I’m not naïve enough to think just because “Knocked Up” and “Superbad” were two of the most favorably reviewed and most profitable films of the year that Seth Rogen will be an Oscar nominee. Sorry, Seth, but it’s not going to happen.
That being said, would it be that outlandish to think that an actor who specializes in comedy should immediately be written off come Oscar time? Should those who do exemplary work in dramas automatically be given a leg up every year when awards season rolls around?
It sure seems that way if you look at the nominees — both in the acting categories and for best picture — over the history of the Academy Awards. Comedies have forever been given short shrift when voters mark their ballot. I guess it’s because there’s a tendency to believe that comedy is easy, just a bunch of folks having a good time and there just happens to be cameras catching all the lunacy. It’s not that simple. Not by a longshot.
While the catchphrase “Death is easy. Comedy is hard” might be a bit dated at this point, it remains completely relevant. Ever try to be the jokester at a party, hoping to make everyone laugh by reliving an amusing situation? Yet, all you end up doing is butchering the anecdote, losing any sense of timing necessary in trying to pull it off, and then end your ill-fated attempt with a “You had to be there.”
Now try to make ’em laugh — sometimes with subtlety but it could be a slapstick routine as well — on a movie set that doesn’t offer any type of feedback. Just you, a couple of actors, director and the crew, all while keeping in mind that the success of a $100 million movie might weigh in the balance of whether audiences laugh or not.
“Knocked Up” is one of my favorite films of the year, thanks to the performances of Rogen, Paul Rudd (who’s a consistent scene stealer nowadays and a Judd Apatow regular player) and actress Katherine Heigl. But most of the credit belongs to Apatow, who might be the funniest guy in Hollywood these days as a true multihyphenate — writer, director, producer and any other title he’s earned.
Learning to hone his writing and directing skills on such gems as “The Larry Sanders Show” and NBC’s underrated gem “Freaks and Geeks,” Apatow now is the go-to guy when it comes to finding the funny. He produced “Anchorman” and the upcoming “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.” He also directed and wrote “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up,” and has about five comedies lined up over the next couple of years.
This year’s other comic gems“Juno” is another comedy this year that, in its finished product, looks quite easy, but don’t kid yourself. Although the film walks a perfect balance between finding the humor and real-world angst in a story about teenage pregnancy, the movie could’ve been a disaster. Credit breakout star Ellen Page for walking that tightrope perfectly, first-time screenwriter Diablo Cody and director Jason Reitman, who, last year, delivered laughs about cigarettes in “Thank You for Smoking.”
And don’t forget the recently released “Dan in Real Life,” a very pleasant comedy — similar to the charming “The Family Stone” a few years back — that smartly combines the can’t-be-taught timing of Steve Carell with the radiance of Juliette Binoche under the direction of Peter Hedges (“Pieces of April”).
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Celebrity Sightings
Looking back to last year, was there a film that delivered more entertainment minute by minute and gave you your money’s worth than “Borat”? But Oscar snubbed our hygiene-immune Kazakhstan friend because the Academy considered the movie nothing more than a bunch of crude, lewd, politically incorrect jokes. And what’s so wrong with that?
Unfortunately, Oscar has always had a way of dismissing brilliant comedies. Sure, they’ve recognized dramedies — those films that successfully mix the two genres — most noticeably with the works of Woody Allen, but how many other films have been unfairly denied best picture nominations that had the audacity to make us laugh rather than make us cry?
“When Harry Met Sally” was a delight when it came out in 1990, but was resigned to a screenplay nomination. There’s never been an argument that Steve Martin isn’t a comic genius, yet the guy can’t even get a sniff of an Oscar. I’m smiling right now, just thinking of the scene where Eddie Murphy runs across the freeway in the uproarious “Bowfinger,” yet the Academy didn’t think the film or actors in it were Oscar worthy. Shame on them.
There are many other examples, of course. The aforementioned Murphy was terrific in those great comedies of the ’80s — “Beverly Hills Cop,” “48 Hours” and “Trading Places” — but it wasn’t until he started singing in “Dreamgirls” that he was recognized with a nomination. And Will Ferrell, no matter how many megahits and laughs he delivers time and time again, shouldn’t start writing an acceptance speech anytime soon.
Several comedies in 2007 did everything right, but they’re certain to be ignored on nominations morning on Jan. 22. And the more I think about, I don’t find anything funny about that at all.
Stuart Levine is a managing editor at Variety. He can be reached at