Apatow Actors – Movie Cliques Part 4

The 2009 movie Funny People united Adam Sandler with another one of my favorite cliques, the Apatow Actors. What’s interesting is that even though this is the first onscreen pairing of Apatow regulars like Seth Rogen with Adam Sandler, the Judd Apatow & Adam Sandler relationship goings back many years. The two of them were roommates 20 odd years ago when they were both just aspiring comedians. They have collaborated on many projects ever since, such as Big Daddy (which was one of the first times Apatow cast his wife Leslie Mann). I think it's pretty sweet Apatow enjoys working with his wife. She's appeared in 40-Year -Old Virgin, Knocked Up and Funny People.

Apatow is a comedic genius; his movies are a perfect combination of sidesplitting physical jokes and sarcastic humor. Part of his genius is casting the right actors to portray his characters; characters that are so real you feel like he has walked the halls of your own high school or sat in the cubicle next to you at your job.

Most recognizable is Seth Rogen. Apatow casts him as our favorite average Joe in Knocked Up, 40-Year-Old Virgin, Superbad, and Pineapple Express. Jason Segal plays a hilarious wingman to Seth Rogen in Knocked Up, blatantly disregarding the fact that Leslie Mann’s character is married with kids. Segal went on to star in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, in which Paul Rudd makes a cameo appearance as Chuck the clueless surfboarding instructor. Rudd also plays a staring role in 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up. Jonah Hill rounds out the Apatow regulars; Hill stars in Superbad and makes hilarious appearances in 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Funny People. It seems actors jump on the chance to collaborate with Apatow whenever they can. Steve Carrell (the star of 40-Year-Old Virgin) makes an uncredited cameo in Knocked Up; just say hi to his pals.

Ferrell's Follies - Movie Cliques Part 3

Since I last talked about Wes Anderson I thought it would be appropriate to talk about another one of my favorite cliques that seems to stem from his films. Will Ferrell has included many of my favorite Wes Anderson regulars in his films. We all know that Ferrell has a more “slap stick” sense of humor compared to Anderson’s eccentric comedies, but comic geniuses such as Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson and Luke Wilson are easily transferable.

I first noticed this clique in Will Ferrell’s film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Almost the whole clique pops up in one hilarious scene where competing news teams all rumble, West Side Story style. Luke Wilson loses an arm, Ben Stiller leads the “Spanish speaking” channel and Vince Vaughn shows up as Ferrell’s arch nemesis. Tim Robbins even pops in. That’s particularly funny because Jack Black, who kills Ron Burgundy’s dog, later appears with Robbins in High Fidelity.

As Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller parade around as “supermodels” in Zoolander, Ferrell makes an appearance as the evil fashion designer, Mugato (Vaughn makes a cameo appearance as Stiller’s brother) And when Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller take on the classic TV roles of Starsky & Hutch, Vaughn plays the bad guy Reese Feldman (Ferrell makes an appearance as “dragon-loving” Big Earl).

Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn and Will Ferrell team up for the sidesplitting comedy, Old School. Honestly, who doesn’t love to see a trio of middle-aged men act like frat boys? And lets not forget the hilarious battle between Stiller and Vaughn in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story or Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn as Wedding Crashers.

Wacky Wes - Movie Cliques Part 2

You can sum-up Wes Anderson in one word, eccentric. He creates offbeat characters that live in their own worlds, worlds that exist outside the edge of normal. The way he uses music, set design and costumes makes him seem like a mad genius. When I watch any of his dramedies, I always find myself asking the same questions, “Why do the characters where the same thing everyday?” or “What decade is this?” The ambiguity and quirkiness of his films are part of the charm of each story.

Wes Anderson has found actors that are as quirky as he is to embody the unconventional characters of his films. The familiar faces are anchors for the audience as they are taken through the peculiar storylines. As early back as Bottle Rocket we see the Wilson brothers, Owen and Luke. Since Bottle Rocket Owen Wilson has appeared in The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and The Darjeeling Limited. Luke Wilson makes an appearance in Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums, not surprisingly since brother Owen co-wrote these films with Anderson.

