Top 10 Unscripted Judd Apatow Movie Moments
#10: “I Love Lamp.”
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“Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” (2004) Like many other collaborations between star Will Ferrell and director Adam McKay, “Anchorman” runs amok with improv. But it still may surprise you to know that one of Steve Carell’s best lines was made up on the spot. During one iconic scene, Ron Burgundy tells his fellow oblivious newsmen about the wonders of love. This prompts Carell’s Brick Tamland to start naming various objects around the office and expressing his love for them. Ferrell beautifully rolls with the moment and lets the unwritten lines shine. Is there any wonder Apatow saw star potential in Carell?
#9: Diner Scene
“Pineapple Express” (2008) Plenty of movies have final scenes that end things in dramatic or overtly meaningful ways. However, “Pineapple Express” did things differently by creating a scene that’s purely an improvised conversation between its three leads. After surviving a series of ordeals, Dale, Saul, and Red enjoy a well-deserved breakfast at a diner. The trio of actors just have fun riffing and bouncing off each other. It’s obvious that they have serious comedic chemistry through every line. We could watch a whole movie where these three characters just sit around and talk.
#8: Staying Alive
“Get Him to the Greek” (2010) “Get Him to the Greek” sees Jonah Hill play a responsible music industry professional named Aaron who gets into all sorts of shenanigans due to Russell Brand’s unhinged rockstar Aldous. During the film, Aaron starts feeling some bad effects from something Aldous gave him. So, the rockstar decides a shot of adrenaline is the solution. Aaron shoots right back up while screaming (insert broll for "I’m alive"). Apparently, Hill improvised those two words on the spot. Maybe he took inspiration from the classic Frankenstein movie to give us the line. In any case, this scene definitely sticks out as one of the movie’s funniest moments.
#7: Farts
“This Is 40” (2012) While some directors might immediately call “cut” if one of their actors had flatulence problems during filming, Judd Apatow is bold enough to continue. During a bedroom scene, Rudd’s Pete experiences some gas in front of Leslie Mann’s Debbie and tries to play it off. But the pained expression on her face tells us all we need to know. This unexpected fart also gives her a chance to further express her character’s frustration. Honestly, we have to applaud Mann for not letting herself get distracted by this unexpected development. In addition, we have to give credit to Rudd for reminding us that actors are humans just like us.
#6: Birds & Bees
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“Knocked Up” (2007) Although most Judd Apatow movies aren’t for kids, he still managed to find room for his daughters Maude and Iris in his work. In “Knocked Up”, they play Rudd and Mann’s daughters. Apatow reportedly let his daughters keep things off-the-cuff to help portray a realistic family bond. If you want an example of where his instincts really paid off, look no further than the improvised birds and the bees conversation. All of their scenes bring a ray of natural innocence to this frequently mature movie. Since they were so at ease in front of the camera when they were young, it makes sense that the Apatow daughters have continued their acting careers.
#5: Hannibal Lecter Impression
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“The Cable Guy” (1996) Produced by Apatow and directed by Ben Stiller, “The Cable Guy” proved divisive upon release. But it’s since been regarded as another Carrey comedy classic. During a night at Medieval Times with the put-upon Steven, Carrey’s titular cable technician starts playing with food. He eventually finds his inner Hannibal Lecter with some chicken skin. This was a moment Carrey thought up on the spot. You can even see his co-star Matthew Broderick try and fail to hide his amusement and we honestly don’t blame him! If we were sitting next to Carrey, we wouldn’t be able to maintain a straight face either.
#4: “You Never Once Paid.”
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“Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” (2007) When Apatow co-wrote "Walk Hard" with Jake Kasdan, they made sure to eviscerate just about every single musical biopic cliché. In one scene, Dewey Cox is confronted by bandmates who were through with his selfishness and recklessness. But drummer Sam McPherson seems to only have one transgression on his mind. He brings up the fact that Dewey never chipped in for recreational substances three times in one conversation. When Tim Meadows played Sam, he was supposed to deliver three different lines. However, he decided to keep the first bit of dialogue while getting angrier with each delivery. It takes a true comedic genius to keep things fresh with a repeated line.
#3: “You Know How I Know…?”
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“The 40-Year-Old Virgin” (2005) During “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”, supporting actors Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen are playing video games and discussing random topics. They end up riffing off each other for a good chunk of this scene. While the sequence about them improvising while questioning each other’s heterosexuality definitely hasn’t aged well, it’s undeniably one of the movie’s most memorable scenes. Rudd and Rogen’s improvised exchange mixes fast lines with the physical comedy of their intense video game playing. And they never determine a true winner of their verbal spat. We’d love to see this pair do more riffing in the future.
#2: “Milk Was a Bad Choice”
“Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” (2004) Part of what makes “Anchorman” such a funny movie is how much it sacrifices logic for the sake of a joke. In this scene, disheveled and disgraced anchorman Ron Burgundy finds himself wandering the streets of San Diego on a sweltering day. He’s also drinking milk straight from the carton for some reason. Apparently, Will Ferrell asked why his character was drinking milk during the scene. McKay allegedly responded by saying the choice was made because the beverage was inappropriate. This prompted Ferrell to improvise this legendary line. Stating the obvious has never been so uproarious.
#1: Chest Waxing
“The 40-Year-Old Virgin” (2005) This unscripted moment from Apatow’s directorial debut is painfully funny. When titular virgin Andy is brought in to get his chest waxed, he’s left screaming in agony. And so was Steve Carell. During the scene, Carell was getting his chest waxed for real. His misery was amplified by the fact that the actress waxing him had lied about her waxing experience. Since she didn't apply petroleum jelly meant to stave off injury, Carell really felt the pain. If Carell and his co-stars had a script going into this scene, it didn’t matter once they started filming. The waxing sequence is still one of the best comedy scenes of all time.