Film, comedy and disability: understanding humour and genre in cinematic constructions of impairment and disability

In Film, Comedy and Disability, Alison Wilde adopts an interdisciplinary approach to analyse representations of disability within films, specifically within the genre of comedy. The book provides an in-depth exploration of the cinematic representations of disability and how they influence cultural attitudes towards disabled people. The interdisciplinary approach provides a more nuanced and in-depth analysis of the way disability is portrayed within films. The book analyzes a variety of impairments within numerous forms of comedy, from romantic to gross out comedies. The book is split into seven chapters, which focus on various film genres and forms of comedy in relation to disability. Furthermore, each chapter engages with the depiction of a particular type of impairment to explore specific tropes and representations.

Lately, there has been a push towards better inclusion and representation of minority groups in Hollywood, however, like most movements, disability remains ignored. Given the number of problematic comedic representations of disability in the cinema, this book makes a timely contribution toward the goal of improved representations of minorities. However, it also shows that the relationship between comedy and disability is not straightforward. Not all jokes about disability are offensive, not all are considered funny by certain sections of society and in fact, some can actually aid in tackling problematic beliefs about disability. To unpack these nuances, Wilde engages with relevant disability theories and understandings of audience responses.

In Chapter 2, Wilde provides an important exploration that challenges the notion that comedy is harmless. As a person with dwarfism, I know all too well the impact of humorous cultural representations of dwarfism, however, I am often told to ignore it or denied that comedy is a contributing factor. Those who are the targets of humour are often told that ‘it’s just a joke’. It is important to see Wilde exposing some cultural attitudes aimed toward disabled people as a result of humorous representations of disability and their negative impact. The inclusion of a few cases of disability hate crimes, which clearly contain mockery and ridicule, aids the reader to take note. Furthermore, the book provides a detailed discussion of the notion of ‘political correctness’.

Of course, no book on comedy and disability would be complete without reference to cultural representations of dwarfism, problematically referred to as restricted growth and small/little people within the book. These terms are often adopted by associations for people with dwarfism, however, that does not mean that they should be taken as the correct terms adopted by all people with dwarfism. It seems that the avoidance of the term people with dwarfism, which is acceptable, misses the opportunity to explore and understand why the term may seem distasteful to some because of problematic humorous representations of dwarfism. However, chapter three, ‘Contemporary comedy’ provides an interesting analysis of the depiction of people with dwarfism, particularly in gangs (think Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs or The Wizard of Oz). Wilde argues that the portrayal of people with dwarfism in gangs aids in reinforcing problematic stereotypes and also robs them of their agency.

In Chapter 4, Romantic comedy and disability, Wilde focuses on rom-coms and in particular how the stereotypes of disabled people as burdens is used within films such as the highly controversial film ‘Me before you. The film received well deserved criticism from prominent disabled activists, who argued that it reinforced the ableist belief that it is better to be dead than disabled. To provide a detailed analysis Wilde engages with cinematic constructions of disability, taking into account viewer effects, such as lighting and colour. This aids in providing a very in-depth critical analysis of the film. Wilde makes an important point when she claims that just because a disabled character is in a lead romantic role, which can be seen as progressive, the message about disability in the film can be regressive.

Building upon the previous chapter, Chapter 5, Romantic comedy meets satire, argues that satire may aid in challenging problematic beliefs about disability, and in particular relationships, which I found very interesting. As a person with dwarfism, I have noticed that people, including other people with dwarfism, truly think that I should date someone else with dwarfism. However, Wilde demonstrates how The Lobster provokes audiences to reconsider this problematic belief, which I think is important. At first, I was not convinced as to why The Lobster was chosen as a relevant film to analyse about a book on film and disability, as there is no indication of disability in the film. However, Wilde succinctly argues that in fact the film does prompt the reader to think about how films, which do not have a disability focus, can still help to challenge/expose ableist beliefs.

Coming to the end of the book, in Chapter 6, the book focuses on the representation of disability in the gross-out genre. Wilde analyses a range of films within the genre with particular focus on how people with cognitive impairments are depicted. What is interesting is that Wilde argues that this particular genre aids in reinforcing or challenging stereotypes. As the book argues ‘[Gross-out genre] transformed contemporary images of disabled people in film and broadcast media, not least by creating ambiguity and debate about why disability is considered funny’ (120). This part goes beyond recognising negative stereotypes and instead questions how this genre can provoke numerous reactions. Whilst a range of modern, popular films, such as Dumb and Dumber, are the main focus of analysis, Wilde also explores the impact of marketing, film reviews and online comments depict and respond to representation of disability.

Film, Comedy and Disability is a great addition to Disability Studies and valuable for undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as academics interested in cultural representations of disability. It moves away from the previous analysis of comedic representations of disability, to question how cinematic elements, such as lighting and the use of camera influence how disability is portrayed.

Erin Pritchard
School of Social Sciences, Liverpool Hope University
[email protected]