The Inevitable Apatow Backlash
by Cam Cannon
You could feel it in the air as Apatow basked in the glow of his 2006 double whammy, the hilarious “Knocked Up” and “Superbad.” By the time 2007’s “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” rolled around, the backlash was gathering steam.
I told a friend I’d seen it.
“Is it just more of the Judd Apatow formula,” he sniffed. It was, I admitted. But I like the formula. I like it a lot. And not to get too Harry Knowles on everyone, but I’ve liked it for a long while.
I liked “The Ben Stiller Show,” loved “Heavyweights” and what I saw of “The Larry Sanders Show.” Heck, I even chuckled at “Celtic Pride” and saw “The Cable Guy” opening weekend. Aside from the latter, most people didn’t see much of Apatow’s work, but those who had loved most of it.
He got a chance to stretch his wings with “Freaks and Geeks,” probably my favorite show ever this side of “The Andy Griffith Show” (pre-departure of Don Knotts), “Cheers,” and “The Honeymooners.” Paul Feig created F&G, but Apatow nurtured it and, if my admittedly shoddy research is true, was the master at injecting sweetness into some of the storylines. That sweetness, honed so well in “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” is what separates his vulgar comedies from other, more obnoxious vulgar comedies. And it’s about to bite him in the ass, I think.
“He has his cake and eats it too,” I’ve heard people say of Apatow. An hour and a half of homophobic, sexist comedy, and it’s all wrapped up in the end with a phony moral message. Sorry, but I call bullcrap on that.
What’s interesting is that I hear the sexist card being played from both sides on “Knocked Up.” Katherine Heigl is a shrew, I’m told, for expecting Seth Rogan to clean up his act. That’s sort of what she said, I think, in an article in a magazine I don’t read. But, but, but…I didn’t think she was a shrew. I thought she was right. I never thought she was the bad guy. I thought we were laughing at Rogan and with him. So I guess Apatow was having his cake and eating it too.
John Nolte pointed out that he doesn’t empathize with the characters. I’ve also heard the complaint that Rudd’s character was doing nothing wrong, and the women made it out to be terrible that he would sneak off to a fantasy baseball league meeting, or whatever the hell it was. The fact that Rudd’s character felt guilty about it didn’t go over with some people I’ve talked to (I corner people and bring up the awesomeness of Judd Apatow, which is the extent of my shoddy research). Again, I disagree. I totally empathized with Rudd and his wife, the hilarious Leslie Mann. Why? I feel guilty when I go to a movie and my wife’s alone with our insane kids. I get where Rudd’s coming from, and picture my wife being as mad as Leslie Mann was.
Ultimately, I’m wary anytime someone calls a movie sexist or racist. I rarely, if ever, think that the characters in a movie are meant to symbolically represent all men, or all women.
As for the charge of homophobia, leveled by none other than “Freaks and Geeks” writer Mike White, here’s the rub, and it won’t go down easy. No matter how accepted homosexuality becomes in this society or just about any other, dudes will always crack gay jokes. The resurrection of Prop 8 could fail by a hundred percent, and dudes will still crack gay jokes. My son is six. He’s never cracked a gay joke, I’ve never told him what gay means outside of the context “The Wiggles” or “Barney” saying something is happy and gay. But when we were at open house at his school in West L.A., he warned me not to use the middle urinal in the bathroom, “Because Mark told me it’s the gay one.”
“So what, what does Mark know?” I asked, stepping up to the urinal.
“Dad! He knows! He’s in the third grade!” my son exclaimed as some other kids came in, laughing and pointing. I’d like to say that I acted like a grown up in this situation, but I’d be lying. Instead, I bellowed, “I’m not gay! You are!”, zipped up before I was finished, and ran back to the open house, my pants stained with pee, their laughter echoing in my head.
