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It’s Not Just You: Garfield Is Not Meant to Be Funny (2013)

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Re: It’s Not Just You: Garfield Is Not Meant to Be Funny (2013)

#31

Post by ausbah »

polka_haunts_us wrote: post #10
carls wrote: post #2

I didn't know how much of Jim Davis' motivations were commercial ones. It seems very at odds with folks like Calvin and Hobbes creator Bill Watterson: > For years, Watterson battled against pressure from publishers to merchandise his work, something that he felt would cheapen his comic. He refused to merchandise his creations on the grounds that displaying Calvin and Hobbes images on commercially sold mugs, stickers,…

>Were there in fact legions of people who _did_ find it funny, or entertaining? I'm sorry ahead of time if this comment comes off as strong, but I'm always confused by people who can't comprehend that there must be people who like thing it's popular to not like . I hate Adam Sandler, I think he's among the least funny human beings on the planet. I also don't question whether anyone actually enjoys his movies, because…

Sandler can play serious roles very well, check out Uncut Gems

Re: It’s Not Just You: Garfield Is Not Meant to Be Funny (2013)

#32

Post by mhh__ »

polka_haunts_us wrote: post #10
carls wrote: post #2

I didn't know how much of Jim Davis' motivations were commercial ones. It seems very at odds with folks like Calvin and Hobbes creator Bill Watterson: > For years, Watterson battled against pressure from publishers to merchandise his work, something that he felt would cheapen his comic. He refused to merchandise his creations on the grounds that displaying Calvin and Hobbes images on commercially sold mugs, stickers,…

>Were there in fact legions of people who _did_ find it funny, or entertaining? I'm sorry ahead of time if this comment comes off as strong, but I'm always confused by people who can't comprehend that there must be people who like thing it's popular to not like . I hate Adam Sandler, I think he's among the least funny human beings on the planet. I also don't question whether anyone actually enjoys his movies, because…

Adam Sandler can actually act e.g. Punch Drunk Love and Uncut Gems

Re: It’s Not Just You: Garfield Is Not Meant to Be Funny (2013)

#35

Post by deberon »

DoofusOfDeath wrote: post #20
polka_haunts_us wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Were there in fact legions of people who _did_ find it funny, or entertaining? I'm sorry ahead of time if this comment comes off as strong, but I'm always confused by people who can't comprehend that there must be people who like thing it's popular to not like . I hate Adam Sandler, I think he's among the least funny human beings on the planet. I also don't question whether anyone actually enjoys his movies, because…

I don't find Adam Sandler that funny either. But as a dad, I recommend the movie Fast Forward to other dads.

You might be thinking of the movie "Click"? If so, I also recommend it. Hits harder than you'd expect from a goofy Adam Sandler movie.

Re: It’s Not Just You: Garfield Is Not Meant to Be Funny (2013)

#36

Post by [deleted] »

DoofusOfDeath wrote: post #20
polka_haunts_us wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Were there in fact legions of people who _did_ find it funny, or entertaining? I'm sorry ahead of time if this comment comes off as strong, but I'm always confused by people who can't comprehend that there must be people who like thing it's popular to not like . I hate Adam Sandler, I think he's among the least funny human beings on the planet. I also don't question whether anyone actually enjoys his movies, because…

I don't find Adam Sandler that funny either. But as a dad, I recommend the movie Fast Forward to other dads.

[deleted]

Re: It’s Not Just You: Garfield Is Not Meant to Be Funny (2013)

#37

Post by dkarl »

Rallerbabs wrote: post #4
carls wrote: post #2

I didn't know how much of Jim Davis' motivations were commercial ones. It seems very at odds with folks like Calvin and Hobbes creator Bill Watterson: > For years, Watterson battled against pressure from publishers to merchandise his work, something that he felt would cheapen his comic. He refused to merchandise his creations on the grounds that displaying Calvin and Hobbes images on commercially sold mugs, stickers,…

As a kid, I always thought Garfield was absolutely hilarious. I'd cut the comic out of the newspaper and glue them into a book. Loved the cartoons. The Halloween one is my favorite. Up to my 40th birthday, I was given Garfield comics. I love what a gluttonous, selfish and slightly malevolent pig Garfield is. I especially love it when he kicks Odie off the table. I can't stand Peanuts, though.

I was a Peanuts fan as a kid and still am. Rereading books of the old strips was centering and calming for me the way the bible is for some people. It reassured me that it was... safe?... to wish for justice in the world and to want to be a better person. I liked Garfield, too, but it appealed to something meaner in me. There's suffering in both strips, but the way the Charlie Brown endures despite his dignity being stripped from him again and again is realistic, while the fact that Jon always bounces back is meant to be understood as unrealistic. A realistic Jon would be a crushed, hopeless, miserable person. Often the only purpose of putting a smile on his face seemed to be to make it possible to enjoy the cruelty directed against him. (Same with Odie.) Not saying I'm above enjoying it, but it's hard to put a positive spin on it.

My favorite Garfield cartoons are the ones where I can read John as self-aware, like this one: https://www.mezzacotta.net/garfield/?comic=2351

Re: It’s Not Just You: Garfield Is Not Meant to Be Funny (2013)

#38

Post by raxxorrax »

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #30

Let's be honest: every comic artist is hoping to be a commercial success, at least once. To fund their other interests if nothing else. Even Dilbert was a calculated commercial invention, leveraged for all it was worth?

Garfield and Dilbert have a lot in common aside from that. Don't know what the genre would be called, exaggerated cynicism?

Re: It’s Not Just You: Garfield Is Not Meant to Be Funny (2013)

#39

Post by kgwgk »

mhh__ wrote: post #32
polka_haunts_us wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Were there in fact legions of people who _did_ find it funny, or entertaining? I'm sorry ahead of time if this comment comes off as strong, but I'm always confused by people who can't comprehend that there must be people who like thing it's popular to not like . I hate Adam Sandler, I think he's among the least funny human beings on the planet. I also don't question whether anyone actually enjoys his movies, because…

Adam Sandler can actually act e.g. Punch Drunk Love and Uncut Gems

That's orthogonal to being funny anyway.

Re: It’s Not Just You: Garfield Is Not Meant to Be Funny (2013)

#40

Post by brundolf »

tombert wrote: post #26

When people say this kind of stuff, I always wonder if it's post-hoc rationalization. "Oh...so you don't like Garfield? Well, ummm, it wasn't meant to be funny anyway, I WIN!" Doesn't Tommy Wiseau claim that The Room was meant to be a comedy now?

I think it's more that he's embraced it for what it's come to mean to his audience, instead of what he originally envisioned. Which is honestly really admirable.
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