Bill Murray, a comic legend makes several memorable love-stuck appearances in Anderson films. Ironically his characters have no idea what love is and therefore never gets the girl. We pity Murray in Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums and as the title character in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Murray also makes an unforgettable cameo as the businessman in The Darjeeling Limited.

Murray’s nemesis in Rushmore is portrayed by another Anderson regular, Jason Schwartzman. Few can recognize Schwartzman’s voice as a tennis match commentator in The Royal Tenenbaums. His most recent Anderson appearance is the womanizer we love to hate in The Darjeeling Limited.

Anjelica Huston is the only woman Wes Anderson would consider a muse. In each film she is the epitome of female strength and independence. Each of her characters is forced into the role of matriarch since they all have one thing common, unsuccessful marriages to Peter Pans. Huston portrays characters that are following their own path in The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic and The Darjeeling Limited.

We relate to the characters in Wes Anderson films because they are not immune to the same struggles we all have in dealing with love, death, family, ego, identity and self-awareness. Anderson pokes fun at the drama in life; by creating characters we can relate to and laugh at, he teaches us to laugh at ourselves.

Sandler's Squad - Movie Cliques Part 1

If you look at Adam Sandler movies you’ll see that he has a close network of friends he likes to include in his films. Its like a “Where’s Waldo” game to find them all. The game seems to begin oddly enough with Airheads, obviously not one of his best films. Lets start playing the game with actors who are known for little else than Sandler films. We find Allen Covert as a cop in Airheads, a homeless caddy in Happy Gilmore, a roommate in Little Nicky, a limo driver in The Wedding Singer , a gay lawyer in Big Daddy, 10-second Tom in 50 First Dates and many others. Another one to look out for is Peter Dante who’s most “acclaimed” performance is a fellow fire-fighter in I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry. Believe it or not Dante can also be found in The Wedding Singer, Waterboy, Big Daddy, Little Nicky, Mr. Deeds, and 50 First Dates. Ever heard of Jonathan Loughran (AKA Sandler’s assistant)? Well, if you’ve watched any of these Sandler movies you’ve seen him, many times.

Let’s not forget Sandler’s hilarious comic relief characters he writes into each of his movies just for Rob Schneider. Sandler and Schneider must just sit around and think of all the stereotypes they can exploit to get a laugh. We find Schneider as a an obnoxious townie in Waterboy and Little Nicky, Nazo, the Italian delivery guy who makes an appearance in both Big Daddy and Mr. Deeds (that’s a fun bit of trivia), Ula, the local Hawaiian with no manners in 50 First Dates, an Asian minister with a very “unique” accent in Chuck & Larry, and Salim, a Middle-Eastern cab driver in You Don’t Mess with the Zohan.

Steve Buscemi is a part of acclaimed cliques such as the Quentin Tarantino team and the Coen crew, but in Sandler movies he provides a bit of the awkward and unexpected. The Buscemi-Sandler history begins at the beginning where they both rock out in Airheads. It is after Airheads that Buscemi’s characters really become strange, we find him as a severely depressed wedding guest in The Wedding Singer, a homeless guy in Big Daddy, “crazy eyes” in Mr. Deeds, and most recently an investigator in Chuck & Larry.

It’s fun to think of all the other big name celebrities that make multiple Sandler appearances. In fact, another member of the Coen crew appears in Sandler films. John Turturro appears in a surprising number of them, most recently as The Phantom in Zohan. We all loved Drew Barrymore as the love interest in 50 First Dates and The Wedding Singer. Ever notice the Sandler-Arquette connection? Well here it is. David Arquette appeared in Airheads, sister Patricia starred opposite Sandler in Little Nicky and sister Alexis “sang’ opposite Sandler in The Wedding Singer. Not to mention Drew Barrymore then starred with David Arquette in Never Been Kissed in which Covert even appeared. Sandler seems to have recently befriended Dave Matthews who appears in two of his newer films. I have to say Mathews makes a great addition to the comic relief team appearing as a gay shop owner in Chuck & Larry and an anti-terrorist redneck in Zohan. It seems Sandler is always on the look out for new members to the team. Therefore I’ll be on the look out for more Nick Swardson (Chuck & Larry and Zohan) appearances.