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Apatow's next script was entitled ''Making Amends'' and had [[Owen Wilson]] attached as a man in [[Alcoholics Anonymous]] who decides to apologize to everyone he has ever hurt. Apatow used [[Cameron Crowe]] and Crowe's movie ''[[Jerry Maguire]]'' as a role model. However, the film was never made.<ref name="variety" /> Apatow did an uncredited rewrite of the 1998 [[Adam Sandler]] comedy ''[[The Wedding Singer]]''.<ref name="variety" />
Apatow's next script was entitled ''Making Amends'' and had [[Owen Wilson]] attached as a man in [[Alcoholics Anonymous]] who decides to apologize to everyone he has ever hurt. Apatow used [[Cameron Crowe]] and Crowe's movie ''[[Jerry Maguire]]'' as a role model. However, the film was never made.<ref name="variety" /> Apatow did an uncredited rewrite of the 1998 [[Adam Sandler]] comedy ''[[The Wedding Singer]]''.<ref name="variety" />


In 1999 and 2001, Apatow was a creative force behind ''[[Freaks and Geeks]]'' and ''[[Undeclared]]'', both of which were quickly canceled due to low ratings, lasting only one season, but which [[Susan Wloszczyna]] called "two of the most acclaimed TV series to ever last only one season".<ref name="usatoday">Wloszczyna, Susan. "[http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2007-05-06-judd-apatow_N.htm For Apatow, opportunity knocks]," ''[[USA Today]]'', 2007-05-06. Retrieved on [[June 4]], [[2007]].</ref> Both shows developed [[cult following]]s{{fact}} and helped to launch the careers of several young stars including [[Linda Cardellini]], [[James Franco]], [[Seth Rogen]], [[Jason Segel]] and [[Jay Baruchel]], among others.
In 1999 and 2001, Apatow was a creative force behind ''[[Freaks and Geeks]]'' and ''[[Undeclared]]'', both of which were quickly canceled due to low ratings, lasting only one season, but which [[Susan Wloszczyna]] called "two of the most acclaimed TV series to ever last only one season".<ref name="usatoday">Wloszczyna, Susan. "[http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2007-05-06-judd-apatow_N.htm For Apatow, opportunity knocks]," ''[[USA Today]]'', 2007-05-06. Retrieved on [[June 4]], [[2007]].</ref> Both shows developed [[cult following]]s{{Fact|date=January 2008}} and helped to launch the careers of several young stars including [[Linda Cardellini]], [[James Franco]], [[Seth Rogen]], [[Jason Segel]] and [[Jay Baruchel]], among others.


===Career breakthrough===
===Career breakthrough===

Revision as of 13:47, 17 January 2008

Judd Apatow
Judd Apatow
Occupation(s)Film director
Writer
Producer
Actor
SpouseLeslie Mann
Children2
WebsiteMySpace.com/JuddApatow

Judd Apatow (born December 6, 1967) is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. He is best known for producing a distinct series of comedy films which are almost synonymous with his name (e.g., The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up and Superbad). He also is the founder of Apatow Productions, his own production company.

Biography

Childhood

Apatow was born in Syosset, New York to a Jewish family.[1] He describes his childhood as nerdy but tranquil.[2] He was small for his age and was always picked last for teams, but he had many friends. He was obsessed with entertainment and comedy, and his childhood hero was comedian Steve Martin.[2] He has an older brother Robert and a younger sister Mia.[2] His father was a real estate developer and his mother worked at a comedy club in Southampton.[2]

Apatow's parents divorced when he was 12 years old. His brother Robert went to live with his grandparents and his sister Mia went to live with his mother. Apatow went to live with his father and visited his mother on weekends. His parents were both devoted to his obsession with comedy.[2] He got his start in comedy while attending Syosset High School, where he was the host of a program on the school's 10-watt radio station known as Club Comedy. He used his mother's contacts at the comedy club to gain access to the comedians.[2] During his time at the radio station, he managed to interview Steve Allen, Howard Stern, Harold Ramis and John Candy, and then-unknowns Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno, Steven Wright and Garry Shandling. [3]

