Cheesy fake grins and all!

What is the good word to describe 'comedy movies' and 'ads' that seem very fake and tacky, and which failingly try to draw emotional responses (with fake grins and all) (like some but not all Robin Williams films where he acts like a kid etc.). I thought of the word 'cheesy' but that doesn't connote 'trying to draw emotional responses from the audience'. So any good words or a word for that?

I am also not thinking about the word: low budget movies here.

Solution 1:

Mawkish:

• excessively and objectionably sentimental.

• falsely sentimental, esp in a weak or maudlin way.

• Though the audiences are tired of mawkish plays and movies, writers and producers are never tired of them. There are always audiences who in their innocence shed tears at the excess of sentiment they express. The mawkish dialogues in the play brought ridicule from the spectators, rather than tears or laughter.

Source:http://www.univsource.com/words/mawkish-adj.htm

also trashy

• In very poor taste or of very poor quality: "There was a special pathos ... within ... her trashy tales" (James Wolcott).

Solution 2:

You might also consider:

From Merriam-Webster
camp :
a : something so outrageously artificial, affected, inappropriate, or out-of-date as to be considered amusing
b : a style or mode of personal or creative expression that is absurdly exaggerated and often fuses elements of high and popular culture

Or:

Also from Merriam-Webster
farce :
: a funny play or movie about ridiculous situations and events
: the style of humor that occurs in a farce
: something that is so bad that it is seen as ridiculous

Solution 3:

I'd recommend "empty" or "hollow", but you may prefer "kitschy":

kitsch

noun

1.art, objects, or design considered to be in poor taste because of excessive garishness >or sentimentality, but sometimes appreciated in an ironic or knowing way. "the lava lamp is an example of sixties kitsch"

adjective

2.considered to be in poor taste but appreciated in an ironic or knowing way.

Source: OxfordDictionaries.com (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/kitsch)