Hilarity is a very subjective thing at times and that’s a good thing since Edward Norton is not exactly a comedian. He’s been in some scenes you could say have a certain level of comedy to them but in all likelihood when people think funny they’re thinking something that makes them laugh uproariously and without feeling any kind of shame. That’s not really what Norton is known for. His moments of funny are more like something buried deep beneath the drama that you have to actively search for, moments of irony that are there to be laughed at if you want to even if you’re not too certain that you should. In other words he’s been in moments that are genuinely funny, so long as you can actually see the humor.
Here are a few really good examples.
5. American History X
Derek is a hardcore racist and doesn’t back down from his beliefs since he was brainwashed not long after the death of his father and even before that by biased beliefs. When he’s assigned to fold laundry with a black man in jail however he has a definite attitude problem. Thankfully the other man doesn’t back down and even goes on the offensive in a hilarious way that eventually makes them friends.
4. Death to Smoochy
Death to Smoochy is kind of disturbing but if you can see past the part about a former kids show host trying to kill off the guy that took his job once he was kicked out of the business then you might see the humor. Smoochy is something of a spoof of so many other characters that have come and gone and the effect they have on young children.
3. The Italian Job
This is probably the funniest scene of the whole movie since it involves the man that betrayed his crew finally getting his payback when the daughter of the man he killed in the first part of the movie gets to finally have her say. A right cross says a lot more than stealing a person’s pilfered gold, and a supposedly gruesome end seems fitting for someone that couldn’t stay faithful to his partners.
2. Birdman
This is the second film in which Norton plays a man that’s supposedly supplanting a TV star and is being confronted by the same man. Some people raved and ranted about Birdman being one of the best movies ever while others looked at those folks as though they’d gone absolutely cuckoo. One thing is certain is that it revived Michael Keaton’s career.
1. Fight Club
This probably shouldn’t be funny but it’s absolutely hilarious. “I am Jack’s smirking revenge.” It says a lot about the mental instability of a person when they can beat the living hell out of themselves and make it look like someone else did. Because who in their right mind would possibly beat themselves so badly that they’d have glass shards sticking out of their forearms? Right? Notice, I said “right” mind.
So they’re not comedy funny, but it’s still okay to laugh.
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