Hollywood Will Only Survive On Making "Fun" Movies

When this global pandemic ends, Hollywood is going to struggle more than ever to get people back into theatres - the solution: to make more "fun" movies

John Krasinski, Robin Williams and Mandy Moore in 'Licence to Wed' (CREDIT: Warner Bros. Pictures)

by Jack Linsdell

As I've discussed before, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic will sign the death warrant to theatrical moviegoing for Hollywood. Before this crisis started, studios were already struggling to get audiences into cinemas to watch anything that wasn't considered an "event movie" or a blockbuster. So, after money is even tighter, people's spirits are low and the world seems to be upside down, getting them to come back to theatres that have been closed for months, will be near on impossible. So, what's the solution? Well...Hollywood needs to make aggressively "fun" movies, or at least sugar coat their usual, meat-and-potatoes adult dramas and emotional "based on a true story" flicks with an uplifting, fun tone. 

We all have that slightly corny, "comfort pair of slippers" movie, which is often delivers us goofy, light-hearted entertainment by not taking itself too seriously. For me Rowan Atkinson's Johnny English spy-comedy series, or Hailee Steinfeld's delightful coming-of-age/action flick Barely Lethal are just a couple of mine. You can watch them without needing to pay too much attention, and they will just instantly transport you to a happy place. When people say escapist entertainment, they often refer to fantasy movies like The Lord of the Rings or The Avengers that transport them to different worlds. To me, these "comfort pair of slippers" comedies, are the very definition of escapist entertainment - they instantly allow you to escape real life, then send you back to it feeling uplifted and more hopeful. And, audiences will need nothing more than more of these light-hearted movies coming into theatres post-coronavirus to allow theatres any chance of staying in business long-term. 

Robin Williams has given us many of these light-hearted comedies which are always a joy to watch, including Mrs Doubtfire and RV. However, a widely unknown Robin Williams vehicle is Ken Kwapis' Licence to Wed, which is a perfect example of what Hollywood needs to be making. Starring a before-he-was-famous John Krasinski and Mandy Moore, Licence to Wed follows an engaged couple (Krasinski and Moore) who are put through a gruelling marriage preparation course by a priest (Williams) to find out if they have what it takes to spend the rest of their lives together. What follows is a series of hilarious gags and set pieces, as the couple are put through their paces. Sure, there's a loose narrative and a little emotional subtext for those looking for it, but, that's not why you watch Licence to Wed. It takes a relatable and original concept, turning it into a interesting hook and then the writers just let go and have fun. Then you cast some comedy legend star to lead the movie, like Williams, who brings his own unique and immensely funny improvisational skills to the project, and you've got one hell of a movie to enjoy.

However, what if you've got a more serious drama to tell? Well...as the careers of Vince Vaughn and Stephen Merchant will show you, if you have the right talent, then you can successfully sugar-coat your emotional, relatable and nuanced character-dramas with gags, comedy and loveable characters to make the movies feel "fun". That is the key word here. "Fun". You see, if your a writer like me, who isn't naturally funny like Merchant, Vaughn or Williams are, then you don't have to make your movies funny - because, obviously you can't. But, what you can do is have fun with the material and characters, keeping scenes and scenarios light. If you're telling a dramatic story, finding a way to write a scene in a light, fun way, can be the difference to an audience turning up to see your movie or not. For those creatives out there like me who tend to lean to emotional, dramatic storytelling over comedy, this is difficult. But, if studios want audiences to come back to theatres, this type of movie-making has to be a priority. 

Last year proved this. Indeed, 20th Century Studios' adult racing drama Ford v. Ferrari starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale was based on a true story, and slight spoiler, doesn't end in a particularly happy place either. It could have been a dramatic, emotional drama, and a key Oscar contender in the "big" categories. Yes, it was nominated for Best Picture, and it did win some technical categories too,  but it's decision to go a different, lighter route was probably why Damon and Bale were left out of the acting nominations. Anyway, James Mangold's racing flick became a mild box office success with over $200 million worldwide, and therefore just about broke even from it's $100 million budget because it was aggressively "fun". Many critics called it "Mamma Mia for men", and that is actually very accurate. Everyone on this film leant into the concept of fun - as I mentioned they didn't turn it into a gag-based comedy but just had fun with it's characters, creating amusing scenes and overall keeping the tone light. This is why audiences (relatively speaking) flocked to theatres to see it, over other dramas, like Warner Bros.' The Kitchen, a dark and depressing drama. 

So, in a time when the world is far from a fun and light-hearted place, audiences will need Hollywood to provide them movies that are. Whether it's an aggressively "fun" movie like Licence to Wed that uses an original concept and runs with it without taking itself too seriously, or a true-story drama like Ford v. Ferrari that sugar-coats it's emotion and downbeat narrative with a light tone and fun characters, this is the direction Hollywood needs to go if theatres are going to stay in business. And oh, if you need some "comfortable pair of slippers" recommendations then here we go: Barely Lethal, Rock of Ages, Licence to Wed, Couples Retreat, Johnny English, Big Fat Liar, Keeping Mum, Liar Liar and Fighting with My Family. 

Stay safe, stay home and stay positive everyone.