Heartbreaking Comedies

This is my first time writing for a blog so I apologize in advance if this turns out bad or I make mistakes.  I also can't promise I am as good of a writer as Sitzman or Dusty.

I recently watched Seeking A Friend At The End Of The World.  I went into the movie expecting a dark, slightly goofy, comedy.  While it is those things, I unexpectedly found myself feeling extreme sadness throughout the entire film.  For those who don't know, Seeking A Friend stars Steve Carell and Keira Knightley going on a road trip across New England while an asteroid is quickly approaching promising the apocalypse.  As with other road trip movies, the two encounter a wide array of great character actors and goofy situations.  My favorite was a party that Carell goes to in which the adults are getting kids drunk and trying heroin because, honestly, who cares, the world is ending in two weeks.  What makes this movie different from other road trip films though, is the impeding doom that looms over the entire film.  Nearly every scene has a feeling of urgency and fear.  This seems strange for a comedy, but is also one of the reasons I found it so interesting.  Carell's character spends the first part of the film doing what he would normally do any other day.  He goes to work (as an insurance salesman), comes home and watches TV.  He doesn't act like someone who KNOWS he will die in less than two weeks.  While he is doing normal things, very abnormal things are happening in the background.  People are constantly committing suicide, riots are starting, parties eventually turn into orgies, etc.  It makes the movie feel extremely real.  I kept finding myself thinking of Children of Men during a lot of these scenes.  I also found myself wondering what I would do if an asteroid was going to end the world.  Would I be a different person?  Would I start doing drugs and getting drunk constantly (something I don't do now)?  Would I regret the life I've lived thus far?  These are questions that are very strange to ponder, especially during a comedy.  The end was extremely heart-wrenching.  I actually felt scared when the asteroid was imminent and jumped when I heard it hit.  Then I cried harder than I've cried during a movie in a very long time.

This made me think about other great comedies that are hysterically funny one moment and dreadfully sad the next.  Judd Apatow and John Hughes made their career making these films.  Every Thanksgiving our family watches Planes, Trains, and Automobiles and every year I want to cry for Del Griffith when Neal realizes that his wife has been dead (sorry for the spoiler if you haven't seen it yet, and if you haven't GO WATCH IT NOW!).  I love it when a movie can make you feel so strongly for a character, in a hilarious comedy no less, and make you cry while you've been laughing.  They seem very realistic and true-to-life in that way.

I didn't realize it before, but I've kinda been on a phase of these "heartbreaking comedies."  In the past week, I've watched Planes, Trains, Seeking A Friend, The Royal Tenenbaums and 50/50 (which is one of my favorite sad comedies of all-time).

Here is a list of my Top 5 Favorite Heartbreaking Comedies:

1. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (John Hughes)
2. The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson)
3. Knocked Up (Judd Apatow)
4. 50/50 (Jonathon Levine)
5. Lars and the Real Girl (Craig Gillepsie)