Last Fuckable Day is a Comedy Central UK sketch from comedian Amy Schumer that features Schumer alongside actresses Tina Fey, Patricia Arquette and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The sketch shows Schumer stumbling across the three actresses enjoying an elaborate meal, inviting Amy to join them in celebrating Julia’s “Last Fuckable Day”. They go on to explain this as when the media decides female celebrities are no longer considered sex symbols or “believably fuckable”, instead destined to cover up in long sleeved sweaters and play mundane, asexual roles. Whilst portraying this as a problematic media habit, the sketch also suggests how celebrated this time can be, as the women are no longer under pressure to maintain unrealistic and unachievable standards in regard to their appearances. The sketch additionally highlights this experience as being unique to female actors, and not something experienced by men.
The sketch works in a number of ways. Ferguson (2010) lists ten principles of comedy, stating that although they may not all exist in every sketch, it is almost guaranteed that if something makes a viewer laugh it is likely making use of at least one of these techniques. This is certainly true with regard to Last Fuckable Day, which utilises a number of Ferguson’s principles. The use of exaggeration in the portrayal of the experiences of ageing female celebrities is certainly effective; although women in the entertainment industry do have somewhat of an expiry date in the entertainment industry, the concept of a name for this time and a coinciding celebratory party is largely embelished. The use of situational irony is also highly effective in this sketch. The women shown to be commemorating Julia Louis-Drefus’ Last Fuckable Day are arguably some of the most recognisable and well known of their age group in the industry. The use of these highly recognisable and successful women, combined with the idea that they could have an expiry for their success, is somewhat of a ridiculous notion. The idea that such wildly successful entertainers could be faced with an expiration day However, through the use of a number of techniques, Schumer is able to convey that whilst on the surface ridiculous, there is a nugget of truth to this assertion.
Schumer communicates the existence of this phenomenon is through what Ferguson (2010) describes as the use of bare truths, in combination with repetition. Sally Fields is referenced a number of times in the sketch, with her Last Fuckable Day being identified by the moment she went from playing Tom Hanks’ love interest in Punchline to his mother in Forrest Gump only “twenty minutes later” (Schumer 2016). Fields is again referenced later in the sketch when Louis-Dreyfus climbs into a boat, on the seat of which is engraved “Sally Fields Was Here”. This repeated use of Fields is effective in demonstrating what Schumer is trying to say about the ageing of women in entertainment. The very real example of her roles in relation to Tom Hanks offers a bare truth of just how very rapidly an actress can go from being a sex symbol to simply somebodies mother. Though these mechanisms are somewhat subtle, they are effective in being both amusing to the viewer whilst simultaneously driving the point home regarding female expiry dates in the entertainment industry and the sexism and ageism that faces these women.
The themes present in Last Fuckable Day are extensive. There are the obvious themes of sexism and inequality that are present in much of Schumer’s work, in addition to the discussion of ageism in the entertainment industry. Though these are the prevalent themes in the sketch, there are other topics touched upon briefly such as sex positivity — “are you that girl from the television who talks about her pussy all the time” (Schumer 2016)— as well as the double standards within the entertainment industry that shape and alter the careers of so many women. The sketch also briefly touches on the expectations on women to look a particular way in regards to their appearance and grooming.
Comedy effectively drives the intended message of this sketch. The concept of ageism is one that is not often discussed, and can be particularly difficult to break down in a way that is understandable. Although having being issue in Hollywood since its establishment, it would seem only recently that the concept and term ageism, and in particular the inequality that surrounds it, has been bought to the attention of audiences. Schumer does not seek to explain the concept explicitly, however demonstrates ageism and inequality in action through comedy; she highlights both what it means to those in the entertainment industry and how ridiculous it is. Mizejewski et al. (2017, p. 7) discuss comedy as a “form of speech that breaks [societal issues] open,” and this is certainly seen in Schumer’s sketch. Complicated yet topical issues of sexism and ageism are made palatable and easy to digest, with comedy the vehicle that drives these issues home.
Comedy offers a platform in which behaviour that would often be seen as unacceptable from women, such as swearing and sex discussion, is allowable and even encouraged (Mizejewski et al. 2017). Schumer utilises this freedom, engaging freely with sex jokes, swearing and exploration of other taboo topics, using them to highlight the issues faced by women in entertainment when it comes to their age and the impact it has on their careers. Without comedy, it is fair to say this sketch would not be nearly as effective or successful in making its argument.
By framing the discussion of ageism and sexism as a discussion of a women’s “Last Fuckable Day,” Schumer makes the topics accessible and light. It becomes one that is relevant to larger audiences due to the light humour combined with the vast amount of references to other celebrities of a range of ages and entertainment categories — such as Selena Gomez, Larry King and Bruce Willis — whilst still maintaining the point that this is a real issue faced by women, and one that is not similarly faced by men in the industry to the same degree.
Ultimately Last Fuckable Day is a highly effective sketch that is simultaneously entertaining and amusing, whilst also casting light on issues faced by women in the industry over the course of their careers. The sketch utilises a number of comedy techniques and devices, keeping audiences entertained and engaged over the duration of the sketch. It is enlightening, original and amusing in its tackling of societal issues that can otherwise be difficult to convey to audiences.
References
Ferguson, T 2010, The Cheeky Monkey: Writing Narrative Comedy, 1st edn, Currency Press, NSW, Australia.
Mizejewski, Linda et al., 2017. Hysterical! : women in American comedy, Austin: University of Texas Press, USA.
Schumer A, 2016, Last Fuckable Day: Inside Amy Schumer, YouTube, Jan 23, Comedy Central UK, viewed 14 March 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDz2kcjWpOs