For whatever inexcusable reason, I just started watching this series on Netflix. I'm about 7 episodes in and this is far and away one of the best things I've ever watched.
I recently re-watched Knocked Up, it hasn't aged very well. Ten years from now, Freaks & Geeks will be remembered as the only worthwhile thing Judd Apatow was ever attached to.
It's an opinion my friend. As always everyone is most free to vehemently disagree. However, what movies of his do you believe will stand the test of time and be deemed culturally important/relevant ten or twenty years from now? I saw "Knocked Up" in theaters when it came out originally and enjoyed it. Five years later, my general response was closer to "meh".
They're raunchy comedies. How many raunchy comedies stand the test of time? It is very rare and just because they dont, doesnt mean they arent worthwhile. If they entertained millions of people, that makes them worthwhile.
40-year-old Virgin and Superbad. Knocked Up was pretty good but not nearly as good as these two in the first place. And culturally important/relevant, seriously? They're ********ing funny, it's as simple as that. And the improv outtakes are nearly as funny as anything in the movies.
Oh, and Freaks and Geeks yes, I rented them all from Netflix back in the pre-streaming days after completely missing them when they were on (don't think I even owned a tv then). Its early cancellation has to rate as one of the top 10 tragedies of television history.
I would need to re-watch it, I have not seen it since its theatrical run. Perhaps Knocked Up is too small a sample to base my opinion on.
Yes, a sample size of 1 is probably too small to support the claim that nothing he was attached to other than Freaks and Geeks will stand the test of time.
I cannot remember laughing so hard at a film as an adult than I did during Superbad. The argument in front of the liquor store between Jonah Hill and the McLovin guy comes to mind.
The thing that really put the cherry on top of that scene is Cera's Aladdin quip right after Hill goes into the liquor store.
Has there ever been a teen show with a better cast? Jesus, just look at that photo!!! Except for the kid with glasses, they've all gone on to have real careers.
Not a TV show, but the only other young ensemble I can think of that collectively made it similarly big was the "Fast Times..." gang.
Sorry I haven't been back since my little quip, was dealing with the stomach bug... Anyways, what criteria are you using for judging Apatow? Creator, writer, producer? The guy has done some pretty great things. Personally I liked Undeclared a lot better than Freaks & Geeks. A lot of people LOVED the Larry Sanders Show and Apatow was a big part of that. It would seem that a lot of people are liking Girls right now as well and he's a producer and writer on that. Then there are his movies, 40 Year of Virgin, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Superbad. Personally I hated Ron Burgundy, but a lot of people seem to still love that movie. I even liked Funny People and Wanderlust. For you to say that Freaks & Geeks is the only worth while thing he'll be remembered for doesn't really surprise me, but I think you couldn't be more wrong.
My statement is retracted until I have the time and/or opportunity to revisit more of his non-Freaks-&-Geeks work.
I think 40 Year Old Virgin is his best movie and Forgetting Sarah Marshall was pretty damn funny too. Russell Brand stole that movie.