Why Uncool Is Cool: An Interview with Paul Feig
Published on March 30th, 2008 in: Books, Interviews, Issues, Movies, TV |Paul Feig: And it was like, “Okay, this is never going to work. Clearly.”
That always sums up, to me, the Hollywood version of funny. That’s why they loved Jim Carrey, why he went through the roof. But, that, once again, walks like a duck; talks like a duck. . . it’s why Robin Williams is so big. I mean, I really like Robin Williams, and if you really study his jokes, he’s a master at making something sound like a joke. It’s this build up, build up, and you go, “And the punch line’s gonna be next!” And so whatever comes out of his mouth, whether it’s hilarious or not, you’ll laugh. That’s a skill, that’s an amazing skill.
Joel Hodgson in Freaks and Geeks
From Daydreaming
But still, if you write those things down. . . and one thing that goes back to is, “What are jokes?” Like on Freaks, our funniest moments—and I used to love writing these—are when Bill goes, “Huh?” and gives a look. But on the page, that’s not funny at all, unless you know the character.
It’s why sitcoms are so amped up; because everything reads funny. People don’t talk in jokes. Even people like your funniest friends—
Popshifter: No one talks like the Gilmore Girls.
Paul Feig: (laughs) No, exactly!
Popshifter: Even though it’s funny, it’s not realistic.
Paul Feig: Exactly! It’s how you turn a phrase, it’s an observation you have, an ironic timing. . . that’s what’s funny. Reaction is comedy, at the end of the day.
Sitcoms and joke writing tend to be offensive comedy, not defensive comedy.
Popshifter: I’m on the email group for Cinematic Titanic [Joel Hodgson and the original MST3K alum’s new project] and you were quoted as saying how funny it was, but I haven’t actually seen it yet.
Paul Feig: Oh good, yeah! It’s really funny. It’s great to have those guys back. I mean, you do kinda miss the ‘bots, but they’re all so funny that it’s really fun to watch.
Popshifter: I always was like that, watching movies and deconstructing. And when the show came out and I saw it, I was like, “Other people do this too?”
Paul Feig: Once again, the genius of that is, if you’re sitting by yourself, you feel like you’re sitting with a bunch of friends.
That’s really the key to TV comedy, period. That’s why Friends worked. It’s creating a group of people that you feel close to, in a place you are comfortable in. It’s not my favorite show, but the most brilliant idea for a show is Cheers. You know, once a week, “Hey, let’s go down to the bar and I’ll see all my friends.”
Popshifter: How I Met Your Mother is a lot like that. Anything Jason Segel does I’ll watch because he’s just so amazing; he’s so believable at being that type of character, he’s very real in his portrayal of whatever he does.
Jason Segel © Justin Stephens
Paul Feig: That’s why we always loved him. He commits to everything, just heart and soul. I think of the stuff I had him doing on Freaks!
Popshifter: Walking around in his underwear! (laughs)
Paul Feig: He was like, “I trust you, whatever.” My favorite thing he ever did was when we were doing the “Discos and Dragons” episode. We literally hired this choreographer who did Saturday Night Fever, but I was videotaping it at the rehearsals and he said, “You gotta make sure you don’t show me any of those videotapes until the episode is finished because I want to believe that I’m the best dancer in the world.”
Popshifter: (laughs)
Paul Feig: And it comes across! It’s great! I mean, once again, talk about a place where somebody could’ve been winking and nodding. . . or just not committing or not wanting to look uncool. That’s what I always loved about Segel: he would commit, he would do anything! (laughs) I like coming up with weird things because that’s just funny, and he’d be like, “I’ll do it, I’ll do it!”
Click to read more from Paul Feig on. . .
Directing Freaks and Geeks
Directing Arrested Development
His obsessive knowledge of laugh tracks
More on laugh tracks, plus the “comedy of innocence”
Dealing with Internet jerks
The outsider, plus embarrassing fanboy encounters
“If it’s fun, it’s fun.”
Music of today vs. music of yesterday
The Hollywood version of funny
What’s cool and uncool
Listening to “the notes”
Where television is today
The fallout from Unaccompanied Minors
His new show Kath and Kim and his upcoming book
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