YOU CAN'T FAKE FUNNY

Alright, lower the volume.

We're going to watch Sally (Meg Ryan) "fake it" in WHEN HARRY ME SALLY.

Ah heck, turn it up loud. Comedy is all about being inappropriate. If your spouse, roommate, dog walks in the middle of her faux-gasm simply say: I'm doing research.

So what did we learn? That Meg Ryan has great comedic chops. It's great to see Billy Crystal play a straight man.

Here's what we learned: you laughed.

You saw it, you laughed.

And the one thing you can't fake on a script page is funny.

You're an aspiring writer looking to break into this biz during the age of the tent-pole, pre-awareness, proof of concept movies. IRON MAN, HARRY POTTER, THE DARK KNIGHT, TRANSFORMERS, VIEWMASTER - the movie. (Yes, it's out there.)

Well, if you're one of those with the gift of gag and enjoys writing in a comedic tone -- there's a home for you.

Jason Scoggins maintains a great blog called LIFE ON THE BUBBLE. You should take a look at it. It's very informative about what is being sent into the marketplace and what is selling.

Comedy screenplays always seem to hold their own.

Why is that? Well, one reason -- they tend to be cheaper to make. Anywhere from $30-$50 millions are opposed to $150 million plus. DATE NIGHT's budget is estimated to be $55 million. Not a low budget movie. But cheaper when compared to the $80 million spent of THE SURROGATES -- with a $119 million get to date. DATE NIGHT has currently made $143 million world wide. Sweet. Tina Fey kicks Bruce Willis's box office ass.

But aside from the budget concerns. And as writers, you shouldn't concern yourself too much with the budgetary concerns - the simple fact is this: if you write something funny on the page, people will laugh.

You write a drama, they might cry and might think who can I get to be in this.

You write a thriller, they might get scared and then wonder who can I get to direct this.

You write a comedy that makes people laugh --they're gonna remember that.

My wife and I got on a hot streak with studio assignments off a script called BEER BOY. It never sold. But people thought it was funny. And maybe we can make some their projects funny.

I also believe, if you want to direct, the road has been paved by first time comedy hyphenates for the last few decades.

Here are some trailers from first time comedy directors.

Woody Allen's first stab at directing: TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN (1969)

John Hughes' first foray into directing: SIXTEEN CANDLES (1984)

The Farrelly Brothers up the ante with THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY (1998)

Judd Apatow scores with the THE40 OLD VIRGIN (2005)

With the exception of Judd Apatow's TV work, none of these writers knew anything about directing. All they knew is how to make people laugh.

Funny is money.

You can't fake it.

UNIQUELY FAMILIAR

Russell Brand, the very funny, crazy, and the second luckiest man on earth (see Katie Perry), is slated to do a remake of the classic Dudley Moore movie, ARTHUR. It's an update of the original. And as much as I revere Steve Gordon's original, I gottta say if you're going to update ARTHUR Russell Brand seems like a good way to go.

He's British, incredibly funny; a daring and honest comedian and performance artist.

But sometimes a remake isn't quite a direct remake. Russell Brand's newest movie is called GET HIM TO THE GREEK and it kinda reminds me of a classic movie that starred Peter O'Toole called MY FAVORITE YEAR. Here are the trailers for each movie:

If you haven't seen MY FAVORITE YEAR, you should. A classic. Very funny. Great one liners.

Let's take a look at GET HIM TO THE GREEK.

Hmmm, young impressionable assistant who hasn't learned to live is assigned to babysit an out of control legend. Hijinks ensue. There's hilarity and heart (the two essential ingredients to a great comedy).

It seems to be the same story. Now, MY FAVORITE YEAR was close to 30 years ago. I'm not sure how many people at the studio realized they were making something uniquely familiar.

What makes it different - Mexican Jonas Brothers anyone?

P Diddy?

Sex, drugs, rock and roll. yes, it's R-Rated.

But there's something else that's familiar.

The character Russell Brand is playing first appeared in one of the most original comedies of the last 20 years: Jason Segal's FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL. Remember this guy? The hysterical Aldous Snow.

So Russell Brand is reprising his role of Aldous Snow. But Jonah Hall is playing a character named Aaron Green. In FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL, he played Matthew the Waiter.

So yes, in some ways GET HIM TO THE GREEK is an "homage" to MY FAVORITE YEAR but it's more a vehicle for Aldous Snow.

Let's see if you recognize this other plot of another Brand movie that seems uniquely familiar.

Deadline Hollywood recently reported that "Russell Brand has been cast to star in a film in which he will play a "David Beckham-like millionaire soccer star/playboy" who gets arrested and must service community service as the soccer coach for a local high school team."

Well, you can say IT'S THE BAD NEWS BEARS with soccer. Or MIGHTY DUCKS with soccer. or the BIG GREEN with soccer. Wait, didn't that have soccer?

Writers often go to the well, looking for that new idea.

And sometimes that new idea is found in old places.

Two of the top movies on the A.F.I. list of 100 Best Comedies involve men dressing as women. Same basic concept but updated. Writers need to know their genre - religiously. Study old comedies. Watch them in black and white. It will not hurt your eyes. There are more cutting edge techniques used in Woody Allen's ANNIE HALL, than most comedies combined today.

Watch comedies.

Be inspired them.

But bring your own unique comedic perspective to your script.

There is one thing that cannot be imitated, copied, or ever remade -- comic perspective. Russell Brand is unique. His original voice will come through in all loosely veiled, inspired remakes.

This whole Russell Brand character runaround started when Jason Segal sat down and wrote this character of Aldous Snow. Russell Brand got that part and was off and running...

For a special treat: here's the audition tape:

Russell Brand indeed was a scene stealer in FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL. Small moment of karmic irony here. Dudley Moore has a scene stealer role in a movie called FOUL PLAY, starring Kate Hudson's mother Goldie Hawn. From that part he got the role of ARTHUR.

If you haven't seen it, you should. It's ripe for a remake.