Whereas the winter movie season is predominantly comprised of Academy Award hopefuls making a final pushes in theaters, the spring movies season is a time to lighten up. The next two months reflect that in cinematic releases, many of which fall into the comedic genre.

Here are eight of the top movies releasing in theaters nationwide.
 

‘DR. SEUSS' HORTON HEARS A WHO!'

STARS: Jim Carrey, Steve Carell, Isla Fisher, Seth Rogen
RELEASE DATE: March 14
PLOT: Horton the elephant (Carrey) decides to protect a speck of dust, which just so happens to house the Whos of Whoville. Of course, no one believes that he is actually helping anyone, mostly because a speck of dust isn't large enough to house anything.
WHAT TO EXPECT: A surefire moneymaker, thanks to the inclusion of stars such as Carrey and Carrey-lite (Carell). Not to mention Dr. Seuss' built-in fan base — current stoners who like funny/made-up words and former stoners who now have children.

‘MEET THE BROWNS'

STARS: Tyler Perry, Angela Bassett, Sofia Vergara
RELEASE DATE: March 21
PLOT: A single mother (Bassett) takes her family to the funeral of her father, whom she never met. Upon their arrival, the family comes into contact with the good-timing Brown family.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Critical indifference (Perry's film adaptations rarely strike a chord with the media) and paying audiences who really don't give a damn (three of Perry's past four films have opened with at least $21 million in their opening weekends).

‘STOP LOSS'

STARS: Ryan Phillippe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rob Brown
RELEASE DATE: March 28
PLOT: Back in Texas after serving a tour in Iraq, a soldier (Phillippe) is summoned to go back overseas. However, he defies the government order by refusing to return to combat.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Not quite sure yet, considering Phillippe's forays into dramatic roles have ranged in quality from stellar (“Crash”) to serviceable (“Breach”) to downright awful (“Antitrust”). Here's guessing, thanks to the inclusion of the perpetually underrated Gordon-Levitt, that this falls somewhere between the first two.

‘LEATHERHEADS'

STARS: George Clooney, Renée Zellweger, John Krasinski
RELEASE DATE: April 4
PLOT: Set in the 1920s, this romantic comedy centers on a professional football owner/player (Clooney) who adds a collegiate star (Krasinski) to his team in order to revitalize the struggling league. The two soon end up vying for the affections of a journalist (Zellweger).
WHAT TO EXPECT: Women who really want to see studs such as Clooney and Jim from “The Office” onscreen and rope their husbands/boyfriends into seeing the movie by telling them it's about football. Also, men who, after seeing the film, feel slightly betrayed and more than a little disappointed.

‘SMART PEOPLE'

STARS: Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Thomas Haden Church, Ellen Page
RELEASE DATE: April 11
PLOT: A lonely widowed college professor (Quaid) becomes involved with a former student (Parker), while simultaneously trying to mend fences with his daughter (Page) and adopted brother (Church).
WHAT TO EXPECT: A formulaic romantic comedy (with Quaid and Parker in the fold, is there any other kind?) significantly upped in quality by Church and Page, two of the best mainstream actors going today.

‘FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL'

STARS: Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis
RELEASE DATE: April 18
PLOT: From producer Judd Apatow (“Knocked Up,” “Superbad,” “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”), this film centers on a heartbroken guy (Segel, also the screenwriter) who jets off to Hawaii to deal with being dumped by his girlfriend (Bell). Unfortunately for him, the ex is staying at the same resort, and she's got a new boyfriend.
WHAT TO EXPECT: A chick-flick caked in dick-and-fart jokes, thus appealing to moviegoers of both genders. That approach not only makes Apatow a quality producer, but a sound businessman as well.

‘BABY MAMA'

STARS: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Sigourney Weaver
RELEASE DATE: April 25
PLOT: After learning she has almost no shot of getting pregnant, a single businesswoman (Fey) takes on a surrogate (Poehler) to fill the role. The surrogate, however, soon shows up on the businesswoman's front porch with no place to stay.
WHAT TO EXPECT: “Knocked Up” for women.

‘HAROLD & KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY'

STARS: John Cho, Kal Penn, Neil Patrick Harris
RELEASE DATE: April 25
PLOT: The stoner duo eludes the authorities, who misidentify Harold and Kumar as terrorists when the two try to sneak a bong on a flight to Amsterdam.
WHAT TO EXPECT: “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle” with some slightly different scenery.

Clint Hale | 210SA