Last night we rented Young Frankenstein so that my daughter (14) could see it, after hearing so much about it. She got a good laugh or two in the beginning, but as it got deeper into the movie, the laughs were fewer and fewer. Then there were none; even when the Gene Hackman scene came along. And that's the funniest part of the whole movie, as far as I'm concerned.
The same thing happened with Dr. Strangelove. Also with Blazing Saddles. There's a couple of other examples I can't think of right now.
So, what's the point? It seems clear to me that we have raised an entire generation of kids who are addicted to non-stop amusement when they partake of entertainment. The subtle humor (and who would have ever thought that Young Frankenstein would have fit THAT category?) is just not happening quickly enough to keep them interested. It's not that they aren't bright (brighter than us, probably), but the rapid pace of everything that appeals to them now ruins everything that came before.
So, what's the problem? What's wrong with that? Well, it seems to me that the problem is this:
It leads to entertainment having to reach further and further into the gutter in order to amuse. The further ones goes to push the envelope in fields such as comedy, the raunchier it seems to become. The only things that will capture and keep their attention will be belches, farts, loose stools, etc.
Or, maybe it just wasn't a funny movie after all. I claim not to know any more.