Fake Dad

Jia Bing's comedic expression still seems to be stuck in the style of "Happy Comedian," which is that kind of Northeastern humor. I really enjoy this style and find it funny. However, at the same time, I feel that his repetitive performances lack novelty. I think the difficulty in comedy is the inability to break through one's own style. A 10-minute or even 20-minute sketch is short and explosive, while stretching a sketch-style expression into a 90-minute movie is very challenging. If the skill is not sufficient, it will result in some redundant plots and abrupt twists. A sketch can have sudden reversals and abrupt emotional changes, but a movie can't do that; otherwise, the plot won't be smooth, and the emotional appeal will seem forced. In fact, comedic movies don't really need emotional appeals. If there has to be an emotional moment, it should flow naturally from the details, without being deliberately emphasized: "I'm being emotional here, and you all need to be moved." For example, the moment of the live broadcast speech and the moment when all the money is returned, how did the characters suddenly change their minds? The previous buildup was not enough to support such a change. These shifts in character emotions and thoughts are sketch-like and need to be improved. I think the low ratings might also be due to this. Movie audiences and sketch audiences are different, and even the same person has different expectations for the two. A comedic movie should be like a snake that has swallowed a bunch of meatballs. Each meatball represents a punchline, and all of this should be smooth, not abrupt or forced, not for the sake of being funny. There needs to be a kind of irrational rationality. For example, in the argument with the bar owner, he is inherently a coward, but here it seems like it's just for the sake of elevation. He could have finished speaking assertively and then shown his cowardly nature again later. This way, it would be an irrational yet justified stance on national art, combined with the rationality of being a coward. There is a conflict and comedic point with a sense of contrast, and the plot is smoothly expressed. Only then does the comedy work.