Bonnie McFarlane’s “Women Aren’t Funny” Now Available On Netflix
Bonnie McFarlane’s documentary “Women Aren’t Funny” which dares comedians to honestly give their opinion on female stand ups, is now available for streaming on Netflix. The film is directed and produced by Bonnie McFarland and co-produced by Rich Vos.
The film is told through Bonnie McFarlane’s “investigative reporting” for WAF (Women Aren’t Funny) News. The idea that women aren’t funny has been pushed in the past by people like Jerry Lewis and author Christopher Hitchens. There’s also comedians appearing in the documentary that don’t stray far from that point of view, including Patrice O’Neal, Artie Lange and Adam Carolla.
The doc is not short on opinions on either side of the debate. Joining the conversation are Sarah Silverman, Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes, Rosie O’Donnell, Colin Quinn, Jim Norton, Susie Essman, Judy Gold, Dane Cook, Maria Bamford Chelsea Peretti, Tom Arnold, Robert Kelly, Joy Behar, Lisa Lampanelli, Todd Glass, Dom Irrera, Keith Robinson, Opie and Anthony, Gotham Comedy Club owner Chris Mazzilli, Doug Stanhope, Eddie Brill, Paul Mooney, Louis Faranda from Carolines on Broadway, Marina Franklin, Michael Ian Black, Jim Breuer and Joan Rivers.
“Women Aren’t Funny” goes through the many, many obstacles in a female comedian’s way. Safety issues are part of this, including traveling to gigs on the road alone and the comedy condos that clubs have to house their comics that women are expected to share with the male comedians also appearing at the club. Wanda Sykes compares the condos to “doing prison time”. There’s also the axiom that if a woman is funny then she can’t be pretty, which goes along with the Catch 22 that only attractive women are allowed on television and in the movies.
The movie also looks at the delicate balance between being a mother and a road comic. A majority of the time, the mommy role wins out. This is something Bonnie speaks about from a personal point of view while working in comedy and being a wife and mother to Vos and their daughter.
Then, the comedy math is not on the side of female comedians. With there being less female stand ups working overall than men, the amount of ones that aren’t funny is going to skew the numbers against the women. Plus, there’s the urban myth that if a woman is funny, then she must have been molested as a child. All of this is addressed in “Women Aren’t Funny”.
“Women Aren’t Funny”. (Spoiler Alert! They are.) is available for streaming now on Netflix.
