Is great comedy easier than great drama?

The Oscar nominations, and the recognition for Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy, beg this question. (Because I know how much some love the phrase "beg this question".)

Obviously in the past, the hoidy-toidy of film critics and executives don't tend to take comedy as seriously as drama. Some great comedic performances of the past have been ignored completely.

Is it fair? Is a great dramatic performance deeper, or indicative of more talent, than a great comedic performance?

 

IMO absolutely not. And William Shakespeare is among those who agree with me.

 

The reverse is true.

Much easier to make 'em cry than make 'em laugh.

 

Larry the Cable Guy agrees

 

I've always felt that most comic actors can shift to drama but much fewer dramatic actors can do comedy. It's a different skill set and (from experience) much scarier. In a really good way.

 

It depends on the person. I think Caddyshack is just the perfect comedy, I laugh at every scene and that is rare.

 

Comedy is hard.

The number of top-shelf GREAT comedies is so much smaller than the collection of great dramas. Not close.

 

Sounds like people are making different points on this thread. Making a great comedy may be harder than making a great drama, but is it harder to be a great comedic actor than dramatic actor?

It seems like it's probably easier to PERFORM comedy. The laughs really come from the writing and delivery, not necessarily the believability of someone as a character.

Going to places in your emotional vault that people don't like to go to create a believable character such as a grieving widow, or someone who was abused as a child I think is infinitely harder delivering one-liners.

So basically, I guess I'm saying it's easier to write drama, but harder to perform it.

 

judging from the crappy comedies that i saw last year (bridesmaids included), they must be more difficult than dramas

 

From experience, I'm going to respectfully disagree. Drama is carried much more by the writing in many ways. People bring their own drama to serious experiences. Comedy is like walking a tight rope ... you need to keep one foot in the silly and one in the real.

 

I thought Melissa McCarthy and "Bridesmaids" deserved the accolades it got today. Between this and her sitcom, I think McCarthy's had a hell of a year.

 

She is on a sitcom?