A good comedy will make you laugh. A GREAT comedy will make you laugh and think. Unfortunately, too often, when a film aspires to the latter, they wind up not just failing in that regard, but whiffing on the former as well. Laughs have a tendency to evaporate when people try too hard.

And let me tell you – “You People” tries WAY too hard.

On paper, this Netflix movie should have been a slam dunk. The people involved have legitimate comedic bona fides, with Kenya Barris behind the camera directing from a script he co-wrote with Jonah Hill. Hill also stars, alongside some pretty heavy hitters – Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Duchovny, Nia Long and Eddie F---ing Murphy, among others. Plus, you’re looking at a film intended to mine humor from the culture clashes and social dynamics of the current day. All in all, looking pretty good.

Right up until you, y’know, watch the thing.

“You People” is one of those movies that can’t get out of its own way, trying to be all things to all audiences and instead failing to please anyone. There are some cringe-y comic moments and some feints at social awareness, but the film never manages to find anything resembling balance. The wild variances in tone make it difficult to settle in and wind up undermining whatever moments of humor might be found. It seems like a good faith effort, but one sorely wanting in terms of execution.

You might not think that the end of the world is an appropriate backdrop for comedy, but fear not – Adam McKay has you covered.

Sure, an impending apocalypse SHOULDN’T be funny, but in the right hands, it certainly can be, and McKay has those hands, along with a willingness to embrace cultural divides and darkness in the name of plausibly bleak satiric observation.

McKay’s latest is “Don’t Look Up,” an at-times pitch-black comedy about what happens when the end of the world is coming and no one can seem to agree on what – if anything – we should do about it. The film has the same sort of sharp edges that we’ve seen in McKay’s more recent output and his fingerprints are all over it – he’s directing his own screenplay here. It also features a frankly incredible cast, an ensemble jam packed with Oscar winners and Hollywood icons; you don’t often see a bench this deep.

It is wildly funny – darkly so, but funny nevertheless – while also being deeply, bleakly plausible. It is a condemnation of current cultural discourse, a scathing takedown of American attitudes that is relentless in its disdain. It is a relevant and resonant reflection of where we are and where we could be going, delivered in a manner that elicits laughter even as it unsettles.

There are a lot of pitfalls that come when an actor makes the transition to behind the camera. While there’s an undeniable understanding of film mechanics that comes from being on sets, there are no guarantees when making the leap from one role to the other.

And while you might not think it upon first glance, someone like Jonah Hill is actually well-suited for making that transition. Sure, a lot of people will never not see the foul-mouthed fat kid from “Superbad,” but the truth is that Hill has worked across genres in some great movies with some great filmmakers. He’s been in the room with a LOT of talents.

And he’s got a story he wants to tell.

Film elevated by strong central performances

One of the most overused phrases in the world of movie marketing is 'Based on a true story.' Essentially, it gives filmmakers carte blanche to use as much or as little of a story's truth in the course of making their movie.

R-rated animated comedy effectively offensive

I have no idea how 'Sausage Party' came to be released.

Apocalyptic ensemble comedy proves surprisingly entertaining

I'm a firm believer in the humor potential inherent to actors playing themselves. There's something wonderfully anarchic about performers playing hyperstylized versions of themselves; it can really make for a phenomenal guest-starring turn.

But the idea of making an entire movie that way? Where every one of the main players is playing him or herself or at least, a version thereof? Could you really build a quality film on that sort of foundation? It seems unlikely, no?

Comedy overwhelmed by its three leads

We're entering the tail end of blockbuster season. Now that the last of the three monster superhero releases has hit screens, with 'The Dark Knight Rises' flying by the $500 million mark in global box office, we can look forward to the gradual tapering off of the big showy premieres.

That's not to say we won't get some good movies over the next month or so. In fact, the chances are good that we're going to get some high-quality stuff.

Unfortunately, 'The Watch' doesn't really fall into that category.

'21 Jump Street' shockingly good

One of the things that Hollywood has taught us over the past couple of decades is that with rare exceptions, television properties almost never translate well to the big screen. The cinematic recreations of classic TV shows from 'The Brady Bunch' to 'Bewitched' to 'Starsky & Hutch' tend to have one thing in common they're terrible movies.

So expectations were low walking in to '21 Jump Street' (based on the late 1980s FOX show of the same name), Hollywood's latest attempt to translate television success to the cinema. I was expecting it to be more of the same more warmed over clichs and stale jokes dressed up in the guise of nostalgia. I even thought this movie had the chance to be a special kind of terrible.

I was very, very wrong.