Can an actor make you laugh with just one word?

/ November 13, 2014
(From syracusenewtimes.com)

(From syracusenewtimes.com)

A few times now, the funny-looking man at the front desk of a big city hotel has recited his name and a word that you don’t hear much these days.

It’s a trailer for a movie that’s opening on Jan. 23. The make-up job is good, because the actor is Johnny Depp. He’s the title character in the movie.

“Mortdecai,” he says, with a mix of pride, disdain, relief, swagger, accent. A lot, into three mysterious syllables. And he answers the desk man’s offer offer of help by disclosing the reason for being of the man standing beside him, who is, for all intents and purposes, this Mortdecai’s “manservant.” Three syllables that carry all of the weight put into his name, and then some.

I’ve laughed, every time I’ve seen the trailer.

My weekly Movie News blog for the Syracuse New Times site leads with an item in Cinema Blend that talks about Depp’s role in this film, and how important it is that the comedy do well in the box office because Depp has rolled a couple of financial snake eyes of late.

If you’d like to read my blog there, click the link below.

http://www.syracusenewtimes.com/big-hopes-for-johnny-depp/

That blog also includes a report on a spoiler about this weekend’s debut of “Dumb and Dumber To.” No, I’m not telling here.

The link is right there, two paragraphs above. It will also take you to clicks to find the Cinema Blend stories and site that reports those and many more intereting tales about the movie world.

Are there many actors that can get you going by the way they’ve said one single word, and if so, who and what? What short bits of film comedy have gotten you rolling in the past? What do you consider your favorite comedy, and why?

Fish of Gold

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53 thoughts on “Can an actor make you laugh with just one word?”

  1. Glad I read your review, Mark: Had entirely forgotten about Transcendence, and want to see it. Depp does take on a mixed bag, but if this new one also attracted Paul Bettany, I’m in : ) And you’re right, the trailer implies promise.

    Funniest film and bit? How do you choose? It changes over time, and with age, doesn’t it?

    – Arsenic and Old Lace. When Grant learns the truth about his aunts.

    – “The Twelve Chairs”, and the seizure scene. Funny, horrible, and genius and touching the second time.

    – “Animal House”. Too many great scenes to choose!

    – “Holy Grail”. The killer rabbit, OBVIOUSLY.

    – “Dogma”. Jeez. The scenes are actually pretty awful, aren’t they? Um…How about the hippy-dippy slappy-happy Jesus mannequin?

    I have a ton o’ favs, so will stop. But for TV, the IT Club, Sports Nite…anything with snappy dialogue!

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    • Love your list, OB. I am of ‘Animal House’ generation. Six years of college down the drain, indeed. I cried the day Belushi died. ‘Dogma’ is undervalued and underappreciated. Trippy as well as hippy and dippy. ‘Sports Night.’ Sorkin without any pretentiousness. Loved that show to death.

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  4. I don’t know about doing it with one word, but Maggie Smith in “Downton Abbey” is priceless. If you haven’t seen the TV show, she is the Dowager Duchess of Downton Abbey. She gets all the best (snarkiest) lines, and she delivers them hilariously!

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  5. i loved the pink panther series too, a lot. used to watch them with my dad and we’d both be howling. but napoleon dynamite is my fav. and ricky gervais and will ferrell both make me laugh as soon as they open their mouths. )

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  6. Personally, I love me some Rowan Atkinson. I particularly loved the Black Adder series. Bob Newhart is one of my faves, too. Oh! And Lily Tomlin, and Carol Burnett, and I absolutely adore Sarah Silverman.

    I’ll probably think of at least five more after I post this. 😀

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      • The writing for that show, along with all the guest stars really made that a ‘classic.’ So, you already knew you would become a journalist, Mark? I already hoped to become a teacher… Fun memories of a great show and the times of our lives.

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      • I did know early, Robin. Before I was a teen, even. I know I wanted to be a journalist because I started reading the newspaper at age 8, 9, 10.

        And how did you get your desire to be a teacher? Let me guess. From your mother the teacher?

