I can’t keep track of all the movies Judd Apatow has a hand in these days. There are the manboys-and-their-relationships-with-women-movies; the genre parodies starring Will Farrell and/or John C. Reilly; and a smattering of lesser titles starring the likes of Owen Wilson, Jim Carrey, Ben Stiller and Adam Sandler.
I can pretty much leave the latter two groups to the less-discerning teenage boys of the world, but I’m rather fond of the first. The basest of humor, without question, but a lot of side-splittingly funny material, with a smattering of really human and insightful observations about love, lust, friendships, families, careers (or lack thereof) and workplace dynamics.
Apatow pretty much grew up in a comedy club, and as his career began to take hold in television, and then film, he collected an ensemble of talent - Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Jonah Hill, Paul Cera, Bill Hader and the wonderful Leslie Mann (Mrs. Apatow in real life) – who have appeared in these and other films and TV projects he’s either written, produced, directed, or a combination thereof.
Beyond having material that appeals to a diverse audience, what makes Apatow so successful? From what I can see, it’s good, old-fashioned leadership abilities:
He’s collaborative. Some of the members of this merry band of actors also write and/or produce. Everyone gets a chance to shine at different times, on camera and off, and Apatow isn’t always at the helm.
He brings out the best in his team. Even supporting roles are well-crafted and memorable. Some of my favorites: Leslie Mann’s drunken pickup in The 40 Year-Old Virgin; the jealous female assistant at E! in Knocked Up; the cops in Superbad; the British rock star in Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
He’s loyal. Even for the smallest of roles, Apatow casts actors that he’s worked with time and time again, going back to his Freaks & Geeks days.
Who knew we could learn something about effective leadership in the workplace from a guy so focused on dick jokes?
Go figure.
June 27, 2008 at 11:52 pm |
Very insightful. I love his movies too!
July 17, 2008 at 1:38 pm |
If you haven’t seen Walk Hard though, you definitely should. It’s a perfect parody of musical biopics, and several times I couldn’t stop laughing. Very funny.