Here’s the latest from the crossroads of faith, media & culture: 12/04/23

Funny business. It was 1992 when Rob Schneider was elevated to the rank of main cast member on Saturday Night Live, a season many consider to be among the best in the show’s 49 year history. Sharing the stage with such rising comedic giants as Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Dana Carvey, Mike Myers, Kevin Nealon, Tim Meadows, Al Franken, David Spade, Jon Lovitz and Dennis Miller (as well as the late greats Phil Hartman, Jan Hooks and Chris Farley), he made history as part of one of the most revered television ensembles of all time. (Suggestion: Someone should reassemble the surviving members of that group for some sort of year-end SNL alumni special or something).

In his family-friendly comedy Daddy Daughter Trip (available on DVD and digital tomorrow), the former Richmeister shares the big screen with another comedy icon, Monty Python‘s John Cleese – with whom the recent Catholic convert also shares a disdain for Cancel Culture. Our conversation begins with a dash of Schneider’s sometimes droll humor.

JWK: So, Daddy Daughter Trip is a family affair, right?

Rob Schneider: I wanted to make an Italian movie – you know, where you can laugh really hard and cheer up at the same time. There’s beautiful music in it. It’s about a family It’s about a poor family that doesn’t have a lot of opportunities for money. It’s like those movies that you love – like the beautiful movie where the kid goes into the candy shop and gets some magical apples. I love those kind of movies. So, I wanted to make a movie that was kind of magical too.

(As to the plot) it seems to be like a very American cultural thing where people go some place fun on spring break. This family doesn’t have any money. The daughter’s embarrassed so she lies and says she’s going to go to all these places. The daddy doesn’t want to make a liar out of her so he takes her to those places – but they doesn’t have any money. That’s beautiful. I really love that. That premise was enough for me to want to make this whole movie.

JWK: You’re family was involved in making the movie, correct?

RS: Yeah. My daughter Miranda plays my daughter in the movie and my life. My wife wrote it with me and my buddy Jamie Lissow. All three of my daughters (were involved) so it was a nice family affair.

JWK: There was no swearing in this movie.

RS: Most of the other movies that I’ve made, for better or worse, had bad words and swearing. I never really thought about it before. I just thought (about) what’s going to make me laugh? But then when you have little kids, like I have now, you realize, you know, you gotta do something else. My wife doesn’t let my kids see any of the movies that I made so I’ve wanted to make something that they could see. I think I finally did. This is the one they could see.

JWK: They can even be in it!

RS: Yeah!

JWK: I understand you’re a recent Catholic convert.

RS: Yes.

JWK: Can you tell me about that? Has it affected your choices in movies?

RS: (laughs) Not yet – but probably (in the future). I don’t know.

JWK: What led to your conversion? Is that a family affair as well?

RS: My wife’s Catholic. My kid’s are Catholic. I might as well join the party. Jesus Christ was always never too far away from me. It was me trying to go far away from Him but He didn’t let me get too far. I don’t know what the future is but it’s a time for faith. It’s a time to be brave. It’s a time to speak up…I do believe our nation is under attack. I think there’s a cultural war happening, a spiritual war and who knows if they’ll be a real war.

So, I think it’s important to have a foundation for yourself, for your family and for your nation (which is) God. I think witnessing some of the blatantly bad and evil things that have been happening under covid and seeing how your liberties can be instantly taken away was a real sign of some kind of organized evil that’s happening. I don’t know how else to say it but I really believe that it is. I think that is part of the plan. How you react to it – and your interpretation of it – is how you go from here. I think having a foundation in God is important. I think it’s important too for us to be an example for other people.

JWK: I know John Cleese is in the movie with you. I actually saw your recent conversation with him online.

RS: You did?!

JWK: I did. I found the conversation very interesting. What was it like to work with him?

RS: He’s a genius! I’ve only worked with a couple of true comedic geniuses. He’s one. He has a particular joy about his work…There is an inspiration and a joy. Inspire comes from the Greek word for God’s breath – which is interesting. It’s not God’s whisper. (whispers) God doesn’t tell you. (normal voice) It’s God’s breath. It’s…what was that? You have to kind of figure out what that is – and you have to be open to that. I find very creative people who are inspired like John Cleese have that openness for that God’s breath, for that inspiration to make something truly fantastical and amazing.

And I look at someone like Adam Sandler who just made this brilliant movie Leo. He has an openness to that – and a doggedness. It’s not just an openness to it. You have to have the work ethic to work at something to make it special. John Cleese and Adam Sandler are two people that I think have that wonderful inspiration – and they’re still enjoying themselves. I think it’s a combination of that joy, hard work and openness to that… I don’t know if it’s a radio antenna but it’s like that it’s coming to you. You don’t know where it’s coming from – whether you’re just the receptor or whether you’re creating it or you’re creating it with something.

