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Judd Apatow - The Greatest Thing to Happen to Comedy Since Ever - Written by Marc Z. Grub posted on 07 Sep 2009
Judd Apatow? Ummm…who is he again? Oh right, he is that guy who directed The 40-Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up. He also produced the oh-so-memorable Superbad, as well as Anchorman and Talladega Nights, and he also executive produced the cult classic TV shows Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared. But what exactly is so special about him? The answer is simple: EVERYTHING.
Judd Apatow and his loyal gang of misfits are changing American comedy in an awe-inspiring way. For the last couple decades, people did not expect much from comedy. The 90s were ruled by Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler movies which were undoubtedly funny but unquestionably brainless. Quite simply, they were conventional and conservative. It did not look like much was going to change until Apatow’s 40 Year Old Virgin was released. While the movie’s cartoonish, clueless main character and outrageous situations were nothing revolutionary, the movie’s honesty, subtle wisdom and pitch-perfect characters were. That honesty and purity is Apatow’s trademark. No other filmmaker can inject it so perfectly into their work.
This summer’s Knocked Up allowed Apatow to continue to evolve as a filmmaker and writer. “Virgin” was about the discovery of sex, dating, flirting and relationships. Knocked Up, on the other hand, is about growing up, responsibility, commitment, trust and change. It was a natural progression for Apatow, and it could not have been pulled off any better. The direction was tighter, creating a more well constructed film yet one that was at times funnier and more outrageous than “Virgin”. The story was filled with issues far more pressing than in “Virgin,” such as the difficulties of marriage, the inability to cope with responsibility and the pressures of relationships and dependency. Steve Carrell’s relationship with Catherine Keener’s character in “Virgin” was pretty smooth despite the lovely innocent awkwardness of it all. In Knocked Up, Seth Rogen’s relationship with Katherine Heigl seemed doomed from the start. It was clear that these two were very different people and that many painful sacrifices were going to have to be made to make the situation work if it ever could. Luckily, it still had a happy ending - that may change in Apatow’s future.
It should be noted that Apatow’s actors adore him. Seth Rogen has been in everything Apatow since they met while working on Freaks and Geeks more than 7 years ago. Paul Rudd, Steve Carrell, Apatow’s wife Leslie Mann, Jason Segel, Martin Star, Jonah Hill and Jay Baruchel are all part of his entourage, having worked with him in various movies and TV shows. In fact, they will often attest to his brilliance in interviews. The characters they play in Apatow’s movies are always oddballs, losers, stoners and just general outsiders. Generally, these are the type of characters people most easily relate to and remember. The actors sometimes say that the amount of “acting” they do is very minimal.
By combining brilliant characters, serious issues, honest dialogue and enough lewd humour to fill Animal House and Road Trip combined, Apatow is truly changing comedy. His films are now instant hits before their trailers are even on TV. Just several weeks ago I remember how nobody had any doubts that Superbad was going to be brilliant simply because it was known to be an Apatow comedy. If I had seen the trailer without the knowledge he was behind it, I would not have expected anything more than a dumb teensploitation movie. Studios will have to rethink their game-plan and catch on that Apatow’s brand of brilliant, honest and truly well-crafted filmmaking sells. It is exciting to know that in the next decade there will be more Knocked Ups and Superbads and hopefully no more American Pie sequels. Already, Apatow and crew are receiving funding to make all the crazy stories they have dreamt of over the last couple of years. Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Jonah Hill and Michael Cera are all booking-up their schedules now that their respective films have made them instantly recognizable by appearance, if not by name. The 40 Year Old Virgin ended with a completely random rendition of The Age of Aquarius. Perhaps it should have been changed to The Age of Apatow.
Judd Apatow and his loyal gang of misfits are changing American comedy in an awe-inspiring way. For the last couple decades, people did not expect much from comedy. The 90s were ruled by Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler movies which were undoubtedly funny but unquestionably brainless. Quite simply, they were conventional and conservative. It did not look like much was going to change until Apatow’s 40 Year Old Virgin was released. While the movie’s cartoonish, clueless main character and outrageous situations were nothing revolutionary, the movie’s honesty, subtle wisdom and pitch-perfect characters were. That honesty and purity is Apatow’s trademark. No other filmmaker can inject it so perfectly into their work.
This summer’s Knocked Up allowed Apatow to continue to evolve as a filmmaker and writer. “Virgin” was about the discovery of sex, dating, flirting and relationships. Knocked Up, on the other hand, is about growing up, responsibility, commitment, trust and change. It was a natural progression for Apatow, and it could not have been pulled off any better. The direction was tighter, creating a more well constructed film yet one that was at times funnier and more outrageous than “Virgin”. The story was filled with issues far more pressing than in “Virgin,” such as the difficulties of marriage, the inability to cope with responsibility and the pressures of relationships and dependency. Steve Carrell’s relationship with Catherine Keener’s character in “Virgin” was pretty smooth despite the lovely innocent awkwardness of it all. In Knocked Up, Seth Rogen’s relationship with Katherine Heigl seemed doomed from the start. It was clear that these two were very different people and that many painful sacrifices were going to have to be made to make the situation work if it ever could. Luckily, it still had a happy ending - that may change in Apatow’s future.
It should be noted that Apatow’s actors adore him. Seth Rogen has been in everything Apatow since they met while working on Freaks and Geeks more than 7 years ago. Paul Rudd, Steve Carrell, Apatow’s wife Leslie Mann, Jason Segel, Martin Star, Jonah Hill and Jay Baruchel are all part of his entourage, having worked with him in various movies and TV shows. In fact, they will often attest to his brilliance in interviews. The characters they play in Apatow’s movies are always oddballs, losers, stoners and just general outsiders. Generally, these are the type of characters people most easily relate to and remember. The actors sometimes say that the amount of “acting” they do is very minimal.
By combining brilliant characters, serious issues, honest dialogue and enough lewd humour to fill Animal House and Road Trip combined, Apatow is truly changing comedy. His films are now instant hits before their trailers are even on TV. Just several weeks ago I remember how nobody had any doubts that Superbad was going to be brilliant simply because it was known to be an Apatow comedy. If I had seen the trailer without the knowledge he was behind it, I would not have expected anything more than a dumb teensploitation movie. Studios will have to rethink their game-plan and catch on that Apatow’s brand of brilliant, honest and truly well-crafted filmmaking sells. It is exciting to know that in the next decade there will be more Knocked Ups and Superbads and hopefully no more American Pie sequels. Already, Apatow and crew are receiving funding to make all the crazy stories they have dreamt of over the last couple of years. Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Jonah Hill and Michael Cera are all booking-up their schedules now that their respective films have made them instantly recognizable by appearance, if not by name. The 40 Year Old Virgin ended with a completely random rendition of The Age of Aquarius. Perhaps it should have been changed to The Age of Apatow.
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