Sex Tape recently hit theaters with a resounding thud, flopping hard with critics and audiences. People questioned the appeal and star power of Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel. But the truth was, an experienced director was involved: Jake Kasdan. And when you reach a certain level in your career, you get held accountable, particularly if you had a brilliant past and a dimmer present.
In the vein of Jake Kasdan, who has already made a handful of comedy cult classics, we pinpointed 10 comedic filmmakers down on their luck and in search of a new mission, a new meaning, something that gets the creative juices flowing again. Too many funny storytellers behind the camera are being compromised by the material, and we decided to give them all a spotlight to see how, and if, they can learn from their mistakes. Starting with:
Jake Kasdan
Where They've Been: Kasdan made his debut with the low-key comedy noir Zero Effect, which pivoted on an easy, jokey chemistry between a jittery Ben Stiller and a spacey Bill Pullman. But he sharpened his craft helming multiple episodes of Freaks And Geeks, where he developed a kinship with the lost youth at the heart of the college comedy Orange County. He absolutely killed it in 2007, however, with the Judd Apatow-produced one-two punch of The TV Set and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox story. The latter was a broadly silly spoof of music biopics that may be the funniest thing Apatow has ever been involved with, a pitch-perfect laugh factory that skewers every dumb cliché of that genre. The former, however, was a whip-smart indie about a defeated television producer (David Duchovny, essentially playing Apatow) trying to get a smart show on the air despite the involvement of under-educated and impatient executives. No one saw either movie, but Kasdan eventually grabbed the gig for Bad Teacher, his first big hit.
Where They Are: Sony thought they could replicate the success of Bad Teacher by reuniting Kasdan with stars Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel. The results are a not-particularly-funny, not-particularly bawdy comedy that thus far has flopped hard at the box office. What's worse, it feels as if Kasdan has completely lost touch with the weirdos and outcasts who populated his earlier films: even Diaz's selfish, hungover entitlement princess in Bad Teacher fits within his group of rogues.
Where They're Going: Depressingly enough, Kasdan is doubling-down on his current status. He's attached to a Bad Teacher 2 that absolutely no one needs. Hopefully he only produces and moves on to something smaller, odder, less mainstream-baiting. He's got his big hit already, there's no reason why he can't experiment a little.
David Wain
Where They've Been: Wain comes out of the sketch comedy world, having helped create The State back in film school. His collaborators followed him through a career that moved in between film, television, stage and internet work, though Wain's craft never really changed. His first film, Wet Hot American Summer, remains an iconic comedy that mixes a creepily-accurate dedication to period detail mixed with what would become Wain's trademark disdain for plot. Follow-up The Ten instead devolved into a series of hokey comedy sketches that feel like a tremendous missed opportunities, and while he showed a remarkable level of restraint and control on Role Models, he was taking over after a sizable chunk of the film had been completed by another director (Luke Greenfield). Wanderlust followed, an intermittently funny piss-take of New Age lifestyles that seems to want to break off into sketch territory.
Where They Are: Wain's got the ear of the industry, particularly its comedians who all want to work with someone who favors the silly over the sentimental – that caustic style recently almost netted him the Ant-Man directing job. But his latest, They Came Together, might be a low-point. The film is entirely made up of one joke: that romantic comedies are dumb, passé , and in some cases racist and classist. It's enough to carry five minutes of an internet short (it probably has), but stretched to feature-length, it's deadly. Wain would no doubt find this hilarious, as his films tend to push the boundaries of taste and annoyance. But at this point you kind of wish he'd make either a real movie (or show, maybe), or make something so ridiculous it's borderline experimental in its disregard for audience conventions.
Where They're Going: Wain was long ago attached to Too Cool To Be Forgotten, but there hasn't been news on that front in years. As of now, Wain has nothing lined up, though he's sure to call his buddies in The State to reunite soon.
Jay Roach
Where They've Been: Roach is, by now, a comedy veteran, a blockbuster auteur who brought us both Austin Powers and Meet The Parents. His aim is broad, crowd-pleasing stuff, which results in movies like Dinner For Schmucks, destined to play on Sunday afternoons from now until eternity. But he's got a certain skill with funny actors, and while Austin Powers was really only one joke, it was a good one, and he and Mike Myers sold the hell out of it.
