Every week at SiftPop.com, we challenge our writers to choose what they think is the best movie under a certain topic related to a recent release. So this week, with the release of Judd Apatow-produced and Nicholas Stoller-directed, Bros, we’re counting down our favorite movies produced by Apatow! Let us know @SiftPop what your ranking is!
The Cable Guy is one of the best dark comedies, and until this week, I had no idea it was connected to Judd Apatow. The movie tells the story of Steven Kovacs (Matthew Broderick), who has been kicked out of his apartment by his girlfriend Robin (Leslie Mann), and in his new place begrudgingly befriends The Cable Guy (Jim Carrey). When Steven’s friend Rick (Jack Black) learns some disturbing things about this Cable Guy, Steven ends his reluctant friendship with the Cable Guy. That’s when the trouble starts. Ben Stiller directs this brilliant dark comedy with a great cast. Broderick and Carrey work great together and bring a bit of light to this dark comedy. Carrey’s physical comedy is perfect for this role, and while it’s not the most known of his roles, it is definitely one you shouldn’t miss. Apatow serves as a producer on this film, and with as many comedies as he has written, directed, or produced over the years, this one stands with some of his best. (Austen Terry)
What is the best way to celebrate a new Judd Apatow and Nicholas Stoller collaboration coming out? By talking about their best collaboration to date! Forgetting Sarah Marshall is a rom-com that focuses more on the recovery from a broken heart, but still delivers the romance we expect. Jason Segel is a revelation, as he gets to have all the fun in the world. His portrayal of rock bottom sadness is incredibly relatable. The rest of the cast is top notch as well, with the likes of Kristen Bell, Russell Brand, and Mila Kunis up front. But the real laughs come from the impressive cast of supporting characters, including Bill Hader, Paul Rudd, Jonah Hill, and Jack McBrayer. The script delivers top notch humor from Segel sulking, to his Dracula the Musical. There are few comedies from the mid-aughts that deliver this many laughs with relatable themes that will leave you hopeful. This is the best breakup flick around, and you should relish in that fact. (Shane Conto)
Adam McKay pulls out the maximum amount of comical energy from the situation where two men children are having to live under the same roof as one another. Step Brothers once again is a partnership between director McKay and his unusual muses, Will Ferrell, and John C. Reilly (first paired up in Talladega Nights in 2006). Ferrell and Reilly have unparalleled comedic chemistry, and it shines bright in this film. It is an impossible task to not quote this movie after initially viewing it, and not letting out a chuckle when remembering something ridiculous that takes place in the film. Richard Jenkins and Mary Steenburgen are great as the parents of these middle-aged man babies. They are completely stretched to their limits with having to deal with Brennan and Dale’s escalation of events and incidents. It is fun to see that these two have so much in common and how they slowly start to click due to their staggering similar mentality and interests. Step Brothers is a film that will have you wanting to build hazardous bunk beds and play Karate in the garage with your best friend. (Joe Vargas)
If you’re a parent, there are a lot of emotions that run through your head when you watch Knocked Up. There’s a rush of a lot of different emotions when you find out you’re going to be a parent. There’s anger, sadness, confusion, panic, happiness. When Ben (Seth Rogen) finds out his one night stand with Alison (Katherine Heigl) ended up with her becoming pregnant, he has all these emotions. The main emotion though is wonder. Am I going to be a good parent? Can we do this together? What do I need to do beforehand? What is going to happen to my current lifestyle? As a guy who’s a slacker and stoner, Ben has to come to grips with the reality that his life is going to be altered forever, and he has to decide whether it’s time to grow up or time to flee in panic. Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann give great performances and Alison’s brother-in-law and sister, respectively. Ben’s roommates are hilarious, as they just appear to be a group of friends who improv most of their lines together. Ben’s dad (Harold Ramis) is the voice of reason here who helps Ben whip into shape. Knocked Up blends hilarious comedy with real life stakes. It is a must watch for anyone who is nervous about becoming a parent. (Mike Hilty)
You want to know what makes Bridesmaids an all-time classic? It mixes a fairly unfunny setting, being a bridesmaid, with some of the funniest talent out there. Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Ellie Kemper, Melissa McCarthy, Wendie McLendon-Covey, and add in small roles from Terry Crews and Rebel Wislon. Wow, you have a lineup there. Specifically the collection of comedic talent in the wedding party combines for some really unique situations and dynamics among the group. They are able to make some of the more mundane activities a wedding party does very interesting. The dress shopping scene is grotesque in some parts, but it is hilarious. The speech-off at the engagement scene is peak cringe comedy. My personal favorite part of the movie is the side friendship that forms between Rita (McLendon-Covey) and Becca (Kemper); the awkwardness and mentor-student style dynamic they have makes some hilarious exchanges. Without question, Bridesmaids is a comedy classic. If you have not already, you should give it a shot. (Also, I watched it on my honeymoon with my wife and tweeted at Andy Buckley, who plays Rose Byrne’s husband, about it, and he actually responded. He congratulated me on getting married, guys. David Wallace approved of my marriage!) (Sam Nichols)
