Christopher Nolan names the greatest comedy performance of all time: “It really is remarkable”
With his permanently stiffened upper lip, endless supply of crisp suits, and penchant for carrying a flask of tea at all times on set, Christopher Nolan doesn’t give off the impression of being a particularly hilarious man, even if he does enjoy a stupid comedy as much as the next person.
Some of his films have a sharp one-liner or two, but for the most part, they’re very serious affairs. Of course, movie star charisma helps offset even the most heavy-handed dialogue, but it’s doubtful Nolan would ever capitalise on his love of MacGruber or Talladega Nights to make an out-and-out comedy.
He did almost collaborate with one of Hollywood’s marquee rubber-faced talents, though, and unless something truly special comes along to replace it, his Howard Hughes biopic with Jim Carrey will probably remain unmatched as the greatest picture he’ll never get around to making.
The point is, Nolan appreciates comedy. Just because he hasn’t felt the need to tickle the audience’s funny bones, it doesn’t mean his own remains perpetually untickled. In fact, the Academy Award winner even singled out one performance from a comedic cult classic as one of the all-time greats. Not one of the all-time great comedy performances, though, but one of the best in cinema history.
It shouldn’t need explaining, but Nolan and the Farrelly brothers exist at opposite ends of the cinematic spectrum. One of them makes high-powered blockbusters that conquer the box office, dominate the discourse, and find themselves in the running for awards, while the siblings haven’t made a good movie in at least two decades, possibly even longer.
Peter and Bobby definitely had their finger on the pulse of mainstream comedy in the 1990s when they became two of the genre’s most identifiable talents through Dumb and Dumber, Kingpin, and There’s Something About Mary, which is arguably the best they’ve ever been. Beyond that, one of them features what the brain behind Oppenheimer believes is a performative masterwork.
“If you look at Woody Harrelson’s performance in Kingpin, it’s one of the great performances,” he said. “I went back to see it two or three times in the cinema. I was so struck by his performance. Other than the fact that I found it funny, and it was silly. The bit where he’s like, ‘I haven’t been back to my hometown, gosh, since…’ and then he turns to her, and his hair is all over, and he’s like, ‘How do I look?'”
That wasn’t just a bit he was recalling for shits and giggles either, but an insight into Harrelson’s mastery of the medium. “It really is a remarkable performance,” Nolan reiterated. “It’s about that commitment and that sincerity.” The actor couldn’t bowl worth a damn, unlike his co-star, Bill Murray, but the Dark Knight trilogy director couldn’t care less about his real-life proficiency when he was so enrapturing onscreen.
Most people wouldn’t look at Harrelson’s Roy Munson and think, ‘Well, that’s clearly one of the finest performances in cinema history’. Then again, most people aren’t Christopher Nolan, and he can think whatever the hell he wants.
