Does anyone else feel a parody of a parody just doesn't work?

I have this friend who always sends me these parody videos or something, but she doesn't seem to realize the original was something of a parody that didn't take itself seriously in the first place. Other than extreme situations, of the original parody being outright obnoxiously bad, I just feel this doesn't work.

For example, she sent me this video of some new Taylor Swift song, and I personally am not a fan of the song, but she had me watch through the video, and it was very clear the video was nothing but tons of action movie parodies, not meant to be taken super seriously. I mean super obvious parodies and references, like it wasn't just common lazy action tropes but actually referencing specific movies and scenes non stop intentionally.

She then sent me this video of a parody of it, and the entire time it just felt weird and me wanting to scream out to the people who made this parody " YOU KNOW THEY WERE NOT TAKING THEMSELVES SERIOUSLY RIGHT, IT WAS JUST A PARODY?? "

That to me is like having a parody of Space Balls [just first movie off the top of my head that I thought of as an easy to use example] with no one making that parody knows that Space Balls is a parody of another movie known as Star Wars. I just find that difficult to be funny when it is making fun of something that so blatantly isn't taking itself seriously in the first place.

If they are making fun of the parody being a bad parody that is one thing.... but normally it is just making fun of the weird nonsensical stuff in the original parody, which is only it it because it was making fun of the original. Like those things always seem like they don't understand that it was a parody in the first place.

So what are your opinions on this? I feel like I come across this more often than I should, and it weirdly always bugs me.

I agree. This is a weird example but I kinda felt that way when everyone was doing parody videos of Gangnam Style. That video is already suppose to be a joke. Its like making a parody of a lonely Island video.

I find parody and referential humor in general to be fairly lazy. It can be done very well, but more often its just "We are referencing a thing you've heard of before, isn't that funny?"

Yeah, I can enjoy a good parody if it is witty about it, or does something interesting with it, but I generally agree with you on the general concept of parodies and referential humor. If done well I think it can be great, but more often than not yes I do agree it is just "hey look at this thing, remember that?" and lazy about it.

But a parody of a parody is even another step removed where it is like they don't even understand that the first one was a parody I feel, or even if they do it almost always gives off that impression.

For a parody of a parody to work it almost has to come back on itself or have some legit malicious intent. Otherwise its just imitation.

Yeah, Scary Movie was a pretty notable example, since it parodied the parody Scream.

@fisk0: I feel like Scream was more legitimate horror movie that played with genre tropes, as opposed to a straight up parody.

I think you're taking it too seriously. Like, what's the point of getting worked up over it.

While we're talking about misconceptions, can we have a chat about scientific misconceptions? The one I specifically want to mention is Schrödinger's cat. It is NOT meant to be a demonstration of quantum physics. It was a scenario invented by a critic of quantum study to show how even though it's all fine and dandy to talk about something being in multiple different states at the same time on the atomic/quantum level, upscaling that results in an outcome that should by all means be impossible (that the cat is both alive and dead until observed).

But yes, OP, I am with you. FilthyFrank made a funny and weird video with the original Harlem Shake, and then it kind of became stupid(er).

Illustrating an important point about quantum mechanics.

What's your beef exactly?

If you can dodge a bullet you can dodge a ball!

Yeah, i feel like it's lazy and typically shows in the quality.

It's like trying to reproduce a real fart sound with your mouth, you might fool the person next to you, but you'll never fool yourself.

Unless someone recorded it without you knowing and played it back when you weren't expecting, then I guess technically it's possible you could fool yourself. I think the chances of that happening are very low though, people aren't usually recording things all the time. Maybe in the future when recording devices are much more prevalent such a thing would happen more frequently but for now I stand by my original statement.

Yeah, Battletoads sucks.

Yeah it's a ridiculous scenario that still illustrates the same point as was originally being made. It's just blown up to be easier to digest.

The world is full of awful comedy and people love references.

its the only reason why freidberg and setlzer comedies make any money

It could be argued that Black Dynamite (a fantastic comedy) is a parody of Dolemite (among other blaxploitation films), which is also arguably a parody, but for the most part, you're correct.

Most parodies, and almost all parodies of parodies, just go for cheap laughs and referential humor. Even something like Austin Powers, a very popular parody, doesn't really seem like it understands the source material, and the comedy is either cheaply referential or only tenuously linked to the source material. So I think the issue is simply the goal of and approach toward parody that the creator takes. If it's from a place of deep understanding and love, you get a classic like Black Dynamite. If not, you get Undercover Brother.

@brackstone: You have summarized my feelings on this pretty precisely. Well done!

Also, Black Dynamite is excellent.

@therikerlean: The word you folks are looking for is satire. Scream is definitely not a parody. Satires are subtle; parodies are not. Scream is a deconstruction of the slasher genre, examining genre tropes and utilizing them in new (and old, tongue firmly in cheek) ways, while Scary Movie is merely a silly mockery.

There were a lot of these for the Bound 2 music video because people were unable to comprehend that Kanye West doesn't take everything incredibly seriously 100% of the time.