Apatow's Humor Grows Up

Rating: 8/10 (5 August 2008)

Going into this film, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. What I got was something much closer to a traditional Apatow production than I had expected. Not to say that this newest installment, which is the absolute epitome of "bromance", isn't good; in fact it's the most mature form of the Apatow crew's comedy to date.
The plot is relatively basic, and since the plot isn't the highlight of this movie, it really plays a back-burner to the two main characters. Seth Rogen returns to play just about every character he always plays, but with even more of a loser-esquire edge. What I appreciated most about his character is that he's basically content with his station in life. He's middle-aged, he serves legal documents for a living, and he has (trying to avoid spoilers) a "unique" girlfriend. For once, we get a guy who has a bad life, but instead of changing all that, he instead accepts it and tries to make the most of it. The key to this character's acceptance is pot.
While weed could arguably be a character in and of itself, this movie still lingers away from your traditional stoner comedy and instead lends itself more to the likes of Cheech and Chong. Sure, this movie involves pot smoking and is probably enjoyable while high, but non-stoners (like myself) take just as much (if not more) from the developing relationships and quick-wit humor.
James Franco rejoins his Freaks & Geeks crew and really stands out for me as the best performance of this film. We no longer see the clean-cut , rich character he so often is type-cast into and we get to see a mellow drug dealer with a heart. I think that's what Franco was able to give to this role that made me enjoy it so much: that no matter what he does, in the core of his character he's trying to be a genuinely nice and caring person.
From all the directions this review has gone, it's hard to figure out how this could all be wound together into a good movie, and a comedy no less! To my surprise, it does. The film develops without a lack of pacing and you are always laughing out loud. My only complaint is that this focuses just a little too much (dare I say "overkill") on "bros". Apatow is always known for "bromances", but he almost takes it too far in this installment with such terms as "bromosexual", obvious double meanings for sexual behavior, and I think the term "bros before hoes" is used nearly five times. Knowing how the traditional "bromance" works with Apatow helps explain some of the more interesting circumstances with female love interests. At times I almost wondered why a character would be doing what he's doing for a girl when in the next scene he's completely standoffish with her over a much less important issue.
In the end, this was a fun and enjoyable film that will be the perfect summer comedy to finish off a strong season. I really enjoyed it, even though I feel it went a little over the top with "bros" (in fact, I'm getting tired of using the term as we speak). If you like Apatow or smart comedies (ie: Snatch), this is the movie for you.