History Main / NarrowParody

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/narrowparody.png]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/narrowparody.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Imitation is the cheapest form of comedy.]]

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[[quoteright:350:[[Film/TheStarvingGames https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/starving_games.png]]]]

If done poorly, the parody aspect seems more like a cover for ripping off the most recent movies, as sometimes there's nothing particularly iconic about the things being parodied. Much of this depends on your definition of "narrow".

** ''Film/EpicMovie'', including parodies of such "[[YouKeepUsingThatWord epics]]" as ''Film/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'' and ''Film/NachoLibre''.

** ''Disaster Movie'' suffered from this as well. It has [[ShallowParody half-assed]] parodies of ''Film/{{Juno}}'', ''Series/HannahMontana'', ''Film/IronMan1'', ''Series/SexAndTheCity'', ''Film/{{The Incredible Hulk|2008}}'', ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'', ''Film/{{Hellboy|2004}}'', ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', ''Film/{{Hancock}}'', ''Film/AlvinAndTheChipmunks'', ''Film/{{Superbad}}'', ''Film/HighSchoolMusical'', ''Film/TheLoveGuru'', ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkull'', ''Film/{{Enchanted}}'', ''Film/{{Wanted}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Beowulf 2007}}'', ''Film/NightAtTheMuseum'', ''Film/{{Jumper}}'', and ''Film/TenThousandBC''. All of which are definitely not disaster films. Some even came out [[UpToEleven AFTER]] ''Disaster Movie'' was in theaters, which takes ShallowParody to a truly ridiculous extreme: There's skimping on the research, and then there's not even bothering to watch the movie you're supposed to be parodying!

** ''Disaster Movie'' suffered from this as well. It has [[ShallowParody half-assed]] parodies of ''Film/{{Juno}}'', ''Series/HannahMontana'', ''Film/IronMan1'', ''Series/SexAndTheCity'', ''Film/TheIncredibleHulk'', ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'', ''Film/{{Hellboy|2004}}'', ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', ''Film/{{Hancock}}'', ''Film/AlvinAndTheChipmunks'', ''Film/{{Superbad}}'', ''Film/HighSchoolMusical'', ''Film/TheLoveGuru'', ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkull'', ''Film/{{Enchanted}}'', ''Film/{{Wanted}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Beowulf 2007}}'', ''Film/NightAtTheMuseum'', ''Film/{{Jumper}}'', and ''Film/TenThousandBC''. All of which are definitely not disaster films. Some even came out [[UpToEleven AFTER]] ''Disaster Movie'' was in theaters, which takes ShallowParody to a truly ridiculous extreme: There's skimping on the research, and then there's not even bothering to watch the movie you're supposed to be parodying!

* While older episodes of ''WesternAnimation/TreehouseOfHorror'' averted this, being parodies of older horror films and stories (particularly ''Series/TheTwilightZone''), later installments tended to play it straight, often to the point of breaking the intended "horror" theme. ''XXVII'', for instance, featured parodies of ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad'', ''Film/KingsmanTheSecretService'', and ''Film/TheHungerGames'': about the only thing those three have in common is that they all had an installment [[AnimationLeadTime the year before the episode released]].

These works are almost always doomed to become {{UnintentionalPeriodPiece}}s. See also SmallReferencePools. Sometimes overlaps with ShallowParody, which is so badly researched that it gets vital details wrong and/or substitutes generic jokes in place of actual parody.

These works are almost always doomed to become [[UnintentionalPeriodPiece Unintentional Period Pieces]]. See also SmallReferencePools. Sometimes overlaps with ShallowParody, which is so badly researched that it gets vital details wrong and/or substitutes generic jokes in place of actual parody.

* Several ''Film/TheThreeStooges'' gags and titles were based off various films and events of their time. Ironically, the [[WeirdAlEffect spoofed source material was all but forgotten]] while the Stooges are remembered today. One notable one was ''Dunked in the Deep'' (from 1949) where the antagonist was based off accused Soviet spy Alger Hiss. The short's "watermelon gag" (where microfilm was hidden in watermelons) was based off the 1948 "Pumpkin Papers", where four rolls of microfilm of State Department documents were concealed in pumpkins as evidence against Hiss. Only a few historians know much about this today.

The Narrow Parody occurs when the writers are afraid the target audience might be too young (or just too stupid) to catch the expected references, and have no concept of ParentalBonus (though there would still be demographic parental bonuses such as references to recent adult media in children's media or even [[DemographicInappropriateCrossover crossovers between them]]), so they just narrow the field down to [[FleetingDemographicRule things made in the last few years]]. This can work against the writers, as works hailed as "classics" make for good parody, while fluff often doesn't. In many cases, the parody itself is also painfully obvious and laboured, going for the cheap laugh rather than trying to make any kind of point about what is being parodied.

