Monday Morning Quarterback Part II

By BOP Staff

March 23, 2009

Dude, I'm glad we won, too, but this is growing uncomfortable.

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Do not insult the Apatow. You will pay.

Kim Hollis: Have these Apatow-crew films gotten as disposable as horror film remakes or is there still a uniqueness in these various comedies?

Jason Lee: I think they've still got some life in them - at least in this film, you have a pretty novel concept with some attractive and likable lead actors. As long as you're not expecting them to do 40 Year-Old Virgin numbers, I think you're safe.

Brandon Scott: The answer here is both. They are disposable and generic, but they can and will still have life. There is no question that some elements appeal to a large segment of the population. Many people feel that when they see a Rogen or Segel on screen, it is a win for them, the "average guy" making it to the big screen. But I personally feel that they are treading on very thin ice at this point. Somehow they need to incorporate a larger troupe of actors and concepts into the mix, rather than here is another comedy with a guy angle. Show me some range. Show me you can bring some outsiders in to the group. Show me that there is more depth to you (meaning the group, concepts, etc.) as whole than just churning out middle of the road comedy. I know that will probably be enough for many people, especially in an industry that often seems it puts out stale product anyway, but I ask for and need more.

Joel Corcoran: I think Judd Apatow and friends are continuing to find enough new twists to keep their movies alive, so they haven't yet descended to the "cookie-cutter remake" level of recent horror films. I Love You, Man is sort of like a remake of My Best Friend's Wedding, but with an understated homoerotic tone to it that director Josh Hamburg handles with a very deft touch. I don't know if we're ever going to see another breakout hit like Anchorman or The 40 Year-Old Virgin, but there's enough fresh takes and new twists out there to keep the genre alive for a while.




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Max Braden: I think Apatow still has room to grow and bring in audiences. He hooked them with 40 Year-Old Virgin but can't expect to keep putting out the same product without becoming a producer of pointless, straight-to-video, National Lampoon's sex comedies. He hit on the regular guy appeal, and that can last. Look at how long Seinfeld was on the air, and how much business Ben Stiller and Adam Sandler still do in the movies.

Sean Collier: Too many projects are getting lumped under the Apatow umbrella to really get a good idea. While his involvement is spread far and wide, and the success of the current batch of performers can be attributed to him, it's worth knowing that only The 40 Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up were truly his projects. This'll be an interesting question to answer after Funny People comes out.

Daron Aldridge: True, Sean, that those were the only two films that he directed but he also wrote Dewey Cox, and was the producer for Talledega Nights, Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Step Brothers, among others. So I think his reach is pretty broad.


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