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The Beginner’s Guide to the Subgenres of Film Noir

What’s black and white and full of subgenres?
Film Noir Subgenres
By  · Published on November 22nd, 2020

Bonus: Noir Comedies

Not black comedies, NOIR comedies! Look, where there’s a genre, there’s a joke. Conventions are made to be laughed with and at—and noir is no exception! And with this much brooding self-severity, it’s easy to punch up.


The Cheap Detective (Robert Moore, 1978)

The Cheap Detective Noir Comedy

Penned by the legendary Neil Simon, The Cheap Detective is not only one of the greatest film noir parodies of all time, but one of the greatest parodies, full stop. The film is a sequel of sorts to the broad whodunit spoof Murder By Death, giving one of its more hilarious detectives—a cynical, bumbling San Francisco detective played by Peter Falk—his own movie (albeit under a different character name).

A direct send-up of Humphrey Bogart noirs like The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca, The Cheap Detective follows Falk’s P.I. as he attempts to prove his innocence after his partner is murdered. As far as jokes per minute go, this film is denser than a fruitcake, with a stacked cast to pull it off (Eileen Brennan! Sid Caesar! Madeline Kahn!). Parodies of this era have a certain gait, as do Sam Spade-type noirs. But for those with a taste for the stuff, this is a true treasure worth seeking out.

Notable noir vibes: Freshly made office drawer cocktails, constant jazz riffs, and a veritable baseball team of dames.


Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Robert Zemeckis, 1988)

Who Framed Roger Rabbit Noir Comedy

Fearing for the mental health of their star player, Roger Rabbit (voiced by Charles Fleischer), Maroon Studios hires humorless P.I. Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) to dig deeper. But when Roger becomes the prime suspect in the murder of his wife’s suspected lover, Valiant finds himself knee-deep in blackmail, bad cops, and a plot to destroy Toon Town itself. Who Framed Roger Rabbit not only hybridizes animation and live-action but also film noir and classic cartoon comedy. It’s hard to tell where the neo-noir ends and the caricature begins. But when you’re laughing this hard it doesn’t really matter.

Notable noir vibes: Incriminating pattycake photographs, seedy nightclubs full of weasels, and a power-grab infrastructure project worth killing for.


Inherent Vice (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2014)

Inherent Vice Noir Comedy film noir subgenres

Based on Thomas Pynchon’s multi-tonal novel of the same name, Inherent Vice follows the well-intentioned, if hopelessly inept, Larry “Doc” Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix) as he investigates a series of cases which may (or may not) tie back to the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend. P.T.A. swaps hard-boiled alcoholism for a softer, groovier substance. And the intoxicating brain-fog mixes well with the labyrinthine criminal underbelly of 1970s Los Angeles, a familiar film noir setting rarely rendered as riotous as this. Anyone else craving pancakes?

Notable noir vibes: Billowing (pot) smoke, a paranoiac private eye, and a barefooted femme fatale.

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Based in the Pacific North West, Meg enjoys long scrambles on cliff faces and cozying up with a good piece of 1960s eurotrash. As a senior contributor at FSR, Meg's objective is to spread the good word about the best of sleaze, genre, and practical effects.