The Comedy of Canada
Why the Best Comedians are Canadians and How They Got To Be That Way
From Hollywood blockbusters to sketch comedy shows, Canadians are everywhere in the world of comedy. What is it about our country that produces such funny people?
It’s true, the funniest people on the planet hail from the Great White North. Sure, most of them defect to Hollywood eventually, but it’s their Canadian roots that help them achieve comedy greatness. From Mike Myers and Jim Carrey to Dan Aykroyd and Eugene Levy, the brave audacity of Kids In The Hall to a constantly Canadian-filled Saturday Night Live cast, what is it about Canada that produces superior comedic talent?
Cold Breeds Creativity
Laughing is not only a great way to burn calories; it can keep us warm in the dead of winter as well. When it is a frigid -40 outside we have to keep ourselves entertained indoors. That’s when we turn to comedy. We make each other laugh with anecdotes of our own or we turn on the TV to watch Royal Canadian Air Farce ridicule our government. In a country where there isn’t very much to do for 8 months of the year, we have to make our own fun.
Family Ties
Mike Myers credits his father with showing him the British spy movies that would eventually inspire his Austin Powers character. Our familial roots provide us with plenty of fodder for comedy not just from the movies, television, books and culture we inherit, but also from the inner workings of our dysfunctional families. From our east coast kitchen parties to prairie family reunions where relatives from all over the country assemble, our close-knit families gather together to share music, stories and laughter.
Repression
Jim Carrey’s response to the oft-repeated question of “Why are Canadians so funny?” is repression. For extroverted personalities like Carrey’s, Canada is fertile ground to explode into wild acts of comedy when everyone around you is trying desperately to be quiet and polite. As Canadians we tend to stifle our impulses in favour of being well mannered. Against a backdrop of residual stiff-upper-lip British colony behaviour, the zany character of comedians like Carrey and Tom Green are forced to stand out. The class-clown antics of these comics may be frowned upon in school, but on the stage and in film and television our polite population enjoys vicariously living through a guy that makes us laugh by singing out of his butt.
Keen Observations of Ordinary Life
One of the most successful shows on Canadian television in recent years is Corner Gas. Its nationwide appeal stems from its honest depiction of prairie life in a not only humorous, but also reverent manner. One would expect its popularity to be contained to the West, but there are relocated prairie boys and girls in every corner of our great country who remember what it was like to grow up in a town where the gas station was the major hub of commercial traffic. When you live in a place where directions are not “turn left on Main Street” but “turn left at the red combine after the McMartin’s farm and go 10 clicks till you see the big rock with sunflowers painted on it”, you have to appreciate the little things. The isolation, small-mindedness and lack of opportunity can be stifling. Sometimes in a small town, it’s laugh or cry.
The Innovation of Funny
It took Canadian minds to come up with such classic comedy programs as SCTV and Saturday Night Live. In Canada, we’re not afraid to buck the trend and start something new. We’re not even that upset when our ideas get trampled on and Americanized.
Sometimes our particular brand of humour doesn’t translate well down south. This may be why none of the cast members of the often provocative Kids In The Hall ever really made it as big movie stars in Hollywood. Oh well, they can always come home again where we’ll welcome them with open arms.
Something in the Water?
No matter what the reason, it cannot be denied that Canada has contributed a considerable amount to the comedy landscape of North America. Canadians are at the helm of major Hollywood blockbusters like Shrek, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, American Pie and Ghostbusters as well as critically acclaimed movies like Best In Show and Man On The Moon. Our comedy dominance shows no signs of stopping.
