Luke Wilson Shares Crazy Studio Reaction to Joke in Script
'Old School' alum laments death of bawdy, R-rated comedies in woke era
Luke Wilson hears a familiar refrain from fans on the street.
Why don’t they make great movie comedies like “Old School” anymore? And he can’t disagree.
Wilson starred in that 2003 comedy classic alongside Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn. They played 30-somethings who create an adult fraternity to relive their college days.
And, of course, everything goes wrong from there.
The subject isn’t new. Spotify’s Joe Rogan once addressed it at length on his podcast, and he didn’t pull any punches about the cause of the problem.
Woke.
Rogan also accurately describes a key reason why woke punishes outrageous humor. The progressive Left mistakes what happens on screen as a how-to manual of sorts.
“There’s a weird thing that happens when you’re making fun of something … it’s supposedly an endorsement of what that activity is, even if it’s completely unacceptable.”
Wilson spoke about big-screen comedies on the “Scene Stealers” podcast, hosted by John Feitelberg. The two lamented the sorry state of affairs and tried to suss out the reasons why.
“They don’t make ’em like this anymore,” Feitelberg said of “Old School,” directed by comedy veteran Todd Phillips (“The Hangover”).
Wilson took a diplomatic approach to the subject. At first.
“I have my theories that are conspiratorial … I don’t wanna get into it,” Wilson said, smiling, about the decline in films like “Old School.”
Slowly, he started to share some broader thoughts on the subject.
“The people in charge are just not funny and too careful and worried about feelings,” he said, warming to the topic. Then, he shared a specific example to prove his case.
“I got back a note about a joke in a script that said it was ‘imperialistic.’ I was like, I don’t even know what the f*** that means,” he said, incredulous. “Is imperial a compliment? Does that mean like empire building?”
The revelation sounds like it was ripped out of “The Studio,” Apple TV+’s Hollywood satire.
Wilson might have said more, but he held himself back. He did end on a familiar note.
“There are so many things that wouldn’t get made today that used to get made in the old days,” Wilson added.