Why Drama Needs more Comedy and Comedy Needs more Drama

As we round the corner of the year and get into the awards season discussions, the best films of the year are being projected, discussed, and argued for and against.

This means the big dramas are coming out, which sometimes can be soul shifting titans of cinema which will be remembered in the pantheon of classic film but can also include joyless and protracted two-plus-hour (and sometimes three-hour) slogfests that are lauded as darlings among the awards season’s film literati but put the rest of us into either a deep sleep or give us an excuse to leave the theater early and go home to finish our laundry.

This tradition isn’t a new one. I remember it as early as the eighties and haven’t seen a departure from it since. And in as many years as I’ve been privy to the awards season shuffle, I’ve seen many movies praised as classics that were forgotten the next year and lots of other movies that weren’t nominated for a single award that people can’t stop talking about. And, yes, there are those films that get awards and are still remembered and talked about too. But the ones the awards shows typically flock to are dramas. And I love dramas, and I actually love awards shows too. Are they frustrating? Of course! But that’s what makes them interesting. If I agreed with every choice they made, awards shows would be boring. Most importantly, they also give us an amazing excuse to talk about what makes great art and to celebrate artists.

It’s easy and fun to celebrate others, especially others who make works of art, even if I don’t agree with, understand, or even like those works of art. And, in cinema, there are whole teams of people who worked to create those films, and they deserve celebration too. This doesn’t mean I don’t crow at the TV or throw my hands up in utter disbelief when one of the films I didn’t love wins, but it does mean that at some point, I’ll celebrate for them. This could be a clap, a head nod, or a hoot, but in some way, I’ll show my appreciation.

However, I would be remiss if I didn’t point out something that I’ve been thinking about for a long time. While I appreciate that there are dramatic moments in life worth simmering in, I take issue with films that have two hours of protracted misery. And, no, I don’t mean the movie Misery (1990), which is an incredible film! What I’m referring to is the movies that start with characters in misery, they stay in misery, and they end in misery. The cinematography reflects this, the music reflects this, the production design reflects this, etc. I know you know the ones! As someone who is a constant student of life, I’ve never seen a situation this bleak. I’ve visited jails, been at bedsides when death is imminent, experienced the death of loved ones, had and seen those in states of extreme depression and anxiety, been in the aftermath of natural disasters, and in all of these, I’ve seen nuance, and most of the time, some laughter or smiles. I would argue that in many of these situations, laughter is what sustains us through the tragedies we are going through.

 "Laughter is what sustains us through the tragedies we are going through."

Do I think every drama needs a laughter scene? Nah! But some nuance would go a really long way!

The great William Shakespeare was a master of this. In his greatest tragedies, there were moments of comic relief that made the dramatic moments even more powerful. Think about a play like King Lear. Lear goes through a barrage of tragedies that begin in the first Act and don’t really give up until the curtains close on the play. There are murders, betrayals, eyes poked out, suicide, a hanging, and a descent into madness. And there’s still laughter. There’s still the Fool. And there is a lot of nuance between all that tragedy and our comic relief.

If anyone deserved a portrait of them laughing, it was Shakespeare.

None of us can be Shakespeare. I realize this. But, as filmmakers and storytellers, we can work to give our stories nuance. And I promise you, when you do that, audiences will respond, because it approaches truth. It’s something they can relate to.

Similarly, though, other genres can add nuance. Just as a two-hour misery fest can send us into movie regret (this is when you wish you could stop the movie or leave the movie but are otherwise trapped) so can a two hour back-to-back to back-to-back to back gag fest in a comedy or a nonstop action movie with no room to take a breath. When I take stock of even my favorite horror films, they know how to add nuance. They are funny! Campy! But that’s what makes the killer’s knife coming into frame so diabolical. And fun! And, the action movie one liners are cheesy and sometimes misplaced, but as a child of the 80’s, I have to love a great one liner in an action movie. But, what I love more is the quirky best friend or the well written and heartfelt scene that makes us care about the character’s development.

As I think over my favorite drama films in the last five to ten years, there are many (though not all) that utilize humor to give a more human view of life. In the Mood for Love (2000) by Wong Kar Wai is an older film, but it’s one I discovered just a few years ago and I consider it one of my favorites all time films. He has this friend in the beginning that has a hilarious outlook on his love life. Last year’s best Oscar pick, Anora had lots of laughs, and I was happily surprised it won. It was almost a comedy. It teetered in that space between comedy and drama. If you would have changed one aspect, it could have swung the other way. Roma (2018), La La Land (2016), and American Fiction (2023) are some other highlights from the past few years that tackle dramatic tensions but do so in a very nuanced way. Sinners (2025), One Battle After Another (2025), The Ballad of Wallis Island (2025), and K Pop Demon Hunters (2025) are my top films from this year, and they all have lots of nuance!

American Fiction (2023) K Pop Demon Hunters (2025) The Ballad of Wallis Island (2025)

There are still a lot of filmmakers out there doing the good work for us. I’m just hoping more dramatists in particular will take a page from lived experience and see the different facets of the genre. And I could totally be missing the mark. Maybe I’m missing the schadenfreude gene in my movie watching experiences or there is some deep and affecting truth in these protracted dramas I’ve shut myself off from. But I won’t stop listening. I love movies enough to keep watching and hoping. And I’ll still be tuning in to all the award show speculation and the awards shows themselves, crossing my fingers the comedies give us something to hold onto and the drama’s give us something worth letting go.

Bonus! This scene isn't in the movie, but I love this dancing BTS from In the Mood For Love. Enjoy!! -TMJ