Solid architecture is crucial to comedy because there has to be something there besides the jokes. The audience needs to engage the narrative as the primary dish, with the gags being the seasoning. This is especially necessary when you have a wide range of humor presented here, literally something for everybody. Merry caters to both ends of the pool, with both classic sitcom observational humor mixed with flatulent fecal tee-hees for the modern set. Not all of the s**t thrown against the wall will stick for everyone, but the s**t that does stick is some mighty good s**t. There are some depth charge laughs to be had here, going right for the belly. Even when it is just cruising for the next gag, the film has the soothing, somnambulistic tone of an old television show that is the perfect cover once we start finding out what lies behind the pastel colors on the nursing home walls.
Many of those old enough will recognize Switched At Death, which comes straight out of the old-school comedy that the Canadians were integral in creating in the late 70s. It has the classic setup of putting an anarchistic force into a rigid institutional setting, with the bull in the china shop drinking and gambling as well. This is still a cinematic draw, as it is natural to wish to see the walls around you get ripped down by inebriated lunacy. Kolanko is an excellent fit for the lovable loser archetype, as he plays his imperfections perfectly in the Dangerfield tradition.
“The s**t that does stick is some mighty good s**t.”
It is easy to see, as the plot develops, how the movie hits the same frequency as Stripes, set in a nursing home instead of the army. While that is a funny enough setup, Merry has a true treat waiting in the later acts of the picture. Merry is able to right a historical wrong in cinema history by reforming the format that Stripes failed with. Stripes was the funniest movie ever until things got serious, and the gang went abroad. Switched At Death is at its best when things get serious and the gang goes abroad. The payoff carries enough currency to pay any debts owed to the viewers who didn’t laugh hard enough.
The writers made sure there was a real movie hidden in the laughter to be enjoyed, as sometimes laughs are not enough. Switched At Death gives the illusion of a comedy with a switch into thriller territory, which is a damn good trick.
"…There are some depth charge laughs to be had here, going right for the belly."