Apatow’s swinging for the fences with his next movie, “Funny People”, starring his one-time roommate Adam Sandler, along with Seth Rogan, Leslie Mann, Eric Bana, Jonah Hill, and some Coppola. The trailer looks funny, but again, I have to confess something else as it relates to this self-indulgent post: I’m a big Sandler fan. Always have been, since his sporadic appearances on “The Cosby Show” and “Remote Control.” For several years, I worked at Blockbuster on Sunset Boulevard. When customers would ask me if they should rent a new Sandler movie, say “The Longest Yard,” I’d think, “Just pick a movie, what do you need my help for, you friggin’ Democrat,” but I’d smile politely and gush, “It’s the best movie ever! They never should have remade it, but it’s still the best movie ever.”
About that time, my buddies would say, “Wait, customer. He’s an irrational Adam Sandler fan. Don’t listen to him. It’s a terrible movie.”
A fist-fight would ensue. But anyway, Apatow’s never made any secret about his love of James L. Brooks’ movies (I’m guessing he missed “I’ll Do Anything”), and “Funny People” looks suspiciously like Apatow doing James L. Brooks. With dick jokes and potheads.
I so cannot wait.
But the backlash is just a wave right now, in the distance, crashing tsunami like to the shore in a couple of months. I’m predicting I’ll be defending this movie for the better part of the year, provided I can get a guilt-free trip to the multiplex in the books. I don’t think Apatow can win here, he’s due for a huge backlash. Setting aside my irrational love of his movies, and Sandlers, and Rogan’s (I’ve bored you enough) — if this movie’s only pretty good, KA-BLOWIE! Apatow’s gonna take it on the chin, a victim of his own success.
He’s gotten too big. Alot of the people who claimed to like him before he was popular are upset that he’s popular. He was theirs. And if I’m right that he’s ambitiously entering “Terms of Endearment” territory, with fouler language, many of those same people are going to turn on him.
In the interest of fairness, I get that Apatow has glutted the market lately, but you know what? I don’t blame him. People are finally watching, it’s time to crank’em out. He made it on merit, and he’s earned a little over saturation. It’s like how Hall of Fame NBA star Dominique Wilkins described his offensive philosophy: “Shoot ’til you get hot, and then keep shooting.”
Who’s looking forward to “Funny People”, and who thinks it’s going to be a stinker? I think you know my answer: Bring it on, Judd. I mean, Mr. Apatow.
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64 Comments
Sounds like you think Hegelian dialectic is coming into play. Apatow's success holds the key to its own inevitable destruction. Never liked Hegel (or his disciple Marx, either). The only way that dialectic works is if people judge Apatow's future work on what Hegelian movie critics say. I'm with you. I'll make my own choices, thank you very much. Critics who pan Apatow's work because "it's time" may be inevitable. Apatow's failure is not at all inevitable.
===You could feel it in the air as Apatow basked in the glow of his 2006 double whammy, the hilarious “Knocked Up” and “Superbad.” By the time 2007’s “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” rolled around, the backlash was gathering steam.===
Superbad was super bad. Knocked up looked like a movie for retards with an ample supply of fart jokes. As the saying goes, no one has ever gone broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people [to be accurate 52% of Americans].
I can honestly say that I haven't like a single one of his films. Oh well.
My husband loves Apatow movies but I'm pretty meh about them. On the other hand, I like Adam Sandler (ducks). I think "50 First Dates" does the sweet/funny thing better than any Aptow movie. But I think you're right that the backlash in inevitable, especially when you're talking about a comedy director. Mel Brooks had some funny ones and some stinkers– no one can be "on" all the time. Even great directors like Scorsese will have detractors (the recent complaints being that he uses DiCaprio too much). I think it's pretty rare that a director can keep the same formula for any length of time and stay relevant– doubly so when you're talking about movies that don't have any heft to them like Aptow flicks.
I'm glad I'm not as old as you.
My but you are pompous. I'll bet you're really, really smart, too!
I agree he's gotten overexposure with all the flicks that bare his name in a producer capacity, because most of them blow, but the one's he writes and directs kick arse. Funny People will rule. Don't worry.
There’s no accounting for taste. I’m glad you enjoy fart jokes and extremely low brow humor. Again, no one has ever gone broke underestimating the intelligence of [52%] of the American people.
