Of the many people that Judd Apatow in his career as a rightly celebrated writer, director and producer of comedy films has shepherded, I really do feel that one of the most underrated voices is that of director Nicholas Stoller, who without a doubt in my eyes may be the greatest of all the directors that has come out of the Apatow factory. And even if he isn’t the certain best, he does have without a doubt one of the best batting averages of the lot. With his first four films that he has directed, you’d be hard pressed to describe one as a huge flop or bomb. Let’s look at these films now.

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Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)

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For me I really do believe this film to be one of the most perfect comedies of the past 20 years and I think somewhere down the line, we will start talking about this one in the same conversation that we do the ultimate classics. There just really isn’t a hair out of place here; its running time is perfect, its characters are hilarious, relatable and loveable and the film also boats a genuine love triangle where we are in many ways rooting for every character and every possible solution to the dilemma. The advice that Apatow gave to Jason Segel, the films writer and star, was to first write a drama and then add the jokes in later. This makes Sarah Marshall as much a heartfelt romance and comedic drama as it does a balls out laugh a minute joint. In so many ways the film reminds me of There’s Something About Mary, a film that similarly balances genuine romance, hilariously raucous comedy with real human drama deftly. As much as this article is all about Stoller, and this can be seen as much of his triumph as anybody’s, with the film coming in nicely at a finely tuned pace that never slackens for a moment – for me the film really is the ultimate triumph for Segel. For as much as the film was improvised heavily, the foundation and structure of a very sound script is certainly there and leads to the film being as effective as it is. Also Segel has created for himself a lead character in Peter Brenner that manages to be believable as a complete sad-sack, whilst also actually being believable when it comes to having two absolutely ungodly attractive women pining after him, with Kristen Bell and Mila Kunis. Another great strength of Segel’s script is that neither of these women are blank ciphers, like so many leading rom-com women when written by men for these sorts of comedy films. Each one is funny, layered and as aforementioned, pretty equal when it comes to who we’re rooting for in the triangle. Beyond the core triangle however Segel also peppers a mass of wilder characters into the fray; with Paul Rudd’s scene stealing Chuck and Jonah Hill’s Mathew absolutely knocking me out every single time that either of them are on screen. There is of course also the ultimate catalyst for this story with Russel Brand as Aldous Snow, the outrageous creation of Segel that combines all the absolute worst traits of the 90’s Brit-star phenomena of the music scene. But more about him with our next film. I think perhaps the films biggest success however is its allowance to be weird and truthful about the pain of heartache; cause it’s terrible, always. No way around it. But Segel never shies away from the truth of breakups to make the film more broadly funnier, but rather leans into it to make a more rounded and frankly better film. And for anybody who happens to be in a similar situation, don't watch this film on a final holiday with a woman whose already told she's leaving you when you get home. And also don't watch (500) Days of Summer with that same woman, the final night she will ever be with you. Just a little advice there for you. 

Get Him to the Greek (2010)

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Stoller took to writing and directing his second feature and took along for the ride Segel’s Snow creation, along with Brand’s ferocious embodiment of him. Brand really is perfect for Snow, bringing all the pain and nuance of a sober life of a former addict, whilst also of course bringing his usual highly intelligent yet base comedy persona to life once more through the visage of a fading pop-star. The plot this time around follows Hill again, this time playing a different character (I don’t know actually know why Stoller didn’t write a few lines of cr*ppy exposition and make them the same character, but anyway), tasked with getting Snow from London to L.A in only so many hours and a few days. It’s a pressure cooker situation that breeds a great amount of chemistry between the two actually and leads to an enjoyable film, even if it’s not as funny or tight as Sarah Marshall, despite being shorter. The brevity in length of all of Stoller’s films actually may be his best attribute. Brand and Hill do make an interesting combination, with Hill playing naturally straight, which is something he can be very good at it, although its perhaps not the go to mode that we like to see him in. All in all Greek plays like the party that it’s trying to emulate, it’s a fun time and it’s a quick ride, although it’s not really one that sticks with you for long afterward. Whereas there are lines from Sarah Marshall that I genuinely, without exaggeration, quote every other day with my friends, that just really isn’t the case here. Quoteability is of course not the best thing a film should have going for it, but ultimately I just feel it shows a lack of knockout laugh out loud lines. Elizabeth Moss appears as Daphne, mid Mad Men run, for a role that again is surprisingly well written for these sorts of films. But here it does feel that Daphne is ‘in the way’ of the action and humour a lot of the time, rather than being a part of it. Rose Byrne, who I have always declared as one of our most underrated talents comedically and dramatically, is brilliant here and perhaps marks the first explosion of what we later would find her doing in Bridesmaids. That being; stealing a film from underneath its leads. Byrne is great as Jackie Q with her two anal themed love songs being knockout funny every time. Greek is a very watchable movie, just not as excellent as the film it’s a pseudo-sequel for.

