Judd Apatow’s name gets thrown around more than condoms at Wilt Chamberlain’s house. It seems he is attached to or producing every comedy that comes out of Hollywood, and if he’s not producing the film he should be selling blurbs for the poster since he could probably do a better job than Pat Collins or Pete Hammond. The truth is the guy has only directed two films so far, The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up. His third, Funny People opens on July 31st and stars Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen.
His first two are considered to be contemporary comedy classics by critics and people who drive clown cars. Both were tremendous successes and deservedly so since they had me laughing harder than the time Gary Busey tried to open a can of Coke with his teeth. The reason those films worked so well was because Judd never sacrificed story and character for a quick joke or funny line. In fact, most of the lines and funny bits come from the character’s themselves, from who they are and what they do rather than from a funny line or set up. The characters are real hence the comedy is real. We really understand and feel the problems Seth Rogen is going through in Knocked Up, and while a 40 year old virgin is about as rare as Dean Martin turning away a free martini, we were still able to understand what Steve Carell’s dilemma in that movie.
Judd produces a lot of comedies, but if you compare those to the ones he directs it’s pretty obvious that he’s just attaching his name to the credits to help sell the film. Most of his productions are nowhere near as good (or successful) as the ones he directs. Walk Hard, Drillbit Taylor, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall were all pretty forgettable. The characters were about as well rounded as Jean Claude Van Damme’s acting abilities, so you never really buy into the story.
With his third directorial effort, Apatow is teaming up with his old roommate, Adam Sandler. Sandler is usually known for a particular type of comedy, the kind where you can leave your brain at the concession stand so you can laugh at poop and dick jokes. Sometimes I’m in the mood for those movies, usually after I’ve banged my head against the wall repeatedly for three minutes straight. But give Sandler the credit he deserves, because when he tones it down and tries to act, he’s usually pretty good. I thought his performance in Punch Drunk Love was amazing. I’m hoping Apatow can control him and get him to deliver the goods in Funny People. Judd is also great at reining in Seth Rogen to make him both likable and honest. You definitely believed that Katherine Heigl could fall for his schlubby butt in Knocked Up.
There are very few directors working today (especially in comedy) whose name alone is reason enough to see a movie. Todd Phillips lost me with School for Scoundrels (although it seems he redeemed himself with The Hangover). Woody Allen is still at the top of the list even if his recent history is pretty sketchy. And then there’s Apatow batting 1000 with his two films. I’m hoping Funny People makes him three for three and I don’t any reason why it shouldn’t.
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