Great Movies: Comedies

Theater people say, “Tragedy’s easy. Comedy’s hard.” We examine the “hard stuff” that makes us laugh in “Great Movies: Comedies.” Come watch and then discuss “What About Bob?” in which sweet, but neurotic, Bill Murray upends the life of a smug psychiatrist, Richard Dreyfus. Peter Bogdanovich’s “Paper Moon” stars the 10-year-old Tatum O’Neal who thwarts the romance between her inept conman father (Ryan O’Neal) and Trixie Delight (Madeline Kahn). Love is also the theme of the Hugh Grant smash hit, “Four Weddings and a Funeral.” Our last class will watch “Nichols and May: Take Two,” a hilarious documentary about the great comedy team of Mike Nichols and Elaine May. Please note: this final class will run only 90 minutes.

Lynda Tisdell saw “Peter Pan” at the age of six and has never forgotten it. Passionate about movies, she has studied them, endlessly discussed and dreamed about them. She has previously taught Great Movies courses, recently “Monsters and Villains,” “The Way We Used to Be,” “Unexpected Love,” Deception I, II, and III,” “Christmas Movies,” “Movie Classics,” “Oscar Winners” and “Feel-Good Movies.”