Mainly known for producing more straight-up comedic efforts, this one was a bit of a change of pace for Judd Apatow. Begin Again follows a down-on-his-luck music producer (Mark Ruffalo) who finds himself reinvigorated by a partnership with a young singer-songwriter (Keira Knightley). Though it still has comedic elements, what stands out about this movie is its heart. It just has a knack for putting a smile on your face. This film did a couple of things. First, it introduced me to writer and director John Carney, who would follow this up with Sing Street. Secondly, while Ruffalo and Hailee Steinfeld (as Ruffalo’s daughter) are fantastic as always. I had never been a huge Keira Knightley fan, but this film forced me to change my tune on that front. If you’re not generally a fan of Apatow’s usual comedic tastes, this film might be more your speed. It’s got charm in spades, and you’d be hard-pressed not to fall under its spell. (Jake Bourgeois)
“Boy, that escalated quickly… I mean, that really got out of hand fast.” I have been trying to come up with a more iconic comedy since the 2000s began, but I am struggling. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is the true definition of lighting in the bottle. Not only were there great people behind the camera (this was a debut feature film for Adam McKay), but there were so many established stars (Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd) and soon-to-be big star” (Steve Carell, David Koechner, or Kathryn Hahn), it was almost impossible for this film to fail. And talk about cultural impact. You could quote at least 10 lines from this film, and most people would recognise them instantly. We also have many memes from this film; many get used by people who have not seen it at all. Maybe that’s the secret behind this movie’s success: its relatability. We all have known people like Ron, and if not him, one of his buddies for sure. Comedy works best when you can relate to it, when you recognize the elements, and who would not have recognized a bunch of idiots who are, at times, even more simplistic than your average Joe? Anchorman is a bonafide legend in comedy films. The fact that it will soon turn 20 years old (!), and we don’t have that many comedies to dethrone it, tells you everything you need to know. But, hey, we should stay classy, San Diego… (Luke Burian)
I recently had the chance to watch this movie for the first time (on Thursday morning at 4 a.m. when my baby daughter decided to wake up and need a bottle) and let me tell you, it is not at all what I was expecting, but in a great way. The mockumentary is a style of film that doesn’t get as much love as it deserves. Christopher Guest has pretty much cornered the market on mockumentaries in film. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping uses the mockumentary style of filmmaking wonderfully, while also accenting the comedy from The Lonely Island boys. The story revolves around Conner (Andy Sandberg), who leaves his rap boy band group to pursue a solo career. Once he realizes his album is a flop, Conner has to make a decision about how he can continue his famous status. The commentary this has about being famous and what it means to be part of a group is strong. Sandberg gets strong support from co-stars, co-writers, and directors Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone. If you have not checked this one out, drop everything and go watch it! (Mike Hilty)
It’s the last days of high school, graduation is coming, and of course, it’s the summer before college. But for our boys Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera), it’s all about going to parties and losing their virginities, and in Judd Apatow’s style, everything goes awry. As my favorite Apatow film, Superbad is the story of doing it big, and scoring some booze and a Hawaii license with one name on it. It also shows the story of codependent best friends learning how to let the other go. Along with Seth and Evan, we have their other friend, Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), as the man with the ID with the mononym McLovin, whose job is to get their booze for the night, only to be sent on a wild goose chase with two irresponsible police officers. With a coming-of-age story in the mix, Superbad is hilarious, raunchy, and outrageous. Also, we get an amusing rendition of “These Eyes.” There are moments I never experienced in high school, and for good reasons too. The breakout performances from Cera, Hill, and Mintz-Plasse are the icing on the cake. The rest of the amazing ensemble includes Emma Stone, Bill Hader, and Seth Rogen. This defining filmshows us what it’s like trying to fit in, getting the girl of your dreams, and knowing when it’s time to grow up… sort of. Apatow gave us one of the best high school comedies in the 2000s. Sometimes, it doesn’t hurt to be Superbad. (Chantal Ashford)
The Big Sick, stars Kumail Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan, and is based on the true story of how co-writers and spouses Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon first came to be a couple. It’s the best Judd Apatow produced movie there is. They say write what you know, and this movie proves it. It’s a movie that I had a strong reaction to in theaters. It made me laugh, it made me cry. It brought me to my own personal places involving loved ones and hospitals. Having almost lost my own wife and youngest during child birth, I know the familiar sting of having to stay in hospitals, and watching this with her, I knew she was having a strong reaction to the material as well. It’s both charming and endearing, and all of this is why it’s in my top 10 best of all time. 10/10 no cap. (Frank Kemp)
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
