‘There’s Something About Mary’ Director Bobby Farrelly Hopes to Revive the R-Rated Comedy With ‘Driver’s Ed’: ‘People Need a Good Laugh’

Believe it or not, it wasn’t all that long ago when audiences flocked to cinemas in search of a good laugh. But in the past decade, comedies, at least the big-screen variety, have nearly disappeared. Bobby Farrelly, who rode the wave during the genre’s heyday directing hits like “There’s Something About Mary” and “Dumb and Dumber,” thinks he knows why Hollywood stopped making funny movies. “When you do comedy, it’s risky,” Farrelly says. “The best comedies walk a tightrope. In the last few years, there was a lot of, ‘Oh,...