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  11. I enjoy almost every movie Jonny Depp has made, even the secretive one with window in the title, Secret Window and Out of Time, where the clock is ticking and now I am wondering if it was called, Nick of Time? Anyway, I laughed the most ever at the movie, “Meet the Fockers.” (My family liked it better than “Meet the Parents.” “The Other Woman” was hilarious, because of Lesley Mann’s manic, crazy acting skills. I also liked the silly “Dumb and Dumber” (with my brother, Randy, waiting for my youngest daughter to get out of work and go to Cleveland with us) and all the Monty Python sketches on their show, along with their movies. The clapping of the coconuts in the Holy Grail movie alone gets me chuckling,

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    • I love Lesley Mann in ‘The Other Woman,’ Robin. I’m glad you brought that one up. She made me laugh with one gesture by the end of that one! And ‘Monty Python,’ the old PBS TV shows, “What’s the penguin doing on the Telly” skit got me guffawing every time. 🙂

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  14. It’s so hard to pick just one comedian. I am a big fan of Johnny Depp. I like him in so many different roles. Some comedians I have liked are WC Fields, Laurel and Hardy, Peter Sellers, Jonathan Winters and of course Robin Williams.

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  15. Absolutely an actor can make me laugh with one word. John Cleese is a perfect example.When the audiience can see and understand the thought processes of the character – whether that’s because of familiarity with the character, the actor, the scene, the thought process or whatever – then a good actor can crack up an audience with one word. But that has to be only after the actor has “communed” with the audience. In my opinion Johnny Depp is an excelent actor, definitely capable of that. I dislike his personal attitude but his acting is superb – no question. He may have gotten some poor material in the near past but he still has what it takes.

    Neat Post Mark. Thank You.

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  16. That trailer was much better than I thought it would be. It had me at “man down.” I like Johnny when he is funny and not too overaccessorized. His stache goes well with Movember. I could enjoy Ewan in it also, but probably not the Gwyneth. And I did so used to like her. Pity. Will Ferrell can make me laugh with a look, especially right after Ricky Bobby tells me to eat Asian prune candy.

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  18. That is the best, when an actor can crack you up with simple language. Or even just a look. Don’t follow Depp so well as I’m usually rooting for the underdog which Depp is not. There were a lot of lines in Princess Bride that cracked me up. Will Ferrell makes me laugh, too. His dialogue in Ricky Bobby had me rolling. (Though I didn’t like his Burgundy films, go figure.) John Ritter was good. And David Tennant, the 10th Dr. in Dr. Who-ville is a top-notch comic actor. The shows aren’t funny per se, but his physical comedy and quick wit and hubris always make me laugh out loud.

    Off to read about your movie reviews, Mark. Am curious, though I never got into the D&D series. Though I loved Bill & Ted’s, Top Secret, etc. Definitely not a movie snob.

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    • Will Ferrell in ‘Elf’ did it for me, Liz. The Ricky Bobby character was pretty darn good, too, considering that I am a NASCAR fan. But I also am not a wholehearted ‘Anchorman’ guy. Also not rushing out to see DADT. Unless its the best thing opening this weekend. I’ve yet to make the final decision. Thanks for not being a movie snot. And going over to the other site to see what I have to say there. 🙂

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      • Yes, Elf!!!! Hadn’t come to mind but that is maybe in my top 3 movies of all time. I love it because there is no bad guy and there is no dastardly deed, nothing bad really at all. Just good humor and some fantastic food scenes (crack up everytime I see his pancake, cereal, candy, etc creation) and who doesn’t love the burp scene? Oh that’s a good movie. It’s just about believing in the impossible and folks having the power to change things 🙂

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  19. Johnny Depp is a chameleon, which is why he’s one of my favorite actors. (That and he isn’t nearly as pretentious as it may seem, that he’s willing to make fun of himself).

    I will have to check this out!

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    • He indeed plays differently each time out. I’ve not typed the line “Johnny Depp played Johnny Depp again.” Which I’ve used on a share of actors in the year I’ve been doing my blog for the other site, Jeanette. That is a big compliment for JD. You are correct. 🙂

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