Comedy: The Latest Savior of the Studios

With the success of Wedding Crashers and The 40-Year Old Virgin, Hollywood is returning to comedies as a summer staple. Vince Vaughn in The Break-Up, Luke Wilson in My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Owen Wilson in You, Me, and Dupree, Will Ferell in Talladega Nights. Steve Carell's Evan Almighty is due out next summer.

So the studios figured out that comedies sold last year. But did any of them bother to figure out why? They seem to think that comedies (particuarly R-rated) are just the latest thing grabbing hold of the fickle minds of movie-goers. But besides being funny, these comedies also had something else in common: they didn't rely on CGI and tons of visual effects to keep the audience interested. Instead, Wedding Crashers and The 40-Year Old Virgin relied on some other devices that Hollywood seems to have largely forgotten: compelling characters, well told, original stories, a few new ideas, and a little humor.

So will all these new comedies also rely on compelling characters, well told, original stories, new ideas, etc? Or will they trot out the same exact actors in formulaic retreads or sequels of the same movies from last year? And will they bother to realize that audiences will also flock to a summer action film if it too relies on compelling characters, well told stories, a few new ideas, and even a little humor?

Let's hope so...