A-List: Seth Rogen

By Josh Spiegel

April 9, 2009

Does that say McLovin? I think it does say McLovin!

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Only five years ago, the only place most people in America could see Seth Rogen was in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo as a camera operator in the climax of Will Ferrell's first big hit, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Nowadays, it seems like a week doesn't go by without Rogen being part of a new release. In February, he showed up in an extended cameo during the cult comedy Fanboys. Only two weeks back, he provided the voice of a monstrous yet silly blob of goo in Monsters vs. Aliens. Now, he's ringing in Easter as Ronnie Barnhart, a mall cop more like Travis Bickle than Paul Blart, in the dark comedy Observe and Report. Add to that his role in the upcoming summer comedy-drama Funny People, and the eagerly awaited adaptation of The Green Hornet, and it's safe to say that, for the moment, Seth Rogen is a star.

I say "for the moment" because there are some people (not me) who are getting a bit tired of Rogen's goofy stoner shtick, his raspy laugh, and his quirky style of humor. Though I'm not too sure yet if Rogen's right to play a superhero like the Green Hornet (he has definitely slimmed down a lot as of late, though), his style of comedy not only lines up with the Judd Apatow school of humor, but it's about the best type of cinematic laughs we have now, unless you're looking forward to the Wayans Brothers making fun of dance movies. If you are, well...you might think this is the F-List, I suppose, but the Wayans brand of comedy seems to have thankfully passed its prime.

As I said earlier, Rogen wasn't always a big star. Frankly, until the summer of 2007, he was still a solid supporting player in the Apatow stable, alongside other great comic actors like Paul Rudd and John C. Reilly. Once that summer passed, however, and Knocked Up and Superbad hit the big time, Rogen was a newly minted star. Still, the success he's had is all owed to Judd Apatow, the man who helped turn Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared into small-time TV successes. Apatow got Rogen a role on Freaks and Geeks and even let him take on some writing duties during the run Undeclared had. So, don't be surprised that...well, everything on this list has Judd Apatow's name attached. With that in mind, here's the A-List's look at Seth Rogen.




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The 40-Year Old Virgin


I've already mentioned Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and, since Rogen's appearance is so short, I think it'd be cheating to put it here. However, if we're talking quality, both Anchorman and this film would be on the top with a bullet. It's hard for me to figure out which is the better comedy. At the end of the day, though, thanks to its heartfelt emotion and stronger, slightly more realistic characters, The 40-Year Old Virgin wins the day. The debut of Apatow as a writer-director, "Virgin" is about Andy Stitzer, a...well, just read the title. You'll figure it out, I'm sure. Andy works at a Circuit City-style store as an equipment manager; once some of his rowdy male co-workers find out about his virginity, they do everything in their power to get him laid, and get him laid fast. Their ideas include hitting on drunk women (such as Apatow's wife, Leslie Mann, in a great cameo), watching tons of porno movies, and an infamous trip to get Andy's chest waxed. Rogen plays Cal, Andy's fellow equipment employee at the Smart Tech store; Cal figures, at first, that Andy's probably a serial killer but, once he learns that Andy's a virgin, advises him how to speak to the beautiful clerk at the bookstore next door (Elizabeth Banks). The irony is double: not only does Cal end up hooking up with that beautiful clerk, but Banks and Rogen ended up getting pretty close in last year's romantic comedy Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Anyway, here's what you need to know: the beginning of this new wave of comedy really began with "Virgin," a sweet, raunchy, silly, and incredibly hilarious comedy all about finally becoming a man.


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