Early struggles

He began performing stand-up comedy at age 17, during his senior year of high school.[2] After graduating from high school in 1985, he moved to Los Angeles and enrolled in the screenwriting program at University of Southern California.[2] He soon began volunteering at Comic Relief and introducing comedians at the Improv.[2] Apatow dropped out of USC after two years and moved into an apartment with comedian Adam Sandler, whom he met at the Improv.[2] He also continued performing standup comedy; and he admits that although his act was well-written, he was unable to develop his own unique comedic personality.[4]

Apatow began writing jokes for others, including Roseanne Barr,[4] after finding little success as a performer himself.[3] He appeared on HBO's 15th Annual Young Comedians Special in 1992.[1] In 1990, Apatow met Ben Stiller outside of an Elvis Costello show, and they became friends.[2] In 1992, Apatow produced The Ben Stiller Show for Fox. Although the show was critically acclaimed and earned Apatow and the rest of the writing staff an Emmy Award, Fox canceled the show in 1993.

Apatow's manager, Jimmy Miller, introduced him to comedian Garry Shandling, who hired Apatow as a writer and producer for The Larry Sanders Show in 1993. Apatow worked on the show for five years until the show's end in 1998.[4] Apatow credits Garry Shandling as his mentor for influencing him to write comedy that is more character-driven.[4] Apatow earned six Emmy nominations for his work on Larry Sanders.

Apatow was hired to re-write Lou Holtz' script for the movie The Cable Guy, which was released in 1996. He expected the film to be a huge success, but it was a critical and commercial failure.[5] However, the movie would prove to be a major personal success for Apatow, in that he met his wife, Leslie Mann, during the shooting for it.

Apatow's next script was entitled Making Amends and had Owen Wilson attached as a man in Alcoholics Anonymous who decides to apologize to everyone he has ever hurt. Apatow used Cameron Crowe and Crowe's movie Jerry Maguire as a role model. However, the film was never made.[5] Apatow did an uncredited rewrite of the 1998 Adam Sandler comedy The Wedding Singer.[5]

In 1999 and 2001, Apatow was a creative force behind Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, both of which were quickly canceled due to low ratings, lasting only one season, but which Susan Wloszczyna called "two of the most acclaimed TV series to ever last only one season".[6] Both shows developed cult followings[citation needed] and helped to launch the careers of several young stars including Linda Cardellini, James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel and Jay Baruchel, among others.

Career breakthrough

In 2004, Apatow produced the hit comedy Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, starring Will Ferrell, his first hit after a string of critically-acclaimed, relatively obscure shows.

He directed and co-wrote the comedy The 40-Year-Old Virgin, which was nominated for best original screenplay by the Writers Guild of America,[7]. The 40-Year-Old Virgin was a sleeper hit.[5] The film grossed $177 million worldwide and made many critics' Top 10 lists for the year.[2] Also in 2005, Apatow wrote the Jim Carrey comedy Fun with Dick and Jane.

Apatow's most recent directed film, Knocked Up, was released in June 2007 to wide critical acclaim, despite accusations of plagiarism from Canadian writer Rebecca Eckler[8][9] and misogynism by lead actress Katherine Heigl.[10] Apatow wrote the initial draft of the film on the set of Talladega Nights.[4] In addition to being a critical success, the film was also a commercial hit, continuing Apatow's newfound success.

In fall of 2006, Apatow produced the film Superbad, which was written by Seth Rogen and his writing partner Evan Goldberg. Apatow first convinced Rogen to write the film as a vehicle for himself in 2000. Rogen and Goldberg wrote the film, but were unable to get the project produced because studios were uninterested. After Apatow produced the hit Anchorman, studios were still uninterested. So, Apatow enlisted Rogen and Goldberg to write The Pineapple Express, a stoner action movie that he felt would be more commercial. After the success of Virgin, Apatow was still unable to sell both Superbad and Pineapple Express; but after he produced the huge hit Talladega Nights, Sony Pictures Entertainment decided to produce both.[5] At this point, Rogen was unable to play the lead for Superbad, as he had grown too old to play the part of Seth. Subsequently, he was cast in a supporting role as a police officer and friend Jonah Hill took his role as the high school student. Apatow credits Rogen for influencing him to make his work more "outrageously dirty." [4] In August 2007, Superbad opened at #1 in the box office to critical acclaim, taking in $33 million in its opening weekend. [11] Industry insiders claimed Apatow was now a brand unto himself, creating movies geared toward older audiences, who would watch his movies even when the films delved into the teen genre. [12]

