Reel.com: Hollywood Confidential - August 17, 2001

In today's column, movie industry critic Jeffrey Wells makes the point that comedy is a highly personal thing, and the only opinion you can trust on the subject is your own. If you think about the comedies that you've liked over the years, there are probably at least two or three that your friends thought weren't funny at all. Take Monty Python, which is one of the true acquired tastes. Some people find the concept of a man slapping another man in the face with a big fish absolutely hilarious. Others shake their head and hunt for the remote control.

I believe that we generally know what's going to make us laugh, and we instinctively head in those directions whenever we can. I've really enjoyed Kevin Smith movies in the past, so I expect to laugh a lot at 'Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'. You might not think it's funny at all, though. Perhaps comedy is like music - different styles please different people.