Sounds like a tough sell in the humor department, but if done with enough heart, the results can be equally hilarious and moving. Here are five films that were bold enough to mix a little levity in with their heavy subject matter.

Funny People

This list doesn’t just prove that cancer can be approached in a humorous manner, it also proves that Seth Rogen might actually cause cancer. Perhaps he’s unknowingly radioactive like Dr. Manhattan, or maybe he’s poisoning soup with Pine Sol like that lady in The Sixth Sense. After appearing alongside a cancer-stricken Adam Sandler in Funny People and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in 50/50, it’s clear that Rogen could be to blame. Jonah Hill‘s sudden weight loss is starting to make a lot of sense.

My Life

When father-to-be Michael Keaton is diagnosed with terminal cancer of the kidneys, he decides to videotape himself giving life lessons to his unborn son. He records instructions on how to shave, play sports, use jumper cables, talk to girls, and cook spaghetti. Sadly by the time his son is old enough to appreciate these lessons, VHS is deemed outdated and they are impossible to view.

I used to get pissed off when I’d hear someone say that. First of all, it should be “Sandler’s movies,” not “Sandler movies.” Not that I’m a grammar Nazi, but come on! Second, what‘s not to like?

When pressed, most Sandler haters would reply with something along the lines of “his movies are stupid.” Of course they’re stupid. Most comedies are. But Sandler’s don’t pretend to be anything more. If you want something “intellectual,” go whack off to Vicky Cristina Barcelona. I prefer to laugh.

But after seeing the painfully unfunny trailers for Grown Ups earlier this year, something changed. The previews looked so downright depressing that I began to question my loyalty. That’s when it hit me. I hadn’t seen a Sandler movie in a theater since Punch Drunk Love, and that‘s not even a comedy. To complicate matters, I hadn’t even rented one of his films since then, and the few I’ve caught on cable have been awful. Looking back, it seems there wasn’t even a loyalty for me to question. As it turns out, I would rather whack off to Vicky Cristina Barcelona than sit through The Longest Yard. Jesus Christ! What the hell happened?

The Easy Answer: I Grew Up

I was in high school when Billy Madison came out. Now I’m over 30. I’ve got a wife, 19 kids, and my own reality show on TLC. I’ve become a responsible adult who spends his time working, changing diapers and watching shitty sitcoms (“Modern Family” is my fav). My tastes have matured. The fart jokes I used to find funny now seem childish. I no longer drink Natty Light, and I no longer like Adam Sandler’s films. Case closed.

But wait a minute! That can’t be right. I spend my days writing dick jokes and photoshopping tits onto Steve Buscemi. Just last week, one of my children almost drowned in the bathtub while I was stoned out of my mind watching “Tim and Eric: Awesome Show, Great Job!” (I defy you to find a more immature show that’s not geared toward children). Hell, I even laughed out loud at Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (A Happy Madison production). In my defense, I was wasted, but so help me God, I still laughed. Clearly, my tastes have not matured to the point where I can no longer appreciate stupid humor. So what the hell happened?

The Easier Answer: Sandler Got Old

I hate to bitch about a guy whose dickhead is more successful than I will ever be. After all, who in the hell am I to judge anyone? Well, right now I’m the guy who’s getting paid $12 to write this article about Adam Sandler, and you can’t write an accurate article about Adam Sandler without acknowledging that almost every comedy he’s made since The Wedding Singer has been a turd. And I don’t think that’s an accident. 

Before The Wedding Singer, Sandler made Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore, arguably his funniest films. In fact, some might say they were his only truly funny movies. Both were filled with juvenile humor, but they also contained some hilariously absurd moments: sniper Steve Buscemi, seemingly dead clown, and the ghost of Abe Lincoln, just to name a few. More importantly, in both films, Sandler plays a character who, for lack of a better word, is an asshole. That’s not to say the characters weren’t likeable, but Billy and Happy were rude, selfish pricks. At the end of the film, they may have gotten the girl and shown minimal signs of self improvement, but they were still assholes, and that’s why we liked them.

Then came The Wedding Singer (we’ll go ahead and forget about Bulletproof). In the film, Sandler played a character who was a genuinely nice guy, not an obnoxious man-child. The role allowed him to branch out beyond his typical young-male audience and achieve mainstream success. I remember being slightly horrified upon hearing my mother talk about how much she liked the Adam Sandler movie she saw during a plane ride to visit my grandma. But she was right. It was a decent movie that could appeal to both young men and middle-aged women.

From that point on, you can see a dramatic shift in Sandler’s films. Sure, from time to time he’d still play a goofball character (Little Nicky, The Waterboy) or an asshole (Anger Management). But for the most part, Sandler’s movies have tried to appeal to women and, or families: 50 First Dates, Click, Big Daddy, etc. Even his character in Mr. Deeds was an all around nice-guy rube rather than a bull-headed prick. After The Wedding Singer, his core audience of childish douche bags was forced into the background in the name of box office returns. While the move has proved extremely profitable, the resulting films have been shit.

