TV Versus The Movies: Has Hollywood Hit Bottom?

Anyone been to the movies recently?

Yep, I figured as much! Me too. And judging by the recent string of box office misfires it seems we’re not the only ones. Since the summer season ended in August the last 3 months have turned into a pretty bleak patch for the movie industry with weekend after weekend of box office receipts underperforming year on year. And yet at the same time this Fall season has turned into a fruitful time for the TV business with several new hits and many refreshed old series. Hmm, anyone see a connection?

So here’s the deal. I used to go to the movies virtually every week, year in, year out. And yet over the last 3 months I’ve seen just three movies – Tower Heist, Paranormal Activity 3 and Drive (J. Edgar is next on my list)

Of those Paranormal Activity was a great, spooky ride (against all odds the Activity films seem to be getting better each time), Drive was an over-rated slice of style over substance and Tower Heist was mindless popcorn fodder but criminally under-written.

At the same time we’ve been spoiled for choice on our TV screens. The Walking Dead and American Horror Story have brought straight up horror to the small screen. Revenge and Ringer are soapy fun. Homeland brings the thrills with a smart terrorism drama. Modern Family, Suburgatory and New Girl are consistently funny – and smart. The X Factor is American Idol, upgraded. And we still have a whole heap of interesting new series set to launch in January (The River, Smash, GCB) as well as countless returning favorites on the way (Mad Men, Game Of Thrones, The Killing, The Borgias). I say it again – we’re in a golden age of TV.

The problem with most movies nowadays is that compared to TV you just don’t get any back for your buck. Take Tower Heist for example. The much hyped Ben Stiller / Eddie Murphy comedy was the definition of an over-stuffed star vehicle. I don’t know how much Tower Heist cost to make but I’m guessing in the $100 million range given the talent on screen and off. What I do know is that movie tickets in the New York area cost about $11 a time. And yet does Tower Heist deliver $11 worth of entertainment? Not really.

For the first 45 minutes of Heist the movie barely elicits a smile. There’s far too much Ben Stiller and far too little Eddie Murphy. But even when the actual heist kicks in the movie isn’t all that much better – the plan is more contrived than clever, lacking the twists and turns of a good ‘break in’ movie. Ultimately this is a movie that stands or falls on its laughs and in this area Tower Heist is sadly lacking. I may have lightly chuckled a couple of times – but that’s about it!

Now compare that with Modern Family, the Emmy winning ABC comedy that pretty consistently elicits at least 3 big laughs an episode – as well as a lot of chuckles and smiles. Modern Family is just in a different league to most big screen comedies. It’s that rare beast of a show that juggles multiple styles of comedy – from the broad (Sofia Vergara) to the slapstick to the subtle to the clever. The jokes come thick and fast and many scenes have that crucial ‘zing’ factor that all comedies need. Plus Modern Family is essentially ‘free’ entertainment and pulls the same trick off 22 times a year. Tower Heist can’t even bring the funny once.

It’s not just Tower Heist of course. Most of the movies this year have been pretty disappointing (although I will contend this summer’s films were above average). They’re overblown CGI fests aimed at 12-year-old boys (and written accordingly) or ridiculous romantic comedies that only seem to exist to keep actresses like Kate Hudson and Jennifer Lopez in work. Look at the movies currently playing in theaters: Puss In Boots – a spin off from an already exhausted animated series; In Time – Justin Timberlake as action hero; Real Steel – a boxing robots movie; and Jack and Jill. Enough said.

Sure I know the movie industry is cyclical and new movies will be on the way soon. The end of the year always brings smart, Oscar worthy fare and some more blockbusters to gawp at. I’m sure Breaking Dawn and The Muppets will make money and buck the downward trend of recent months. But I think Hollywood as a whole needs to step back and think about the way the business is headed. TV has improved this year because network heads have taken a cue from cable and are now starting to produce more original ideas, fresher characters and ultimately, more risks! Would it be too much to ask for the movies to do the same?

But what do you think? What was the last movie you went to see? Do you go to the cinema less than you used to? What do you think Hollywood should do to improve the content of its movies? Comment away…