Judd Apatow has been around comedy his whole life and it shows with an extensive background in stand-up comedy and a long list of producing credits which extend to some of the best comedies of all time – including Anchorman, Bridesmaids and Step Brothers to name just a few. He’s also not afraid of getting behind the camera and has proven himself something of a surefire bet on the film front, helming some of the most beloved comedies of the last 15 years. With a keen focus on stories about everyday people and their ordinary struggles, told through the eyes of witty, often down-on-their-luck characters who must master themselves in order to succeed, Apatow has perfected a particular brand of crude, reference-heavy humour and made stars of many of today’s leading talents including Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Amy Schumer and his own wife Leslie Mann. With his newest, potentially star-making film on the horizon; the Pete Davidson starring The King of Staten Island, we thought it was the perfect time to journey back through Apatow’s filmography and get you up-to-speed before you check out his latest.
5. Funny People (2009)
Apatow’s comedies always try to find humour in everyday life. That has always been his defining characteristic and something that, up until Funny People, had always seemed to work. By basing the humour around everyday-life, you also have to address the fact that not everything in life is funny and find ways to work these elements into the films to further the character’s journeys and not depress the audience. Having done that successfully twice before, Apatow decided to steer further away from the comedy here and into “dramedy” territory as we follow popular stand-up comic George Simmons (Adam Sandler) in the twilight of his career and on the verge of receiving a cancer diagnosis that forces him to re-evaluate his whole life. Fame has left Simmons sad and alone so he employs aspiring stand-up Ira Wright (Seth Rogen) as his assistant to help him get his affairs in order and to form a genuine bond with someone. The pair’s adventures eventually lead Simmons down memory lane and inspire him to attempt to reconnect with former flame and the love of his life Laura (Leslie Mann) in a last ditch attempt to give his life meaning before he goes to the great beyond. Funny People’s biggest problem – and only Apatow film with this problem – is that it doesn’t live up to its title: it is not funny. This is a film with a heavy focus on stand-up comedy; placing some of the best comedians of the day in these roles – Aziz Ansari, Jonah Hill, Aubrey Plaza – and none of the jokes are even remotely chuckle-worthy. We are meant to believe that Ira is awful at the job with his middling sets focusing on bad sex and fart jokes, but even when he “gets better” the jokes don’t actually improve. Such lacklustre performance by the majority of the cast means that the brunt of the work falls on Adam Sandler and it’s not right to expect him to bear that burden whilst also shouldering this dark, dramatic storyline. The plot essentially serves as a walk down memory lane for the Sandman, with Simmons’s past movies echoing his own with shades of Billy Madison and The Waterboy amongst them. The issue here is that Sandler plays such a wholly unlikeable character who expects the world to shift around him and attempts to break up his ex-girlfriend’s family in order to find some happiness. It’s almost impossible to root for the guy and instead of trying to steer him towards the light Apatow doubles down on Simmons’ hateful side, stopping any empathetic reaction from the audience and shifting their support to Ira, who just isn’t developed enough as a character to lead the story. The only bright spark in the whole film comes from Eric Bana as the clueless, ridiculously over-the-top Australian husband of Laura, who steals absolutely every scene he is in.
4. Trainwreck (2015)
2015’s Trainwreck marked a turning point for Apatow as the first film he directed that he didn’t write himself. That credit goes to the film’s star Amy Schumer whose career shot into the stratosphere on the back of this raunchy romantic comedy about the relationship-phobic Amy (Schumer) who, against her better judgement, begins to fall for smart, down-to-earth doctor-to-the-stars Aaron (Bill Hader); a decision which forces her to reevaluate her life’s trajectory and leave behind the string of one night stands she has become accustomed to. Despite not being written by him, Trainwreck bears most of the hallmarks of an Apatow flick, even the bad ones. Clocking in at a meaty 2 hours, the film certainly feels the length at times but the endearing characters at the centre of the romance, particularly Bill Hader, and the typically solid jokes do enough to offset the runtime. Trainwreck actually might be Apatow’s least funny film but unlike Funny People it almost feels intentional as the script is clearly something intensely personal for Schumer and places a lot of focus on the key relationships in Amy’s life and building your investment in these people. However, your enjoyment of Trainwreck hinges entirely on your tolerance for Schumer – a somewhat divisive comedian – with a particularly sarcastic and dry wit, so much so that it can be off-putting at times. The character, to some degree, needs to be like this in order to show you Amy’s growth but her sense of humour is something that not everyone will take a shining to. Regardless of your feelings for Schumer, Apatow does a great job filming the material and sprinkling in his own sense of humour; clearly drawing on his comedy status to gather a few high profile players, including LeBron James as Aaron’s client. The NBA star surprisingly gives one of the best performances by an athlete in a film that I have ever seen, underplaying his wealth and status as an average guy to hilarious results. Trainwreck marked something of a shift for Apatow into singularly character-focused features that almost mirror the star’s real life – a risky prospect and trend that he looks to be continuing with Pete Davidson’s upcoming semi-autobiographical film – and one which thankfully doesn’t live up to its title.
