The Steps on how to make a good comedy?

[The Burgomaster]

* If you have the urge to insert a scene where someone falls off a ladder or into a mud puddle, don't do it.

* Avoid scenes where people run down the street or a corridor yelling, "WHOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!" while someone is chasing them.

* A close-up of a guy making a bug-eyed expression while looking at a sexy woman is not funny.

* None of the above apply to the Three Stooges; they can get away with almost anything.

[The Gravekeeper]

If being abused by everyone and everything is a character's schtick, it's generally unwise to make that character a completely good person. It can go from funny to downright tragic when the audience start to sympathize with the universe's plaything.

Example: A nice guy gets punched in the face by a woman after trying to strike up a polite conversation with her in the hopes of possibly asking her out. Not particularly funny (although Don Herztfeldt did manage to make a short based around this that was funny, but that was because he kept escalating the women's responses to the point of complete absurdity. Comedy has guidelines, not rules).

A selfish womanizer gets punched in the face by a woman after asking her to sleep with him. Not always funny, but has a higher chance of being funny than the above example.

[AndyC]

If being abused by everyone and everything is a character's schtick, it's generally unwise to make that character a completely good person. It can go from funny to downright tragic when the audience start to sympathize with the universe's plaything.

Example: A nice guy gets punched in the face by a woman after trying to strike up a polite conversation with her in the hopes of possibly asking her out. Not particularly funny (although Don Herztfeldt did manage to make a short based around this that was funny, but that was because he kept escalating the women's responses to the point of complete absurdity. Comedy has guidelines, not rules).

A selfish womanizer gets punched in the face by a woman after asking her to sleep with him. Not always funny, but has a higher chance of being funny than the above example.

Either give the character flaws, or at least build in a sufficient amount of justice for him. Not necessarily a big comeuppance for his abusers. Just having Karma even things out in little ways will make a difference. Either way will lessen the perception of unfairness.

That's an important rule, actually. Fairness. As much fun as it can be to thoroughly abuse characters, a comedy does require things to balance out in the end. The bad guy gets sufficiently punished for the harm he's done, and the hero gets sufficiently compensated for everything he's gone through. It is, of course, possible to make a joke of the movie turning out completely unfairly, but generally you want everybody to get what's coming to them.

[Jim H]

If being abused by everyone and everything is a character's schtick, it's generally unwise to make that character a completely good person. It can go from funny to downright tragic when the audience start to sympathize with the universe's plaything.

Example: A nice guy gets punched in the face by a woman after trying to strike up a polite conversation with her in the hopes of possibly asking her out. Not particularly funny (although Don Herztfeldt did manage to make a short based around this that was funny, but that was because he kept escalating the women's responses to the point of complete absurdity. Comedy has guidelines, not rules).

A selfish womanizer gets punched in the face by a woman after asking her to sleep with him. Not always funny, but has a higher chance of being funny than the above example.

Either give the character flaws, or at least build in a sufficient amount of justice for him. Not necessarily a big comeuppance for his abusers. Just having Karma even things out in little ways will make a difference. Either way will lessen the perception of unfairness.

That's an important rule, actually. Fairness. As much fun as it can be to thoroughly abuse characters, a comedy does require things to balance out in the end. The bad guy gets sufficiently punished for the harm he's done, and the hero gets sufficiently compensated for everything he's gone through. It is, of course, possible to make a joke of the movie turning out completely unfairly, but generally you want everybody to get what's coming to them.

Sometimes that's not enough for me, especially when it feels forced.  That's why I've come to despise certain modern comedies like Meet the Parents and Anger Management.  You know, films with good people who suffer endless abuses for reasons beyond their control, suffer constantly, then have a miraculously happy wrap up ending. 

Basically, I didn't like the story of Job in the bible, and having it occur in a comedy just makes it even worse.

[AndyC]

If being abused by everyone and everything is a character's schtick, it's generally unwise to make that character a completely good person. It can go from funny to downright tragic when the audience start to sympathize with the universe's plaything.

Example: A nice guy gets punched in the face by a woman after trying to strike up a polite conversation with her in the hopes of possibly asking her out. Not particularly funny (although Don Herztfeldt did manage to make a short based around this that was funny, but that was because he kept escalating the women's responses to the point of complete absurdity. Comedy has guidelines, not rules).

A selfish womanizer gets punched in the face by a woman after asking her to sleep with him. Not always funny, but has a higher chance of being funny than the above example.

Either give the character flaws, or at least build in a sufficient amount of justice for him. Not necessarily a big comeuppance for his abusers. Just having Karma even things out in little ways will make a difference. Either way will lessen the perception of unfairness.

That's an important rule, actually. Fairness. As much fun as it can be to thoroughly abuse characters, a comedy does require things to balance out in the end. The bad guy gets sufficiently punished for the harm he's done, and the hero gets sufficiently compensated for everything he's gone through. It is, of course, possible to make a joke of the movie turning out completely unfairly, but generally you want everybody to get what's coming to them.

Sometimes that's not enough for me, especially when it feels forced.  That's why I've come to despise certain modern comedies like Meet the Parents and Anger Management.  You know, films with good people who suffer endless abuses for reasons beyond their control, suffer constantly, then have a miraculously happy wrap up ending. 

Basically, I didn't like the story of Job in the bible, and having it occur in a comedy just makes it even worse.

That's a good rule for any movie. The happy ending should feel somewhat earned by the characters, not handed to them as an act of charity.

[moviegoersclub]

When I watched a lot of Hollywood comedies,I found a rules that there must be sex, love, drugs, colleges, money in the USA  comedies,but the Franch comedies give us humour,fun and thoughts.That may be  the difference between Hollywood and Franch movie.