DVDFile

Don't even try to get away with saying, "I don't really like movies like these."

Everybody has their own particular brand of beloved dumbassery. There are those who like to take it down a notch from The Bachelorette by putting on The Real Housewives of New Jersey, and there are others who, after a long Sunday morning spent reading one of John Updike's Pulitzer Prize winners, switches on A Prairie Home Companion to, you know, just turn the brain off for a while: Every movie/TV lover has her/his own comfort viewing material.

That being said, to truly be a creme-de-la-creme dumbass movie or show takes something more than just braindead fart jokes or inane slapstick sight gags (though those don't hurt). No, when a movie transcends being simply funny and really takes shape as a thing of heightened, beyond-stoopid entertainment, if a viewer is prepared for the riches those films bring, the payoff can be extraordinary.

We understand that the mere presence of an Adam Sandler or a Chevy Chase is a dealbreaker for some cineastes who prefer their lighthearted comedy with at least a hint of decorum, but with this week's Blu-ray/DVD Essentials column, we feel we've compiled a wide-ranging spread of pristinely oafish on-screen stupidity, and the particular grace that these ha-ha-fatty-fell-down moments can inspire in a viewer savvy enough to accept them.

So, fair readers, whether you're academically versed in the nuance of bathroom humor or you fear the lessons that Weird Al has to offer, join us.

It may not be high art, but 'art' rhymes with 'fart', and that's what really matters.