Postmodernism and Terrible Spoofs

http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-surreally-incompetent-not-another-not-another,91699/

A genre that has emerged since Scary Movie, much to the chagrin of high-brow comedy lovers everywhere if the bad spoof. Yes, that is to say that spoof have existed for many, many years, with such highlights as Mel Brooks, Airplane, etc. but what is new is the genre that embraces the terrible. Of course, the writers may not consider their work to be terrible, but as an audience member, even one who likes these movies, it is difficult to come up with any other word for it.

The slope has been slippery. The first Scary Movie, though crude and ridiculous, had its moments, but with each new incarnation and spin-off, even less heart is there. The writer of this article contends that great spoofs are written with a love for their source material. Mel Brooks was well-versed in Westerns when he wrote Blazing Saddles, and though he teased them, it was obvious that they were also very close to his heart. Spaceballs demonstrates a respect for Star Wars and other science fiction, and does not come off as in insult to George Lucas's sensibilities.

What is different about these new spoofs is that they seem to revel in pointing out only sheer stupidity with no respect for the materials they lampoon. As the article points out with the example of Not Another Not Another Movie, the spoof of these spoofs, the only star power that these films can get is resentful, senile, or both.

The reason these films are especially interesting from a genre perspective is that they are extremely postmodern. In title and content, they are very self-aware, and they borrow absolutely every plot point and character from another film. As the article mentions, nearly every punchline is basically a pop culture reference, and even the casting itself is self-conscious. So why then does Scott Pilgrim vs. The World leave such a better impression than these films? After all, these contentions seems to describe both.

Perhaps the answer is the power of the synthesis. If the stupid spoof film is all of the elements of various films tossed into a salad bowl, haphazardly, the quality postmodern picture is a precisely crafted delicacy made of a variety of disparate ingredients. Scott Pilgrim is a completely original idea that happens to incorporate a myriad of pop cultural and referential elements which serve to add meaning, depth, and flair to the story. The spoofs on the other hand use all of these elements on their surface level, and in fact never manage to reach past it.