By Melissa Langsam Braunstein
Thursday, August 10, 2017
Poor Judd Apatow. He’s apparently spent a lot of time
reading self-help books in recent years. If only he had come to me earlier, I
could have saved him so much time and money. Because after reading his interview
with Vulture’s David Marchese, it’s
quite clear to me: Apatow is a conservative, and I think he’d be happier if he
just admitted that to himself.
I can see why he might be confused. After all, Apatow
moved from New York to Hollywood. Apatow makes movies and television shows that
feature sex and drug use that no cultural conservative wants their child
mimicking. He also makes hostile comments to throw us all off the scent, such
as:
This is related to the reason why
you don’t see movies and television about Republican and conservative ideas —
because Republicans are trying to present themselves as correct, as clean, as
Mike Pence–y. Unlike them, I want people who actually evolve.
Because Judeo-Christian believers don’t believe in
repentance, forgiveness, and redemption? Uh, no.
Apatow continues, “Does it make me a traditionalist if
the way [my characters] evolve is toward a healthy relationship? Maybe.” Why
yes, celebrating evolution toward healthy relationships is an inherently
conservative activity. Apatow also presents as a traditionalist in a variety of
respects. Let’s take a gander at just a few, shall we?
Apatow’s Marriage
To Leslie Mann Is Atypically Strong
Since Apatow picked on Mike Pence, we’ll start there.
Pence made headlines earlier this year for his marriage: beyond the kerfuffle
over the Pences’ marital boundaries, the Washington
Post also reported that Karen Pence was considered part of her husband’s
inner circle in Indiana and was “so inextricably bound to her husband that even
then-candidate Trump understood her importance and consulted her in critical
campaign moments.”
Like Pence, Apatow’s marriage is atypical by his city’s
standards. He’s been married to actress Leslie Mann, the mother of his two
daughters, for 20 years. Not only do they live together, they work together
too. Apatow has cast Mann as a lead in several of his movies, including
“Knocked Up” and “This is 40.”
When Apatow’s Vulture
interview turned to the subject of his college-aged daughter, Apatow reflected
on her generation’s binge drinking:
You know kids are getting
obliterated with alcohol, so you try to make concessions based on what you know
the realities of college drinking are. You start out saying, “No, don’t drink.”
Then that turns into, “Okay, two glasses of wine. Can you please just do two
glasses of wine?” How do you teach your kid to be satisfied with a gentle buzz?
That’s the challenge.
Conservative parents can undoubtedly relate to Apatow’s
wanting to protect his daughter from the excesses of campus hookup culture.
Similarly, Apatow’s encouraging her to embrace moderation reflects a timeless
conservative value, encapsulated in the phrase “Moderation in all things.”
Apatow Doesn’t
Kowtow To Feminist Orthodoxy
Then there’s Apatow’s unexpected answer to the ritual
“are you a feminist?” question. He replies, “I don’t, at least not in those
terms. I just try to do what’s right whenever I see the opportunity.”
I was actually surprised the interviewer let it go at
that. I suspect Apatow believes in women’s equality—as does this
not-a-feminist—but I appreciate his refusal to bow to the organized feminist
movement. I’m not sure how much courageous company would willingly stand apart
with him out in Hollywood, but this conservative woman does.
Next, consider that Apatow reports he judges actors and
projects based on merit:
I’m sure I make mistakes. But I’m
not working with Lena [Dunham] because I want women to do better; I’m working
with Lena because she’s so inspiring. With Bridesmaids, I never thought, It’d
be great if there was a movie that starred a lot of women and maybe that will
help open some doors. It’s great if that ends up happening, but that sort of
thinking is never the starting point. Same thing with The Big Sick. I’m not
thinking about representing minorities. I’m not thinking about society. I’m
thinking, No one else’s ever made a movie about someone like this. That means
it’s not going to be hacky. It’ll be new. Now let’s make it great.
Now, we can disagree with Apatow’s calling Dunham
“inspiring,” but he deserves credit for collaborating with her because he sees
talent, rather than simply An Opportunity to Promote Women. Apatow’s focusing
primarily on his craft, rather than diversity, is heretical for 2017 Hollywood.
Apatow Is Not
Rabidly Anti-Diversity
Open-mindedness in hiring is also rather heretical. But
consider Apatow’s response to whether he’d willingly work with an “outspoken
conservative” like Kelsey Grammer:
It’s hard to know. What is a
conservative these days? If somebody believes in lower taxes and is
anti-abortion, does anybody care that they’re a conservative? I don’t think so.
I think if you’re crazy, regardless of what party you’re with, people don’t
want to be around you. Does anyone care that Kelsey Grammer is a Republican?
No, he’s a genius. He’s one of the greatest comedic actors of all time. I’d
work with him in a second. I respect people who have different points of view.
Apatow doesn’t care if someone’s “anti-abortion” or
“conservative”? He’s able to appreciate Kelsey Gammer as “a genius,” rather
than preemptively dismissing Grammer for his politics? That’s refreshing.
In the wake of #GoogleManifesto, it’s clear that Judd
Apatow is not only more open-minded than nearly all college administrators, but
also the corporate leadership at Mozilla and Google. Such tolerance for a range
of opinions is precisely the sort of thing conservatives cheer and Social Justice
Warriors protest.
Judd, Put Aside
Stereotype And Embrace The Truth
Apatow’s also opened himself up to hatred from the Left
by defending the right of “Confederate” to eventually (maybe?) exist. In
response to Ta-Nehisi Coates’ urging Atlantic readers not to give “Confederate”
the benefit of the doubt, Apatow tweeted, “Censorship is never a good idea.
They haven’t even written a word. Seems a tad early to judge their work and
intentions.”
This restraint, a willingness to wait and see before
rushing to judgment, is a classically conservative move too.
How many more examples do you need? Judd, it’s time to
put aside your stereotypes about how conservatives offer “an illusion of
stability” or are “a household from the 1950s where the family is in a living
hell because the dad’s a secret alcoholic.” We know—and deep down you know
too—that’s false.
We believe in marriage, merit, meaningful art, freedom of
expression, and not politicizing everything in sight — you know, the good
stuff. And I promise your whole world will make so much more sense once you
admit that you’re one of us. Because you are.
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