Very interesting post, Scott, and of particular interest to me as I'm now writing an R-rated comedy. The quote near the end of The Wrap article stood out to me: “For comedy to work, you have to be able to take chances; not be second guessed; and experiment. You need to push the envelope to make something stand out.” It makes me wonder if one of the best ways to ensure a comedy spec gets attention these days is (in addition to making it high-concept and low-budget) to make it R-rated/edgy. One, because increasingly price-conscious consumers want more for their money (from a sensory standpoint) when they go to theaters these days. Two, because edgy comedies by default tend to be more visual, featuring a greater share of sex and (non-lethal) violence (which require less translation for international audiences). My theory is further encouraged by a couple of articles I've come across talking about the fact that many (if not most) of the comedies coming out this summer carry an R rating (I think 15 or so). Here are two: http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2014/05/07/summer-comedies-r-rated/7710347/ http://variety.com/2014/film/news/neighbors-proves-r-rated-comedies-are-summertime-box-office-gold-1201178419/