When it comes to comedies, critical reception can often be ignored. But when 50 First Dates is one of your highest rated films on Rotten Tomatoes (44% positive), there’s a problem. Friggen MacGruber (48%) has a better rating than Grown Ups (9%) Chuck and Larry (14%) and Bedtime Stories (24%) combined. Yeah, MacGruber! And yes, Funny People (67%) is the exception, but you could stick Larry the Cable Guy in an Apatow film and it would at least clear 50%.

So Did I Grow Up, or Did He Grow Old?
While the real answer is probably somewhere in between, the negative reception of Sandler’s films is due mostly to the fact that Sandler turned away from his core audience. Sure, the juvenile humor is still there, but rather than pushing it to the absurd, it gets tapered with romantic comedy clichés and forced family fun.

If anything, nostalgia caused people, myself included, to defend his films as they became more and more indefensible. The fact that Sandler himself seems to be a genuinely nice guy who takes care of his friends (Rob Schneider) only adds to his likeability. That’s why it’s nice to see him show up in a decent movie like Funny People. But anyone who claims that his waning popularity is simply a matter of his audience getting older is missing the point. Most of us would still pay to see something as stupid and childish as Billy Madison, as long as it was funny. But just because we’ve grown up doesn’t mean we’ll sit through f*cking Grown Ups.

Paramount must realize the colossal turkey they have on their hands with G.I. Joe because now they’re trying a new marketing approach… targeting dummies. A few weeks ago they directed their efforts on the Jersey Shore , now the LA Times is reporting that the advertising is focusing heavily on mid-America. The film is apparently embedded in the Kid Rock concert tour and advertising on giant screens in the Mall Of America. The message of this campaign being, it is your patriotic duty to see this movie. All right, fine. I love my country so I’ll see this movie. Even though the post-traumatic stress will probably leave me a shell of my former self.

Do your part and click on these morning links…

Seems like 9 times out of 10, the headliner on a feature film comedy has his or her roots in the stand up comedy circuit.  Think about the mega-bankable big guns today, whether or not you think they’re funny: Kevin James… Ben Stiller… Kevin James again.

This week FUNNY PEOPLE opens, and in it, Adam Sandler plays a version of his real self – a comedian named George Simmons who went from the nightclub circuit to multiplexes with movies like MERMAN, SAYONARA DAVEY and RE-DO.

And just this summer, THE HANGOVER made comedian’s comedian Zack Galifianakis‘s star meter smash through the glass ceiling of obscurity with a velvet hammer.  (He had us at "ritard.")

We got to thinking, who else deserves a big break like Galifianakis? Here are some stand up comedians we think are a project away from the big time.  With video evidence of their stand up routines to hopefully help prove our case.
 

PATTON OSWALT

Patton Oswalt‘s on the verge of superstardom already, so let’s start with him.  His album, WEREWOLVES & LOLLIPOPS, recorded live from Austin, Texas, is a certified classic (the video above has some material from it), and he’s already been the voice of the main mouse in Pixar’s RATATOUILLE.  His next big thing is playing an obsessed New York Giants fan in the aptly named BIG FAN, which looks to be a straight up drama, possibly as disturbing as ONE HOUR PHOTO.  What would be OUR dream project to blow up Oswalt’s acting career?  A forty-something lovable loser still living in his parents’ house, whose parents hire a hot girl to date him so he moves.  Yeah it’s FAILURE TO LAUNCH, but it’s a lot more realistic.  Also, in our version the parents would be arrested for soliciting a prostitute.

BOBB’E J. THOMPSON

Bobb’e J. Thompson‘s the funniest ‘tween working today, and while he doesn’t have a background in straight up stand up, per se, we wanted to include him nonetheless, thanks to the clip above, in which he steals all of Steve Harvey‘s thunder (and at one time, that was no small task).  Bobb’e is showing up early in this list because his stardom seems as inevitable as Artie Lange‘s premature death. He’s already had scene stealing moments in movies lik ROLE MODELS, FRED CLAUS, and as Tracy Jr. on 30 ROCK.  And this kid’s already played Gary Coleman in  "BEHIND THE CAMERA: THE UNAUTHORIZED STORY OF DIFF’RENT STROKES.  Our dream project for young Bobb’e?  Donning his Gene Simmons/KISS-inspired makeup from ROLE MODELS and playing a gang leader in Tony Scott‘s THE WARRIORS remake.

