Little Miss Sunshine
Produced: 2006
Directed by Jonathan Dayton
Budget: $8,000,000
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures
National Lampoon’s Vacation
Produced: 1983
Directed by Harold Ramis
Budget: $15,000,000
Studio: Warner Brothers Pictures
These films are a hybrid of comedy and the road movie
Comedy - is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences. The comedy genre humorously exaggerates situations, the way of speaking, the action and characters.(Wikipedia)
· Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (the black comedy being an exception).
· Comedy, unlike other film genres, puts much more focus on individual stars, with many former stand-up comic transitioning to the film industry due to their popularity.
· While many comic films are lighthearted stories with no intent other than to amuse, others contain political or social commentary (such as Wag the Dog and Man of the Year).
· Comedy was ideal for the early silent films, as it was dependent on visual action and physical humour rather than sound.
· Slapstick, one of the earliest forms of comedy, poked fun at physical mishap, usually in practical jokes, accidents and water soakings.
The Road Movie –film in which the main characters travel highways of a country by motor vehicle, having various encounters, adventures, etc. along the way
· ‘From the earliest days of American cinema, the road movie has been synonymous with American culture and the image of America to the world. By my definition, the road movie is a vehicle for either one or a small group of individuals who seek to escape the world they are living in and set out towards redemption on the road... The irony of the road movie is that the weak leave, but only the strong survive.’ (Sam North)
· a genre of film in which the chief character is on the run or travelling in search of, or to escape from, himself
· ‘The road movie could be interpreted as the modern western, or at least as a definite descendant of the quintessential American genre.’(Jessica Waterhouse)
