BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
(FOUR) THE 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN
It would make more sense to go with a movie like the close call of “Pineapple Express” or “Funny People” here. I love me some “Pineapple Express”, but there is still something about the movie that feels hollow to me. In “Funny People” Seth is featured way more and is a co-star with Adam Sandler. The truth of the matter is that I’d rather watch Rogen play support in 40 Year Old Virgin than star in “Funny People”. For most folk, including myself, my first real eye opening to Rogen’s awesomeness was in this movie. His line “You know how I know you’re gay? You like Coldplay” is hilarious and never gets old. The movie may be like 5 years old now, but that statement is still just as true today as it was then.
(THREE) OBSERVE AND REPORT
This is easily Rogen’s most underrated work. This dark as shit comedy was great. Rogen didn’t play his normal Fozzie Bear belly laughing self. He plays a mentally screwed up dude who lives in his own fantasy world of grandeur and violence. To me, it’s his best acting and some of the funniest stuff of his resume. The “F*ck you” trade off with Aziz Ansari is worth the movie alone, but its great stuff all around.
(TWO) ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO
This movie sounded so cool when I first heard about it. Being a long time Kevin Smith fan I was all about a new movie with the awesome Elizabeth Banks and Seth Rogen starring. The movie is nothing at all what I expected. It’s funny and has some of the typical Kevin Smith-style jokes in it, but it doesn’t feel like one of his movies at all. I mean that in both a good way and bad way. The good is that the direction was good and it looked awesome. The bad is that is that it wasn’t as funny. It reminded me of Chasing Amy, Smith’s best, but without the same awesome vibe. Maybe I just need to see this one again. Seth Rogen in the Kevin Smith world is like Diane Keaton in a Woody Allen movie. It’s comfortable and works. You can decide which one is Keaton and which one is Allen…
(ONE) KNOCKED UP
Of course Knocked Up is the biggest Seth Rogen movie so far. It’s the movie that put the dude on the map. As the star of this huge hit, Rogen pretty much secured his meal ticket for the rest of his career. The movie was and is that popular. In the movie he’s at his A-Game, on his turf, and rocks it. He’s charming, funny, endearing, and about as real of a guy as comedy provides. No matter what happens, this movie will always make us feel as if Rogen is relatable to us. It’s his best.
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