Comedian John Belushi once famously asserted that women aren’t funny. This is just proof that you should never trust anybody that died of a speedball overdose. Clearly, Belushi had never heard of comedians Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett or even his “Saturday Night Live” co-star Gilda Radner. Gender and comedic talent are two very mutually exclusive entities.
But in the past few years it’s become incredibly hip for women to be as filthy as possible. It’s almost a whole new sexual revolution for the Judd Apatow generation.
Sexual and toilet humor have always been a male dominated field, but the times they are a-changing. The women are here to prove that they can drop the f-bomb just as hilariously as men.
The obvious example of the moment is “Bridesmaids,” the funniest movie I’ve seen in recent memory. With a cast that’s virtually dominated by females, “Bridesmaids” completely refutes Belushi’s claim and showcases some of the best uses of profanity, dick jokes and poop humor ever. Kristen Wiig, already having proven herself a goddess of comedy on “SNL,” affirms that she has what it takes to be a true movie star and a brilliant screenwriter.
But the movie isn’t all about Wiig. Melissa McCarthy, known for her sweet roles in “Gilmore Girls” and “Mike and Molly,” steals every scene she’s in. She’s abrasive, sexually dominating and completely crude. Yet, her character Megan is the best adjusted in the whole film. She knows what she wants from life and she never strays from going out and achieving it.
Yes, the moral center of the movie comes on to a man by talking about the heat from her undercarriage, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
“Bridesmaids” isn’t the only raunchy, female-skewing comedy coming out this summer.
Cameron Diaz has been earning tremendous buzz for her performance in “Bad Teacher.” Early word is that her dialogue is so incredibly shocking you won’t believe your ears.
Similarly breaking her good girl image is Jennifer Aniston in two upcoming movies. First up is “Horrible Bosses,” in which she plays a sexually devious dentist who forces herself upon her assistant. Then in October, she stars with Paul Rudd in “Wanderlust,” where they play a straight-laced married couple that get in touch with their freaky sides while vacationing at a nudist colony. Rachel who?!
Also on the slate is “Friends with Benefits,” with Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake, which might or might not be a shot-by-shot remake of “No Strings Attached” with Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher. Both films explore the complications that arise when friends decide to have sex. And in both films, it is the woman that wants to keep the relationship strictly carnal.
I don’t see this trend dying down anytime soon. With the fantastic box office numbers for “Bridesmaids,” look to see many more ultra raunchy chick flicks in the future. Imagine the possibilities – Betty White in “The 90-Year-Old Virgin.”
As long as women can prove that you don’t need a Y-chromosome to tell a hilarious sex joke, there will be people around to laugh.
Vulgarity for the sake of vulgarity is rarely funny though. There must be some kind of wit and heart involved. Nobody’s asking for an all-female version of “Jackass” any time soon.
