Before I go into a rant here, I want to preface this by saying that, as a guy with some stand-up comedy experience under his belt, I fully understand that comedy is an extremely subjective topic. One guy’s knee-slapper is another guy’s groaner; one girl’s howlingly funny anecdote is another girl’s highly offensive gutter tale. So, if anything I say in this post comes off as offensive, keep in mind it’s nothing more than my opinion of a highly subjective topic. That being said, Thai comedy, specifically Thai television comedy, is an offense to the word comedy. It’s not just bad, it’s staggeringly awful. But amid the gloom is a bright light – the unparalleled genius of Thai commercials.
Much of what makes up Thai comedy is refreshingly broad. A lot of it relies on sight gags and slapstick humor, and there is welcome little attention paid to political correctness. Jokes about weight, race, sexuality and looks are all commonplace, and most Thai comedy troupes (which I’d write about in more detail if I knew more about them) employ at least one person with Down’s Syndrome (always a willing participant), which is usually milked for all it’s worth. C’mon, we all like slapstick humor so I can see the appeal, but after watching my fill of Thai skits over the years, I wonder if there’s any more to it than a guy getting hit on the head with a frying pan (over and above the likely wordplay that I can’t understand).
But Thai television is a whole other beast. I literally can’t be in the same room as the ragingly popular Thai la korns (soap opera) when they’re on. Goofy sound effects (slide whistles, boi-oing-oing!‘s and crashes) are repeatedly played over nearly any physical act; people falling down get huge laughs from the audience; and just how many times can a door open on a man dressed in drag before it stops becoming the funniest thing anyone has ever seen? I have a farang friend who works in the Thai television industry and even he told me that even listening to a Thai la korn makes him want to stick ice picks in his ears. Dude… that’s bad.
But the saving grace of Thai television comedy might just be the television commercial. I don’t know what it is, but some of them are pure, unadulterated genius. Below are some of my favorites, which display the Thai sense of humor in all its glory:
Below: A classic commercial playing on the fear that most Thais have of ghosts, of which there are many hundreds of different types.
Below: A touching/funny commercial where two lizard lovers meet a cruel end. The guys on the floor are screaming ‘Don’t jump!’ and end up arguing over who should have invested in better quality roofing material.
Below: A series of three very funny commercials for Cheers Beer celebrating the little things in life that give us hope.
Below: A very clever (and great-looking) ad for insurance. Text at the end reads: Chance of this happening: 0.00000001%
Below: A classic ad that shows that beauty is only skin deep.
Below: My favorite is also the one that gets closest to the edge of tasteful (or flies right off the edge, depending on your point of view). The expressions of the security guards at the end is priceless.
And the last one won’t so much make you laugh as it will tear your heart out of your chest and make you weep like a baby. The first time I saw this in front of a movie it just destroyed me – if this played in front of a movie back home, they’d have to bring in grief counselors.
So, I guess not all is lost when it comes to Thai comedy and really, who the hell am I to judge? I guess if someone is laughing, who cares what made them laugh? I just wish they’d get rid of that stupid slide whistle.
oh jeeze greg, that last one is heart breaking. :’-( just thinking about it again gets me all choked up.
i had to watch the funny commercials one more time just to stop crying.
Good grief, I’m sitting here with a tear in my eye after watching the last one. Overall, those TV ads were eye opening, in fact. You know how we sit and wonder what would it be like to really get to know more about Thai culture. This set of commercials pushes me a teensy bit closer because of the creativity and sense of humour. It also strikes me that some of the actor shenanigans are rather un-Thai like, e.g., when a man hugs a woman during the crab incident. Then again, maybe I know nothing about Thai culture.
Thanks.
chrs
rick
Other trademarks of Thai soap operas:
– cat fights between girls (pulling hair a lot)
– a katoey running around with a knife (don’t know why)
– overall no subtlety at all in acting: they scream the same way whether they break a nail or die (it’s all or nothing)
– those damn sound effects that must be some kind of live translation for lobotomised audience (laugh now, be scared now, cry now)
– those damn sound effects
– those damn sound effects
– those damn sound effects
I was watching the Sperm Bank commercial and spit dr.pepper out my nose.. totally funny…