Hi everyone, Bryan here….
When David Wain, Michael Showalter, and Michael Ian Black showed up on the entertainment scene, they brought comedy into a new direction with their unique humor and jokes in the Stella shorts. If you haven’t seen those, I highly suggest you check those out. A little bit later on, they made a tiny movie called Wet Hot American Summer, which became an instant beloved cult classic that has spawned multiple sequels/prequels in tv series form on Netflix. Speaking in terms of specific scenes though, one in particular comes to mind that makes me laugh out loud every time I see and think about it.
No matter what age we are, there are just some things that we loathe doing, but due to responsibilities, adulthood, chores, or being a good person, we simply do them. It could be washing dishes, picking up dog shit, spring cleaning, or taking out the trash. David Wain perfectly captured this act of loathing on film in the span of a minute in the most realistic and comedic way possible that I’m convinced is one of the best scenes of all time. It’s such a simple scene too, but it conveys rebelling against authority, respecting your elders, while at the same time, showing just how much your day can be ruined by doing the simplest thing that you don’t feel like partaking in at the moment.
That’s where Paul Rudd’s comedic genius comes in as he plays camp counselor Andy, who is seen here as he finishes eating, and instead of throwing his food in the trash and plates in the designed tray, he just knocks them off onto the floor without a care in the world. Little does he know, that he was caught by the camp director, who simply tells him to pick it up. He retorts that he doesn’t have time to, but in a more stern voice, the camp director tells him to pick it up now. What follows is the worst thing in the world for poor Andy, who then has to spend a few seconds picking up the trash he threw on the floor. His body language says it all, along with his disapproving grunts.
Again, this is the definition of comedy right here.
Beth: [walks in as Andy knocks his dishes off the table] Andy? You gonna clean that up?
Andy: Oh yeah. I will. Uh, I just got… I don’t have time right now.
Beth: Clean it up, and come to my office for the meeting.
Andy: I gotta…
[gives an annoyed sigh and begins picking it up]
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