Charlie Chaplin, a famous comedian

In a modern sense, Comedy (from the Greek: κωμῳδία, kōmōidía) refers to any
discourse or work generally intended to be humorous or amusing by
inducing laughter, especially in theatre, television, film, stand-up comedy,
or any other medium of entertainment. The origins of the term are found
in Ancient Greece. In the Athenian democracy, the public opinion of voters
was influenced by the political satire performed by the comic poets at
the theaters.[1] The theatrical genre of Greek comedy can be described as a
dramatic performance which pits two groups or societies against each other in
an amusing agon or conflict. Northrop Frye depicted these two opposing sides
as a "Society of Youth" and a "Society of the Old."[2] A revised view
characterizes the essential agon of comedy as a struggle between a relatively
powerless youth and the societal conventions that pose obstacles to his
hopes. In this struggle, the youth is understood to be constrained by his
lack of social authority, and is left with little choice but to take recourse
in ruses which engender very dramatic irony which provokes laughter.[3]
Satire and political satire use comedy to portray persons or social
institutions as ridiculous or corrupt, thus alienating their audience from
the object of their humor. Parody subverts popular genres and forms,
critiquing those forms without necessarily condemning them.
Other forms of comedy include screwball comedy, which derives its humor
largely from bizarre, surprising (and improbable) situations or characters,
and black comedy, which is characterized by a form of humor that includes
darker aspects of human behavior or human nature. Similarly scatological
humor, sexual humor, and race humor create comedy by violating social
conventions or taboos in comic ways. A comedy of manners typically takes as
its subject a particular part of society (usually upper-class society) and
uses humor to parody or satirize the behavior and mannerisms of its
members. Romantic comedy is a popular genre that depicts burgeoning romance
in humorous terms and focuses on the foibles of those who are falling in
love.

Five Major Elements of Comedy Movies

Comedians

Some comedies feature comedians as the main character or main characters. The
comedians tell jokes and can entertain by acting in a sketch format, as you
may see on a comic variety show. In comedian-driven films, the main
characters practically carry the entire movies thanks to their hilarious
dialogue. One-liners delivered by a single comedian, or a volley between two
comedians, round out these types of movies.

Timing

One of the most important elements of comedy movies is timing. Without great
timing, jokes and stunts fall flat. In order to ensure that actors will be
used to timing their jokes perfectly, a director may decide to hire
professional comedians, even if they don’t have a lot of acting experience.
Knowing exactly when to deliver a joke is the basis for a good comedy.

Slapstick

Slapstick comedies rely on performers who use exaggerated actions to get a

laugh from the audience, including slipping, falling and funny faces. There
may also be a series of jokes, all in a row, between multiple characters. At
these moments the plot stands still, and the audience focuses just on the
jokes. Slapstick originated in silent films by performers such as Charlie
Chaplin and Buster Keaton.

Situational Comedies

Situational comedies are narrative-driven. Often, the main character in a

comedy will find himself in unfamiliar surroundings, feeling like a “fish out
of water.” While dealing with a new environment, the protagonist will come
across several problems that provide amusement for the audience. Sometimes
these situational comedies drop a group of people into an unfamiliar or
difficult situation and follow them as they attempt to get out of it -- and
hit several roadblocks along the way, which make them react in new ways.