--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The irony is that we're really good at…" description: "\"The irony is that we're really good at comedy in Britain, but for some reason, we make very few comedy films. And when we do, they're either quite Amer..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90c/alice-lowe-16006_american_the-irony-is-that-we-re-really-good-at-c_1723721.jpg" --- # The irony is that we're really good at comedy in Britain… ![“The irony is that we're really good at comedy in Britain, but for some reason, we make very few comedy films. And when we do, they're either quite American in style, or very Richard Curtis. And I like Richard Curtis, but I think only Richard Curtis should write Richard Curtis films, and other…” quote by Alice Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90c/alice-lowe-16006_american_the-irony-is-that-we-re-really-good-at-c_1723721.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90c/alice-lowe-16006_american_the-irony-is-that-we-re-really-good-at-c_1723721.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90c/alice-lowe-16006_american_the-irony-is-that-we-re-really-good-at-c_1723721.jpg) > “The irony is that we're really good at comedy in Britain, but for some reason, we make very few comedy films. And when we do, they're either quite American in style, or very Richard Curtis. And I like Richard Curtis, but I think only Richard Curtis should write Richard Curtis films, and other people should try and find their own style.” [Alice Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-lowe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. British comedy excels in performance but lacks distinct film style, often mimicking American or Richard Curtis. **In simple terms:** UK comedy lacks its own film voice. Key Takeaway Cultivate a unique comedic voice. Themes creativity culture film industry Mood critical hopeful Type analysis commentary When to use this quote - screenwriting - directing - producing - audience expectations Key Concepts national identity genre conventions Questions to Reflect On - What new comedic approaches could Britain explore? - How can creators break from established styles? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on known formulas can stifle innovation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) [Britain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/britain/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Comedy Britain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy-britain-1363134/) [Comedy Films](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy-films-511053/) [Either](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/either/) [Few](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/few/) [Films](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/films/) [Find](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/find/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Good Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-comedy/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [I think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-think/) [Irony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irony/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Like Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-richard-1363135/) [Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make/) [Make Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-comedy-595119/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [Other](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/other/) [Own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/own/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Quite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quite/) [Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/richard/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Some](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/some/) [Style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/style/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Try](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/try/) [Very](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/very/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) ## Related quotes > [We always wanted to make a comedy that was a little bit more than that, which had tragic elements to it... that people engaged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-lowe/we-always-wanted-to-make-a-comedy-that-was-a-little-bit-more-than/) [Alice Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-lowe/) > [For the last time, the only thing I like about Richard is his big,throbbing, rock hard, perfect d\*\*k.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-jones/for-the-last-time-the-only-thing-i-like-about-richard-is-his-big/) [Samantha Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-jones/) > [When I see someone like Richard Dawkins, I see my father. I grew up with that. I'm basically the child of Richard Dawkins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/when-i-see-someone-like-richard-dawkins-i-see-my-father-i-grew-up/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [I'd like to be able to be like a director, like Richard Brooks, say. And be able to say, 'I did my best, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-ross/i-d-like-to-be-able-to-be-like-a-director-like-richard-brooks-say-and/) [Katharine Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-ross/) > [I used to watch people like Richard Burton and Mel Gibson and think, 'I could never do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-reed/i-used-to-watch-people-like-richard-burton-and-mel-gibson-and-think-i/) [Jerry Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-reed/) > [People like to compare something to something that they know. Even with Chris Rock, they say he's like Richard Pryor or Eddie Murphy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannibal-buress/people-like-to-compare-something-to-something-that-they-know-even/) [Hannibal Buress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannibal-buress/) > [“How much she wanted it - that people should look pleased as she came in, Clarissa thought and turned and walked back towards Bond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/how-much-she-wanted-it-that-people-should-look-pleased-as-she-came-in/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [I don't think my comedy is that political. It's more social. But whatever. When you make comedy and you do stand-up, you work alone.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-rock/i-don-t-think-my-comedy-is-that-political-it-s-more-social-but/) [Chris Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-rock/) > [All I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman and a pretty girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-chaplin/all-i-need-to-make-a-comedy-is-a-park-a-policeman-and-a-pretty-girl/) [Charlie Chaplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-chaplin/) > [Trying to demonstrate good leadership was not our raison d'etre. We're still just trying to make a comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-hunt/trying-to-demonstrate-good-leadership-was-not-our-raison-d-etre-we-re/) [Brendan Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-hunt/) > [If you're going to make a comedy and if your sole interest is in making people laugh and feel good and entertaining them, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/if-you-re-going-to-make-a-comedy-and-if-your-sole-interest-is-in/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [My whole life I try to make into a comedy, so it would be nice to see that onscreen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saoirse-ronan/my-whole-life-i-try-to-make-into-a-comedy-so-it-would-be-nice-to-see/) [Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/) > [We try to make the comedy situations more natural and organic .You don't want to be cutesy for cutesy's sake but the writers have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-shahi/we-try-to-make-the-comedy-situations-more-natural-and-organic-you-don/) [Sarah Shahi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-shahi/) > [I hope I don't just do the exact same thing my whole life. I also feel like it's really hard to make comedy. