What the Hell has happened to the Comedy Genre of Movies Nowadays?

Think about the last movie you watched; what was it? Could you decipher which genre it would fit into? What actors were in it? Have you seen those actors in other movies frequently? Do you even really remember the plot?  Or was it simply a large amount of misguided cheap shot chortle-worthy moments, crammed together in an improper sequence with no real plot conclusion?

From my recent experiences, it seems most of them, especially "comedic" movies, are the latter. I don't understand it. When, as an audience, did we stop demanding enriching cinematic experiences with a diverse cast? When did we settle for the mundane material that is passed off as "movies" that we sometimes pay upwards of $9.00 per viewing in a theater to experience? Is it possible that we have just become so numbed to it, so desensitized, that we don't know a good film from a "bad" one? Is it also possible that we don't know a good actor from a regular guy just saying random crap and hoping it comes out funny?

The "actors" that have created the current comedy vein are what concern me the most. It seems many of the most recent popular movies are a combination of the same group of funny men in Hollywood with painfully similar senses of humor. Seth Rogen, Dave Franco, Zac Efron, Jason Bateman, James Franco, Jason Segel, Paul Rudd, Danny McBride, Jason Sudeikis, Johan Hill, Jay Baruchel, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse. Stop for a minute. Look up these men. Think about how many movies you have seen them in together, or when you've seen a combination of a few of them in the same movie. I'll give you a hint: Superbad, Neighbors, Your Highness, This is the End, 22 Jump Street, The Sitter,  Forgetting Sarah Marshall, This is 40, Knocked Up, Paul. Look up these movies. These guys make up a majority of the "funny" movies out there nowadays; But I just don't find them that funny!

For example, I watched 22 Jump Street tonight. Am I allowed to mention that? Well screw it, it was so bland I feel the need to warn the world about it. I mean Holy CRAP, I swear my IQ dropped a few points with every line of dialogue that passed through my ears. The thing that I found to be the saddest was that the dialogue kept alluding to how lame it was to make a second of anything, how a "sequel is never as good as the first one". Hint, hint, 22 Jump Street is the sequel to 21 Jump Street... Why, if you are to allude to this in your movie, would you bother putting out a movie that is, in fact, a sequel? Also, they kept making it a point to say that this sequel is "exactly like the original movie". I do understand the point they are trying to make and the humor they're desperately clinging to, but why, oh why? It just doesn't work. We all know sequels never live up to the original, thank you for that lengthy reminder.

And no, I'm not hating, I really am not, so don't take this post as such. It's simply my observation. Besides my point, these directors are having a great time making the movies, they are making money, and the actors are making money too. I digress.

I get it, they're all friends, and they all like to have a good time on film. But that's just it. It's the same everyday humor that they themselves may find funny, over and over and OVER again. Sure, I laughed at the first few, but maybe it's not funny enough to create so many different movies with similar dialogue and content. Why can't funny movies encompass more of the actors that are out there? The film industry, in terms of comedic movies, should have more variety, and we, as an audience, deserve that.