FEATURE:
A Minor/Major Issue
IN THIS PHOTO: American actor Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)/PHOTO CREDIT: Ryan Pfluger for The New York Times
Can a Music-Based Comedy Succeed and Be Profitable?
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IT may seem like a strange question…
PHOTO CREDIT: Krists Luhaers/Unsplash
but I have been thinking about an idea I have for a film that is music-based. Comedies in general have smaller budgets than other genres when it comes to the big screen. Fewer of them are released and, when they are, the reception is not as impassioned. There are lots of successful comedies, but how many come along that blow people away and get big box office receipts and this incredible status?! Very few spring to mind from the past couple of decades. Compare that to, say, horror films or action flicks, and there is a definite disparity. I have been looking at lists of the ‘best’ comedy films from the past twenty years, and there are not too many that are too recent. From Bridesmaids (2011) to Shaun of the Dead (2004), there are those that were incredibly well-received and stand as classics today. Apart from the iconic This Is Spinal Tap (1984), there are not that many music-based comedies. I am not including musicals in this. Instead, a film where music or a band is at the centre. Everyone loves music so, whether the soundtrack is heavy, and the plot revolves around music, or the film is about a particular artist, one would thing there’d be potential and a big audience. I think comedies are hard anyway, because it is a form that is so subjective. It is easy to convince people in action and drama because, to me, there is great promise to evoke the right emotions. Making people laugh is very hard! I have found that a lot of comedies from the past decade or so are either quite basic and streamlined or they are a little predictable and lacking anything special.
I have been looking around for recent music comedies. Maybe the best modern example is 2021’s Mixtape. That is an excellent film, yet it is a rarity in terms of its genre and success. I can’t really divulge details about my idea, suffice it to say, it shares some similarities with Mixtape. Humbling that it did do well in terms of reviews and reputations, I still wonder whether this is an area of cinema undervalued and under-explored. My film idea very much has actors like Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) in mind - so I could, hopefully, get a good cast. I think the issue of budget vs. box office is an issue. The film needs to be relatively inexpensive and make sure that it makes its money back. It is hard to balance ambition and scope with the realisation that comedies do not often do better than other types of films. Unless you have a franchise and popular Hollywood film on your hand that you know if going to be a big success, it is a gamble. Comedies are difficult to ‘get right’. Humour is a very subjective thing and, when it comes to impressing critics, there is this hard task of making them laugh and ensuring the film stays in the mind. There are not many comedies that can do that! I think the so-called ‘best’ comedies of this year are nothing spectacular. I cannot find too many music-based comedies from recent years, so there is this trepidation as to why that is. Is it difficult to sell to studios and get made? Is it a case of the critics not supporting it? Maybe the box office is going to be low and, as such, the film could lose money.
I am excited about an idea I have, yet I do know there is this risk and sense of stepping into a world that is not overly represented and familiar. I know there is a follow-up to This Is Spinal Tap planned. The original is a masterpiece, so that sequel is going to have a ready audience. Making a new comedy film that is very much about music and features it heavily is another matter! I feel few succeed in this area, and even the films that do well, they are not really mentioned as classics. If anyone knows films I am missing, then let me know. I think a good idea is worth holding onto and pushing as far as you can get it. Other types of films are easier to sell and get made, so it may take longer until there is any realistic way my film idea can even get to the early stages. I think the marriage of film, comedy and music is a wonderful thing! Combining these elements can fail and go wrong but, when it does go right, it can charm and wow audiences. Having a music-based comedy stay in the memory long after it is finished is quite a challenge – and yet it is not impossible and beyond the realms of possibility. I do hope that there is an audience around for these films, because I do not want to bail on my idea or let it die. To think that it could be made and find an audience…
WOULD be a dream.