3. This is 40 (2012)
Of all of Apatow’s films, This is 40 is the one I find myself going back to the most. I understand all the common criticisms about the film – it’s overly long and there is no particularly tangible driving story to it – but there is something just so inherently watchable about the film that I find myself constantly throwing it on. We follow the family of Pete (Paul Rudd), Debbie (Leslie Mann) and their daughters Sadie (Maude Apatow) and Charlotte (Iris Apatow) throughout their daily lives as Pete and Debbie struggle to come to terms with turning 40, raising two daughters, a host of financial issues and the possible breakdown of their marriage. Like most of Apatow’s films, the humour is found in the mundane everyday things and Apatow makes the wise choice of letting Mann and Rudd run wild with the humour, improvising much of it and capitalising off the excellent chemistry between the pair. The film is a sort of pseudo-sequel in the Apatow universe as these 4 main characters are all pulled from Knocked Up (more on that later). Like that film, Apatow surrounds his core actors with a phenomenal supporting cast including Albert Brooks, Jason Segel, Chris O’Dowd, Lena Dunham and Megan Fox, who are all given small sub-plots and character traits that really help to flesh out the world and make you feel like you are watching real people. Brooks shines as Pete’s ageing cheapskate father who constantly mooches off his son to support his new wife and twin teen sons, constantly finding new ways to guilt Pete for even suggesting he get a job. It might not be as laugh-out-loud funny as the next two movies on the list but This is 40 is a criminally under-seen gem from the director; a slice of suburban hilarity with a good message to boot.
2. The 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005)
The early 2000’s were hugely successful years for romantic comedies. The genre pretty much defined the decade, and classics like Bridget Jones’ Diary, Love Actually and My Big Fat Greek Wedding were all carving out their own slices of the cake. This might just explain why Apatow’s surprise hit The 40 Year-Old Virgin did as well as it did back in 2005 – it’s the anti rom-com. Amongst a sea of generic films trying to set themselves apart, the story of a placid, middle-aged IT salesman yet to reach home base was the palate cleanser Hollywood never knew it needed. In the same year that he began leading the legendary US version of The Office, Steve Carell was fantastic as titular virgin Andy Stitzer, giving his character the right mix of desperation and good intentions for audiences to follow wholeheartedly. Andy’s colleagues David (Paul Rudd), Cal (Seth Rogan) and Jay (Romany Malco) make the most of the situation, doing what they can to help their naïve friend while berating him at every opportunity. Granted, some of the humour is fairly low-brow by today’s standards and it’s not really a plot that needs revisiting, but Apatow does more than enough to keep it from becoming complete smut with some genuinely heartwarming character moments and at least a little restraint when things inevitably heat up. Despite its apparent target audience, the director also builds a solid supporting cast of strong female characters who never fail to miss a beat, including beleaguered single mother Trish (Catherine Keener), her teenage daughter Marla (Kat Dennings), local shopkeeper Beth (Elizabeth Banks), unfortunate alcoholic Nicky (Leslie Mann) and of course Andy’s stone-cold manager Paula (Jane Lynch). It’s not always pretty, but The 40 Year-Old Virgin still brings an unexpectedly charming story spun with some great comedic talent, ultimately proving that every dog does indeed have his day.
1. Knocked Up (2007)
Apatow’s finest work to date is undoubtedly the hilarious pregnancy comedy Knocked Up, which cemented the director as one of the most adept at modern comedy, with a particular knack for tapping into the cultural zeitgeist with witty, reference-heavy jokes practically spilling out of every scene. It also helped establish Seth Rogen – one of the finest comedians working today – as a bonafide leading man more than capable of carrying a film and delivering a layered character with heart who goes beyond typical comedy stereotypes to be someone the audience can actually relate to and who seems like a real person. The situation itself is also incredibly real and rooted in everyday life as we follow Ben Stone (Rogen), a lovable jobless stoner who spends his days smoking and wasting time with his friends (a veritable smorgasbord of comedic talent in Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Jason Segel and Martin Starr). When Ben runs into career-focused reporter Alison (Katherine Heigl) at a club, the two hit it off leading to a one-night stand with consequences as Alison falls pregnant. Being a decent guy, Ben attempts to make things work with Alison and take responsibility for his life, discovering what kind of a man he is in the process to hilarious results. Knocked Up‘s structure and writing are something of a Judd Apatow speciality, a formula that he consistently attempts to improve on and alter to sometimes mixed results. This particular instance of it, however, was the perfect execution – grounding the story in a somewhat more down-to-earth situation than The 40 Year-Old Virgin – following relatable characters through their everyday activities and then exposing them to some sort of change to find the humour in those awkward and uncomfortable moments in life. Every part of Knocked Up lands: the key performances from Rogen and Heigl are well developed and you understand both of their perspective to this situation perfectly well, the supporting cast is out of this world and ensures that almost every scene is just brimming with laughs, and the jokes are well written and hit hard, without underpinning the heart of the story or distracting from it. Knocked Up is not only Apatow’s best work, but one of the best comedies of the 2000’s period: a game changer for modern comedy that set the bar for years to come.