Stop being a hater, Cam. Only frustrated screenwriters are that bitter. I know 'cause I am one, but I also know Apatow has the goods. And I just saw Sarah Marshall on HBO and it was funny — IMO way funnier than Knocked Up.
And if you haven't all seen it, go buy Undeclared, his underrated Fox show that got cancelled because it debuted around 9-11.
And BTW, the reason people slammed K. Heigl after that magazine interview wasn't that she played a "bad guy" in Knocked Up, but rather that Apatow put her in a blockbuster comedy, and then she turned around and slammed Knocked Up. She's WAY too into herself — anyone coulda been her in that movie.
As if Grey's Anatomy is The Godfather every week. Ingrate.
Or as grumpy. Now get off my lawn you darn kids!
Knocked Up was hilarious, Super Bad started great but kinda dragged on, 40 year old Virgin was solid, but unspectacular. Apatow is decent, a hit or miss guy. I think he is successful in relation to the Seth Rogan quotient. The more Seth the better.
Bottom line: big screen comedies are much funnier today than they were five years ago, and I attribute that directly to the Apatow factor. Other comedies have to bring their "A" game now. That wasn't the case a short while back.
Liked 40-year-old Virgin, despite it being four hours too long. Superbad was nearly unwatchable, a more masturbatory and vulgar American Graffiti that was also too long. Skipped Sarah Marshall and will continue to do so.
Overcomplicated, but I totally agree. The only way his movies would fail is if he forgets what's funny. When Peter and Bobby Farrelly started making movies, their stuff was great, but then they suffered from what I call Chuck Barris Syndrome: they couldn't stand that their success was from comedy that was often called lowbrow. So instead they upped the "heartfelt" stuff, and lost the comedy.
When I read the pitch for The Ringer, I laughed for a half hour (A loser pretends to be retarded to win at the Special Olympics). But when the movie came out, it was way overly-sensitive (and under-funny). I know "under-funny" isn't a word — especially compared to Hegelian dialectics — but it's after 3 and I need coffee.
Knocked Up and Superbad were 2007, and Sarah Marshall was 2008. Sorry to be one of "those guys"
I think Funny People looks very good.
I like "under-funny." There are a lot of under-funny movies around these days.
I notice none of you old farts ever trashes Martin Lawrences's movies (it's not like he's EVER made a funny one), so what's up with that?
I've never liked Apatow. I find his jokes lame (he relies too much on gross-out and vulgar humor, and I have no problem with vulgarity when it's funny, but for Apatow the entire joke is the vulgarity). In particular his films suffer from the forced attempts at camaraderie amongst the male ensemble cast. It never feels like an actual group of friends talking in a natural sense, but rather like a group of D-list comic actors reciting lame jokes at each other.
And I particularly despise the constant use of the word 'sweet' with his writing. His writing isn't 'sweet', he just uses the same idea over and over: the slacker loser underdog explaining his slacker loser underdog feelings and getting something good out of it. He casts goofy-looking people who can't act and is complimented for bringing 'realism' to his pictures and 'sweetness' from their awkwardness. It's excruciating and lame.
I'm pretty meh on apatow also. Watching his movies are like watching a too vulgar for your taste comedian. There are funny, enjoyable parts, but also some scenes you would absolutely have shown the writer the door for even suggesting them. It is a symptom of our times…there is nothing exceptional so the mediocre must be celebrated. Oh and by the way, sandler is never good as the star, but he is good as a supporting character. The hype of stardom always ruins whatever movie he is the lead in. Also, Mel Brooks is a genius, & comparing him to apatow is quite an insult. Brooks' characters never needed to have explicit sexual conversations to create humor. It was all implied, which is the classy, and difficult way to go about it. In a few years, apatow will be forgotten with all of the other barely competant hollywood mediocrities.
Heigl is another untalented, holier than thou, hollywood mediocrity whose career depends upon her appearance. Any actress could play her parts. Except the ones with talent…they would change the dynamics of the movies too much.
Aptow just doesn't do it for me. I have found his movies to be generic and bland. They lack anything clever, memorable, or truly interesting. I honestly can't remember a single moment from any of his films. His jokes don't make me laugh. I have never cared one way or the other about any of his characters. His plots don't hold my attention. Even his "outrageous" moments just strike me as bland. To me, his work is just boring.