Due to the success of sleeper hits Knocked Up and Superbad, Apatow has recently been named the smartest person in all Hollywood by Entertainment Weekly. [13] The magazine also nicknamed Apatow, Mann, Rogen, Paul Rudd, and Jonah Hill as "The Apatow Gang", and named them as one of the Top 25 Entertainers of 2007. [14]

Discussing the balance his films strike between R-rated vulgarity and a more wholesome sentimentality, the writer-director explained his position as, "I like movies that are, you know, uplifting and hopeful...and I like filth!"[15]

Apatow has helped to foster the acting careers of Steve Carell and Seth Rogen, and also tends to work with his close friends.[4] He has frequently worked with producer Shauna Robertson, whom he met on the set of Elf.[5] He reunited with Jason Segel and Amy Poehler for the 2001 Fox sitcom pilot, North Hollywood. He tries to keep a low budget on his projects and usually makes his movies about the work itself rather than using big stars.[4] After his success in film, he hired the entire writing staff from Undeclared to write movies for Apatow Productions.[4] He never fires writers and he keeps them on projects through all stages of productions.[4] Apatow is not committed to any specific studio, but his projects are typically set up at Universal and Sony.[4]

Accusations of sexism

New York Magazine noted that Mike White (occasional producer and comedic writer for School of Rock, Freaks and Geeks, Orange County and Nacho Libre) was "disenchanted" by Judd Apatow's later films, "objecting to the treatment of women and gay men in Apatow's recent movies," saying of Knocked Up, "At some point it starts feeling like comedy of the bullies, rather than the bullied."[16]

In the wake of widespread media attention to accusations of sexism (including articles in New York Magazine, The New Yorker, Slate, The Los Angeles Times, USA Today, The Guardian, Vanity Fair and People) against director and producer Apatow and his film Knocked Up,[17][18][19][20][21][22] Apatow has claimed to strive to avoid marginalizing women in his work and to develop authentic female characters.[6] In early reviews, both Slate's Dana Stevens and the Los Angeles Times' Carina Chocano wrote articles noting the sexist attitudes propagated by the film Knocked Up, a topic which was the primary focus of a Slate magazine podcast.[23] An online survey of 927 individuals was performed by lifestyle publication Buzzsugar (a media product of Sugar Publishing) in which the majority (59%) of movie-goers agreed that Apatow's film was sexist or could be viewed as sexist (while 38% were not personally offended) and 37% of viewers saw the film as devoid of sexist aspects.[24] In his review for The Guardian, humorist Joe Queenan called Knocked Up "the latest in a new genre of romantic comedies in which an unappealing hero gets together with a gorgeous, successful woman."[25]

Following many of these accusations, in a highly-publicized Vanity Fair interview, lead actor Katherine Heigl admitted that though she enjoyed working with Apatow, she had a hard time enjoying the film itself, calling the movie, "a little sexist," claiming that the film "paints the women as shrews, as humorless and uptight, and it paints the men as lovable, goofy, fun-loving guys."[26][27]

Meghan O'Rourke of Slate magazine called Heigl's comments unsurprising, noting "Knocked Up was, as David Denby put it in The New Yorker, the culminating artifact in what had become 'the dominant romantic-comedy trend of the past several years—the slovenly hipster and the female straight arrow.'"[28] This trend seemed to be similarly propagated in Apatow's later and highly successful film, Superbad. In response Apatow did not initially deny the validity of such accusations, saying flippantly, "I'm just shocked she [Heigl] used the word shrew. I mean, what is this the sixteen-hundreds?"[29] possibly in reference to the conservative nature of Heigl's faith as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[30]

