I know this is a movie blog and I don’t usually discuss television (although I have in my recent posts about Gossip Girl and cinematic series, as well as my examinations of Lifetime and Syfy movies), but I am a huge TV fan, and I believe television, especially in recent years, goes hand-in-hand with examinations of film. I’m also beyond excited that NBC’s comedy Community is returning next week, after months of doubts concerning its return after its midseason finale.
Amidst the great news, fans of the critically praised but little-watched show have rallied in its defense, encouraging their friends and social media connections to watch next week’s return to prevent the “little show that could” from going the route of Arrested Development and Freaks and Geeks before it. I figured I’d join in the campaign, not only because I think it’s one of the funniest, most original shows on television, but because its premise is largely based on metafictional, postmodern pop culture references, many of them cinematic. A blog post on IndieWire makes a great defense of the show, partly because of its cinematic references.
I’ll point to possibly the show’s best three episodes as an example. Season 2’s “A Fistful of Paintballs” (pictured above) followed by “For a Few Paintballs More” were based on Sergio Leone Spaghetti Westerns of the sixties, and they were a follow-up to the much talked about “Modern Warfare” (pictured below) from Season 1. “Modern Warfare” puts the show’s study group, as well as Greendale Community College’s cast of eccentric supporting characters, in the middle of a school-wide paintball competition. The show brings to fruition what countless teenage boys have imagined during paintball fights for years: The characters become embroiled in a plot reminiscent of action movies like Rambo, Die Hard, and The Matrix. References abound, and the show does a great job of paying homage to countless action movies in a refreshing and hilarious way, and any fan of such a genre would be ecstatic to witness it. Despite the clear references, however, you don’t need to have seen the films to think the episode is hilarious. That’s what’s great about Community. There are plenty of references, but being in on the joke isn’t necessary in order to laugh at it, if that makes any sense at all. The show works on its own as a really sharp sitcom, but knowing your movie history certainly doesn’t hurt.
The show’s follow-up to “Modern Warfare,” a two-parter made up of the episodes previously mentioned, obviously plays with Western tropes and iconography in another paintball setting. The second part also refers to Star Wars, both in its classic scrolling introduction and various verbal and visual nods. You’d expect it to be cliched, but it’s not. It’s absolutely hilarious and spot-on.
In addition to these three fantastic paintball episodes, which I believe are most emblematic of the show’s referential nature, there have been a few documentary episodes, one of which was inspired by Hearts of Darkness (a documentary chronicling the making of Apocalypse Now). The episode, titled “Documentary Filmmaking: Redux”, follows the Greendale dean as he descends into madness while making a promotional ad for Greendale. I haven’t seen Hearts of Darkness or Apocalypse Now, although I understood the reference, but I still thought it was one of the funniest episodes of Season 3. The show’s also done a spoof of My Dinner With Andre, a claymation Christmas episode (pictured below), and a horror medley of sorts for Halloween.
My point is, Community is kind of a movie geek’s dream come true, especially if you’re fond of genre films. But don’t think it’s too intellectual. Although it’s definitely very smart, it’s not trying to go over anyone’s head. It’s just trying to be flat-out funny. And it succeeds.
Watch Community’s return next Thursday, March 15, at 8 pm on NBC. And go watch the episodes previously mentioned if you have access to them.
Pop and Ceremony 