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08/06/2006
Movie humor leaves 'em laughingTRAVERSE CITY — It was a bad day to be a basket at the City Opera House. But it was a good day, or at least a good laugh, for the 300-odd people who turned out Saturday morning to listen to a Traverse City Film Festival panel featuring comedians and comic directors. Both the people on stage and those in the seats had a few good laughs at the expense of the baskets used to hold the panelists' microphones. "It should be holding muffins or something," said comedian Jeff Garlin as he took the stage, wasting no time launching into an impromptu comedy routine that left the audience rolling for the next hour. The "I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With" director dominated the panel — which also included "The TV Set" director Jake Kasdan, "Viva Zapatero!" director Sabina Guzzanti, "Borat" director Larry Charles, actor Malcolm McDowell and film festival co-founder Michael Moore. The subject matter ranged from muffin baskets to stories about Jim Belushi stabbing himself in the butt in what was arguably the most unpredictable, funniest and raunchiest of the festival's panels to date. "I knew if Jeff (Garlin) would be on, this would be kind of the way it would go," Charles said afterward, congratulating Garlin backstage for his "on fire" performance. McDowell wasn't even scheduled to appear on the panel, but after cracking up audiences throughout the week, he was back with more of his off-color humor. "I can't resist, because I love offending people," McDowell said as he launched into an R-rated story from the set of the X-rated "Caligula." "They're not going to even let us have a third film festival after this panel," Moore said. Some audience members, like Traverse City resident Jim Muratzki, were disappointed there wasn't more discussion about the process of making comedies and the importance of the genre — the panel's advertised topic. But most of the crowd seemed too busy laughing at Garlin's Jeff Goldblum impressions and observations about Traverse City to mind. "Next week I'm playing Zanies in Chicago and I've got 10 great minutes on the Great Wolf Lodge," said Garlin, who was staying at Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City with his family. "I've got some great stuff, and it will play anywhere, and it's timeless." Garlin and Moore advocated for Hollywood's "dumb pizza comedies." "There's some great dumb comedies, and we need more of those — more hair gel for Cameron Diaz," Moore said. The panelists showed appreciation for everything from slapstick physical comedy to smart, political humor. "Anything that's funny is good. It doesn't matter where it falls under the umbrella," Garlin said.
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