Over the past five years the Apatow/McKay production line has transformed the face of mainstream comedy, but as more and more celebrities clamber aboard in search of a free ride, this comedy convoy is in danger of derailment. The nerd uprising is finally running its course.
Love him or loath him, Judd Apatow has paid his dues to Hollywood and is right to bask in his golden boy glory. But cinematic saturation by such a select group means that less favoured writers and actors are falling by the way side. Resultantly more of us are watching the same films by the same team each year. So what happens when it’s just not that funny anymore?
The latest trailer for Judd Apatow’s Funny People is the perfect example of the incestuous inclinations of Hollywood. It’s an outright orgy of funny folk and perhaps the most anticipated comedy of the year, but on the surface it’s a similar, if re-packaged, story. Amongst the rabble of Apatow regulars the cast is peppered with professional stand-ups, family members (wife Leslie Mann and daughters Iris and Maude star) and even a couple of rappers, just for good measure. With the list of go-to’s growing with each release the Apatow express rolls on at runaway speed, but do endless cameo’s from familiar faces automatically equal instant funny?
The seeds were sown of course with Apatow’s short lived television series Freaks and Geeks, which starred the likes of Seth Rogen, James Franco and Jason Segal. 10 years on the cast of this misfiring comedy have settled smoothly into the Apatow rota, problem is it’s still the same people playing the same characters delivering the same punchlines. There’s Seth Rogen; loveable, bumbling, Jewfro at the ready; Jonah Hill as the crass, slightly neurotic sidekick and now Jason Schwartzman; characteristically melancholic and wry as ever. Even the less obvious appearances are little more than intertextual in-jokes; Eric Bana’s inclusion an obvious nod to 2007’s Knocked Up. The only salvation here (surprisingly) comes from Adam Sandler, who’s patently self-referential turn suggests a sensitive, subtler performance.
Overall it looks to be more of the same shtick from the balaclava-bearded director, who’s previously helmed projects have tended to be more heartfelt than other variously accredited projects. Funny People looks certain to follow suit in this respect, but don’t underestimate the shrewdness of such sentimentality. Remember that each sincere Apatow offering serves to validate whatever vapid guff precedes it. Case in point; Kicking and Screaming was followed up swiftly by The 40 Year Old Virgin and Talledega Nights by Knocked Up. The last gem to spill out from the bowels of the Apatow crap factory? Year One. Anyone else starting to see a pattern here?
This all might sound a bit over the top, but bear with me on this. I am aware of the difficulties of keeping comedy fresh and funny, but the frequency by which these films are released makes it improbable if not impossible for them to be on the money every single time. Seeing, however, that studio bosses are fighting to sign off on anything affixed with the Apatow moniker, you can bet this won’t be his last ego-engorged vehicle. With commercial success more assured with each release and seemingly beyond criticism, this new comedy frat pack looks set to continue to suckle at the Apatow teat. The question is; how long are we going to sit back and lap up the laughs?
