Chapter 67: Chapter 67: Beverly Hills Cop
The story was set in Detroit, about a very capable cop whose biggest strength was not listening to his boss. After solving a major arms case, instead of being rewarded, he was ordered to take a vacation.
This guy decided to go on a holiday to Los Angeles with his girlfriend, where he unexpectedly ran into his high school classmate.
They planned to meet the next day, but his friend was killed that night. To find the killer, he decided to solve the case by himself.
The efficiency of the Los Angeles police was really low.
Since they were all cops, people still treated him well, but Beverly Hills rarely saw gunfights in a year and followed police protocols strictly without any rash actions.
The guy from Detroit had never seen anything like this. His actions were like a bull in a china shop, causing an uproar at the police station.
A black guy suddenly burst into a white world, and all the cultural misunderstandings created comical situations.
There was, of course, artistic exaggeration. No matter how outlandish, Beverly cops weren't sipping afternoon tea like English gentlemen. That was purely to add some irony for the British aristocrats.
Where there are noble cops, there are also tough ones. The clash between the two is sure to be hilarious.
The portrayal of Beverly cops wasn't overly negative, the overall image was still positive.
This was done not only to set a sequel but also to pass the censors. If all detectives were villains, the movie would be too dark and would end up with an R rating.
Comedy was the movie's main hook, and it didn't want audiences to have other bizarre thoughts. If their thinking went off track, the viewing experience would be discounted.
...
Eddie Murphy was already a star. He might show off in front of others, but not in front of William White.
Eddie Murphy's range was narrow; his current comedy style was his specialty, which might not work with another director.
As someone from a humble background, climbing to his position was not easy. Hollywood was not short of good-looking people, nor was it short of comedians.
As long as White Films asked, plenty of comedians would flock to audition. A $150 million box office wasn't a joke; the allure was too strong. For quite some time, Police Academy would be a topic of discussion. If you performed well in this movie, your future would naturally be brighter than others.
Eddie Murphy had talent, and along with his effort, he had vaguely found his own style.
With this entertainer on set, it was all fun and laughter. White Films had a share in the box office, so everyone wanted to make the film great. Even if someone was jealous of Eddie Murphy, they wouldn't cause trouble now.
...
William White's approach was effective. Everyone's interests were tied together. If you didn't want to ruin your reputation in the industry, it was best to do your job well.
Eddie, with his full energy, seemed more like a rogue than a cop, often causing the crew to crack up in laughter. Acting with him was painful because holding back laughter was difficult.
Luckily, William White had the money. Without several camera angles, who knows how many takes they would've needed.
Such a funny filming scene was something unseen. No one could say for sure how outsiders would react to the film, but the crew was very confident. If this comedy didn't do well at the box office, it would be strange.
They were very sure of one thing: William White was definitely a master of quips. He wrote the script, and although Eddie Murphy's performance was excellent, it would be useless without those jokes.
The most speechless thing was William White's husky. It had such a strong on-camera presence; its performance was astonishing, and its destructive power was equally immense. Without security guards, who knows how many things it would have ruined.
...
Hollywood, at this time, was in a state of confusion. Some low-budget comedies began testing the waters, but the results were just so-so. Since the costs were low, these small companies were still quite happy.
They soon found the root of the issue: the script was the most important. Without a suitable script, earning a little profit would be the end. The profitability of Police Academy wasn't easy to replicate.
Small companies might not understand, but the big ones knew very well. They had plenty of comedies; it had always been a mainstream genre since the silent film era.
After comparing, they discovered their comedies weren't as funny, or rather, the level of humor was different.
Police Academy could make people laugh out loud, while their comedies might evoke a smile unless the audience had a really low humor threshold.
This was a serious problem for them; their comedies needed a script overhaul.
Without comparison, there'd be no harm.
How did people who watched Police Academy view their movies? Comedies? Don't kid yourself, it's not funny at all.
William White hadn't even fully unleashed his potential. If he reached the level of Liar Liar, they'd probably laugh till they hurt.
What's the funniest thing? Isn't it just those raunchy jokes?
...
William White, having been through the internet bombardment of later generations, was just trying out little tricks. He had many explosive jokes he hadn't used.
But he didn't dare to go overboard. Times were different; being too avant-garde could get him labeled as crazy. People were already saying his stuff was lowbrow. If it went further, it might be considered downright vulgar.
William White still cared about reputation. A crashed image was bad news. If parents branded him as a scoundrel, his comics wouldn't sell in the future.
No matter how much the kids liked it, the wallet was in the parents' hands. A healthy and bright image was important. Some playful naughtiness was fine; all artists were like that.
But being obscene was unacceptable; many couldn't accept it. A slightly lowbrow style wasn't worrying; the audience wasn't there to learn.
Being vulgar was bad; it could lower the kids' standards. Nowadays, kids had no limits. Taking it further was unimaginable.
Parents worried too much. Today's kids were already in a mess. The movies couldn't corrupt them; many had given up religious beliefs. Talking about morals was pointless.
This was the era of the wildest private lives in America. High school students' lives were too wild to look at. What was such a movie compared to that? Just childish stuff.
Draw a map of relationships at a high school, and it's more tangled than a spider's web. Kids today were more experienced than their parents. What morals are you talking about?
*****
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