The Narrow Parody occurs when the writers are afraid the target audience might be too young (or just too stupid) to catch the expected references, and have no concept of ParentalBonus (though there would still be demographic parental bonuses such as references to recent adult media in children's media), so they just narrow the field down to [[FleetingDemographicRule things made in the last few years]]. This can work against the writers, as works hailed as "classics" make for good parody, while fluff often doesn't. In many cases, the parody itself is also painfully obvious and laboured, going for the cheap laugh rather than trying to make any kind of point about what is being parodied.

* Creator/SeltzerAndFriedberg films, along with being {{Narrow Parod|y}}ies:

* Creator/SeltzerAndFriedberg films, along with being {Narrow Parod|y}}ies:

* Creator/SeltzerAndFriedberg films:

** ''Film/ScaryMovie'': The later films in the series ended up like this. Originally, they worked, as most HorrorTropes were [[TropeCodifier codified]] in TheEighties or earlier, so anyone with even a passing familiarity with the horror genre will get the jokes. However, later gags became a lot more obvious and telegraphed while the pool of references narrowed from broader subgenres of horror ({{slasher|Movie}}s in the first, HauntedHouse[=/=][[OurGhostsAreDifferent ghost]] movies in the second) to specific, recent movies (some of which weren't even horror). The first big complaint from fans was the inclusion in the third film of an extended parody of ''Film/EightMile'', which had nothing to do with horror movies. The fourth film was probably the worst for this, as the primary plot is a spoof of ''Film/WarOfTheWorlds'', which isn't really a horror film so much as an action film, and there's also an extended (and plot-critical) parody of ''Film/MillionDollarBaby'', something else which is in no way a horror film[[note]]Although the ''Million Dollar Baby'' skit was crossed over with horror series ''Film/FinalDestination'', when the boxer's infamous predicament was foreseen[[/note]].

** ''Film/DisasterMovie'' suffered from this as well. It has [[ShallowParody half-assed]] parodies of ''Film/{{Juno}}'', ''Series/HannahMontana'', ''Film/IronMan1'', ''Series/SexAndTheCity'', ''Film/TheIncredibleHulk'', ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'', ''Film/{{Hellboy|2004}}'', ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', ''Film/{{Hancock}}'', ''Film/AlvinAndTheChipmunks'', ''Film/{{Superbad}}'', ''Film/HighSchoolMusical'', ''Film/TheLoveGuru'', ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkull'', ''Film/{{Enchanted}}'', ''Film/{{Wanted}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Beowulf 2007}}'', ''Film/NightAtTheMuseum'', ''Film/{{Jumper}}'', and ''Film/TenThousandBC''. All of which are definitely not disaster films. Some even came out [[UpToEleven AFTER]] ''Disaster Movie'' was in theaters, which takes ShallowParody to a truly ridiculous extreme: There's skimping on the research, and then there's not even bothering to watch the movie you're supposed to be parodying!

* ''Film/EpicMovie'' by Creator/SeltzerAndFriedberg, including parodies of such "[[YouKeepUsingThatWord epics]]" as ''Film/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'' and ''Film/NachoLibre''.
* ''Film/DisasterMovie'' suffered from this as well. It has [[ShallowParody half-assed]] parodies of ''Film/{{Juno}}'', ''Series/HannahMontana'', ''Film/IronMan1'', ''Series/SexAndTheCity'', ''Film/TheIncredibleHulk'', ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'', ''Film/{{Hellboy|2004}}'', ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', ''Film/{{Hancock}}'', ''Film/AlvinAndTheChipmunks'', ''Film/{{Superbad}}'', ''Film/HighSchoolMusical'', ''Film/TheLoveGuru'', ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkull'', ''Film/{{Enchanted}}'', ''Film/{{Wanted}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Beowulf 2007}}'', ''Film/NightAtTheMuseum'', ''Film/{{Jumper}}'', and ''Film/TenThousandBC''. All of which are definitely not disaster films. Some even came out [[UpToEleven AFTER]] ''Disaster Movie'' was in theaters, which takes ShallowParody to a truly ridiculous extreme: There's skimping on the research, and then there's not even bothering to watch the movie you're supposed to be parodying!
* ''Film/ScaryMovie'': The later films in the series ended up like this. Originally, they worked, as most HorrorTropes were [[TropeCodifier codified]] in TheEighties or earlier, so anyone with even a passing familiarity with the horror genre will get the jokes. However, later gags became a lot more obvious and telegraphed while the pool of references narrowed from broader subgenres of horror ({{slasher|Movie}}s in the first, HauntedHouse[=/=][[OurGhostsAreDifferent ghost]] movies in the second) to specific, recent movies (some of which weren't even horror). The first big complaint from fans was the inclusion in the third film of an extended parody of ''Film/EightMile'', which had nothing to do with horror movies. The fourth film was probably the worst for this, as the primary plot is a spoof of ''Film/WarOfTheWorlds'', which isn't really a horror film so much as an action film, and there's also an extended (and plot-critical) parody of ''Film/MillionDollarBaby'', something else which is in no way a horror film[[note]]Although the ''Million Dollar Baby'' skit was crossed over with horror series ''Film/FinalDestination'', when the boxer's infamous predicament was foreseen[[/note]].
* ''Film/SpyHard'', one of Creator/SeltzerAndFriedberg's earliest movies, is primarily a Film/JamesBond spoof, but it's pretty much a time capsule of early-to-mid 1990s pop culture, including references to ''Film/JurassicPark'', ''Film/TrueLies'', ''Film/{{Speed}}'', ''Film/SisterAct'', ''Film/PulpFiction'', ''Film/InTheLineOfFire'', and ''Film/HomeAlone'', not all of which have stood the test of time.

