Hair apparent: Judd Apatow at the premier of Knocked Up. Photograph: Kavin Winter/Getty Images.
When first clapping eyes on humble and hirsute director-writer-producer Judd Apatow, one could be forgiven for mistaking him for just another bearded comedy dude, the type of hyperactive and neurotic funny-man who's as prevalent in certain quarters of Hollywood as cocaine and cappuccinos. But he is, in fact, much more than that.
His latest comedy, Knocked Up, a ribald yet surprisingly touching riff on unplanned pregnancy, notched up a startling string of reviews from US critics before opening this month as the fifth highest grossing R-rated film of all time. Not bad for a man who didn't have any friends until he approached puberty ... and the onset of his profuse facial hair.
The secret to Knocked Up's success can be gleaned by studying Apatow's career, from his brace of cult TV series, Freaks and Geeks http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/knocked_up/ , and then Undeclared, via his producing credits on Anchorman http://www.rottentomatoes.com/p/judd_apatow/news.php , The Cable Guy and Talladega Nights, to his big-screen directing debut, 2005's The 40-Year-Old Virgin.
In each comedy offering, Apatow, much like his heroes Garry Shandling and James L Brooks, seeks a truthful starting point, before injecting his stories with their bawdy humour. Growing up an outsider at school, he drew on his own experience as a "geek" for his TV shows before delving into his own insecurities for The 40-Year-Old Virgin.
Apatow, of course, lost his virginity before his fourth decade, but says that he understands how a guy like Steve Carell's sexual innocent would live. And in Knocked Up, he peppered his movie with gags only once he'd gestated a suitably poignant idea: that one might fall pregnant after a seemingly unsuitable one-night stand. Much like the seminal comedy Fast Times At Ridgemont High, Apatow blends a stoner-style humour with a very serious set-up.
Of course, emotive tales and good gags count for nought without the appropriate people to bring them to life, and again Apatow has demonstrated remarkable sagacity, gathering a troupe of improvising performers who he knows and trusts, and who feature regularly in his projects. Knocked Up's male lead, Seth Rogen, for example, took supporting roles in Apatow's two TV shows and starred in The 40-year-old Virgin and Anchorman. Similarly, fellow Knocked Up stars Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Jonah Hill and Martin Starr, plus Apatow's wife Leslie Mann, are all regular contributors.
With another ten projects in his production pipeline - many of which are written by, directed by or star his regular collaborators - it seems as though Hollywood has a new king of comedy. And he owes a great deal to his clutch of court jesters.
