Dallas-based comedian Michael Jr. takes his act to the big screen

Michael Jr. has performed in all sorts of places: comedy clubs, talk shows, corporate events, homeless shelters, prisons, even a church in Southlake.

"It's the same show, the same type of show wherever I go. I don't feel any additional pressure because I try to be the same person wherever I am," the Dallas-based comedian says.

"I have literally played the Mirage in Las Vegas on a Saturday and then a church in Las Vegas the following day."

Now he's going to be himself somewhere new: the big screen.

More Than Funny: Everyone Has a Punchline (PG, 92 mins.) will play in theaters on Thursday, Oct. 18, for one night only. Fathom Events is bringing the show to theaters across the country, including two in Dallas: AMC Northpark Center 15 (8687 N. Central Expressway) and Cinemark 17 With IMAX (11819 Webb Chapel Road).

The comedy special will also play throughout North Texas. And it's about much more than laughing.

"You know, I've been doing comedy for 24 years now and I felt like with this comedy special, I wanted to be a little different," he says. "I didn't want to just get laughs from people. I wanted to give them an opportunity to laugh."

He says had a revelation about nine years ago right before he went onstage at a club in Los Angeles. He calls it a "shift."

"What happened was I left the club that night and there are people outside who want autographs or taking more pictures and stuff and I look across the street and I saw a homeless guy," he says.

It spurred him to take his comedy inside homeless shelters and prisons. And then one night on tour, he asked himself a question: "What can I give to this audience? And I felt like I was supposed to share one of these stories from one of the abused children's facilities I went to, which is crazy because I do jokes ... like people are there to laugh. Why would we ever do such a thing?"

After the story, he  he jumped right back into the jokes and they "were actually funnier as a result of us going to that place with that story. We have a good time and then I keep doing it.  So when it comes down to doing this comedy special, I felt like, wow, I should do the same thing."

He and his camera crew went across the country and filmed three "really powerful stories" and put them in the middle of the comedy. He says it's the "more" in the film's title.

The rest of the title means more, too, for the movie that's part comedy, part inspiration. Michael Jr., a Michigan native who moved to the Dallas area about six years ago, feels as if life is set up just like comedy: There is a setup and there is a punchline.

"And then the results are revelation, fulfillment

joy. You setup is about what you receive. And what's your punchline? Your punchline is what you're called to deliver based off of your setup. We hope to inspire people to do more than just enjoy the funny."

This movie, he says, is about bringing people together to laugh and a call to action. And it's about proving that he can actually do it. He says that some people in the entertainment industry didn't get it; they said what he's trying hasn't been done before.

"I've done all of this, like every aspect, from the publicist to the filming to the marketing of it to

the venue, to everything. I personally have done all of this," he says. "I'm actually taking a bet on how people are going to respond.

"So this whole thing is just jumping out on faith with a dose of ignorance."

For more news, views and reviews, follow @DawnBurkes on Twitter.