Today's Obsession: Judd Apatow and his comedic gang

It’s official: Judd Apatow is on top of the world – well, at least in Hollywood and at the box office.

The once-critically-acclaimed-but-under-appreciated writer/director/producer banked almost $300 million this summer with his raunchy comedies Knocked Up and Superbad, and he has another movie, Walk Hard, coming out this month. Entertainment Weekly has taken notice and mentioned him in its past two issues, first as one of the “Top 25 Entertainers of the Year” and as ranked #1 in its list of the “50 Smartest People in Hollywood.”

Why all the buzz? Well, what’s great about Apatow and his comedic gang (made up of, but not limited to, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Evan Goldberg, Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann) is their ability to tell stories with real heart at the base, but of course covered up with curse words, sex, drugs and alcohol. Sure, not everyone gets the appeal. Take this conversation I had with my mom yesterday on the phone:

Mom: “Superbad?” Why are you buying that movie? It looks so stupid, Kelly.
Me: Mom, 50-something-year-olds aren’t supposed to like movies like this. It’s stupid humor people my age can relate to because we’re surrounded by stupid humor every day. We find it hilarious.
Mom: Well, I don’t get it.
Me: Case in point.

And that’s the thing – teenagers and 20-somethings love how real Apatow makes the characters in his films, especially in “Superbad.” The way the characters talk to each other, dropping f-bombs and male genitalia references, is pretty much how 17-year-old guys talk to each other. Like Seth Rogen told EW about “Superbad,” which he penned with childhood friend Evan Goldberg, “The whole point was that is was honest and real. Once you’re saying fudge instead of f***, you leave that world.”

And we appreciate their honesty. All of the issues are ones teenagers face all of the time: sex, drugs and drinking. Instead of sugarcoating high school, Apatow and his crew embrace what it’s really like out there. And course they throw in hilarious hijinks and characters named McLovin. Now just imagine how different "Mean Girls" would have been if Apatow and Co. hand gotten their hands on it...

But back to my point. Am I claiming that flicks like “Superbad” will go down in the movie history books? No. But I am saying that Apatow knows his stuff, and so do his friends. And everyone will be seeing a whole lot more of them, as they have four movies scheduled for release in 2008.

What do you think? Are their movies are too rauncy? Is their comedy here to stay, or is it just a passing fad? Comment below!

DVD du jour: “Superbad,” obviously. Here's a review.
In theaters this weekend: “Atonement”

You know you love McLovin too.