Every Comedy Film Produced by Judd Apatow, Ranked Worst to Best
Best known for his work in comedy, Judd Apatow has made his name in television and film as a writer, director, and producer.
Apatow first established himself as a stand-up comedian and writer, earning an Emmy Award for his work as a writer on The Ben Stiller Show (Metasocre: 75) and receiving five more nominations while working on The Larry Sanders Show (95). He founded the production company Apatow Productions in 1999 and garnered wider recognition with the company’s first project, the cult favorite show Freaks and Geeks (88), for which he served as a writer, director, and executive producer. Apatow then made his feature directorial debut in 2005 with The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and has directed seven additional features to date, plus a documentary.
Many Apatow-produced films share similar traits: a raunchy sense of humor, immature characters who have some growing up to do, earnest themes exploring love and relationships. As a director, Apatow often anchors his films around a charismatic comedic star and allows for plenty of improv.
He frequently tends to work with many of the same collaborators, including actors Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Will Ferrell, Jonah Hill, and Jason Segel, and directors Adam McKay and Nicholas Stoller. Seth Rogen has worked with Apatow on eight of his projects to date, as an actor, writer, and/or producer. Apatow’s films also often star his wife, Leslie Mann, and their daughters Maude Apatow and Iris Apataow have both appeared in multiple films too.
In honor of the upcoming release of BROS, the latest film produced by Apatow, Metacritic is looking back at his extensive career as a producer. This list features all 27 of the films Apatow produced through Apatow Productions thus far, plus a few other comedy films for which he served as a producer, ranked from worst to best by Metascore.
Set in New York City, Begin Again explores the life-changing bond formed between Gretta (Keira Knightley), an aspiring singer-songwriter, and Dan (Mark Ruffalo), a disgraced record label executive. She’s reeling from her recent breakup with her long-time boyfriend Dave (Adam Levine), while he’s estranged from his wife and struggles to connect with his teenage daughter Violet (Hailee Steinfeld). After Dan stumbles upon Gretta’s performance in a small bar, they decide to produce an album together and record the songs live all over the city. The 2013 film’s original music garnered praise, with the song “Lost Stars” receiving an Oscars nomination for Best Original Song.
“Begin Again may not always swing, but it makes up for that in sincerity and a welcome willingness to ambush expectations.” —Ann Hornaday, Washington Post