Punching Up Instead Of Down: The Art Of Finding The Proper Victim In Comedy

At some point in this movie, Seth Rogen maybe wishes he didn’t anger the American Sniper crowd.

My wife and I watched The Interview off Netflix recently.  It was funny in some places, not so much in others, but it got me to thinking about why it is considered acceptable to mock some figures in comedy and not others.  The basic idea is, it is OK to “punch up” and not to “punch down”.

To be clear, this has nothing to do with free speech rights or anything along those lines.  It simply has to do with what is and is not funny.  That’s highly subjective at the best of times for any number of people.  So, to make things as clear as possible, these are my thoughts on what is and isn’t funny, and that is not to stop anyone from making jokes at the expense of anyone anywhere.

Also, there’s going to be some MASSIVE SPOILERS below the cut for The Interview, so you’ve been warned.

The 2014 Razzies- Honoring Movies So Bad They’re Still Bad

Ah, Award season.  When great movies are recognized by the Academy, Screen Actors Guild, New York Film Critics, and even the Golden Globes (even though the Globes are kinda equivalent to your stoner cousin in Tuscon…)  Then… there are the Razzies….

Sony’s The Interview Grosses $31M on VOD and iTunes Alone

Quick Question: Is this the real Kim Jon Un or a screencap from The Interview? You have no idea, do you?  This is what happens when you use Facebook as your newspaper. I’ll bet you know what Frozen character you are, Mr. Buzz Feed!

As we have discussed here and on the Gabbing Geek podcast, there are fascinating strategic and financial implications of Sony releasing the Rogen/Franco comedy, The Interview “day and date.”