Being dirty buys you room to be emotional (and vice versa)
Nick Kroll on Big Mouth: "The more emotional we are, the dirtier we get to be, and the dirtier we are, the more emotional we can then also be."
Nick Kroll explains how there’s a tradeoff between filth and sentimentality:
[Big Mouth] can only be this dirty if it’s also this emotional. The more emotional we are, the dirtier we get to be, and the dirtier we are, the more emotional we can then also be. They’re not separate. They’re actually very entwined.
Going 100% dirty winds up feeling hack and lowest common denominator. Going 100% heartfelt sentimentality winds up feeling saccharine and cheesy. Emotionality and crassness work best when they occur in tandem. Some other good examples: Judd Apatow movies, Bridesmaids, Fleabag, Louie, etc.