I host and program a film series where the usual fare tends to be fairly serious, whether as a drama or a documentary. Occasionally, the patrons of my series will ask, “How about a comedy?”

And I try – I really do – to find comedies that will work for my audience. But I have one big problem: I find so few comedies that work for me. Two recent examples: last week’s “This Means War” and this week’s “Wanderlust.” To paraphrase an old joke, if humor was dynamite, these movies wouldn’t have enough to blow their nose. (More…)