The Hidden Message in a Game of "TAG"

In Aristotle's time comedy included a spectacle of men dancing, singing, or celebrating around an image of a phallus. But this is not a required ingredient of comedy. The only required element of a comedy is that is has a happy ending. Overall, a dramatic comedy includes the rise of a favorable or relatable character.

There are many comedies that contain great messages and prove to be meaningful art forms. On the other hand, compared to a tragedy, the lessons of a comedic movie may not seem existent. In other words, due to the entertaining nature of dramatic comedies, people get distracted from the lessons the story has to tell. Just because the audience isn't acknowledging the deeper meaning of a film doesn't mean there isn't a deeper meaning to be discovered. Most of the time people watch funny movies because they want to watch something light-hearted. Therefore they aren't looking to discover anything the film might be saying about their understanding of the world.  

One movie that is considered a dramatic comedy but also enhances the audience's understanding of the world is TAG. In TAG tells the story of a group of male friends who have been playing the same game of tag for 30 years. It's entertaining, funny, and subscribes to Aristotle's definition of dramatic comedy. For instance, as the movie progresses Hoagie's confidence and esteem noticeably decrease. Most of this decrease in self-confidence has to do with his inability to tag his friend Jerry. At the end of the movie, his rise comes from finally being able to tag Jerry and that's when the audience finally learns the lesson the movie created. The audience learns that always trying to be the best, like Jerry, can get in the way of really experiencing life. 

Dramatic comedies can teach their audiences a lot. They are also special because the audience can choose whether or not they want to look for a lesson or simply just enjoy the movie. Either way, the movie serves a purpose because being entertained can be a distractor from the stressors the audience wants to avoid. At the same time, dramatic comedies can enhance the audience's perspective on life in an easy-to-digest manner. Therefore, receiving the message may be easier than learning it from a tragedy.