Heigl's comments spurred widespread reaction in the media, primarily consisting of ad hominem attacks (similar to Apatow's own comments) in which she was called "an ungrateful traitor," "hypocrite," and "assertive, impatient go-getter who quickly tired of waiting for her boyfriend to propose," in some cases debasing her religious beliefs and criticizing her private life and personal relationships.[31][32] Media pressure forced Heigl to clarify her initial comments in People magazine, stating that, "My motive was to encourage other women like myself to not take that element of the movie too seriously and to remember that it's a broad comedy," adding that, "Although I stand behind my opinion, I'm disheartened that it has become the focus of my experience with the movie."[33]

New York Magazine quotes Apatow as admitting, "I think the characters [in Knocked Up] are sexist at times, but it's really about immature people who are afraid of women," and that Heigl's comments were "taken out of context," dismissing their significance as true and meaningful accusations of sexism and ultimately conceding that the controversy aids in sales of his films, noting that, "It reminds people that they need to buy Knocked Up on DVD and judge for themselves,"[34]. In response to one of Apatow's remarks (i.e., "If people say that the characters are sexist, I say, yeah, that's what I was going for....") a New York Magazine article noted that Apatow was not responding to the nature of the accusations, which were not directed at his characters but rather the movie itself, saying, "the characters aren't all that sexist, but the movie kind of is," adding that, "The problems with Knocked Up have been pointed out by many writers..."[35]

Personal

Apatow admires filmmakers James L. Brooks, Hal Ashby, Robert Altman and John Cassavetes.[5] The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences rejected his application for membership, even though he was sponsored by Academy Award-winning screenwriters Akiva Goldsman and Stephen Gaghan.[6]

Apatow is married to actress Leslie Mann, whom he met on the set of The Cable Guy and who has appeared in both The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up.[36] The couple have two daughters, Maude and Iris. Both girls appeared in Knocked Up.[37] He currently resides in Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles, California with his family.[2]


Filmography

Film

Year Title Notes
1992 Crossing the Bridge Associate producer
1995 Heavyweights Writer, executive producer
1996 Celtic Pride Story, screenplay, executive producer
The Cable Guy Producer
2004 Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy Producer
Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie Producer (direct-to-video)
2005 Kicking & Screaming Executive producer
The 40 Year-Old Virgin Director, writer, producer
Fun with Dick and Jane Story, screenplay
2006 Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby Producer
The TV Set Executive producer
American Storage Executive producer (short film)
2007 Knocked Up Director, writer, producer
Superbad Producer
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story Writer, producer
2008 Drillbit Taylor Producer (completed)
Forgetting Sarah Marshall Producer (completed)
The Pineapple Express Producer (completed)
You Don't Mess with the Zohan Writer (completed)
Step Brothers Producer (post-production)
2009 Year One Producer (filming)
I Love You, Man Executive producer (pre-production)
Pure Imagination Producer (in-development)
The Middle Child Producer (in-development)
A Whole New Hugh Producer (in-development)
Attorneys at Raw Producer (in-development)

Television

Year Title Notes
1992-1993 The Ben Stiller Show Co-creator, writer, executive producer
1993-1998 The Larry Sanders Show Director, writer, co-executive producer, consulting producer
1994-1995 The Critic Writer, consulting producer
1999-2000 Freaks and Geeks Director, writer, executive producer
2001-2002 Undeclared Creator, director, writer, executive producer