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wain/i-hope-i-don-t-just-do-the-exact-same-thing-my-whole-life-i-also-feel/) [David Wain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wain/) > [I want to make out-and-out comedy movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gurpreet-ghuggi/i-want-to-make-out-and-out-comedy-movies/) [Gurpreet Ghuggi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gurpreet-ghuggi/) ## More by Alice Lowe > [I think it's very easy to get discouraged early on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-lowe/i-think-it-s-very-easy-to-get-discouraged-early-on/) [Alice Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-lowe/) > [Manchester has a certain reputation of being cool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-lowe/manchester-has-a-certain-reputation-of-being-cool/) [Alice Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-lowe/) > [Growing up, I didn't feel very cool having come from the Midlands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-lowe/growing-up-i-didn-t-feel-very-cool-having-come-from-the-midlands/) [Alice Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-lowe/) > [Confidence in a bloke would be arrogance in a woman. For years, I didn't give interviews because I was scared of people judging me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-lowe/confidence-in-a-bloke-would-be-arrogance-in-a-woman-for-years-i-didn/) [Alice Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-lowe/) > [Ironically, there isn't much comedy film in Britain, which is quite surprising seeing that we're quite good at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-lowe/ironically-there-isn-t-much-comedy-film-in-britain-which-is-quite/) [Alice Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-lowe/) > [I think 99% of the whole thing is to have passion about the idea yourself. I think part of your job as a filmmaker…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-lowe/i-think-99-of-the-whole-thing-is-to-have-passion-about-the-idea/) [Alice Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-lowe/) > [The characters are not allowed to change if you write a sitcom; they're not allowed to learn anything. There's all these sorts of rules,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-lowe/the-characters-are-not-allowed-to-change-if-you-write-a-sitcom-they/) [Alice Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-lowe/) > [I was in something called 'Garth Marenghi's Darkplace' which was a real cult comedy; it's sort of a spoof horror sort of thing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-lowe/i-was-in-something-called-garth-marenghi-s-darkplace-which-was-a-real/) [Alice Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-lowe/) > [We pitched 'Sightseers' as a TV idea originally, and it was rejected because it was too dark. But then things like 'Dexter' came out,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-lowe/we-pitched-sightseers-as-a-tv-idea-originally-and-it-was-rejected/) [Alice Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-lowe/) > [I love doing comedy, and that's the thing I will always go back to, really, but I'd love to have the freedom to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-lowe/i-love-doing-comedy-and-that-s-the-thing-i-will-always-go-back-to/) [Alice Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-lowe/) > ['Sightseers' started off as a character comedy double act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-lowe/sightseers-started-off-as-a-character-comedy-double-act/) [Alice Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-lowe/) > [So many films end up being filmed in London or in the same places over and over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-lowe/so-many-films-end-up-being-filmed-in-london-or-in-the-same-places/) [Alice Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-lowe/) > [I think it's much more natural as a writer to want to tell one story rather than lots of small stories that are half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-lowe/i-think-it-s-much-more-natural-as-a-writer-to-want-to-tell-one-story/) [Alice Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-lowe/) > [I think what's difficult is proving to people that a script actually does work and sometimes the laughter might not be on the page,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-lowe/i-think-what-s-difficult-is-proving-to-people-that-a-script-actually/) [Alice Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-lowe/) > [We always wanted to make a comedy that was a little bit more than that, which had tragic elements to it... that people engaged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-lowe/we-always-wanted-to-make-a-comedy-that-was-a-little-bit-more-than/) [Alice Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-lowe/) [Explore all 41 Alice Lowe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-lowe/) ## More American quotes > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [I have fallen in love with American names, the sharp names that never get fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/i-have-fallen-in-love-with-american-names-the-sharp-names-that-never/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [I really like a lot of American country stuff, so my music has that influence, but I don't like to be set within a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-bird/i-really-like-a-lot-of-american-country-stuff-so-my-music-has-that/) [Jade Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-bird/) > [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in a tremendous investment to support millions of workers without a paycheck and behind on bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/congress-passed-the-american-rescue-plan-act-in-a-tremendous/) [Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/) > [Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and employ almost half of the working population. Yet because of their size, they rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-lipinski/small-businesses-are-the-backbone-of-the-american-economy-and-employ/) [Dan Lipinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-lipinski/) > [Although I write in English, and despite the fact that I'm from America, I consider myself an Armenian writer. The words I use are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/although-i-write-in-english-and-despite-the-fact-that-i-m-from/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [Firefighters and rescue workers are American superheroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/firefighters-and-rescue-workers-are-american-superheroes/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [New York and San Francisco are distinctly different. San Francisco is driving the American media, not New York. You have young, microwaved millionaires and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/new-york-and-san-francisco-are-distinctly-different-san-francisco-is/) [Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [Food as a hobby used to be an elite pastime, and it has become something that is totally ordinary for people of every background.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/food-as-a-hobby-used-to-be-an-elite-pastime-and-it-has-become/) [Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/) > [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) [Browse all 7,717 American quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The irony is that we're really good at comedy in Britain, but for some reason, we make very few comedy films. And when we do, they're either quite American in style, or very Richard Curtis. 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