March 17, 2011
FNB Op-Ed: The Other Side of the Comic Mind
By Catherine Clinch
At a time when the world is focused on a comedic artist who has sunk into the depths of dysfunction and depravity, it is refreshing to know that comic genius has the opposite potential — to provide insight into the world around us.
Tom Shadyac willingly admits that the reason we know who he is can be directly attributed to the fact that he taught Jim Carrey how to talk through his buttocks in “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.” Shadyac is also responsible for “Liar, Liar,” “The Nutty Professor,” and “Bruce Almighty.” In essence, Shadyac’s fame and fortune stems from his ability to create the equivalent of cinematic carbohydrates, instantly satisfying yet lacking in intellectual nutrition. But then Shadyac hits a bump in the road, literally, which led to his making the film, “I AM,” currently in theaters.
A cycling accident leaves Shadyac incapacitated with Post-Concussion Syndrome, a list of debilitating symptoms with an open-ended prognosis that most often means symptoms that never subside. Faced with the possibility of living with “intense and painful reactions to light and sound, severe mood swings and a constant ringing in the head,” Shadyac searches for a cure in both traditional and alternative medicine. When nothing works, he decides to “welcome death as a release.” He looks inward and decides: “If this is it for me — if I really am going to die — what do I want to say before I go? What will be my last testament?” Shadyac decides that the two greatest questions that we face today are:
- What is wrong with our world?
- What can we do about it?
Ironically, this search for truth and meaning triggers a remission of his symptoms. Accepting this as a message from God (who may or may not have sounded like Morgan Freeman), Shadyac gathers a small crew and travels the world to interview some of the most esteemed thinkers of the 21st century: “scientists, psychologists, artists, environmentalists, authors, activists, philosophers and entrepreneurs.” Shadyac is refreshingly humble when he allows us to share the moment where these “intellectual giants” admit that, with one exception, they have no idea who Shadyac is and they haven’t seen his movies.
As he searches for what is wrong with the world, Shadyac realizes that he has discovered what is right with the world. He returns home, sells his seven acre, 17,000 square foot art-filled mansion and moves to a trailer park in the northern end of Malibu (really) where he continues to ride bicycles (hopefully with a helmet) and teaches a class at Pepperdine University. The “I AM” project includes a non-profit foundation designed to “fund various worthy causes and to educate the next generation about the issues and challenges explored in the film.”
At the same time, another comic genius from a different time zone (30 minutes) travels to the other side of the world with a mission of translation. Phil Rosenthal created, wrote and produced “Everybody Loves Raymond” – a sitcom that was a critical and ratings success for 210 episodes over nine seasons. When it was over, Sony Television decided to license the series to Russian television. The studio had already been through the process when they licensed “The Nanny” to Russian television. One of the Sony executives thought it would be fun to send Rosenthal over to Russia to watch the process and mine enough material to write a fictional comedy about an American producer who goes to Russia to support the process. Rosenthal suggested that they just take a small film crew with him to Russia and shoot it as a documentary, which became “Exporting Raymond.”
Upon his arrival in Moscow, Rosenthal adapts to the Russian cultural differences. He bonds with his driver/body guard and looks forward to a positive working experience with his new colleagues. Much to his surprise, the world of Russian television production is a somber process that takes place inside of studios that Rosenthal suggests were “built in 1913 and refurbished in 1917.” But Rosenthal’s presence is seen as another layer of interference with a process that the Russian writers, producers, directors, even the costume designer, would rather handle themselves.
When Rosenthal emphasizes the importance of taping the show in front of a live audience, ten people are brought in and told to sit quietly. When Rosenthal reaches out to the Head of Comedy at the Russian network, he discovers that the man has no sense of humor. In spite of all the challenges, “Everybody Loves Kostya” is a hit, and “Exporting Raymond” adds insight to our efforts toward globalization.
The take away from the adventures of Shadyac and Rosenthal is that there is great value from stepping out of your creative comfort zone and expanding your field of experience. This is not to say that, like Shadyac, one should hope for a life-threatening injury to reinvigorate their career. But, like Rosenthal, there is great insight to be mined from the experience gained in translating one’s past into the next generation of material. It is also essential to note that both of these men have great hearts and a significant level of compassion that enables them to enlighten us on the human experience. Perhaps their work will inspire others to delve deeper into their own creative voices to find a new level of insight.
Catherine Clinch is the founder of Nuclear Family Films. She can be reached at Catherine@nuclearfamilyfilms.com. She is a regular contributor to FNB.
Posted in: Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Bruce Almighty, Catherine Clinch, Everybody Loves Kostya, Everybody Loves Raymond, Exporting Raymond, I Am, Jim Carrey, Liar Liar, Morgan Freeman, Nuclear Family Films, Phil Rosenthal, Sony, Sony Television, The Nanny, The Nutty Professor, Tom Shadyac