Apatow Takes Realism To The Limits & Brings It Back

Rating: 7/10 (28 June 2010)

Let's just say for all intents and practical purposes you are totally bored with real stupid comedy and you've watched up all your soap operas. Where do you soon turn? Of course, where else will most agreeably turn when everything else fails? The DVD Comedy Section! Judd Apatow takes his views on life, love, and comedy very seriously. So seriously that he continues to pour out film after film of hilarious uncharted territory we all can not seem to get enough of.
Like most films Apatow produces, we learn to expect a different kind of experience. Apatow normally, if not mostly, likes to push the envelope as far as possible on what the audience perceives as either plain stupid, ignorant, gross, profane, incoherent, embarrassing, in your face, or unacceptable when it comes to embracing the current common societal views on decency. Apatow somehow is able to walk this thin line in his films without totally alienating most people. The common thread in most all of his films seems to revolve around characters that we somehow would love to hate, however, can't seem to ever get to that point. We always conditionally forgive these people regardless of how they act. Most of the characters tend to always redeem themselves with us before the film ends.
The common fallacy we might make when trying to explain a film to someone who hasn't seen it before is saying something like, "Hey man! Have you seen that film called Knocked Up? That was totally awesome!". Of course when the person, that doesn't really understand that you are a film expert film buff, goes home and watches it, then they might never listen to another one of your opinions again. Mostly, the film as with any film, either has a shelf life (i.e. A life of its own or it doesn't).
My opinion is meaningless when it comes to judging a comedy. We just have to see if it's going to be a long-term forgettable film like "Flashdance", or something else. I'm certainly not knocking the directing talent of Adrian Lyne or Don Simpson as a producer, but there is so far a film can carry you after 30 years. For instance, I can only remember the gal (Jennifer Beals), I thought I would never see again in another film, and the Michael Simbelo "Maniac" song. I'm certainly glad the Jennifer Beals didn't just disappear from the scene, but she has hardly starred in another major role in her acting career. Jennifer is definitely still holding her own and looking better than ever, which is a miracle. She is only about 6 months younger than me, and my body looks like it's been trampled by a herd of hippos. I'm just saying, in trying to pinpoint a single formula that makes Apatow's films so very memorable, you'll just have to go back and watch it 20 years later. That's the most important litmus test for the next generation of comedy analyzers.
Some say that the inner sanctum of loving a film is loving the main character. Seth Rogen is definitely fun and delivers us the most astonishing silliness one could ever imagine. Ben Stone is a likable guy who could just as well be your best friend or cousin. Bad behavior is expected along the way and Rogen as Stone delivers it up as best he knows how. Simply put, you actually feel sorrow for this green and pitiful idiot who has no clue how he has screwed his life up. Instead of taking us down an even more pitiful story-line, Apatow shows us that even this guy can make good decisions and turn his life around. Cheers to everyone who made Knocked Up!!!