Are the French funny?

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Cabal

We have a sense of humour different from yours. You have wit, either razor sharp and cruel (for example 'le diner de cons', a comedy where a group of friends invite once a year someone really stupid for diner just to laugh at his stupidity but this time all the others cancel at the last minute, leaving the organiser to have diner alone with his idiot and who find himself becoming the idiot)
or simply fun (Amelie Poulain)
You have plain comedy (three men and a pram, which was remade by Hollywood and became three men and a baby)
You also have a more earthy type, which only the French laugh at. The all time winner of that kind of comedy was a film writer named Michel Audiard, even now French people can quote verbatim the best parts of his films (ie : Les tontons flingueurs).

Humour is not self deprecating or with puns built on words that sound alike but either earthy or witty, and can be difficult to understand (or even to catch) if you don't know the multiple meanings of the word used. Puns are based on homonyms, not sound-alike in French and the sentence has to be built in such a way that two or even three different meanings can be understood.

As well, being rather formal, we keep a solemn public face and let it rip only with friends so you have less chance to have French people showing that side of their personality if you don't know them.

As for live comedians, you have Jamel Debouzze, Anne Roumanoff, Michel Lebb, Lafesse, Boujenah, Muriel Robin...

Rose T

Do you think mimes are funny? If so, then...Marcel Marceau.

My Parisian friend has a great sense of humor. We always laugh a lot whenever he and I get to spend time together.

Elaine P...is for Poetry

Moliere. Read some of his plays on society. He's one of the funniest playwrights in the world. As for modern times, read some comments by Annabella; she's funny in French and English. French people have a great sense of humor; they especially like puns. It helps if you speak the language.

neonman

French Frank
comedic question oui
Maurice not bad
DeGaulle with nose
a crack up sure
but Marcell
mime not the joke
wait for words!
Subtlety....the French

Da Arsenal

tHEY ARE BLOODY FUNNY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

lingua06437

I think you should watch some French movies. There are plenty of funny situations in them. Below are some of my favorites. There are funny situations in each film, although the over all story may be sad.

Jules et Jim
city of lost children
les reseux sauvages
delicatessan
amelie
mon oncle
grand illusion
les regles du jeux

Also there are french cartoons. You may have to have them explained to you. There are nuances that only a native speaker can understand.

The French may be a bit more formal than you are used to. But they enjoy a good joke.

David

http://french.about.com/library/reviews/aatp-moviesc.htm

http://frenchfilms.topcities.com/Best_Films_Comiques.html

Julio

yes, they call their quarter pounder with cheese a royal with cheese

willyag

a french movie goin out last month ( bienvenue chez les ch'tis )just make 21 millions of people in cinemas to see this movie,(the france record of all times) it's like a movie in USA cinemas put 110 millions people in cinemas in 2 monthes! incredible but true.... in France.
The movie is about a man from south of france moving in the north, where people speak strangely langage "ch'timi".... really funny !

french humour is very specific, and often understanding only by french people

Rachel S

MoliÃ¨re's sense of humour. That movie made my French literature professor smile!

ChocoBN

Read this:
http://www.theparistimes.com/content/comment/reply/537
and this (half way down the page):
http://www.understandfrance.org/French/Attitudes.html

Mike

They're only funny when they try to speak English!

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