Right on toto; just ask Mike "Love Guru" Myers, who's been all but left behind by the recent wave of "edgier" comedy- speaking of which, why hasn't HE gotten so much backlash at this site and others, or is it just that no one really cares about him anymore?
Yo, hoss, think you need to read my post.
I'm not hating. I'm a big Apatow fan, won't be participating in the backlash I see coming.
Sarah Marshall was funny. I said I like that movie. Liked Knocked Up better, just my opinion.
Love Undeclared.
Heigl was one of the ones who originated the "sexist" comment with regards to Knocked Up. Then others joined in. I didn't defend her for this, I said the lable was incorrect. Don't know what post you were reading, chief.
Weird that you'd attack me when we essentially agree.
You mean this is 2009 we're in now?
So you're saying this is 2009? That we're in right now?
Good Lord, I'm a moron.
FWIW I would never put Apatow in the same category as Brooks. I seriously doubt Apatow could dream of doing something as funny as "Young Frankenstein." But I do think Brooks' ideas were dwindling when he did "Robin Hood: Men in Tights," and "Dracula: Dead and Loving it." The only point I was making is that no one can use the same formula forever and expect it to continue to be fresh and unique.
If there's any backlash it will be due to Sandler, by far the luckiest and over rated movie actor out there. Apatow has been awesome, and I hope he keeps it up, and yes Mark is right!
You know, I've never gotten the Apatow hate. I like Judd Apatow movies. I think they have a kind of Neil Simon quality to them. That ability to find the humor in everyday, ordinary people and situations. The dinner scene in Knocked Up where Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen discuss Back to the Future while the wife and girlfriend are completely lost , it's kind of what happens when my buddy Greg and I get together with our wives. And they rely on fart jokes a lot less than any given Mike Myers or Adam Sandler movie. Still, I give credit where it is due, So I Married an Axe Murderer is hysterical, and I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Deeds (mostly because I'm from New Hampshire, and he got those pretty right).
I have to say I'm surprised to see much Apatow hate on a conservative site. I have no idea what Apatow's political leanings are, but his movies have a real moral and traditional heart to them. The 40 Year Old Virgin suggests, although not explicitly endorsing, that Andy's way is better than endless one night stands. Knocked Up is all about growing up, taking responsibility, and how that's better than being a loser slacker living on government payroll. The boys in Superbad start out seeing their girls as mere conquests to be taken advantage of, and grow to view them as actual people to have a relationship with. All seem to be good lessons to me. But, as the might Dennis Miller says, that's just my opinion I could be wrong.
Don't feel bad. My Hegel/Heigl wordplay fell flat on its face. I'll do better next time–I promise.
UNDER-funny? Hell, I've made a "career" out of non-funny…OOOOOOOHHHHHH!!!
People saw a Funny People test screening recently and said there was Oscar potential. Additionally, I was in a packed big theater for Wolverine, and they showed the trailer for this and everyone laughed throughout. This will be the first Sandler film to be loved by both audiences and critics. And I cannot wait any longer for it.
Well, there's always the likes of Sex and the City and Mamma Mia! for the likes of you and your vag!
Awesome. Hope I'm wrong about backlash.
Mike Myers SUCKS. He is a tremendous no-talent.
That's because I am Martin Lawrence. And if you don't back off, I'll re-do the infamous "crazy, whacked-out, pizza man act" from Blue Streak. Ye be warned.
Ah, I said on another post, I was in need of caffeine. My bad. Good to see we agree.
Sorry, Cam.
In my days of showbiz reporting, I always saw that built-in backlash, because the people that declare there's a backlash (and, unlike you, who sometimes help make it happen) are often the first to tout x,y,z talent. Unfortunately, that pop-culture backlash has for some reason never applied to Mike Myers, who's sucked from SNL on and whose only talent is somehow convincing people he's worth $20 million a movie.
I get it now. Makes sense.
I would like to see the evolution of backlash from the inside out, as you sort of describe.
Like the kind Harvey Weinstein creates against his competition.