They call creativity “the merciless mistress.” Not a wife. Creativity is a mistress. A wife you know is going to be there. You’re married, you go home and she’s got dinner or whatever – or you’re gonna make dinner or you’re gonna go out to dinner. She’s gonna be there. But a mistress, you don’t know if she’s gonna show up. Is she gonna be there? Maybe not, you know? That’s the definition of it. It’s something that’s elusive. That’s just a way of describing it. I think, for creativity, it’s quite awe-inspiring to see people who are more attuned than you are (who can) help you get in tune.

JWK: I know you and Adam Sandler are friends. Are you in Leo as well?

RS: Yeah.

JWK: I’ll have to catch that. Getting back to your conversation with John Cleese, which I found very interesting, you both share an antipathy toward Cancel Culture – which you describe as “Wokism dressed up as manners.” Would you care to elaborate on that?

RS: Well, you’re dealing with a totalitarian system. Obviously, anyone creative person would oppose any sort of authoritarianism. It’s gussied up as something that it isn’t. The idea that this Woke Cancel Culture is doing anything positive or meaningful is an illusion. It is purely about (taking) power and (holding) it. It’s using people’s goodwill against them. The people’s goodwill is being misused so that these people can gain more and more power for their own purposes – which is not freedom of expression, which is not freedom to create more. It’s freedom to stifle. It’s “I don’t like that. I will silence it.” It’s not even a form of discussion. It is like what we see on college campuses now. Debate has gone to the lowest form of…just screaming. You even see it in now in the United States Congress. People are just yelling and silencing other people. That’s not debate. That’s not a better idea. That’s just being louder. It’s two steps away from throwing rocks.

JWK: How about the impact on comedy?

RS: It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?

JWK: It’s bad enough that they tell you the things you can’t say…

RS: Yeah, but the good comedians keep saying it.

JWK: But I think it goes beyond that. Even, let’s say, you agree to avoid certain subjects – you almost have to embrace Wokism. You can’t just do comedy that is free of politics. You’re pressured endorse certain opinions that they pressure you to endorse.

RS: Unfortunately. My standup routine now is tackling a lot of this. The thing about comedy (is) it’s very powerful. Even Hitler realized why The Great Dictator with Charlie Chaplin was such a threat – because it exposed the absurdity of what this madman was thinking about doing and then did. Comedy is subversive. Subversive, just by its definition, is bringing people to your point of view. They don’t know it’s happening. They didn’t agree to it but they got there because you did it through humor or whatever. It’s artistry. As Shakespeare, I think, is quoted as saying “The art of the artist is to make it appear like it’s not art.” If that’s not Shakespeare, it should be.

JWK: Is there anything out there now that you would deem to be good comedy – whether on television or wherever?

RS: There are some wonderful television shows now – but they’re not comedy shows. I think the best comedy you’ll see now is live comedians. If you go see Bill Burr. There’s a reason why he’s selling out a stadium in Boston. If you go see Adam Sandler, there’s a reason why he’s selling out hockey and basketball stadiums. If you see Dave Chapelle, Chris Rock – and I’ll put myself in there too – there’s a reason why we have thousands and thousands and thousands of people coming to see us. It’s because you’re not getting that anywhere else. You can watch late-night TV until you’re blue in the face. It’s all interchangeable. It’s all a form of comedic indoctrination. That’s all it is. I’m not interested in that. I want somebody who’s gonna challenge what’s happening. That’s why it’s a pleasure to talk to John Cleese – because that’s what he does. He gets railed in the English press because they’re a bunch of morons, frankly.

JWK: It seems to me that many of you SNL veterans are on the conservative side of things these days.

RS: I wouldn’t want to label (anyone)…I think (labels) are used to denounce people as (whatever). If somebody’s logical and rational, does it really matter what socks he has on. Does it matter who he votes for City Council? If he’s logical and rational, what does it matter? I gotta write that down.

JWK: Speaking of politics, what do you make of the scene right now?

RS: I don’t want to get into that right now. I’m here to promote a movie.

JWK: Fair enough. Getting back to the movie, what do you hope people take from it?

RS: I want them to see this and laugh with their kids…They can really have a good laugh with their families without having grandma run out of the room because there are bad words. It’s just a nice movie and it’s something that can touch them emotionally. It’s nice and the response has been fantastic. I’m really happy about that.
_____

The Prince of Egypt: The Musical is available to Buy or Rent on Digital tomorrow.

Filmed live at the Dominion Theatre in London’s West End, the stage show (based on the classic DreamWorks Animation film) features a cast and orchestra of 60 performers, making it one of the biggest musicals ever staged.

The production features music and lyrics by Grammy and Academy Award-winner Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell) and book by Philip LaZebnik (Mulan, Pocahontas). Ten new songs written by Schwartz are added to five of his songs from the original animated film (including When You Believe, Deliver Us, All I Ever Wanted, Through Heaven’s Eyes and The Plagues). The Prince of Egypt was directed for the stage by Scott Schwartz with choreography by Sean Cheesman.

The Prince of Egypt: The Musical is distributed by NBCUniversal Global Distribution. You can checkout the trailer below.

_____

John W. Kennedy is a writer, producer and media development consultant specializing in television and movie projects that uphold positive timeless values, including trust in God.