If there was ever an actor to have benefited the most from Judd Apatow, most may think of Seth Rogen or possibly Jason Segel. Given his history with both actors in the cult classic Freaks and Geeks, both actors have indeed benefited greatly from Apatow. But neither of them have benefited the most. He simply turned two newcomers to the industry into mainstream stars. The one actor who has – is Paul Rudd. An actor who has been in the industry prior to Apatow going big time, now is his almost go-to guy.
Up until Anchorman, Paul Rudd was that guy in Clueless who had a crush on Alicia Silverstone’s character. He was that guy who was going crazy over assumptions his girlfriend was cheating on him in Overnight Delivery, co-starring Reese Witherspoon. He was that guy who tried hooking up with Claire Danes before Leo DiCaprio did in Romeo + Juliet.
Now Paul Rudd is on nearly every main stream comedy to come out in the last ten years.
(Possible over-exaggeration there)
Rudd has shared his duties both as the star as well as supporting cast. One of his supporting roles came in 2007′s massively popular Knocked Up, which shot Seth Rogen into Hollywood fame. It seems like the audience really took a liking into Rudd’s character of Pete and his on-screen wife Debbie (played by Apatow’s wife Leslie Mann), as they are getting their own spin off five years later in the upcoming This Is 40.
It makes sense in terms of story for this to come into fruition. Throughout Knocked Up, Debbie kept battling with herself regarding her age when compared to her younger, more sexier sister Alison. The question is, do Pete and Debbie deserve their own movie?
Granted, it’s not a sequel, just a spin off. Seth Rogen may make an appearance but I doubt we’ll see Katherine Heigl reprise her role as Alison given the trash talk she spoke about Knocked Up a few years back. By watching the trailer you see Jason Segel makes a cameo.
What about Jonah Hill and Jay Baruchel?
Judd Apatow movies take some time for me to enjoy. I don’t run right out and see them, I normally wait for the DVD and go from there. Obviously he has scored some instant hits. Knocked Up, The 40 Year Old Virgin, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall are amongst my favorites. To clarify, I do understand that Apatow was merely a producer of Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
It took me a couple years to enjoy Anchorman. I originally hated the hell out of it. Bring on Anchorman 2.
Funny People was somewhat funny.
What do you think, will a sort-of sequel to Knocked Up work?
Check out the trailer to This Is 40 below, the movie is set to release December 21, 2012:
