Top Twenty Films

[ricardo shillyshally]

I'd say Woody Allen is definetly part of the Jewish humour trail that led to TBBT. I enjoyed most of his middle period films. Side Effects is a great book(full of clever ideas, often mocking the intelligensia). TBBT writers have said they appreciate English humour(and sitcoms), and both humours have a darker, fatalistic side. Which I think was peoples' way of dealing with dark times, laughing at it took away it's power. They both also have a self-deprecating element. Sex, death, illness and relationships(intermarriage incl.) are standard jewish humour material. Situations are made so absurd that they become humourous. They even like to use cliches about themselves as humour. >' A Buddhist monk goes to a barber to have his head shaved. "What should I pay you?" the monk asks. "No price, for a holy man such as yourself," the barber replies. And what do you know, the next day the barber comes to open his shop, and finds on his doorstep a dozen gemstones.
That day, a priest comes in to have his hair cut. "What shall I pay you, my son?" "No price, for a man of the cloth such as yourself." And what do you know, the next day the barber comes to open his shop, and finds on his doorstep a dozen roses.
That day, Rabbi Finklestein comes in to get his payoss [sideburns] trimmed. "What do you want I should pay you?" "Nothing, for a man of God such as yourself." And the next morning, what do you know? The barber finds on his doorstep — a dozen rabbis!' from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_humour