The Five Year Engagement (2012)

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Stoller paired once more with Segel for his next film, with both of them writing this time, and Segel once again starring. This time around it was for the high concept Five Year Engagement, a good old fashioned rom-com, with flits of drama that make for a delightful and truthful 2 hours that I really think has become really quite underrated as the years have gone by. At the core is the ever changing romance of Tom and Violet, played by Segal and Emily Blunt, who from even the first scene make it known that the level of chemistry is going to be off the charts. There’s not a single moment in this film where you question the deep love that the two clearly share for each other, even as the years pass between the popping of the question and the actual tying of the knot, and certain other factors enter into the equation; ranging from Violet moving towns, to Violet making out with her boss, to... Well, a lot of the stuff is started by Violet. But instead of simply making Tom too good to be true, he too has his foibles in the relationship, including a hilarious period of time getting really into hunting. Although the correlation may not be the first to jump to mind, I think one can look at Terms of Endearment and see the chief tactics being used to tell this story as effectively as it is told here, with no glaring title cards informing of us of the different time jumps we take along the way, just simple well written and well told story beats and character developments. At the heart of the film is a true romance and Stoller never loses sight of this, making it an always wonderful film that I greatly enjoy coming back to. And Alison Brie doing a British accent is something excellent too. 

Bad Neighbours (2014)

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I think it’s fair to say that the age of the tight 90 minute comedy is long gone, exemplified by none of the three films we’ve already discussed passing that test. However Bad Neighbours (Neighbours in America) does just that. Neighbours is no masterpiece, but it very much is a hilarious and very rewatchable film following in the modernised footsteps of frat house classics such as Old School and the timeless (but horribly aged in current P.C eyes) Animal House. But before it gets to the Frat of it all, Neighbours makes the ingenious decision to set up the relationship that will be most affected by it. That of Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne’s Mac and Kelly, along with the incredibly cute little girl Stella. Rogen and Byrne work so well together, both comedically and believably as a couple that we do care for them and root for them when the plot of the film gets into motion. It also feels like the natural evolution of the stunted adult era of Apatow’s films, with Rogen now playing a married and settled husband and father, and doing very well at it. The film kicks into motion however with the arrival next door of Delta Psi, a Frat house run by Zac Efron and Dave Franco. Beyond the world of High School Musical, I genuinely am shocked why nothing more came of Efron, I don’t wish to write him off too soon, for I hope a further career comes in the near future – but the sheer level of power, humour and intense charisma that Efron displays in this film is bountiful. Whereas Belushi ran Animal House with a personification of the fun-loving oath, Efron’s Teddy is a villainous personification of pure jacked up power that naturally sends both Rogen and Byrne into an absolute spin. The film balances a very broad array of different styles of comedy, with improv wit paired often with very broad slapstick, to absurdly elaborate setups often paired with painfully simple stuff (the airbags still knock me out to this day – despite the CGI of it all detracting some more genuine laughs, I don’t know why people still think a bigger CGI gag is funnier than a smaller practical one). The sequel we got was a typical heightening and duplication of the original formula with fleeting changes, but all in all it was a bit of a disappointment. Neighbours however still stands as one of the best comedies of the past ten years, mind you, there really isn’t that big a field of competition anymore.

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The biggest complaint that is always brought against Apatow is that of the length of his movies. What makes each of these four so refreshing, in particular with the earlier efforts, is just how lean they really are. There really is very little fat on these pieces of these films. It’s a return to these sorts of films that makes me long for a triumphant bringing back of the studio comedy. Long Shot, I do believe however will be the last of these sorts of films we see for some time. As with all things nowadays in the film world, it’s all streamers, and in many ways it’s all depressing. Make a decent comedy again please, somebody

-        - Thomas Carruthers