* ''LightNovel/SeitokaiNoIchizon'' is very guilty of this, with nearly all of their parodies being of shows from the last 2-3 years (the closer the better), including series from the same season. The times they reference something older are few and mostly refer to super-popular series like ''Manga/DragonBall'' and one AppealToObscurity to make a "nobody will get this" joke.

The Narrow Parody occurs when the writers are afraid the target audience might be too young (or just too stupid) to catch the expected references, and have no concept of ParentalBonus, so they just narrow the field down to [[FleetingDemographicRule things made in the last few years]]. This can work against the writers, as works hailed as "classics" make for good parody, while fluff often doesn't. In many cases, the parody itself is also painfully obvious and laboured, going for the cheap laugh rather than trying to make any kind of point about what is being parodied.

[[folder:Theatre]]
* Not even Creator/WilliamShakespeare is immune to this trope. The Bard's comedies feature a number of inexplicable passages that, many scholars conjecture, are joking shout-outs to other popular Elizabethan plays that are now lost to history.

* ''Series/WonderShowzen'' had a deleted scene called "Scooter Mcjimmy" which was a parody of ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius'' but apart from the main character being a boy genius who looked like a redneck version of Jimmy, it had virtually no resemblance to an episode of the show. It was pretty much just a mockery of middle America with a Jimmy Neutron parody as a flimsy framing device. [[JustifiedTrope of course, this might've been part of the joke]] as often the show was blatant trolling. The connection between 3D animation and rednecks did allow for a pretty amusing cameo from the characters from the characters from ''Music/DireStraits'' "Money for Nothing" music video.
[[/folder]]

* Several ''Film/TheThreeStooges'' gags and titles were based off various films and events of their time. One notable one was ''Dunked in the Deep'' (from 1949) where the antagonist was based off accused Soviet spy Alger Hiss. The short's "watermelon gag" (where microfilm was hidden in watermelons) was based off the 1948 "Pumpkin Papers", where four rolls of microfilm of State Department documents were concealed in pumpkins as evidence against Hiss. Only a few historians know much about this today.

* Several ''Film/TheThreeStooges'' gags and titles were based off various films and events of their time. One notable one was ''Dunked in the Deep'' (from 1949) where the antagonist was based off accused Soviet spy Alger Hiss. The short's "watermelon gag" (where microfilm was hidden in watermelons) was based off the "Pumpkin Papers", where four rolls of microfilm of State Department documents were concealed in pumpkins as evidence against Hiss. Only a few historians know much about this today.

* ''Film/ScaryMovie'': The later films in the series ended up like this. Originally, they worked, as most HorrorTropes were [[TropeCodifier codified]] in TheEighties or earlier, so anyone with even a passing familiarity with the horror genre will get the jokes. However, later gags became a lot more obvious and telegraphed while the pool of references narrowed from broader subgenres of horror ({{slasher|Movie}}s in the first, HauntedHouse[=/=][[OurGhostsAreDifferent ghost]] movies in the second) to specific, recent movies (some of which weren't even horror). The first big complaint from fans was the inclusion in the third film of an extended parody of ''Film/EightMile'', which had nothing to do with horror movies. The fourth film was probably the worst for this, as the primary plot is a spoof of ''Film/WarOfTheWorlds'', which isn't really a horror film so much as an action film, and there's also an extended (and plot-critical) parody of ''Film/MillionDollarBaby'', something else which is in no way a horror film.

[[folder:Theatre]]
* Not even Creator/WilliamShakespeare is immune to this trope. The Bard's comedies feature a number of inexplicable passages that, many scholars conjecture, are joking shout-outs to other popular Elizabethan plays that are now lost to history.
[[/folder]]