References

  1. ^ a b Michaels, Chad (May 23, 2007). "Judd Apatow Interview". Wild About Movies. Retrieved 2007-06-04. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Minton, Jeff. "Judd Apatow's Family Values", New York Times, 2007-05-27. Retrieved on June 4, 2007.
  3. ^ a b Maher, Ken (May 31, 2007). "Gross-out for grown-ups". Times Online. Retrieved 2007-06-04. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Abramowitz, Rachel. "Judd Apatow, the mayor of comedy", The LA Times, 2007-05-13. Retrieved on June 4, 2007.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Thompson, Anne. "Hot Apatow new king of comedy", Variety, 2007-05-11. Retrieved on June 4, 2007.
  6. ^ a b c Wloszczyna, Susan. "For Apatow, opportunity knocks," USA Today, 2007-05-06. Retrieved on June 4, 2007.
  7. ^ Buckalew, Brett (August 18, 2006). "No Longer a Feature Film Virgin". Filmstew.com. Retrieved 2007-06-04. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  8. ^ Eckler, Rebecca: "Is That my Baby on the Screen", page 69-71. Maclean's Magazine, Volume 120 Number 22, June 11, 2007
  9. ^ ""Knocked Up" is 2007's Best-Reviewed Wide Release". Rotten Tomatoes. June 1, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-04.
  10. ^ "Katherine Heigl Talks About Marriage, Ratings Ploys, and Why She Thinks Knocked Up Is Sexist" (Press release). Vanity Fair. December 3, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
  11. ^ "How did 'Superbad' top the box office?". Los Angeles Times. August 23, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-26. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ "Paul Dergarabedian Watch: Paul D. Explains the Judd Apatow Phenomenon". New York Magazine Holdings LLC. August 20, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-26. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ 50 Smartest People in Hollywood: 1. Judd Apatow
  14. ^ Top Stars of 2007 - 2007'S Class Clowns: The Apatow Gang
  15. ^ http://www.bigpictureradio.com/juddapatowinterview.htm
  16. ^ New York Entertainment. http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2007/05/mike_white_calls_out_judd_apat.html Mike White Calls Out Judd Apatow
  17. ^ New York Magazine http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2007/06/knocked_up_the_nussbaumsternbe.html ‘Knocked Up’ Brings the Gender Wars Back!
  18. ^ "Katherine Heigl Talks About Marriage, Ratings Ploys, and Why She Thinks Knocked Up Is Sexist" (Press release). Vanity Fair. December 3, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
  19. ^ "Katherine Heigl Clarifies Knocked Up Remarks". People Magazine. December 7, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
  20. ^ O'Rourke, Meghan. http://www.slate.com/id/2179621/ Katherine Heigl's Knocked Up
  21. ^ Joe Queenan (2007-09-04). "Dumb and dumber". The Guardian. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
  22. ^ Wloszczyna, Susan. "For Apatow, opportunity knocks," USA Today, 2007-05-06. Retrieved on June 4, 2007.
  23. ^ New York Magazine http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2007/06/knocked_up_the_nussbaumsternbe.html ‘Knocked Up’ Brings the Gender Wars Back!
  24. ^ "Do You Think Knocked Up Is Sexist?". Buzzsugar. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
  25. ^ Joe Queenan (2007-09-04). "Dumb and dumber". The Guardian. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
  26. ^ "Katherine Heigl Talks About Marriage, Ratings Ploys, and Why She Thinks Knocked Up Is Sexist" (Press release). Vanity Fair. December 3, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
  27. ^ Associated Press. Heigl having 'a really hard time' with 'Grey's' affair 2004. Retrieved on December 14, 2007.
  28. ^ O'Rourke, Meghan. http://www.slate.com/id/2179621/ Katherine Heigl's Knocked Up
  29. ^ HollyScoop Interview http://www.hollyscoop.com/katherine-heigl/knocked-up-director-fires-back-at-heigl_13796.aspx and/or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoCLGOulxP4
  30. ^ "Interview". FHM (archived at kheigl.com). 2004. Retrieved 2007-09-17. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  31. ^ "Katherine Heigl On How "Knocked Up" Is Sexist, Ratings Ploys And Mormonism?". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
  32. ^ "CALM DOWN! Katherine Heigl Did Not "Slam" Knocked Up". The Movie Blog. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
  33. ^ "Katherine Heigl Clarifies Knocked Up Remarks". People Magazine. December 7, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
  34. ^ Youn, Soo. New York Magazine http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2007/12/marketing_genius_judd_apatow_t.html Marketing Genius Judd Apatow Turns Katherine Heigl's ‘Knocked Up’ Slam Into a Sales Pitch
  35. ^ New York Magazine. http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2007/12/judd_apatow_comedy_scientist.html Year in Review: Judd Apatow Is the Man
  36. ^ Koltnow, Barry (June 1, 2007). "A couple that films together ..." The Orange County Register. Retrieved 2007-06-04. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  37. ^ "Judd Apatow emerges as behind-the-scenes maestro in thriving comedy era". The Boston Herald. May 5, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-04. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

External links

Interviews

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