Anyone who knows me, and even many of the people who have served me at coffee houses, Chinese restaurants and, when I still lived in England, newsagents, will tell you that I love fish out of water comedies. The format is so simple! Take someone who’s very set in their ways, to the point of stubborn hilariousness. It doesn’t matter what their initial lifestyle is – they could be a surly police chief, an effete pastry chef; or a surly and effete police chief from the pastry division. Then, and here’s the science part, they are put into a whole new environment, one for which they are miserably ill-suited. Imagine the limitless joke potential of a tough white guy from the so-called “wrong side of the tracks” – just as an FYI, that’s the north side – taking up something totally uncool and unstreet, like, oh I don’t know, ballet. Or taking a bunch of tough inner city kids (inner city kids will be a recurring theme, you’ll get used to it) to ballroom dancing classes.
If they don’t have difficult backgrounds, then they’re fast talkers. Oh man, if you have a smart alec, a wiseguy, someone annoying, then put him (or her, but mostly him) in a situation where he’d never belong. Like a library. Or a convent. Or Hong Kong.
Next time you’re at a loss as to what to watch, or indeed write, if you’re that way inclined, just remember – nothing is funnier than an ex con acting as a detective.Join us next time on Are You Gene Hackman? for “When the humans aren’t around, animals do/say funny things!”
For some reason, I have a feeling you're mocking my wonderful taste in film. As you probably already guessed, I'm without a doubt seeing Step Up (or as i like to call it, "Save the Last Dance...again. This time it's personal.")
You better be thankful that Take the Lead isn't out on DVD yet. Because if it was, well, this weekend would have gotten a million times better.