ScreenCrush critic, author, and Filmspotting SVU co-host Matt Singer joins Michael to test one of comedy’s most enduring mottos: comedy should punch up, not down. Drawing on comments from comedian George Carlin and a generation of screen comedies that pushed boundaries in every direction, they explore how the adage might apply to the movies Singer writes about in his latest book, Funny Business. 

They discuss how comedy changed in the age of streaming, why theatrical comedies have become endangered, what separates a great comedy from a merely successful one, and whether movies can still bring broad audiences together in an increasingly fragmented culture.

Join the conversation by emailing themovieracket@filmspotting.net.