Anastasia Norenko – Trainwreck and Joker at the Funeral

In her chapter on jokes, Mary Douglas describes the role of the joker as a “minor mystic” and “one of those people who pass beyond the bounds of reason and society”. [1] Later in the text Douglas describes the role of the joker from a more philosophical perspective, stating that “a joke symbolises levelling, dissolution and recreation” and that “its form in itself suggests the theme of rebirth.” [2] Therefore, jokes can be viewed as certain social rituals which can serve various purposes. In the case of funerals, by using humour, the joker, as Douglas argues, does not only restrain the grief, but also to see the deceased person as an individual and remember his/her role in the family and among the closest people.

Some comedies and sitcoms have funeral scenes which seem to be entirely comic, as in the episode of Friends where Ross’s and Monica’s grandmother dies, Ross clumsily falls into an open grave while his friends just comically stare at him.

However, in some other comedy films and tv shows funerals are depicted in a more emotional/serious way. Even though the funeral scene might still include jokes, its overall tone appears to be much closer to reality. This, I believe, is the case in Trainwreck (Judd Apatow, US, 2015). During her eulogy to her father, Amy adds a lot of jokes to her speech, most of them are based on real events that happened to her father during his life. Although Amy describes her father as not a pleasant man and includes all kinds of unflattering jokes, it is still clear that she loves her father, since by telling them she describes him as he really was, as if he is still alive. By using the jokes, Amy does not only make everyone feel less miserable, but also shows what role her father played in the life of people around him.

1. Mary Douglas, “Jokes,” in Implicit Meanings: Essays on Anthropology (London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1975), 108.

2. Ibid., 109.