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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Thursday, March 28, 2024

Zach Drucker and Chris Poldoian | Bad Samaritans

Gone are the days of the burly, strapping, macho heroes like Tom Cruise, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. Now, America appreciates the goofy, awkward, out-of-shape protagonists like Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen and Jason Segel. Okay, Segel's not out of shape per se, but the man wore Uggs to the beach in "I Love You, Man" (2009). Need we say more? This recent transition from brawny to scrawny has swept the country due to the efforts of one producer/writer/director/god of the harvest: Judd Apatow. Apatow's characters may not be weightlifters, but they have the only muscle that matters: heart.
    Apatow's humble beginnings came in television, where he worked on NBC's "Freaks and Geeks." The show featured Rogen and Segel in all their pimply, teenaged glory. Unfortunately, the series was simply too smart for its own good and was cancelled after one season. Both Segel and Rogen had dropped out of high school, thinking that "Freaks" was their golden ticket to the land of milk and honey. With their floundering futures on his conscience, Apatow decided to place the boys in his movies.
    This past month has seen the release of Apatow-less films starring two of his comedic prodigies, each to differing levels of success.
    Jason Segel's "I Love You, Man" has already garnered $58 million in four weeks and thrives off of its bromantic humor and Apatowian qualities. Apatowian-influenced films like "Knocked Up" (2007), "40-Year-Old Virgin" (2005) and "Superbad" (2007) all have raunchy exteriors with deep friendships, character-driven plots and witty dialogue. The best scenes in "I Love You, Man" have the instantly quotable banter between Rudd and Segel. When you watch this movie, you can easily picture yourself having the same conversation with your BFF. Rudd and Segel's onscreen chemistry holds together the movie's relatively flimsy plot. While you won't find Apatow's name in the credits, there's no denying his influence on this comedy.
    Seth Rogen's "Observe and Report" (2009), on the other hand, focuses on one character: an unlikable mall cop. There are no chummy, buddy-buddy scenes. Instead, we get date rape, beatdowns and tasers. The movie is so dark and transgressive that one often wonders how it even got a mainstream release. We don't mind the pitch-black humor and mean-spiritedness of Rogen's new film. In all honesty, we enjoyed seeing Travis Bickle shine through Rogen's portrayal of the bipolar Ronnie Barnhardt, but judging by its $11 million opening weekend performance, it looks like "Report" will be as fiscally flaccid as "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" (2008).
    Apatow may have paved the way for young actors like Rogen and Segel, but he also holds the key to their success. As soon as they stray from the Apatovian formula, these actors lose their appeal.
    We know that actors should always strive to be multifaceted and flexible. But take a look at Dennis Quaid. He has been playing the "wise, middle-aged dad who is just reaching the end of his prime, but still sort of has sex appeal if you are into the whole male cougar thing" role for his entire life. And our boy is still making bank.
    Anyway, we have words of advice for Apatow's disciples: stay within your element. Currently, Apatovian comedies are some of the most financially successful and critically acclaimed films out there, so why ruin a good thing? If Seth Rogen wants to continue voicing CG characters named Hogsqueal and B.O.B., that's fine by us. Otherwise, maybe Apatow and Rogen's upcoming 2009 collaboration "Funny People" will help Rogen hop back on the Apatovian bandwagon for good.

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Zach Drucker and Chris Poldoian are freshmen who have not yet declared majors. They can be reached at Zachary.Drucker@tufts.edu and Christopher.Poldoian@tufts.edu.