Where They Are: There are two Jay Roaches. One makes broad, dopey junk like his last film, The Campaign, which capitalized on tired riffs from the screen personas of Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis, one of those movies where everyone is punching a clock. And then there's the Roach of TV – in 2012, he directed the dark political comedy Game Change (which boasts a horrifying Sarah Palin performance by Julianne Moore). This was following the award-winning Recount, which he also made for television: he's gearing up for another upscale TV movie soon, The Third Coast. So why are his theatrical movies so lame?
Where They're Going: Roach's next big film suggests he's fully transitioning from comedy. The Trade began life as a Ben Affleck/Matt Damon collaboration about two real-life New York Yankee teammates who swapped spouses. It was meant to be something of a more serious film with comedic undertones, but looking at Roach's background, it also seems like it has the potential to be a big, dumb farce as well. Roach is also circling Trumbo with Bryan Cranston and Helen Mirren, as well as the Lance Armstrong drama Red Blooded American. Perhaps Roach won't return to comedy at all.
Todd Phillips
Where They've Been: Phillips' claim to fame has been the Hangover films, each one a mega-success in its own right. But he's been cranking out hits for awhile, particularly in regards to frat-house classics Road Trip and Old School. He makes movies quick, a little sloppy, and usually cheap, so studios like him.
Where They Are: Something got darker and nastier in recent years with Phillips' work. Due Date had a definite mean-streak that could possibly be attributed to the anti-chemistry between Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis. But the Hangover sequels were pretty cravenly opportunistic cash-grabs: the third film barely has any intentional laughs, instead satisfied with being a half-assed crime comedy with corpses piling up and drugs littering the frame. It's certainly curious what Phillips' mindset is right now, given that The Hangover was his last genuinely funny movie.
Where They're Going: Apparently Phillips' next movie is Arms And The Dudes and it sounds pitch-black. It involves a multi-million dollar arrangement between two twentysomethings and the Pentagon regarding weapons being sent to Afghanistan. Apparently Phillips is embracing his fatalist edge, though there's no word if this is going to be a comedy.
Seth Gordon
Where They've Been: Gordon made one of the funniest debuts of all-time with The King Of Kong: A Fistful Of Quarters, a hysterical video game documentary that, reportedly, the studios have been trying to remake into a fictional film for years. From there, sadly, it was a trip right into generic studio comedy hackdom, where Gordon found success helming Horrible Bosses and Four Christmases.
Where They Are: Gordon's last film was the unwatchable Identity Thief, where he teamed Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy in the road trip from hell, allowing both actors to embrace their worst instincts. You wonder if Gordon lucked out with The King Of Kong, because his fiction films have been one sad trombone. Silver lining: somehow, Gordon, who has dabbled in television as well, has directed three straight domestic $100 million earners. Not many comedy directors can claim such a thing.
Where They're Going: Gordon's going back to the well again with this year's Horrible Bosses 2. But then, he's shifting out of the comedic realm with 2016's action blockbuster Uncharted. It seems like some of our most frustrated comedic filmmakers are merely making more serious films instead.
Ben Stiller
Where They've Been: Stiller, one of the world's most successful comedians, fancies himself a real-deal filmmaker behind the camera. And, wouldn't you know it, he is, with a very high success rate behind the camera. His debut Reality Bites is a cult classic, and he's made a dent in the comedy world with The Cable Guy and Zoolander. And he even helped get Robert Downey Jr. get an Academy Award nomination in blackface (!) for Tropic Thunder.
Where They Are: So where the hell did The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty come from? Gone was Stiller's trademark cynicism and mockery, replaced with Hallmark card platitudes in this romantic fantasy that feels like the sort of inspirational movie mocked on The Ben Stiller Show twenty years ago. It feels like a movie made by someone else, and not a star comedian who has fashioned himself behind the camera as an acidic curmudgeon with little regard for propriety.
Where They're Going: Well, Stiller's still got that "superstar leading man" thing to deal with, so directing has always been a passion he's pursued between bigger things. His next directorial effort may not be a comedy, as he's attached to The Current Wars about the battle between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse to produce a stable electric current. That, and a possible re-team with Downey on Pinocchio suggests Stiller may move away from the world of comedy. But he's also always kicking around ideas for a Zoolander 2, so, stay tuned.
