Hilarious - But Was it Really?

Copyright © Mark R Kelly 2026

When was the last time you witnessed (or heard) something so funny that you came near to wetting yourself, or laughing so hard and for so long the very act of drawing in oxygen felt as if it had become temporarily suspended?

That, my friend, would have been something truly classed as hilarious. Not funny, nor amusing, but absolutely 100% bang-on-the-money, HILARIOUS.

If such an adjective were listed in relation to intensity I would place it thus:

1. Hilarious: denoting an extreme level of laughter, indicating something so funny it provokes 'uncontrollable' hilarity.
2. Funny: generally used indicating something that causes laughter, often when something is mildly amusing.
3. Amusing: leans toward a more deliberate or engaging form of entertainment, typically less intense than 'funny' but still elicits smiles and/or chuckles.

Why, you ask, am I making a post in relation to this adjective - 'hilarious'? 

Good question, and thank you for asking. In one word: diluted.

Prime example for you - how many times, sat on your sofa of an evening, maybe it's Friday and your work-day week has been a merciless arse-kicker, devoid of joy, utterly soul-crushing, you turn to your favourite streaming platform, desperate for cheering up. A film - that's the ticket! A good comedy.

You begin your searches, start reading through the blurb, "Hilarious romantic comedy from director Blah-Blah."

Fantastic. Let's do this thing!

Ninety minutes later end credits roll. The film was nothing short of an accomplice of your arse-kicking week. You got mugged. Mildly amusing? Sometimes. Funny? Forget it. As for being 'hilarious'? You've had more hilarious bouts of diarrhoea.

This now is common practice when it comes to entertainment concerning the comedy sphere, especially in regards to film. We're constantly being sold duff goods under the umbrella of hilarity - and for me, this feels very Hollywood.

I have a gaming buddy, known him best part of 20 years. We always use voice during our gaming sessions, and I've noticed he will use the adjective in question, when referring to something he's seen or heard - which is fair enough - but has also reacted with it in response to something I would be saying. But here's the kicker - it'll be said in a dead-pan tone in relation to something that at best, would be mildly 'amusing'.

Example:

Me: "When my dog farts he always seems surprised and looks at me."

Friend (voice deadpan): "That's hilarious." 

My point being, it seems that today, 'amusing' and 'funny' have been replaced by 'hilarious' - and it's so utterly frustrating and misleading, especially when used to promote entertainment media.

I can give two examples from my childhood in regards to films that had scenes which had me laughing so much, that tears rolled down my cheeks. Bear in mind, I'm talking about being the age of ten back in 1974 when these two films released.

1. Blazing Saddles: The Farting Scene - cowboys sat round the campfire at night, eating their beans, and one-by-one, start letting rip, until it's a fart-fest. For a ten year old boy, I found that hilarious, and laughed so hard and loud, it had me in tears.
2. Young Frankenstein: The Blind Priest Scene - Frankenstein's 'monster' arrives at a secluded cottage in which a blind priest resides, played by Gene Hackman. The Priest is over-joyed to have a visitor, and assumes the monster is a mute, and invites him in for food and drink. What follows, was, for ten-year-old me, hilarious and had me crying with laughter, especially when the monster makes a 'dramatic' exit.

So two examples of what I would consider to be hilarious. 

I'm fully aware that what is regarded as humour is also subjective, and that each of us have differing opinions of what is funny, amusing and ultimately, hilarious. But I think most can agree, in film blurb for some so-called 'comedies', referring to them as being 'hilarious' is blatantly untrue.

Maybe there is also a component in today's world where comedy has become so 'safe' as to be borderline vanilla. Fear of offending, upsetting, insulting or causing distress now are the yardsticks by which so-called comedy is written. Comedy has, in effect been neutered and its balls thrown away.

Once a mechanism with which we could laugh at our circumstances, society, political figures, world events, pop culture, fashion and even itself, has now turned into a merry-go-round ride for toddlers in nappies.

However, there does seem to be some push to claw back to the origins of comedy, and the taking back of the Throne of the Hilarious, by a few resolute, hardcore and true comedic talent, some from the 'old guard' and a scattering of the 'fresh bloods'.

I hope they succeed, and hilarious comedy returns in all its glory, and that people can once again understand what it is to see, hear and experience something that is rightfully HILARIOUS.

I leave you with the marvellous Sam Cooke - "A Change Is Gonna Come."