I like Apatow but I do have a couple issues with his movies:
-I seem to enjoy the movies he produces more than the ones he directs. I liked The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up… yet I never laughed out loud (I still laugh out loud at Airplane! which I've seen a million times) and both are a smidgen too long.
-Everyone curses! I'm no prude AT ALL but does every character have to sound like a sailor? Even in Step Brothers (which I liked more than I thought I would), the parents curse. If everyone does it, where's the uniqueness and distinction? And don't tell me it's for "shock value."
-When I can tell the actors are improvising (Pineapple Express is guilty of this), that's a problem.
-After Freaks and Geeks, The Larry Sanders Show, and Undeclared (all of which were great), I'd like to see Apatow try something different. I know he can do funny without relying on the usual suspects.
-After the success of The Dark Knight, every studio will try and duplicate it. They'll try to go "dark and moody" when the material might not call for it. Similarly, every teen comedy will now be compared to Apatow's work. This could be great, or not.
On a positive note, he did make me a Paul Rudd fan.
As long as Apatow keeps using Jonah hill, he will keep bringing in the cash…..Rogen and Rudd are great, Segal, Franco, Cera, etc… all have their moments, but Jonah rips it up….if you like SuperBad, it was his impeccable timing, no matter how crude the joke, that made the movie a classic (for those who like dick jokes, which there seems to be no shortage)….he carried a single episode of SNL (a program desperately trying to stay relevant post election) entirely on his back……he kicks ass, and takes no prisoners.
As long as Apatow keeps using Jonah hill, he will keep bringing in the cash…..Rogen and Rudd are great, Segal, Franco, Cera, etc… all have their moments, but Jonah rips it up….if you like SuperBad, it was his impeccable timing, no matter how crude the joke, that made the movie a classic (for those who like dick jokes, which there seems to be no shortage)….he carried a single episode of SNL (a program desperately trying to stay relevant post election) entirely on his back……he kicks ass, and takes no prisoners.
My favorite Sandler stuff was him on SNL in skits where he played a guy obsessed with he ex-girlfriend and had a cable access show about it or him dressed up as an Iraqi during Desert Storm. I like some stuff like Water Boy, which is based on Canteen Boy another great skit, but it's just not as effective and some of his movies aren't that great at all. I saw part of that artsy film he did, by art I mean films that have long silent shots of people standing or walking down a hallway. wow, that's artsy! They don't hold a candle to 'I'm crazy Spoon head! I gotta a spoon on my head and I"M CRAZY!" NOw that was great.
That's GOTTA be against the G***** Convention, or any convention of good taste…
Anything featuring Paul Rudd is an automatic must-see for me, except for Over Her Dead Body, thanks to Eva Longboria's (should be) career-ending performance…
Judd Apatow is a real conundrum for me. I loved his tv shows and was pretty unhappy when they were canceled, but for the life of me, I just don't care for his movies. I don't know why.
I don't think the inevitable backlash against the Apatow Empire is Hegelian in nature. Hegel is not the last word on why things are inevitable. There's no "seed of its own destruction". No thesis-antithesis-sythesis. It's simply a matter of being too popular for your own good. People like to hate popular things.
HIs films are amazingly sexist and have gotten more and more so in each successive film. Greg Mottola surpassed the Apatow formula with Adventureland and I don't see Apatow ever catching up.
"Everyone curses! I'm no prude AT ALL but does every character have to sound like a sailor?"
That's the way people talk. Sad, I know, but true. Apatow movies are naturalistic in that regard, for whatever it's worth.
Tublecane – I realize that. I do it myself. Just a pet peeve.
Is your user name a Newsradio reference? If so, awesome! (Or should I say, kudos?!)
Tublecane – I realize that. I do it myself. Just a pet peeve.
Is your user name a Newsradio reference? If so, awesome! (Or should I say, kudos?!)
I love Apatow movies. Okay, not all of them (Walk Hard, for instance). But they brought a realism, a seriousness, and an emotional depth that has been missing from lowbrow comedies since forever.
Plus, I like long movies. And improvisation. And Paul Rudd.
