By Filmmaker Judd Apatow had a string of R-rated comedy film hits for around decade there, producing and/or directing a number of major successes after breaking through on films with 2005’s “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”.
If there was a hit comedy from about 2004-2013 in the United States, chances are he was involved in some way. Though he’s still making films like directing 2022’s “The Bubble” and producing “Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain,” Apatow’s style of comedy is generally not out there anymore and those that rarely get theatrical releases these days.
Speaking with Variety, he says he thinks the genre will rebound in the future:
“These things kind of swing back and forth. If someone made something as funny as ‘The Hangover’ right now, it would make a billion dollars, and everyone would be trying to do that. It ebbs and it flows, and hopefully it’ll flow soon.”
Apatow says he doesn’t believe comedy is harder than it used to be due to political correctness, rather its making films for the widest global audience that’s had more of an impact because comedy tends to be very geographically and culturally specific:
“They [financiers] tend to want to make things that will play well in Asia. Will people also like this in Bulgaria? Comedy is very local to America. The obstacle to getting things done is … everything that gets made [needs] to be the largest thing in the world. Comedy isn’t always meant to be like that. Comedy isn’t like an action movie.”
One thing that streaming has done is that old titles can suddenly be rediscovered:
“Everything bubbles up on all these different streamers and networks. Things that you thought disappeared, like ‘Walk Hard,’ suddenly is insanely popular. ‘Freaks and Geeks’ seems to be perennially very popular… ‘The Cable Guy.’ That’s the fun of making these things – they never really disappear.”
Films Apatow produced like “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,” “Step Brothers,” “Pineapple Express,” “Bridesmaids,” and “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping” are still beloved today. As a director, his stuff has had more of a mixed reception due to their rather long runtimes and tone which is more akin to dramedy.
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