Someone please explain to me this Judd Apatow craze. I realize he’s probably a talented writer and producer, but is this the kind of guy we want representing the entire gerne of comedy these days? Crude jokes and unnecessary private-parts shots and the intolerable Seth Rogen starring in just about every other movie he makes? Because everyone seems to want a piece of Judd these days, and I just don’t get it.
Ok, so I never watched Freaks and Geeks or anything else he did before the 40-year-old virgin. And I have to admit that, for a goofy, offensive comedy, it had its moments; but I think that was largely because of the genius of Steve Carrell. Superbad was a gigantic waste of time, and the only reasons why I watched Knocked Up and Forgetting Sarah Marshall were Katherine Heigl and Kristen Bell, respectively. They’re just the sort of movies that appeal to highschoolers, as they are filled with obvious jokes and offensive gags.
But I guess what bugs me most is that Apatow’s popularity has made Seth Rogen into a big star. Seth Rogen. An unattractive guy who plays the same character over and over, movie after movie; a character who, I have the nagging suspicision, is none other than Seth’s real life self. Ok, I get how you’d need someone un-spectacular to play the goofy guy who can’t get the girl, but if you’re talented enough you can make it work: just see how the Coen brothers turned Brad Pitt into a dimwit nobody with a bad hairdo.
(I know this wasn’t an Apatow movie, but “Zack and Miri make a porno” was the worst of the batch. Seriously, people, spare us the nude shots and mindless drivel! Apparently he’d stated that his career objective was to make a movie with Kevin Smith; well, congratulations, Seth, you’ve done it. And it was one of the worst movies ever made.)
So I took a minute or two to google him and apparently he’s been a “stand-up comedian” since the age of 13. I really doubt he had any real jokes to dispense apart from weenie ones at that age, but I’ll let that slide. What, exactly, about this guy, is funny (except the fact that a fat ugly person with mop-like hair gets leading roles – which isn’t so much funny as bizarre. Oh, and the fact that he looks about 35 but is only 26)? He can’t even crack a descent joke on the rare occasions when you only get a few seconds (and few words) to speak; case in point, his little “joke” about Mickey Rourke at last year’s Golden Globes ceremony:
“It is a true honor to finally be presenting here at the Golden Globes, although honestly, I wish I got to do this a long time ago in a different era in Hollywood, perhaps maybe like the ’80s, you know? That way, instead of being drunk with Mickey Rourke tonight, I’d be doing coke with Mickey Rourke tonight.”
Okay, what? So not only are you calling Rourke an old hag (which he is, but there’s no reason to roast him for it! Besides, kid, you weren’t even born during half the 80′s, so please just shut up), you’re also calling him a former cokehead and a raging alcoholic. Nice. I mean hey, I can recognize a has-been as well as the next girl, even when they make impressive comebacks, but in my book, you’re not allowed to roast people onstage unless you’ve done things in your life/career that actually top their own accomplishments! Mickey should have thrown him into a headlock and beat his fat ass to the ground.
When he’s not ragging on other people, he remains unfunny as hell. Not to mention he hardly makes any sense:
“It shocks me that 90210 and Superbad are technically considered part of the same genre. It was as much TV shows as movies that made us feel under-represented. No part of me watched 90210 and thought, ‘Yeah! that’s what my life is like!’ It seemed like a different planet. I mean, I like shitty movies as much as the next guy, I’m not a snob, but things like that had no guys like us in it – that was the point.”
Also, he hates kids. Which isn’t such a horrible thing by itself (I’m not too fond of them either, but then again I’m not famous and I don’t go around making this type of statement in the press):
“Kids like me but when they meet me they’re horrified by me… These guys bring their kids (to screenings) and I kind of resent them. To me it’s kind of a sacrilegious thing and the kid would cry. It was horrible… Now that the movie’s out and I don’t have to promote it anymore, I can say that I hate children. It’s out, it’s made $60 million. I can say it: I hate kids. If no kid ever came up to me, I would be more than happy.”
Dude, these kids will be your target audience in 3-4 years. Their parents buy tickets to your stupid movies. Learn some respect.
11/04/2009 at 4:11 am
this is great, thanks