Comedy has changed. There is now way around it. Things that were funny in yesteryear are lost on today’s young and short attention spanned market. I take, for example, the stark contrast between the Saturday Night Lives of the 1980’s and the SNL’s of today. “I gotta have more cowbell” rings clear in my ears as a beautiful symphony of stringed and horned instruments. Compare “cowbell” with the annoying voices of the coneheads of the late 80’s and early 90’s. One must agree that something has changed. The real question that must be answered is can the two ever truly coexist peacefully. Up until this point I feel as though there has been a war raging. And do not be fooled by the generation gap that appears to be the problem. For, in my experience as a human being living in Lisbon, Portugal I have found that comedy often does not transcend cultural barriers. How can this problem ever end?

Well my friends, I believe that I have found the answer to the question. The enigma has found its solution in one movie. Yes, it is true, there is one movie that transcended cultural barriers, social changes, and even defies time. What is that one movie? Anchorman? No. Old people don’t like it. Three Amigos? No, young people don’t get it. The Passion? No, that’s no comedy. The true answer comes in an unexpected place. May I suggest that Home Alone is the answer? Home Alone is the key to our comedic distress. It answers the questions of time, space, and everything in between. Old people find it humorous, the Dutch find it mezmorizing, kids can’t stop giggling, and even the fans of such movies as Zoolander and Old School can’t deny the comedic timing of Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern when teamed up with little Macauley. That is the answer. There is nothing else.