Comedy means joy, usually. When we go to the theater to see a funny movie, we expect hysterical laughter, goofy situational humor, the endorphin surge of a well-placed punchline, even the primal rush that comes with slapstick physical comedy of the Looney Tunes persuasion. To suggest that a comedy movie could ever make you feel bad would be crazy talk — unless we’re talking cringe comedies.

Cringe comedies walk the fine line between harmless jokes and something darker, more violent. They poke and prod at our deepest fears, force us to watch beloved characters lay bare their utmost insecurities, comment cruelly on the peculiarity of social norms and the lengths we ourselves go to in order to fit ourselves into a society that would cast us out after one wrong move, weird quirk, or awkwa

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