Jay Roach vs Todd Phillips on Whether ‘Woke Culture’ Is Killing Comedy Movies

I have been obsessing lately over the decline of big-screen comedies and the fact that some of the leading comedy directors of our time have turned serious in recent years, from “Hangover” creator Todd Phillips with his dark global hit “Joker” to Jay Roach, going from “Austin Powers” to “Game Change” and now “Bombshell.” This fall, “Joker” has powered its way to $1 billion at the global box office, the benchmark usually set by superhero sagas rather than social commentary, while the mid-December release of “Bombshell” takes on sexual harassment at Fox News. Neither film is funny, and both are ambitious swings by two top directors. I raised the issue with each of them in recent interviews. Phillips has been quoted saying that “woke” culture, a hypersensitive and reactive political correctness, has driven people like him from the comedy genre. He went deeper on this with me. “Everyone is too touchy,” Phillips told me. “Everyone is so effing touchy.” Roach had a different perspective. He called on the studios to loosen their purse strings, to fund comedies at the levels of years past so artists like him can find the excitement in ambitious comedy again. He said the studios are...

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