Where Have All The Good Comedies Gone?

"Comedy isn't necessarily all dialogue. Think of Buster Keaton: the poker face and all this chaos going on all around him. Sometimes it's a question of timing, of the proper rhythm." -Clint Eastwood

You know that old Bonnie Tyler song "I Need A Hero"? The one that goes: 

Where have all the good men gone?And where are all the gods? Where's the street-wise Hercules to fight the rising odds? Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed? Late at night I toss and I turn and I dream of what I needI need a hero. I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night! 

That's how I feel about the state of comedy films today. Ok before you start throwing wine glasses at their computer screen, let's rewind shall we? I was up late watching Wayne's World with a friend of mine, which if you're unfamiliar with, is a movie based off an old SNL sketch about two guys who run a bizarre cable access show out of their basement--and it's hilarious. 

I feel that comedies like Wayne's World, The Blues Brothers, and Ghostbusters almost represent a dying breed of film--Genuine comedies, i.e. things that are funny because they're legitimately funny and clever as opposed to using pop culture references or just throwing in some vulgarity for the sake of vulgarity *Cough* Brickleberry *Cough*. 

I'm not saying there aren't good comedies anymore, they do exist and they always will but doesn't it seem like they're in the minority? In a single decade alone we had the Monty Python films, Airplane, Caddyshack, Annie Hall, Animal House, Blazing Saddles, The Jerk, Sleeper, Bananas, and many others. There's even been many quasi-philosophical comedy films like Groundhog Day, LA Story, The Big Lebowski, and Dr. Strangelove.




Nowadays, I feel like comedies come in one raunchy, Seth Rogen tasting, flavor. With a few exceptions like Edgar Wright's now beloved Cornetto Trilogy, I can't even remember the last comedy that didn't have at least one dick joke in it. And though I can't honestly say I've seen them, but a lot of people have told me that they felt very dirty after The Hangover parts 2 & 3--I guess transsexuals raping people isn't really that funny.
I mean where does it end? Will I have to take a chemical shower every time I come home from the theaters? 

Yes, I do enjoy low brow Beavis and Butthead humor but if you'll allow the metaphor, imagine if for a year all you ate was ice cream cake. After about a solid week and a couple memorable trips to the bathroom, you'd never want to clap eyes on the stuff again. I feel malnourished, like someone returning from a POW camp. 
Can't we have something just...funny? Something new, something fresh? It could happen...yeah and monkeys might fly outta my butt! Yeah I guess Wayne's World isn't too sophisticated either. Well, carry on Hollywood.