Director of '40 Year Old Virgin' returns

(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-06-01 16:44

LOS ANGELES - Move over Spider-Man and Capt. Jack Sparrow. You've already proven yourselves. Now Hollywood wants to know if the man behind a very popular 40-year-old virgin can repeat his success.

And if early reviews and advance buzz are any guide, then Judd Apatow's first directorial effort after "The 40 Year Old Virgin," a surprise box-office hit of 2005, could be a summer sleeper of the first order.

After all, "Virgin" grossed $177 million in theaters after costing only $28 million to make.

So far the 2007 summer movie season has been dominated by three big-budget, big-studio sequels - "Spider-Man 3," "Shrek the Third" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" - that have raked in the box office gold.

But Apatow's "Knocked Up" stands out for being an original adult comedy with a potty mouth and big heart. It is about a one-night stand in which the woman becomes pregnant and the pot-puffing slacker anti-hero decides to put his life in order to be a father, even if the woman can't stand the sight of him.

Apatow, who calls his film a beauty-and-beast saga, has earned a reputation as Hollywood's leading comedy impresario by producing the Jim Carrey movie "The Cable Guy" and a trio of Will Ferrell hits, including "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby."

"It's very hard to make comedies that are good, but what you definitely need is a story, even a simple one. Your creative team needs to have passion for a project, especially if you're doing high-concept or cookie-cutter films," he said in a recent interview with Reuters.

"For me what works is to take a high concept like 'The 40 Year Old Virgin,' which is a comedy title that says a lot, and expand it into something relatable and romantic.

"'Knocked Up,' which is somewhat of a one-night stand between beauty and the beast, also enters into more serious themes, like dealing with parenthood and dealing with youthful, often immature relations."

Apatow, who grew up watching television talk shows while his peers were playing sports, knows his success may be separating him from today's seemingly young moviegoer rather than bringing him closer to them.

"I think my personal pain and wounds to get where I am are deep enough to keep me going a little while longer," he said with a laugh.

"But I understand the need for any creative person to maintain their edge in the face of success," Apatow added. "I read an interview with John Cleese, who I think is one of the funniest people who ever lived, where he said that he knew he wasn't as funny as he used to be because he's no longer as angry as he was, and that's where his humor came from."