August
20
Superbad Another Apatow Win; Walk Hard Up Next
It was no surprise that Superbad scored a big opening this weekend. Written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and directed by Greg Mottola, its appeal is broad; Nora went to see it with her girlfriends at the Thursday night midnight show. Of course they're square in the demo--kids about to go to college. But middle-aged women friends of mine liked it just as much. It will continue to grow.
Lest we think that producer Judd Apatow can do no wrong--and yes, he is riding high with more projects in the pipeline than he can humanly deliver--I do predict that one of them will not be a mainstream commercial hit, no matter how well it turns out. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, written by Apatow and Jake Kasdan and directed by Kasdan, stars John C. Reilly in a spoof of the recent musical biopics Walk the Line and Ray:
This trailer sank like a stone at Comic-Con. It might have been the wrong crowd; but the right crowd may be a small sophisticated niche in NY and LA. Apatow's strength is in finding the human touch in relationships between men and women. Somehow, a satire of biopics about musical legends--who most audiences still care about--may not sit right with moviegoers when it opens December 21.
But as of now, every project with Apatow's name on it is getting made. We'll see how serious indie David Gordon Green does with The Pineapple Express, also written by Rogen and Goldberg, due in 2008.
Apatow's upcoming pics include:
Step Brothers (2008) (pre-production) (producer)
You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008) (filming) (producer)
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) (post-production) (producer)
Drillbit Taylor (2008) (post-production) (producer)
The Pineapple Express (2008) (completed) (producer)
Meanwhile, Apatow's crew, from Rogen to Michael Cera and Jonah Hill, are getting hotter than flapjacks.
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Well, to be precise, "Walk Hard" is not a "satire" of biopics, but a parody of biopics. It's a mocking imitation of very recent examples of the form. The market for such parodies has never been huge, but "This is Spinal Tap" did achieve a measure of success with its faux-rock documentary, and Chris Guest has had a good run with similiar spoofs. I thought this trailer was funny, and I don't live in NY or LA. I am sophisticated, however. So perhaps you are right about that element. Finally, I find that I'm able to appreciate the trailer without having to throw overboard my love for Johnny Cash, Brian Wilson and the Beatles.
Posted by: Nate West | August 20, 2007 at 07:49 PM
First of all they didn't show a trailer at comic con they showed the first 5 minutes and one scene of John C Reilly and Jenna Fisher singing a song. Second of all both were hillarious and the audience seemed to eat it up. I didn't think the trailer was too great either, but I will surely be there opening night and I am sure tons other will too.
Posted by: jeff | August 21, 2007 at 12:41 AM
laughter is a very personal thing
Posted by: Anne Thompson | August 21, 2007 at 02:00 PM