Article: Getting serious.(Entertainment)(comedians playing darker character roles)

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"... The strongest argument for letting comedians play darker parts is that, despite the stereotype concerning tragedy's superiority, many would argue that comedy is more significant."

IN RECENT YEARS, a handful of comedians have experimented with much darker characters: Robin Williams playing a murderer in the detective thriller "Insomnia" (2002) and an obsessive psychotic in "One Hour Photo" (2002): Jim Carrey as the sadistic "friend" in "Cable Guy" (1996), or his victimized lover in the ingenious futuristic romantic comedy about erasing memories, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004); and Adam Sandier as the ultimate ...

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