Paul Weitz
Where They've Been: Weitz and his brother Chris burst upon the scene with the screenplay for Antz and the co-directing credit on American Pie. Since then, they've parted ways. Chris went on to get some of that sweet Twilight money with The Twilight Saga: New Moon before getting a Best Actor nomination for Demian Bichir in A Better Life. Paul has gone on a more basic comedic path, though he took a bite of the franchise apple with Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant. Paul scored with About A Boy and the workplace dramedy In Good Company. But he wasn't above taking a paycheck, and may have sullied his reputation with Little Fockers.
Where They Are: Last year, Paul Weitz's Admission seemed like a total slam dunk, pairing Tina Fey and Paul Rudd. But the film was stillborn, a deathly dull story of privileged white people torn apart by artificial plot contrivances and a deathly-dull pacingthat put audiences to sleep. Coming after a string of films like Little Fockers and American Dreamz, it was the sort of dispiriting misfire that makes you think, does this guy even like making movies anymore?
Where They're Going: Right now, Paul has reunited with brother Chris to write the remake of the Korean hit Like Father, Like Son, which seems like the sort of thing Weitz could direct, though it's more dramatic, sentimental material than Paul has tackled lately. He also remains attached to The Game, based on the book about pick-up artistry that would star James Franco as Mystery and okay drop everything Hollywood this should happen right now dammit.
Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini
Where They've Been: The duo moved through the documentary world before entering narrative cinema with the playful American Splendor. That film cemented them as voices to watch, a formally playful comedy-drama that pushed the boundaries separating life from art. While they haven't been able to find material that strong since, they've soldiered on, making broadly-appealing indies like the very funny, very underrated The Extra Man and the acclaimed TV movie Cinema Verite.
Where They Are: Their last film was the surprisingly dire Girl Most Likely, which trapped Kristen Wiig in a shame spiral as a self-sabotaging girl who can't resist damaging relationships and can't get her life in order. For a comedy, it was a real drag, and for a drama, it was a bit too farcical and lightweight, just a misfire all around.
Where They're Going: The duo really deserves a big break, and it may come from next year's Ten Thousand Saints. The comedy-drama is a coming-of-age tale following a teenager in the 80's who moves from Vermont to be with his father (Ethan Hawke) in the East Village. It's a little early to write them off, as they're a bit branier than the studio system may allow, but you really expected more from them at this point.
Ivan Reitman
Where They've Been: The legendary Reitman is responsible for some of the greatest comedies of all time, from Stripes to Ghostbusters, Twins to Dave. He's been making movies since the early 1970s and shows no signs of slowing down, though it's impossible to miss the declining quality of his work.
Where They Are: Reitman's Draft Day was an acclaimed Black List script that Reitman captured with zero electricity or enthusiasm, presenting a turgid dramedy that doubled as an advertisement for the NFL. A similar weariness bogs down 2011's No Strings Attached, which was made with the sort of dry resolve seem by someone who hasn't seen a romantic comedy in over twenty years and thinks courtship on film is still a fresh concept. Reitman has older peers, but his work lately has made him seen lost in a young man's game.
Where They're Going: Reitman wisely backed out of the director's chair for Ghostbusters III, and the failure of Draft Day suggests he might be done with filmmaking for awhile, focusing instead on producing.
The Farrely Brothers
Where They've Been: The Farrellys didn't invent the grossout comedy, but they sure got a lot of mileage out of it, dominating the late nineties with Dumb And Dumber, Kingpin and There's Something About Mary. Flipping the switch on the next decade softened them in a way, as they worked with broader, sillier material. There are less laughs in Stuck On You and Fever Pitch than their earlier work, but at least there's a good amount of heart.
Where They Are: Their touch felt absent on Hall Pass, a disposable airplane watch of a film that strains to be naughty when it really wants to re-establish the values of family and commitment. And 2012's The Three Stooges, a longtime dream project, showed that the brothers still had a strong comic sensibility, though they had given up on having a passion for storytelling, an interest in theme, or a desire to push boundaries: the hook for Stooges that kept the brothers on the project was that it could have been of another era. In that respect, it was more of an experiment than an actual movie.
Where They're Going: The Farrellys have gone back to the well with Dumb And Dumber To. While you'd think they'd have trouble getting Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels back, it turns out that not only have they returned, but that the second film is going to feature a load of plot points that connect to the first film. Bobby And Peter Farrelly might not have the chops to bring us another classic, but it does seem like they'll go down fighting.
