Some people, no matter how talented, just never win that widespread appeal that makes them stars. There’s quite a career to be made, even in offensive shock-jockery - as Howard Stern has proven many times over. But just being a genuinely funny regular guy isn’t enough, apparently.

Though Adam Carolla was probably most famous for his work on the Loveline TV show and later The Man Show, his greatest comedy existed between the hours of ten and midnight as he dealt out his own particular brand of advice to thousands of troubled teenagers on the radio.

While Loveline (not LoveLINES, thank you) suffered from being broadcast on a dwindling popular medium, it ultimately led to Carolla’s success. Partnered with internist/addiction medicine specialist Dr. Drew Pinsky, he became, in his own words, “literally a millionaire.” And though he was often given roles in films, from Judgment Night to Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, they almost always ended on the cutting-room floor.

Now, he’s finally starring in his own movie.

A sort of backwards “Adam Carolla Story,” The Hammer is about a boxing instructor who gets one last chance to make it big. Featuring Heather Jurgensen and Carolla’s longtime Nicauraguan friend Oswaldo, The Hammer is starting to look more and more like a vehicle for Carolla’s relaxed, ad-lib comedy. His fans will flock to the theater, but will he garner the sort of widespread appeal that he’s never quite had?

Only time will tell - but I’m rooting for you, buddy boy.

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