As for Sandler, i haven't enjoyed him since I was 14 and "Billy Madison"/"Happy Gilmore" captured the hearts of endlessly-quoting teenage boys. By the time I was in high school, I could have punched someone in the face for saying, "T-t-t-today junior!"
I enjoy Apatow's work for the most part, but you're comment about 40y.o. Virgin and Knocked Up being too long seems to be a common trait of his work. Nearly any of his films could stand about 10min. of trimming.
Well, I have seen that News Radio episode, but really I took it from the same place Joe Rogan took it from, i.e. Masonic tradition. The first time I used the handle was as a joke on a conspiracy-minded thread on another forum.
Comedy comes in waves. There was a time when Adam Sandler, Jim Carrey and Mike Myers were at the top. They went out of fashion and it was then Ben Stiller, Will Ferrel and Vince Vaughn. Now it's the Apatow gang. Like any other new comedic group, they will also eventually lose popularity.
Personally I dislike Apatow. When watching a comedy, I want the laughs. "Heart" could matter less. "40-Year Old Virgin" and "The Cable Guy" were both fairly good (particularly the latter), but everything else was pretty poor.
Adam Sandler is my absolute favorite. He delivers the laughs, regardless of whether they are juvenile or vulgar. He is also likeable, something that cannot be said of Seth Rogen, Jason Segel or the rest of the Apatow gang. Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, Mr. Deeds and You Don't Mess With the Zohan are all in my favorite comedies of all time. Hopefully "Funny People" will be too, but I'm expecting it to gravitate more towards Apatow-humor.
The movie's he directs are pretty good, but the ones he produces (except for Sarah Marshall and Superbad) are pretty bad. That said, to his critics I have to say, the man's only directed two released movies, give him a chance to grow. Funny People actually looks like a step forward in growth.
I can't wait to see Funny People, but dear lord, with exception to Punchdrunk Love, I despise Sandler flicks. Hopefully this is different.
Well said.
I think you would be right about a backlash if Apatow had just went and done a clone of 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up. Often times that's what directors and actors do. They make films that are incredibly similar to their previous films, even though they have the intent of topping them, but they get repetitive and boring and eventually people lose interest. Hell, Adam Sandler has fallen victim to that filmmaking method. He continues to make the same kind of movie, changing the setup and setting to distiguish it, and ultimately it's just the same as his previous films, just less interesting because we've seen the kind of humor before.
Additionally, I don't think Funny People is sticking to the Apatow formula of a schlubby looking guy getting together with a hot girl. I think that's pretty obvious in the trailer.
Wondering what movie Adam Sandler had ever been a "supporting" character in (not counting brief/unrecognizable cameos)…
The fact that Apatow has yet to inject his political views (whatever they may be) in his movies, or better yet doesn't go on a soapbox like too much of Hollywood does, makes him someone to root for, rather than conspire against…
you realize Apatow co-wrote the Zohan script w/Sandler and the very funny Robert Smigel, right?
40 year was brilliant. Knocked Up was great.
Superbad was great for the first half hour, and died after that.
I like Apatow's movies but don't love them, mostly because they're all 20-30 minutes too long. 90-100 minutes is more than enough for the kind of comedies he makes.
40 Yr Old Virgin: 116
Superbad: 118
Knocked Up: 129 freaking minutes!
Step Brothers was 98 minutes and it was just the right length.
HOW exactly are his films sexist (40YO Virgin and Sarah Marshall in particular)? It seems like a lot of people seem to hold that theory without being able to explain why (all because Katherine Heigl said so?); if you want to talk about sexist, how about citing the likes of Ghosts of Girlfirends Past, Made of Honor, Wild Hogs, Bride Wars, all of which are far more insidious in their treatment of female characters, without the level of comedy to atone for them, which Apatow's movies at least provide in great quantities…
Superbad was ok, Knocked up was hilarious, and Forgetting Sarah Marshal was the funniest movie of the decade. I had no idea that they were made by the same person. Thanks for the tip, Mr. Cannon.
Yes, I do know that. But it wasn't traditional Apatow humor. It was typical Adam Sandler humor.
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