Critics have often been stumped by satire. This seemed again the case this week as puzzled TV reviewers wrestled with George Clooney’s superbly astringent rendition of Catch-22. Shouldn’t there be more laughs in satire, some asked? Ironically, I revisited this question as I paid a visit to the Comedy Store (a guilty pleasure) and heard a grumpy young comic complain, “The only people getting laughs any more are politicians –and they don’t even mean to.”
He was half right. We are laughing at politicos these days, but they like it that way. A stunning number of elections around the world are being won by professional comedians. Even Donald Trump thinks he’s funny. But so does the new president of Ukraine, the prime minister of Slovenia, the president of Guatemala, the onetime mayor of Reykjavik in Iceland, and the man who will likely be the next prime minister of the UK.
He was half right. We are laughing at politicos these days, but they like it that way. A stunning number of elections around the world are being won by professional comedians. Even Donald Trump thinks he’s funny. But so does the new president of Ukraine, the prime minister of Slovenia, the president of Guatemala, the onetime mayor of Reykjavik in Iceland, and the man who will likely be the next prime minister of the UK.
- 5/23/2019
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
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