ROB HUEBEL & AZIZ ANSARI

As you might be able to deduce from the clip, Rob Huebel‘s been in a lot of
commercials. His role as Inconsiderate Cell Phone Man in the Lowe’s Theater
spots is a dead on impersonation of a douchebag. Rob was also in I LOVE
YOU, MAN as Tevin Downey Paul Rudd’s douchey nemesis. Needless to say,
Huebel plays douchey well. Aziz Ansari is all over the place right now, partnering
up with Rob on HUMAN GIANT, starring as RAAAAAAAANDY in FUNNY PEOPLE, and
trying to be a married playboy in PARKS AND RECREATION. We’d like to see
these guys partner up in a feature as a daft, bickering villain duo. Since
we just used the word "daft" maybe they could even be british, or at least
Rob could be. The British and the Indians never understand each other. Don’t believe us?  Check out Sir Richard Attenborough‘s laugh riot GANDHI.   

NICK SWARDSON

A hilarious standup comedian and "Friend of Sandler," Nick Swardson has
secured memorable bit parts in TV and film usually as a gay man, a stoner,
or both. As flamboyant Terry in RENO 911!, he constantly feeds the sheriff’s
office false information while trying to maintain his balance. He’s also the
voice of Gay Robot in GAY ROBOT, a great series of webisodes produced by
Sandler. Nick can also be seen as Michael in YOU DON’T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN,
and Jeff in GRANDMA’S BOY. As a staring role, we’d like to see Nick play a
man-child unaware of his blatant homosexuality and who’s forced into a Christian
summer camp that turns men straight.  The title of the movie?  THE HOMOSEXORCIST.

JON BENJAMIN

You’ll probably recognize Jon Benjamin‘s voice more than his Bruce Willis-like mug (he’s the one on the TV in the clip above). He’s done voice work for DR. KATZ, HOME MOVIES FAMILY GUY, AQUA TEEN, and my personal favorite, "The Can of Vegetables" in WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER. As a feature role, we’d like to see Jon play the conscience of a pervert. He could manifest himself at some point so his physical form could appear on screen, but mainly we want to hear him say dirty words.

WHITNEY CUMMINGS

If you ask the five dentists who do the research for those toothpaste commercials, four out of five will say the funniest comedienne is Sarah Silverman.  But while her early material is pretty damn funny (and adorable), and THE SARAH SILVERMAN PROGRAM is inspired, we think she’s already a star by virtue of being the top of the heap.  So who gets the Screen Junkies bump?  Whitney Cummings, who was a writer on the COMEDY CENTRAL ROAST OF BOB SAGET, and acted in an episode of Fox’s HOUSE, which is known for its hilarity.  Our dream project for Whitney?  Anything other than HOUSE, M.D.  

BRIAN POSEHN

The man Sarah Silverman nicknamed "Weirdo" (because Galifianakis had "Beardo" taken) has been around on TV as far back as MR. SHOW, and has made a lot of cameos, including playing the priest who marries Sue Storm and Reed Richards in FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER.  But he’s never quite had the success he’s deserved, possibly because he looks like the child of Sasquatch and Beaker from THE MUPPETS.  He also looks a lot like Eric Wareheim of TIM & ERIC AWESOME SHOW GREAT JOB! and even played Eric in show’s fake SPAGETT! movie.  Our dream project for Posehn?  The Swedish drummer for an 80s hair metal band playing an amusement park that get taken over by terrorists.  The film’s name?  ROCK HARD.  The co-author?  Me.  (Shameless Plug Alert Editor’s Note: The script’s option just expired.)

DANIEL TOSH

Daniel really hasn’t been in jack, unless you count his role as "Cowboy Hat"
in THE LOVE GURU. So it’s a testament to his talent that he got his own show TOSH.0 on Comedy Central.  He’s also done some great stand up during which he discusses what it was like to be a rich kid growing up in Orange County, or The O.C. That sounds like a movie right there. Sure, it’s been done a hundred times (and has headed north into Malibu with Jamie Kennedy, too), but not with Daniel Tosh as the lead.

Who are YOUR favorite semi-famous or up-and-coming stand up comedians who deserve to hit it big?

Watch Babes, Win Watchmen on Blu-Ray!

Judd Apatow has a knack for finding women that manage to be very funny and incredibly hot at the same time for his movies.  For Funny People, he has found Aubrey Plaza, and up and coming actress and comedian who plays Seth Rogen’s love interest in the film.  She also stars on the small screen in NBC’s Parks and Recreation.  As a small side note, her Sarah Silverman impression is dead on.

A word from Aubrey: “Wilmington is pretty small. There wasn’t a ton to do there, but it definitely made me more creative because I had to kind of find my own thing to do, which is why I started making weird, funny videos.”

So growing up in a small and boring town is the secret to creating a hot and funny personality… Very interesting.  Check out more photos of Aubrey after the jump!

This clip from a movie inside a movie features Adam Sandler playing George Simmons as Craig the workaholic in the high-concept comedy Re-Do.  In an effort to start over, a wizard turns Craig into a baby with an adult head.  I don’t know who this wizard is but I certainly hope he gets his wizard license revoked for such blatant and inexcusable wizard malpractice.  I guess we’ll never know since the film isn’t really real. 

And just in case you’re interested in purchasing the first season of ‘Yo Teach’ you can get it at the NBC Store. 

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