Laugh out loud

I've been feeling a bit old recently.

Not old as in put-me-in-a-home old. Just outdated old. Nostalgic for the things that have come before.

Those of you paying attention to my status updates on Facebook may have noticed a pattern of movie quotes. Some of you were right on with the references. For others, however, the quotes didn't resonate the way they do for me.

Maybe it's because my moviegoing experiences of late have been ... pretty much nonexistent. And with a 2-year-old, sitting inside a theater is going to be a non-starter, and a drive-in will be a little more challenging than it was when he was a baby.

But even in the past few years, I can't really think of a whole lot of movies, comedies especially, that have inspired the love and affection that many of the films that we grew up with.

And most of all, the lines.

Maybe it's just the repeated viewings. Maybe it's just me getting older. But I'd like to think that comedies should provide those moments that keep you laughing over and over. And lines that you quote over and over.

Part of the problem, I know, is that many of my younger co-workers haven't EVEN seen any of the classic comedies of the 70s and 80s. No "Caddyshack." No "Blazing Saddles." Not even "Airplane." All movies that have shaped our lives.

Think to the more recent big-time comedies that you've seen in the past five or so years. How many have featured that great monologue? How many have had that one indelible line that you repeat over and over and becomes a part of the entire pop culture?

Many will point to "Napoleon Dynamite." That's great. Haven't seen it. Should have, probably, but haven't been able to work up the energy for it. And where's Jon Hader these days, by the way?

Me, the one film I can think of is "The 40-Year-Old Virgin." And there are two parts from it that stand out: Steve Carell yelling "Ohhhhhhh.... Kelly Clarkson!" in pain during the chest waxing scene. And, the other was Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen riffing: "You know how I know you're gay?"

And that came in an era when there were some pretty good comedies to see. From "Wedding Crashers" to "Knocked Up" to "Superbad," we got some very good, funny comedies. But other than "McLovin," how many of those films generated something memorable that permeated the entire pop culture public?

Before that, I have to go back to "American Pie" and "This one time, at band camp ..." for another line that I can remember becoming that memorable.

There's no more Rodney Dangerfield's telling his golfing partner, "I hear this place is restricted, Wang, so don't tell 'em you're Jewish, okay?" No Leslie Nielsen's staring up saying "Nice beaver." No Gene Wilder's finishing a pep talk with "You know, morons."

Hell, Bill Murray has a whole wing of great movie quotes. Between his roles in "Caddyshack," "Ghostbusters," and "Stripes," the man has a litany of lines that are repeated to this day. How many people still scream "IT'S IN THE HOLE!" after a golf shot? How about "That's the FACT, Jack!" from "Stripes?"

Today, it seems, everyone goes for the easy laugh. The fart joke. Bad language for bad language's sake. It's lazy comedy. But it generates laughs, so they continue to do it. And it disappointed me to see that "Year One" was reviewed as nothing more than one long fart joke, especially with the people on board on that movie.

I hear good things about "The Hangover," so I'm really looking forward to see it, and very hopeful for it to join in some of the classics.

And Lord (or whatever your Deity) knows, we can all use a good laugh about now.