing and no one will show up at your movies. Know your audience...and cater to them.

I like seeing offensive stuff from time to time...it means that Freedom of Speech is alive and well.

People on here are talking about your title and therefore your movie. You've accomplished something, so don't change the "buzz" on your movie. If I were you I'd take everything that was offensive and crank it up a few notches. Your real audience will come out of the woodwork for it. Also, remember that Howard Stern line from his movie? I forget the exact words, but it's something like....fans can't stop listening every day because they don't know what he'll do next....and people who hate him can't stop listening everyday because they don't know what he'll do next. Basically, you're in the Howard Stern world with that short...use it to your advatange and DON'T water it down.

basic feedback: i didn't find the film funny, but then i'm not a fan of the stupid humor genre. as a former teacher of 'marica's youth, i think the dumbing-down of 'marican humor has been to our detriment. stupid humor smacks of the most heartless, soulless brand of reverse elitism. (e.g., branding the audience as elitist or overly p.c. or simply, gasp, old folks if we don't find the humor in stupid humor).

every generation has its forms of humor--it is always funny to me how each generation thinks *its* cast of saturday night live was the only funny one. older folks don't find younger comedians funny, etc.

that said, the stupid humor genre has not only been done, it's been way overdone. overstayed itself. time to move on.

maybe the worst thing that can be said of this film is that it's derivative.

still, it does prove that, as mark twain pointed out 150 years ago, there's no press as effective as negative press.

If George one day made an effort to take responsibility in his job and genuinely get along with other people, if Jerry accepted his girlfriend's faults for what they were, as all people have faults, if Elaine fell in love with a man not for his social status or his virulity but because she felt affection in his companionship and promise in their partnership, if Kramer set himself on a course of honest work rather than his sideshow of absurd gambles and Pyrrhic victories, then they would cease to be caricatures and become characters, and the comedy would vanish.

Robert, I don't want to hijack this thread and get it way off topic...but I just wanted to clarify my point.

You are right, that if the characters on Seinfeld suddenly changed, then all the comedy would vanish (of course, that's because it's a sitcom, and it relies on static characters). But that wasn't my point. My point was, regardless of the effect it may have on the comedy, the characters COULD change, they do have that ability, they have that choice. And, in every episode, they CHOOSE not to change. In life, a person who is selfish can change, they can CHOSE not to be selfish. They can have certain experiences which may lead to personal growth and change. And, a change like that wouldn't always mean comedy would vanish (look at all the comedies such as "Liar, Liar" "Family Man" "Scrooged" "As Good as It Gets", etc). Those movies all rely on protagonists who have a personality flaw of some kind, and through the film learn to change, and thus become 'better' people.

("As Good as it Gets" is an interesting one in that the progtag actually suffers from a mental disorder... yet learns that it doesn't mean he has to take it out on the world. Yet most of the comedy didn't come from his disorder, but from his surly attitude towards the world).

A person who is mentally retarded cannot decide not to be retarded, no matter what may or may not happen in their lives, they are and will always be mentally retarded. You can't make a comedy about a guy who is retarded, and through the things he experiences he grows and learns NOT to be retarded.

For that reason it is generally more difficult to successfully source comedy from a mental or physical handicap than from a personality flaw.

Like I said, sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread.


PS.

Bryan, I bet you didn't think you're short would spark this type of discussion, did you?
:)
Nice work.

Luis, I agree with you that the essential (that which we can control) gives us a deeper and more potent source of comedy and drama than the accidental (that which we cannot control).

Yet I see nothing fundamentally wrong with being able to laugh at the victories or failures that exist in the accidental. After all, what vouchsafes the accidental as sacred?

personally i could relate to this short and thought it was funny... i mean c'mon, who wears fanny packs anymore??? personally i've worked with handicapped children, i have handicapped family. i still thought it was entertaining.

i dont know if anyone has thought of it like this, and maybe this is taking it too far and to a different level we shouldnt even talk about. but wouldnt you consider handicapped almost like a "race?" like black, white, latino, etc... and dont comedians make fun of race?? alot!? so if the so called "handicapped" were put in a category such as "Race" would this make it acceptable?

i dont know where that came from, it was just a thought on how to look at it. something to ponder... im not quite sure how i look at it myself.

has anyone seen the movie "scary movie" (forget which one) where they have the character "dooey" and he's blatantly acting retarded and kills people? isnt that pretty much the same situation?

there should be a Master-Debating forum.

I see nothing fundamentally wrong with being able to laugh at the accidental either. I was only stating that there is a fundamental difference in sourcing comedy from that which we can control versus that which we cannot.
I think the approaches, and the results, are fairly different.

Neither one is "sacred" in my opinion. I didn't mean to give that impression.
I've always been a firm believer that absolutely nothing is sacred when it comes to comedy. Now, that doesn't mean that making fun of anything is funny... only that nothing should be out of bounds.

Whether or not it's actually funny is still up for grabs.

i totally agree with you luis, what different people think are funny is like day and night. one adult might think team america is drop dead hilarious another would think it was the dumbest thing they have ever seen in there entire life. whatever you concieve as funny is what you think and is acceptable to you whether it be a handicapped person (handiman from in living color), tom green, robin williams, or sandford and son.

now if you are trying to gear a movie towards a way bigger audience, then he took the wrong approach. he's got a creative mind and doesnt limit it.

keep on, keepin' on man.

2 cents
 

The short was not bad. I chuckled when he got hit. I have a twisted sense of humor too.

My brother and I did a comedic stuff animal porno about 3 years ago, as a joke, bored we were that day. MANY people have viewed it and loved it. Obviously I wouldn't post a link here, but my point is there were several of my friends that would never watch anything in the xxx category that loved it also. Heck my mother in law about died laughing. Never judge a movie by its name.

BTW it wasn't a those sick stuff puppet porns you may have heard about online. I used loveable characters, lol...

Bryan, I've watched the short a few times now and laughed every time. It's irreverent, wacked, and altogether fun. I wouldn't accuse you of being overly politically correct, but I appreciate the clip for what it is.

Hmmm, just think Bryan, if you'd used 'Village Idiot' instead of 'Retard' we wouldn't have this wonderful thread.

Rename it to Freddy the Precognative Retarded Vegatarian Scientologist and Democrat, and you might get another 8 pages of replies.

Anyways, funny movie. For some reason, these days, people think they have the right not to be offended. If you're not going to watch the movie, then don't. The title is a warning of things to come. If you were offended, you really just become a tally mark. Eight paragraph long reasons why people shouldn't make fun of others in their movies is an even bigger waste of time than some claimed the movie to be.