“Unconscious Levels of Funny” Judd Apatow on ‘Sicker In The Head’ & Beyond
The 2022 book Sicker In The Head includes conversations with Cameron Crowe, David Letterman, John Mulaney, Kevin Hart, Margaret Cho, Whoopi Goldberg, and Will Ferrell, among others. By simply asking “how are you doing?” during the pandemic, Apatow felt he could grow as a creative and a person based on many of the responses from […]
“The Depth Of Comedy Characters” Judd Apatow on ‘George Carlin’s American Dream’ & Beyond
“When I was a kid, all I wanted to do was stand-up. I probably had some idea of being Eddie Murphy or Bill Murray, like we all did,” said Judd Apatow, “but I love the idea of doing stand-up. I did it for 7 years when I was in high school, took off a couple […]
6 Ways Comedy Fails
Comedy is such a peculiar writing beast. It is so contextual, timing and culture-specific. Even broad comedy which caters to the widest crowd may be met with a frown. Sometimes, it call comes down to personal taste. Some people don’t find certain things funny. The same people may find something funny the first time but […]
4 Common Comedy Missteps
Even seasoned screenwriters can struggle when venturing into comedy for the first time. Unlike drama, comedy has additional structures and considerations that have to be understood for the work to succeed. Humor is what makes you laugh, while comedy must be linked to a situation, context or character. Here are some common missteps writers make […]
“Downhill” Misses the Subtleties of the Original in Remaking “Force Majeure”
If you’ve never seen Force Majeure, the 2014 French/Swedish production, then its 2020 American remake will likely be amusing enough for you. However, if you have seen the original, then you’ll realize Downhill doesn’t quite succeed as a sublime comedy of manners like its predecessor did. Even though stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell are […]