“If you ain’t first, you’re last” is one of the funniest lines in a movie in the last 20 years. Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby skewers NASCAR expertly, while celebrating what makes it great: going fast. Will Ferrell does a great job of playing Ricky Bobby and has some of his funniest moments with John C. Reilly. This is the first film where they discovered the magic that they can both bring to the table together, and they’re comedic gold together. Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen) is a great foil to Ricky, and maybe one day there will be a sequel where Ricky tries Formula One. We lose a little steam in the final act when Ricky is recovering from his injury, but there is a really funny final race. Talladega Nights doesn’t get enough credit, but it’s one of Ferrell’s funniest movies. (Mike Hilty)
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
The 40-Year-Old Virgin was a star-making vehicle for Steve Carell in 2005, and the feature directorial debut of Judd Apatow. The two collaborated on the script that delivers raucous laughs and surprisingly insightful heart at every turn, with Carell’s character, Andy, front and center as the 40-year-old lovable hero, who is indeed a virgin. The unassuming electronics store employee and his perfectly cast coworkers — overly sensitive salesman, David (Paul Rudd), womanizing salesman, Jay (Romany Malco), and filthy-minded stock worker, Cal (Seth Rogen) — become fast friends and declare it their collective mission to end Andy’s decades-long drought. It’s a coming-of-age narrative, popularized by many teen comedies, recontextualized for the middle-aged, fueled by masculinity, with sincerity at its center. The promised rite of passage that will bestow manhood upon him proves to be overwhelming for Andy, but he becomes genuinely inspired to pursue a meaningful relationship. There’s actually a really sweet message of abstinence at the core of this film, and despite the pressure from his friends, Andy resists the temptation of one-night-stands and stays true to his feelings for Trish (Catherine Keener), who believes they should take things slow. Andy ultimately explain to her all of his insecurities, which only further endears him to her. He does inevitably lose his virginity, but only after marrying Trish, underscoring a deep-seated moral of this comedy, that waiting for not just the right moment, but the right person, is wholly satisfying. (Jonathan Fedee)
The King of Staten Island
Sometimes a movie sells itself to me immediately, where just seeing promotional material is enough for me to know how great it is. Others, such as The King of Staten Island, need time to really show their greatness to me. Judd Apatow and Pete Davidson manage to really catch lightning in a bottle here, with a story that at times can be beautiful, while others nearly gut wrenching. It’s a story about opening up to things that bother you, allowing yourself to grow and to become a better person, and about second chances. It’s a story of someone hitting rock bottom and, with the right support, managing to turn things around and to get to a better place in life. It took me some time for it to grow on me, but I can safely say The King of Staten Island may be one of my favorite movies in recent memory. (Joseph Davis)
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
No musical biopic can escape the satire of Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. It perfectly mocks the genre’s clichés of awkward debut performances, getting song ideas during a conflict, drug abuse, infidelity, and more. While Walk the Line, Ray, and The Doors are the primary targets, the parody, co-written by Judd Apatow and Jake Kasdan, is familiar to biopics released since including Bohemian Rhapsody, Elvis, and Rocketman. John C. Reilly headlines a stunning cast as Dewey Cox in his journey from accidental brother murderer to rock star. Reilly emulates Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, and more, while landing rapid jokes and bringing heart to make you care. The comedy is matched by the soundtrack with Reilly singing and playing guitar. There are hysterical tracks like the innuendo-laden “Let’s Duet,” great imitations like “Black Sheep,” and genuinely great songs like “Walk Hard” and “Guilty As Charged.” Kristen Wiig and Jenna Fischer steal scenes as Dewey’s wives, and Tim Meadows kills as a bandmate trying to talk Dewey out of trying new drugs, while his words serve as a commercial for them. Much care is also put into the countless cameos. Deliberately miscast for comedic effect, some of the highlights include Jack White as Elvis and the combo of Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Justin Long, and Jason Schwartzman as The Beatles. The best parody film of the 21st century, Walk Hard is ambitious in its scale and comedic pacing, and somehow it manages to hit all the right notes. (Jason Mack)
This is 40
When I first started watching This is 40, I remember people had been telling me it was relatable no matter who you were. As someone who isn’t 40 yet (though not far off), doesn’t have kids, and isn’t married, I didn’t believe it would be. But there is just so much life-based stuff here that it’s pretty much guaranteed there will be something in here that you will find relatable. Nibbling on cakes or sweets randomly throughout the day? Yep, been there. Playing a mobile game on the toilet for half an hour? Done that way too many times. Being embarrassed to tell strangers you will never see again what year you were born? That’s becoming increasingly frequent for me now. There isn’t a straightforward plot to this; it just shows married couple Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann) dealing with various life problems and conflicts. Mann in particular gives a standout performance. Her emotional scenes had a real impact on me. It’s strange because I couldn’t stand her in Knocked Up,and she’s playing the same character in this. Other things to do with raising kids and conflicts with co-workers or in-laws seem very true to what I’ve seen others going through. The running gag with the daughter watching Lost will probably seem dated in a few years, if it doesn’t already. However, it was refreshing to see someone liked that show’s ending, albeit a fictional character. (John Tillyard)
Also See: Pineapple Express, Trainwreck, Get Him to the Greek, Funny People, The Five-Year Engagement