Classic Comedy Films that Are Not Mainstream

Escaping to the cinema is a favorite American pastime. With the advent of DVDs, some classic films on VHS have become a lost art form, relegated to the shelves of a dusty thrift store or back sections in the library. But there are some classic comedy gems that are well-worth searching for, be it used videos in brick and mortar establishments, or online to rent, own and cherish. Regardless of the latest technological formatting, these films are worth watching on that old VCR. Here are some comedy gems that are not mainstream, and have also achieved cult-classic status.

Fatso

This heartwarming film has so much going for it. Filmed on location in Greenwich Village in 1980, Fatso is about Dominic DeNapoli, an overweight Italian man, who lives in a Brownstone building with his married sister and bachelor brother in New York. Dominic is played by Dom Deluise, and his sister is played by Anne Bancroft. She also wrote and directed this film as well. They are every bit the stereo-typical Italian family, yet the premise of the story revolves around "Dommie's" weight problem.

His sister wants him to lose weight, following the early death of an obese cousin, and the film starts out at the 39 year-old cousin's funeral. One would think this would be sad, but in classic comedic form, Delouse and Bancroft showcase their comedic acting skills to the max in a hysterical showmanship of comedy in the face of tragedy.

The film starts off with the casket being too big for the ground, Anne Bancroft's emotional scene at the coffin, while Dom sneaks in the kitchen to stir the "sauce," the Italian staple of any good meal, all the while dipping bits of bread into it for comfort food, while his thin sister is hysterical.

The plot evolves around him and his struggle with diet, sister, and the beautiful "blonde woman" he falls in love with. The film never gets sappy or trite, and unfolds in a classic style, with hysterical moments of not just slapstick, but great acting as well. This is a must see for comedy and drama fans, and has some good shots of early New York City, changing times, and the Italian-family bond.

Better of Dead: Cult-Classic Status

John Cusack is a household name, a gifted actor who is known for his off-beat comedic roles, yet this is one of his first films, done in the nineteen eighties. This film was and may still be ahead of its time. The humor is something akin to what one might see today, yet doesn't fall under the sugar-coated, typical silly eighties comedy.

The story centers around Lane, a Northern California teenager, who is dating Beth, the only girl for him, who promptly dumps him for the big man on campus, an obnoxious bleach-haired hunk. Lane is so distraught, he tries to kill himself, with odd-ball moments throughout Lane's torturous self-loathing that prevent him from doing so, adding to the films unique comic slant. He soon discovers the French foreign exchange student living across the street in a house containing Ricky, a weird, crochet-knitting, overweight geek, who sniffs nasal spray and doesn't go outside. He seems to think he has ownership of the French girl, because she's staying at his and "mother's" house.

She speaks English, all the while pretending around Ricky and mother, for sanity's sake, that she doesn't understand a word. Throughout the film, Lane is being chased by the paperboy for the "two dollars" he is owed, everyone wants to date Beth, and the only way to win her back (before he realizes the French girl is the one for him) is to beat Roy by skiing the K-12, the highest local peak mountain.

A cast of characters, from Lane's genius twelve year-old, rocket-building brother, to his kind-hearted, yet clueless mother, lawyer father, playing the straight man and typical clueless dad, Lane's fake drug-sniffing friend who can't get real drugs so he snorts Jell-O, all make for one odd-ball, off-beat comedy that is sure to thrill fans of unusual eighties flicks, and hardcore Cusack fans as well.

Diary of a Mad Housewife: Cult Classic Status

Carrie Snodgress, along with a cast of gifted actors, stars in this off-beat drama/comedy that is totally retro, shot with cool scenes and trend-setting examples of the times, from the hairstyles and clothes of 1970 and current art scene, to attitudes of New York at the start of a new decade of change. The plot centers around Tina, played by Snodgress, a young wife who lives in a big townhouse apartment in Manhattan, with her ambitious social-climber lawyer husband, played by Richard Benjamin.

She is more than depressed, to say the least, due to her demanding husband and his draining, silly attitude, his desire to fit in with the artistic set, who prove to be nothing short of users and abusers, and the fact that her two daughters are taking after the father, not respecting her.

She has an affair with a temperamental, arrogant, womanizing writer, played by Frank Langella, he treats her shabbily as well, classic demoralizing figure of the late '60s early '70s woman before woman's lib. Yet throughout the story, we see the intelligence of the female character, the strength forming, while her husband tries to fit in, she is impressing the intellectual writer, and the husband is the ultimate fool.

While she is slowly sinking and rising from her trials and tribulations, we see just what the woman must go through, with interesting characters and a story line that shows that what people desire may not turn out to be all that is gold. The woman as mother and whore, what she must overcome, compared to the career, independent woman of today. In one party scene of this film, there is a cameo appearance from the Alice Cooper band.

Some lesser-known films that are also interesting:

Welcome Home Roxy Carmichael, starring a young Winona Ryder, Where the Heart Is, early Uma Thurman, Easy Money, early Joe Pesci, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Rodney Dangerfield, How to Beat the High Cost of Living, early 1980's Jessica Lane, Play it Again Sam, (genius Woody Allen playing the a-typical, love sick buffoon...Woody has some great comedic moments in this film that are not to be missed), To Be or Not to Be, the Mel Brooks version with his wife Anne Bancroft, Eating Raul, cult status big time, and Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, early Martin Scorsese film, with a very young Harvey Keitel and award winning performance by Ellen Burstyn. The popular 70's television series Alice was created from this movie.