Just How Funny is Seth Rogen Anyway?
Filed under: Comedy, Fandom, Trailers and Clips
So maybe I was a little late to the party, but over the weekend I finally caught a screening of Observe and Report and as I wandered from the theater in a misanthropic haze, I began to wonder: Just how funny is Seth Rogen? Being hailed "the new hero of comedy" is a lot of pressure for anyone -- and don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I don't like the guy; I know he's a great writer and a whiz at improv, but after getting a load of the darker side of Rogen's range as Ronnie Barnhardt I was kind of happy to see that maybe he wasn't the soft and fuzzy stoner (not to mention one-note wonder) that Hollywood would like us to believe.
Think back to 1999 when Rogen made his acting debut in Judd Apatow's Freaks and Geeks as the acid tongued 'freak', Ken Miller; it was a role that was perfect for Rogen's sarcastic laid back style, and he's been doing a variation of it ever since. Whether it was Cal from 40 Year Old Virgin, Ben in Knocked Up, or Zack Brown in Zack and Miri Make a Porno, each character wasn't necessarily someone you wanted to bring home to Mom, but they charmed audiences nonetheless. Sure they were all kind of jerks, but they were all loveable jerks, and more importantly they were relatively 'toothless' when it came to their bad behavior -- compared to Ronnie, Officer Michaels was practically a choirboy.
But I think Observe and Report was a new chapter in Rogen's career. By playing Ronnie, Rogen showed us a character that wasn't necessarily a redeemable guy; in fact, he was downright unpleasant. Maybe I'm reaching here, but Report was Rogen's chance to break from the mold, and by golly he went at it with full force. Now I'm sure that when Funny People hits screens this July, and Rogen gets to work on The Green Hornet, we will be back to the loveable smart-ass we've seen so many times before. But it doesn't matter, because now every time I look at Rogen I'm going to know there's some dark stuff going on under the surface, and I don't think I would want it any other way. How about you?
As an added bonus, take a look at a young (and I mean young) Rogen tackle controversial topics like Jewish grandparents and summer camp in a clip from 1996. (Warning: Mildly NSFW)
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-21-2009 @ 7:16PM
JD said...
"Just How Funny is Seth Rogen Anyway?"
Based on this video, not funny at all
Reply
4-21-2009 @ 7:41PM
MCW said...
Yeah, and I bet you were a laugh riot at that age.
4-21-2009 @ 7:26PM
Kurt Munro said...
Man... smoking really makes you voice a lot deeper.
Reply
4-21-2009 @ 7:46PM
MCW said...
I haven't seen all of Seth Rogen's recent films, but I did see Observe & Report (Based on a friend wanting to see it... I was wary and wanted to wait for the Blu-ray). And I was surprised by how much I liked it. He of course hated it because it wasn't "That funny". But to me that wasn't the point of Observe & Report. The point was to do something completely different so you're not pigeonholed (Which to be honest, he could probably quit working now and live off of residuals) for future roles... I doubt he wants to play a funny loser for the rest of his life (See: Green Hornet).
I like the video... there's only so many Jewish jokes I can sit through though. I never knew he did stand up.
In answer to your title... yeah, he's funny in an everyman kind of way. And I'm becoming more of a fan of everyman (And woman) comics and actors than outwardly slapstick comedians.
Reply
4-21-2009 @ 8:49PM
ber said...
Not funny at all really. Well maybe that's a bit unkind, he's okay, in small doses, very small(anchorman). He doesn't have the chops to be headlining movies though. Far too limited, same character time and time again.
Reply
4-21-2009 @ 8:49PM
ber said...
As for 'Observe and Report'. Might be a new role for Rogan, but i'm fairly sure he'll play it the only way he can, deadpan.
Reply
4-21-2009 @ 10:47PM
MCW said...
Actually he doesn't... his character is pretty psychotic towards the end... you can't be psychotic and deadpan at the same time. But somehow in the end, he's still likeable (I don't agree with all the people who say that everyone in the movie is hateable. And why is Firefox underlining likeable and hateable? That's how I want to spell them) in Observe & Report.
4-21-2009 @ 11:52PM
Dan said...
Great article. I agree-I loved Observe and Report, and I think it was a sort of flexing on his part. I don't think a lot of people are going to get what's funny about the movie since it's pretty offbeat and dark, but I thought it was absolutely hilarious.
Reply
4-22-2009 @ 9:30AM
Kevin said...
I don't think that "getting it" is the problem for most people. I just don't think most people find that style to be particularly funny. There was virtually nothing in the entire film that I found to be creative in a way other than "whats the most shocking thing we can do here?" If you found it funny than more power to ya, I'm glad you spent two hours in a theater having a better time than I did. But those styles of film appeal to a much smaller audience not because the rest of us just don't understand whats going on but because the rest of us just don't like it.
4-22-2009 @ 2:19PM
Dan said...
Fair point, and you'll have to excuse my poor phrasing, because that's really what I was driving at. It's not exactly a real popular brand of humor, and I totally understand where you're coming from with the lack of creativity thing. I did enjoy the hell out of it, but I feel where you're coming from. It's apples and oranges, particularly when it comes to comedy because there are certainly more ways to make something inaccessible to one audience versus another.
4-22-2009 @ 2:27PM
Dan said...
Fair point, and you'll have to excuse my choice of phrase, because that's essentially what I was driving at. Personally, I enjoyed the hell out of it, and it appealed to a weird side of my sense of humor. It certainly wouldn't hold up for me if that was all that was out there, but it worked for me. I understand where you're coming from however, with the lack of creativity issue, and you're right about why it caters to a smaller audience. It's apples and oranges, particularly with comedy, because it's really easy to cater to one group and miss out on another, or visa versa.
4-23-2009 @ 2:54AM
Riley Freeman said...
i like him and pretty much all their movies. but observe and report was terrible
Reply
4-30-2009 @ 12:01AM
kuralinaguy said...
i dont know bout what yall think but he is the fuckng man i would love to meet him he and jim carrey are my favorite acters
Reply