One Man’s Mirth

I Found This Funny

Judd Apatow

My Favorite Pieces of Humor and Some That May Not Be Funny at All

edited by Judd Apatow

McSweeney’s, 480 pp., $25

When Judd Apatow was a boy, he took a summer trip to Los Angeles to visit his grandparents and begged them to drive by the home of his hero, Steve Martin. They did. And as luck would have it, as they passed Martin’s house, Apatow spotted the comedian in the driveway. The youngster bolted from the car and asked for an autograph. “Sorry,” Martin said, but he didn’t give autographs at home. No exceptions. So Apatow returned east, penned an angry letter, and mailed it off to his idol. A few weeks later a package arrived. In it was a copy of Martin’s book Cruel Shoes and a note: “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I was speaking to the Judd Apatow.”

After decades spent working in all-purpose anonymity—doing stand-up, staying up nights to craft jokes, booking comedy clubs, fashioning scripts, and producing shows—the Judd Apatow is now widely known. His credits include writing and directing the hit comedies The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up, and work on movies like Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Funny People. Apatow has formulated a distinct style of comedy—explicit and raunchy, yet also family-values-heavy. His characters are misguided, but have good hearts, and they usually end up doing the right thing. He is prolific; it can seem as if every few months another film with which he was involved is released.