By Joshua Kazemi
A comedy script, like any other script, must establish a main character, give them a goal, and have them overcome obstacles through emotional catharsis…but while trying to be funny at the same time. It’s about as easy as plugging in a USB correctly on your first try.
The best way to learn how to write a funny script is to read other funny scripts. In our Anatomy of a Script series, we’ll look at a few scenes from these 2024 comedies: MY OLD ASS written by Megan Park, SATURDAY NIGHT written by Gil Kenan and Jason Reitman, and DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE written by Ryan Reynolds, Rheyy Reese, Paul Wernick, Zeb Wells, and Shawn Levy.
We’ll be taking a closer look at how these scripts create funny moments that stay on story, on character, and adhere to standard story structure. Spoilers below!
THE OPENING JOKE
The first joke in any comedy must set the tone, reveal who the characters are, and make the audience laugh, preferably all at the same time. MY OLD ASS, a film about an 18-year-old girl who starts having conversations with her 39-year-old self after a mushroom trip, does this by diving into a scene mid-conversation between the main character, Elliot, and her two best friends.
In these first few lines of dialogue, Park establishes both the tone and that it’s Elliot’s 18th birthday, all while telling a great joke that’s brash, inappropriate, and youthful. It makes perfect sense for these teenage girls. It’s also the kind of thing you wouldn’t say around just anyone. It implies their closeness in a really efficient way.
CHARACTER INTRODUCTIONS
The scene continues from here with solid actions and dialogue that continue to demonstrate the kind of person Elliot is. This is important because audiences quickly need to know who the main character is, what makes them funny, and why they should be rooting for them.
After the first scene in the script, audiences know that Elliot is fearless and that her fearlessness can lead to recklessness. That’s what’s going to generate a lot of the comedy. The script tells us this, but then it also immediately shows us as well. She drives the boat faster and faster in spite of her friend’s request to slow down. She hits the dock twice, and all the while, she doesn’t have a boating license, and she’s bragging about how she’s going to score with the cute girl at the coffee shop.
It’s a great opening scene that checks off a lot of the boxes it needs to, but it also sets the stage for what’s to come. After Elliot and her friends post up in the woods to get high on mushrooms together, she meets her older self, the titular MY OLD ASS, and their dynamic is quickly established as they talk about their life in the future.
The comedy and the drama in this scene work so well because of the groundwork that was laid before it. We know how young and brave Elliot is, so to see her older self as a more risk-averse, even cynical, character is funny and concerning at the same time. Where Elliot is eager to learn as much as she can from her older self, consequences be damned, Older Elliot is concerned about “bad karma” and “how this shit works.” The cherry on top is how both versions of the character still sound like the same person while their differences are being highlighted. They both remain strong, profane, and not afraid to be confrontational. One of them has just lived more life and has been changed by it. This builds intrigue in a funny way.
CHARACTER DYNAMICS
A lot of comedy is built on the contrast between two very different characters. “This one’s a neat freak and this one’s a slob! How will they ever get along?” You’ve seen that show before. A great recent example of this is DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE. The film revolves around the relationship between a relentlessly wise-cracking loudmouth and a quiet, stoic, hard-ass. There’s no reason these two should be in the same room together, let alone go on an adventure together, but that laugh-inducing friction is exactly what people want.
While these aren’t true character introductions for either of these well-established franchise characters, it still does a lot of good to reestablish who these two are in relation to each other. Here, Deadpool cracks jokes, breaks the fourth wall, and is liberal with his word count. He is who audiences expect him to be. Whereas, Wolverine's first line in the scene is a single word. The script says, “We expect rage. We get a flicker of shame.” This is reinforced throughout the scene. Where Wolverine should push back, he instead takes another drink. This doesn’t read as a completely different version of the character, but instead it establishes this specific version of Wolverine. It also sets up the inherent conflict between these two personalities. Audiences know the “Odd Couple” formula when they see it, and it not only drives the comedy but it can drive the story as well. Where Deadpool zigs, Wolverine will inevitably zag.
COMEDY SET PIECES
When you think of comedy movies, you most likely picture big, funny moments from the film. You might picture the Toga Party from ANIMAL HOUSE, the wedding dress scene from BRIDESMAIDS, or the fight scene in ANCHORMAN. These are the beating hearts of comedies, and they work best when the comedy serves both the story and the characters.
In MY OLD ASS, Elliot attempts to go on another mushroom trip to reconnect with her older self after a confusing kiss sends her spiraling
This is hilarious in and of itself, but it also tells us more about Elliot and how she pictures herself to be the swooner, not the swoonee. The fantasy is also romantic in nature, which makes sense because that’s what has sent her spiraling. And the film previously established that this is a world and tone in which an over-the-top music video can exist and not feel out of place.
Another great example was featured in SATURDAY NIGHT. Just as everything is going wrong in Studio 8H on the night of SNL’s first show, a young Lorne Michaels is approached by angry executives who want to pull the plug.
This is a really fun way to take an iconic moment from an iconic night in comedy history and recontextualize it to give it new life. The tension is building, the stakes have never been higher, and in walks Andy Kaufman to break the tension with his legendary bit. It makes audiences laugh all over again, but this time with a sense of relief. It’s funny, and it’s a huge win for the characters we’re rooting for.
COMEDY CLIMAX
Like any other script, comedies need to swell to a peak. Ideally, this is the most exciting moment in the film, and in this case, it also needs to be the funniest. It’s a high bar to clear, but the DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE script was up for the challenge.
Just as the heroes, who are presumably sacrificing themselves to save the day, as is their custom, the script undercuts the moment with a big laugh. This might not have worked in a straight action movie or drama, but because it’s a comedy as well, audiences welcome the laughs. It also works because it’s in keeping with Deadpool’s hyper-sexual sensibility. And it caresses the fourth wall by commenting on what everyone is thinking; Hugh Jackman is jacked. Deadpool's objectification of an over-sexualized Wolverine is a perfect example of a comedy climax. Pun intended?
RESOLUTION
A strong resolution in a comedy can be hard to come by. Oftentimes, it feels as though comedies prioritize the jokes over the story and the characters. We can understand that impulse, but it’s disappointing all the same. But great comedies do exist, and they manage to land the plane with emotional resonance without sacrificing jokes along the way.
After Elliot discovers that the boy she’s fallen in love with over the summer will die sometime before she reaches Older Elliot’s age, the three have a serendipitous meeting.
It’s just a hug, but it carries the weight of the entire film. It’s a simple and visual way to convey all of the love Older Elliot has for Chad. In this moment, both versions of Elliot arrive at the end of their respective arcs. It’s not a particularly funny moment, but it doesn’t need to be because the film has earned its catharsis by being funny and committing to itself in the lead-up to this resolution.
What makes these successful comedy scripts is their commitment to being funny while also telling a story, and as a whole, not sacrificing one for the other. Because great comedy scripts don’t do that. What makes great characters funny can also be what makes them compelling.
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