Let’s continue talking about stories. In my last post,1 I gave a broad explanation of the plotline that classic tragedies follow. Today I want to talk about the Comic plot line. Northrup Frye wrote about these plot lines in his books. As I’m writing this, I’m also reflecting on the works of Fredrick Buechner, who passed away on August 15, 2022. He has a short book called Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy & Fairy Tale. Buechner is a great conversation partner when reflecting on the Gospel, story, and life.
Tragic plot lines follow a path of decline that ends in . . . well . . . tragedy.
Comic plotlines share a similar beginning. We meet our protagonist and life seems good. But there is some kind of crisis that causes things in the protagonist’s life to start crumbling around them. The protagonist will often have a moment of transformation, that leads that changes the trajectory of their life, and they begin the journey of restoration. It’s a U-shaped plotline that looks like this.
If we think about a modern comedy, let’s consider the classic film Dumb and Dumber.2 We meet Harry and Lloyd doing their jobs. They are two friends who share an apartment. And in the credit scene, they really seem to enjoy their jobs. Things fall apart pretty quickly as Harry’s idea to give the freshly groomed dogs hot dogs in the back of the van right before the regional dog show. Lloyd on the other hand is a limo driver, and he meets Mary Swanson and falls madly in love. His love for Mary leads him to try to help retrieve what he believes is Mary’s forgotten briefcase, but it actually is a cash drop for a ransom . . .
You know what, maybe you should just go watch it. I’ll wait.
Welcome back.
Where were we? Oh yeah, talking about the good life.
In Dumb and Dumber, Lloyd’s desire to go to Colorado to hand-deliver Mary’s briefcase comes after he and Harry lose their jobs, Lloyd get’s “robbed” by a senior citizen, and their pet bird Petey’s head falls off. These crises lead them to abandon the comfort of their Rhode Island apartment and hit the open road. Things don’t go well for much of the journey. Which creates a downward trajectory in their lives.
Their friendship is stressed, they lose everything, and find themselves trying to warm themselves by a lake in snowy Aspen. They can’t find Mary. Lloyd keeps two pairs of gloves for himself.3
When Harry decides to throw the briefcase in the lake, they wrestle and the briefcase breaks open revealing that it was full of cash this whole time. This provides a moment of hope for the two adventurers. However, much like the writer of Ecclesiastes, they realize that being able to buy whatever they want doesn’t actually solve their problems. They discover that Mary’s family is hosting a fundraiser, and they decide to crash the party to try to make a love connection between Lloyd and Mary.
It seems like things might turn, but the downward trajectory is not over yet. Because Harry also falls for Mary. (Readers remember, Mary is already married and her husband is a hostage, and the money in the briefcase is the ransom to set him free so this love triangle is doomed for Lloyd and Harry. When Lloyd realizes that Harry is getting Mary’s attention he sabotages Harry’s evening by giving him a mega laxative. Harry destroys a toilet at Mary’s house, and Lloyd arrives and takes Mary to get the “money.”4
They are still on the downward slope at this point. But while Harry is distraught, he encounters a woman who he met on their journey. It turns out this woman is a detective and she is investigating this ransom plot. Harry is given the opportunity to rescue Lloyd from the kidnapper who now has Marry and Lloyd trapped in a hotel room.
The moment of transformation comes when Lloyd has to come to the realization that there is a 1 in a 1,000,000 chance that he would ever be able to have a relationship with Mary5 He also realizes that his friend Harry is willing to lay his life down to save Lloyd from danger. This is where the trajectory of Lloyd and Harry begins to make their upward journey of restoration. They don't need money. They don't need Lamborghinis. All they've really needed is their friendship. And as the movie ends, we see them making their way back to Rhode Island. Instead of their Story leading to despair and destruction, they begin the journey of restoration. It's a U-shaped plotline.
When I first realized that comedies often follow this plot line it became a fun hobby to try to plot these points in comedies. It doesn’t work 100% of the time, but it is still very common.
The Truman Show is another Jim Carrey comedy that follows this plot line. Truman is the star of a Reality TV show. He grew up in a town that was completely designed for him. Everyone else in his town is an actor. Things start falling apart for Truman as he recognizes that everything follows a particular pattern and rhythm. He begins to push the boundaries of his world and finds the truth. This search for the truth leads him on a path of freedom that begins the upward trajectory. Everyone in his town looks for him. He overcomes his fear of the sea and reaches the end of his known universe.6 He even has a conversation with the “god-director” of his life. And he is liberated from his artificial world, as he walks out of the emergency exit door.7 Truman's departure opens up a world of possibilities for him to find real relationships and build a life for himself instead of living a manicured existence.
The key moment in both of these comedies is the protagonist’s moment of realization, which leads to transformation. Tragedies and Comedies have many similar plot points. But the key is the moment for both is that moment of realization.
Why does this matter? Sure it’s fun to be able to understand storytelling tropes, but is there something that we can apply to the real world from all of this? I believe there is. We are storied creatures. We are all telling a story with our lives. The question is, what kind of story are we telling? Which plotline would you find your life following?
What is the key to transforming a tragic story into a comic story? It really comes down to that moment of realization that leads to transformation. A comic story does not mean that you need to start laughing at all the tragic things that have happened in your life. Comic stories are not about laughter. They are about transformation.
I titled this substack “A Comic Perspective” because I want to write about how we can change the way we see the world and our lives. If you are reading this, you still have time to change your life from a tragedy to a comedy. I hope that you will join me on this journey.
Sorry, it took me so long to write a follow-up. Thank you for your patience.
Yes, this is a classic. And yes, it does qualify as a film. How dare you demean this masterpiece by just calling it a movie.
They were in the Rockies after all.
Well, it’s a bunch of receipts as I Owe Yous. Because these guys are good record keepers.
“So you’re telling me there’s a chance?”
His sailboat crashes into the set wall.
Oh man, writing this summary really made me want to re-watch The Truman Show.