Why isn't comedy appreciated more as an art form?

…And I know, because I’m not that funny.

Who ever said it’s not. Of course it is,

@YARNLADY – Aristotle.

But I think there was something wrong with him.

Wow, I did not know that. Thank you for an interesting history lesson

Very few comedies are remembered for being great movies, and that is a crime.
Drama is pretty easy. Science fiction isn’t too difficult. Romances are a snap. Most of these are easy to watch a second time, but there are damn few comedies that rate repeated viewing.

Because most comedies are pretty awful. Most comedians are pretty awful.
There is also the underlying core problem, that comedy does not spin an overall narrative, but is a string of short situations, jumping from joke to joke.
Not to forget is also the target audience.
Dramas tend to be targeted at people, who are already “sophisticated” enough to appreciate it.
Comedies are aimed at the lowest common denominator. Nothing worse than a joke that people do not “get”.

Perhaps it’s because what’s considered funny is such an individual thing that many comedies only appeal to certain people. Whereas many people can relate to a more serious or emotional work of art.

Of course, it’s also possible that Aristotle was wrong or said what he said in jest or in pique. Perhaps “A Funny Thing Didn’t Happen on the Way to the Forum”?

A lot of comedy relies on being topical and what is funny today can lose its relevance quite quickly, more quickly than most types of art anyway. But mainly, comedy lacks identity, a humorous film is a film, a funny book is a novel, a humorous cartoon strip is a cartoon strip and stand-up comedy is a form of drama or acting. Comedy is an art but without a fixed form.

EVERYBODY is a comedian! Ain’t nothin’ special…

This raises the question, why isn’t Flame-Bait appreciated more as an art form? :p

@Brian1946 Haha!

I agree with you @JLoon. Making someone laugh is an art form in itself. There is a reason why intelligent people have a good sense of humor. We can already see an example in @Brian1946‘s answer :)

The problem is that, like @ragingloli said, many people out there don’t know how to make a good comedy. It results in many bad comedies being pushed out and it left people with an impression that comedy is a cheap form of entertainment.

And also there is the cultural factor involved too. It’s harder to find something everyone across culture can all laugh at than something everyone can feel emotional about. I have come across some comedies that are considered classic, but I just can’t stomach them. It’s simply because they were made in countries different from mine, and what they find funny isn’t what I consider funny. And I don’t expect any foreigner to be able to laugh at a random comedy in my country.

But to counter this point, drama can also fly over the head of people too, especially when it involves certain issues of an area that aren’t issues elsewhere. For example, a harrowing political drama about immigrants in France could make a lot of Western people feel emotional, but it may noy affect me that much, because I have never experienced immigrant problem in my countries, so the movie could only inform me about the matter, not making me feel anything deeply. Similarly, a movie about 1980s Vietnam would make a lot of people in my country cry, but could just leave foreigners scratching their head and saying “what?” The 1980s was a very trying time for everyone in my country, ans everyone has a love-hate relationship with that period of time. But a lot of our struggle didn’t make it to the international news, so it’s not very possible for a foreigner to feel the same way we can feel about the movie.

That said, it doesn’t mean there is no hope for comedy. I think we can all agree that Charlie Chaplin’s movies are classic. He was a Western man, and he makes me laugh.

@Mimishu1995

I agree with you about Charlie Chaplin.

For me, the same can be said about the Marx Brothers.