Stand-up comedians who have been able to successfully transfer their humor to the silver screen are not so common. Many have tried. Many will keep trying, but in the halls of comedic legacy there are a few giants who did it in a way that no one is going to forget anytime soon.
Comedy has always pushed the boundaries and these movies helped us explore, talk about, and ultimately laugh at our stereotypes. The stand-up comedians in these movies are legends on the stage and legends on the screen. Let's take a look.
8 Happy Gilmore
Adam Sandler was working the comedy clubs before he ever gained notoriety as an actor. In one of his best roles, Sandler stars as Happy Gilmore in the 1996 comedy of the same name. Happy is a former ice hockey player who was known for his toughness and an amazing slapshot which he finds he is able to transfer into one dynamite golf swing. When Happy learns his grandmother's house is going to be foreclosed on, he uses his newfound golf skills to win a local tournament, turn pro, and ultimately save her house. There's a fight scene between Happy and his celebrity golf partner Bob Barker that is just too epic to forget.
7 The Wedding Singer
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
Another classic Adam Sandler release is the 1998 film The Wedding Singer which also stars Drew Barrymore. Sandler plays Robbie, a musician with rock star ambitions but is currently doing gigs as a wedding singer. His fiancée Linda dumps him at the altar because she wanted to be married to a rock star. Robbie is supposed to perform at a wedding for his friend Julia (played by Barrymore) but when it's revealed that her fiancé has been unfaithful, she and Robbie end up forming a romantic attachment. Robbie's ex wants to reconcile but as destiny and a little help from Billy Idol and a plane full of passengers would have it Robbie and Julia end up together.
6 Cheech and Chong's Up in Smoke
Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong had been performing as a stand-up comedy duo for several years before the 1978 release of Up in Smoke. Cheech plays Anthony "Man" Stoner and Chong plays his buddy Pedro de Pacas, two stoner musicians who find themselves involved in a pot smuggling operation driving a van from Mexico to Los Angeles. On their way over the border a pair of women hitchhikers convince them to enter a Battle of the Bands contest which they win resulting in a recording contract. The smoke-filled laughs from this first film were so successful it resulted in several sequels.
5 Stir Crazy
The stand-up legend Richard Pryor starred in several comedies and Stir Crazy is one of his best. This 1998 release was directed by none other than Sidney Poitier. Gene Wilder co-stars with Pryor as Skip and Harry, two unemployed buddies who get sent to prison after being framed for a bank robbery that was done in woodpecker suits. While in prison the warden discovers Skip has a knack for bull riding and enters him into the annual rodeo competition. Skip and Harry along with a few prison buddies use the rodeo as their opportunity to make their escape. It's a classic and was a huge box office success.
4 Coming To America
Coming to America is a 1988 romantic comedy that stars Eddie Murphy as Akeem Joffer, a wealthy pampered prince of the fictional African country of Zamunda. Arsenio Hall is also in the film as Semmi, the Prince's personal assistant and friend. On his 21st birthday Prince Akeem's parents inform him they have picked out his future bride, but he decides he would rather find an independent woman who would love him for who he is and he and Semmie head to America to live as poor immigrants in Queens, New York. Akeem finds the woman he believes is the one for him but when she learns he lied about his identity she breaks it off. Akeem explains his reasons for keeping his identity as a wealthy prince a secret and offers to give it all up. Smartly she declines that offer and they work it out.
3 Pootie Tang
If you haven't seen Pootie Tang, as soon as you're done here, go find it and watch it. If you like your comedy silly, over the top and with plenty of action then this 2001 film co-written and directed by Louis C.K. and starring stand-up masters Chris Rock and Wanda Sykes will deliver for you. Legendary New York stand-up comic Dave Attell and Curb Your Enthusiasm's J.B. Smoove are also in the film. Pootie Tang (played by Lance Crouther) is basically a superhero who has been a ladies' man even from a young age. He has a magic belt given to him by his father he uses as his weapon and wields it to fight wrongdoers. And he kicks all sorts of ass!
2 Back To School
Rodney Dangerfield in the 1986 film Back to School is comedic gold. The King of "never getting respect" plays successful businessman Thorton Melon who decides to enroll in the same college as his son so he can prevent him from dropping out. Thorton through his money, partying, and influence becomes the big man on campus and it creates a rift with his son who feels like he's just living in his father's shadow. The two reunite at a championship dive event and Thorton is able to help win the tournament with his never-before-seen "Triple Lindy". Sam Kinison and a young Robert Downey Jr. are also in the film.
1 The Jerk
The Jerk, released in 1979 and directed by Carl Reiner, was Steve Martin's first starring role. Martin plays Navin R. Johnson, the white son of poor black sharecroppers who, despite his skin color, grows up not realizing he was adopted. The common-sense challenged Navin takes off one day to find his way in the world and accidentally creates an invention that makes him very wealthy. Navin marries, buys a mansion, and finds his "special purpose" but it all comes to a halt when a class action lawsuit is filed against him for the faulty invention. He winds up alone, bankrupt, and homeless. But fortunately Navin's parents invested and became rich using money he had been sending home and he and his wife Marie (played by Bernadette Peters) are able to move in with them in their nice new house.