Superbad Again

I'm going to watch Superbad for the first time in a couple of years. It's hard to believe how much my attitudes have changed since then.

I hated most modern comedies. Thought that they sucked. Too much grossout, too raunchy and crude, not enough heart. Superbad was the start of the change.

I had no idea who Seth Rogan was when I saw it. I didn't know Judd Apatow from Judd Nelson. And now I consider Apatow to be a genius of comedy. The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Funny People are literally my favorite movies.

Sure, the humor can be broad. The films are crude and offensive. Yet they have real compassion in them. I care about the characters in them. My problem is keeping from watching these films over and over again.

The 40-Year-Old Virgin is probably the funnest of them all. In fact it's probably my favorite comedy. I just watched it again the other night. I've lost count of the times I've seen it. It never grows old. I wish I worked at Smart Tech. This movie works so well for me because I the people in it seem so real. I can't stand the kind of comedies where I'm supposed to laugh at retarded people.

Knocked Up didn't work for me the first time. Now it's big favorite. I relate to those dipshit guys in it. I've known too many people, [i]far[/i] too many people, that are just like them.

Funny People is my favorite, but I don't really consider it a comedy. It's very funny, but I think it's a serious film about comedy. It seems like everyone disliked it, but I was blown away and I continue to see new things in it every time I watch it. So many subtle, yet crucial lines in it. This film sums up everything Apatow knows and feels about comedy. His own life in it and the people he has worked with. And if nothing else, sit back in awe of the cinematography by Oscar winner Janusz Kaminski, who did Saving Private Ryan, among other films. He isn't trying to impress viewers with obvious trickery. But watch the long panning shots, the way his camera slyly follows the characters.

As for Judd Apatow's non-directorial productions, some I like, such as Superbad. Others, like Pineapple Express and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Then there are some that I dislike. But like them or not, mostly he has hit the box office target.

I can't wait for Apatow's next film as a director. Will he top Funny People? I'm sure most people will say, Sure, easy. Me, I doubt it.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the great Freaks and Geeks. Freaks and Geeks wasn't Apatow's first project, but I think it set the tone and pace for his films to come. And I love how he uses a repertoire of actors: Seth Rogan, Jonah Hill, Kristin Wiig, Jason Segel, Paul Rudd, Martin Starr. And of course I can't leave out his charismatic wife, Leslie Mann and his two utterly charming daughters.

Judd Apatow has a lot of irons in the fire, but the only production to come in the immediate future is Get Him to the Greek. It doesn't look to be his best and it looks like Russell Brand will essentially be playing the same character he did in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, but I'll be there getting my ticket torn on opening weekend.

And tonight I'll be revisiting the one that started it all for me. Superbad, which is certainly one of the funnest movies in recent memory.