Unamusing to a significant degree

In the year 2001, Bully Herbig directed "The Canoe of Manitu," a parody of the 60s Karl May film adaptations. This film, which has been a hit in Germany, reminds one of economic miracle humor, with its chaotic slapstick slalom, old men mixing each other up, and no banana peel going untrampled.

Eight years prior, in 1993, Barry Sonnenfeld directed "The Addams Family Values." This film, unrelated to "The Canoe of Manitu," presented a different kind of humor. It was a film about the second part of the Addams family, an elegant, horror-loving family. In this movie, Wednesday, played by Cristina Ricci, gets her revenge by deviating from the script in a Thanksgiving performance, accusing the settlers of destroying her people and nature, and setting their homes ablaze.

"The Addams Family Values" featured smiles, camaraderie, and lollipop colors that horrified the Addams children. On the other hand, "The Canoe of Manitu" portrays the blood-brotherly hero story staged by Harald Reinl with a mighty nature backdrop and equally mighty soundtrack, but the humor is more of a nostalgic, cozy kind, mainly due to the memory of when parodying a "noble savage" was new and one was oneself twenty years younger and correspondingly silly.

Interestingly, a powerful Frenchman from the circle of acquaintances sometimes began his sentences with: "That's relatively funny..." and only then got to the point. This phrase, not unlike the humor in "The Canoe of Manitu," enhances the potential humor of his statement and gives the audience the opportunity to refrain from laughing.

For generations Y and Z, the references are the first Bully film, not Lex Barker and Pierre Brice. Meanwhile, "The Addams Family Values" dealt with a sensitive topic genuinely humorously, setting an example eight years before "The Canoe of Manitu."

In "The Canoe of Manitu," Bully Herbig attempts to address discussions about the "Indian" term and appropriation claims by having "Abahachi" (Herbig) make amends with a group of real indigenous people in a serious confrontation. However, the film is neither relatively nor absolutely funny, much like the Frenchman's phrase.

Jenni Zylka, a regular film writer, has analysed both films and offers insights into their unique humour and cultural significance. While "The Canoe of Manitu" is a slow film with redundant, somewhat worn-out linguistic jokes, "The Addams Family Values" stands out for its clever and timely humour. Wednesday in "The Addams Family Values" played the role of 'Pocahontas,' and braids suited both the indigenous Algonquin and the morbid teenagers.

In conclusion, while both "The Canoe of Manitu" and "The Addams Family Values" offer unique and unconventional takes on comedy, they do so in distinct ways. "The Canoe of Manitu" leans more towards nostalgic, cozy humor, while "The Addams Family Values" delivers clever and timely humour with a touch of social commentary.