Friday, January 7, 2011
THERE ARE TOO MANY TYPES OF CHAIRS IN THIS ROOM: Funny People was a fascinating failure for Judd Apatow, so I was already interested to see what he was going to do next. That he's apparently doing a Knocked Up spinoff focusing on Pete and Debbie (Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann) sounds like an interesting and potentially fruitful choice. I do hope that he avoids the big sin he committed in Funny People of making Leslie Mann's character overidealized, which he certainly avoided in Knocked Up, and keeps the characters true to the ones we saw and liked originally. (Semi-relatedly--early reports are indicating Seth Rogen's Green Hornet might actually be really good, much to my surprise, even though Pineapple Express did prove that Rogen can do a relatively straight role in an action comedy.)
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I thought Debbie was horribly unlikable in Knocked Up to the point of being near-unwatchable. I can't believe he put his wife in that role (and that she wanted it.)
ReplyDeleteI always argued that Knocked Up was actually a love story -- bromance, if you will -- between Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd. I want to see that movie. And I totally agree with you, Adam. Debbie is such a loathsome character (although the "too old for this club" scene is one of my favorites).
ReplyDeleteAgreed, but it's a great scene because of Craig Robinson, not her.
ReplyDeleteI do agree Debbie is a loathsome character as a general rule, and suspect that part of why Mann's character in Funny People was so idealized was a response to that (as well as Heigl's comments about sexism in the film). That said, the relationship between her and Rudd was an interesting one and one that I think could be fruitfully explored.
ReplyDeleteOn the subject of Green Hornet, I'm just going to hope that the trailers are simply dreadful marketing and not reflecting the actual movie, because I cringe every time I see one.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why people EVER thought The Green Hornet wasn't going to be good. Michel Gondry is directing, Seth Rogen is consistently funny whenever he needs to be (as well as pulling off drama fairly well), and it's got Christoph Waltz in his first big American role since Inglourious Basterds. Seems like a fairly good set-up to me.
ReplyDeleteHuman Nature
ReplyDeleteThe Science of Sleep
Be King Rewind
Basically, he's made one Best Film of the Decade, a bunch of phenomenal music videos (and the Chapelle block party documentary), but his other feature films have not been All That.<span> </span>
Given just how good Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless is, that goes a long way for me. Rewind and Sleep were both films with some glaring issues, but a lot to offer if you were in the right lane. Rewind, in particular, had a sort of gentleness that I found really refreshing.
ReplyDeleteThat said, it'll be interesting to see how Gondry approaches his first genre effort. I'd like to think that he'll play with the form a little bit, but even if it's just a visually interesting take on a campy hero I'll probably be okay with that.
I just saw Green Hornet on Wednesday. It's fine. A little meandery, though everyone seems to be trying their best. The script has some solid zingers, and some fun action sequences. I especially liked Jay Chou, and Christoph Waltz does look as though he's having a good time. Rogen seems a bit uncomfortable most of the time, though he sells his script well.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I constantly refer to ourselves as not being "too old for the world" but too old for "that [insert situation/place." thanks to that scene.
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