Apatow Universe Threshold: Reached.

[ughwhy]

I think the threshold I've reached is the Apatow name as marketing technique. It was a thin brand to begin with and now it's diluted. Plus on top of that, as a trend I am not digging this one where women are foreign creatures and childlike boys are ultimately rewarded for their guilelessness.

But also, Baby Mama ain't all that hot either. So what do I even want.

[iAmBaronVonTito]

ive never seen an apatow jewel (feature films), but out of curiousity i went and saw FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL-

its chuckle worthy

[Jixby Phillips]

I saw this and liked it a lot!

The first portion of the movie was pretty unpleasant and not that fun but it won me over. I'd love to see it again on DVD.

I love the 40 year old dude and I love Superdudes. This one falls in between those movies and Knocked Up which was just okay

[iAmBaronVonTito]

I saw this and liked it a lot!

The first portion of the movie was pretty unpleasant and not that fun but it won me over. I'd love to see it again on DVD.

I love the 40 year old dude and I love Superdudes. This one falls in between those movies and Knocked Up which was just okay

yeah, the first part was ok.  it does get better, although, the movie takes a bizarre, weird, uncomfortable turn when theyre on the beach.  you know shes going to run into the old boyfriend she just happens to be talking about...but YIKES. 

oh brother, that was a choppy transition.

[Beth]

I saw this and liked it a lot!

The first portion of the movie was pretty unpleasant and not that fun but it won me over. I'd love to see it again on DVD.

I love the 40 year old dude and I love Superdudes. This one falls in between those movies and Knocked Up which was just okay

I thought Knocked Up was incredibly sweet, it was one of my favorites. But then again, I'm a girl, probably with maternal instincts.

[cutout]

The Apatow phenomenon is similar to the Vince Vaughn phenomenon.

In both cases, they had a string of Medium-Funny projects, found themselves in the spotlight, then got real itchy at the idea of relinquishing the spotlight and accordingly started saying "Yes please!" to any mediocre idea pitched to them. Most moviegoers start to recognize when quantity begins to compensate for quality. John isn't the first person to suggest that FSM would burst the Apatow bubble.

(For the record, I haven't seen FSM, but the trailers did make it seem pretty fluffy)

[iAmBaronVonTito]

The Apatow phenomenon is similar to the Vince Vaughn phenomenon.

In both cases, they had a string of Medium-Funny projects, found themselves in the spotlight, then got real itchy at the idea of relinquishing the spotlight and accordingly started saying "Yes please!" to any mediocre idea pitched to them. Most moviegoers start to recognize when quantity begins to compensate for quality. John isn't the first person to suggest that FSM would burst the Apatow bubble.

(For the record, I haven't seen FSM, but the trailers did make it seem pretty fluffy)

i will say that the trailers made it look AWFUL...but in actuality, it was decent.  needless to say, it served its purpose: i was alone, bored, and wanting to kill 2 hours painlessly. 

at any rate, the guy is making a living...and i support living.

[erika]

In both cases, they had a string of Medium-Funny projects,

I must be a big dummy because his movies crack me UP! A lot.

Knocked up didn't hold my attention the 2nd time around, but the first time I saw it I laughed til I cried.

[cutout]

You're no dummy, you're one of Tom's best callers 

In retrospect I lol'd a fair amount during Knocked Up and Superbad, and I always like Freaks and Geeks. On other hand, I didn't crack a smile during Anchorman, Talladega Nights, Walk Hard or 40 Year Old Virgin. And Undeclared I thought was plain unlikeable, the characters anyway. I'm wondering where Apatow will be, quantity vs. quality, in another five years.

[todd]

You're no dummy, you're one of Tom's best callers 

In retrospect I lol'd a fair amount during Knocked Up and Superbad, and I always like Freaks and Geeks. On other hand, I didn't crack a smile during Anchorman, Talladega Nights, Walk Hard or 40 Year Old Virgin. And Undeclared I thought was plain unlikeable, the characters anyway. I'm wondering where Apatow will be, quantity vs. quality, in another five years.

Now that the anti-Apatow backlash has officially begun, people are dragging out all these projects with Apatow's name on them and saying "Ugh, what a pile of garbage!" But half of those movies are movies he acted as a producer on, not movies that he wrote or directed. Producers are important obviously, but they aren't the major creative force behind these projects. Dragging his name through the mud for a project he was only tangentially related to is unfair.

[cutout]

"Ugh, what a pile of garbage!"

Definitely not garbage, but also not anything I thought was funny or above middlin', personally. Your mileage may vary.

Producers are important obviously, but they aren't the major creative force behind these projects.

Ordinarily, no, but that's not what I've read about Apatow's producer role. Which is to say, by reputation, he puts his creative stamp on a movie whether or not he's the one writing.

Dragging his name through the mud

Is your last name Apatow, by chance? 

[John Junk 2.0]

Dragging his name through the mud for a project he was only tangentially related to is unfair.

If he doesn't want his name dragged through the mud, he should stop hitching it to every jalopy that drives past his window.  (anywhere else we can go with that metaphor?)


Having said that, I rented Walk Hard this weekend and liked it.

[todd]

If he doesn't want his name dragged through the mud, he should stop hitching it to every jalopy that drives past his window.  (anywhere else we can go with that metaphor?)

Oh please. "From the guys that brought you..." is a marketing technique, not something he has any control over whatsoever.

[John Junk 2.0]

If he doesn't want his name dragged through the mud, he should stop hitching it to every jalopy that drives past his window.  (anywhere else we can go with that metaphor?)

Oh please. "From the guys that brought you..." is a marketing technique, not something he has any control over whatsoever.

Okay, first of all, he does have control over that.  It's his name. I understand he's not personally involved in the minutiae of every movie that carries his name.  When I said "Apatow Universe" I was referring to the Apatow brand, not Apatow the guy with the beard and the medium-sized beer belly.  I'm sure he's a real mensch and a helluva guy and the hardest working man in showbiz and the man with the plan and the guy who's going to save American comedy.  I get it.

[erika]

The "Apatow Brand"?

What is that? Guy writes and produces movies. The people he works with write and produce movies. They're generally pretty funny, or at least some people think they are. (I personally think the majority of them are hilarious... at least the ones he writes...)

So what's the big deal? I don't get it.