Akiva Schaffer has proven himself to be an incredible writer and director. Having recently worked on the legacy sequel, The Naked Gun, he has shown that he has just as strong comedy chops as he did over 20 years ago. With his rise to fame stemming from his work on Saturday Night Live and his parody band The Lonely Island, he has since proven that he can be just as strong a filmmaker as he is a comedy writer. From musician parody movies to Disney live-action/animated hybrid, Schaffer’s range of films expresses his talent as a filmmaker.
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In particular, his work on The Naked Gun and Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping shows that Schaffer has a unique comedic vision unlike any other filmmaker. His natural flair for the genre makes him one of the strongest voices in comedy working today.
The Naked Gun Is Saving the Theatrical Comedy
The Naked Gun stands as one of the best studio comedies in years. Schaffer successfully recreates the Zucker brothers’ silly sense of humor while putting his own unique spin on the story. Much like its predecessors, the film sets up an overtly unrealistic world. From coffee appearing in front of characters out of nowhere to an owl flying someone to their destination, the film’s focus away from realism allows Schaffer to be creative with his set pieces, and doing so makes for an extremely entertaining experience from start to finish.
Another film that expresses Schaffer’s sense of humor perfectly is Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers. Releasing straight on Disney+, the film had next-to-zero hype upon release, but turned out to be a huge surprise to audiences. It not only acted as a current generation’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, but Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers is an excellent parody of current-day filmmaking. The film was so well-received that it won the 2022 Emmy for Outstanding Television Movie. Although the straight-to-streaming release kept it from receiving a larger fan base, the film found lots of love by solely being a great movie.
Akiva Schaffer’s first directorial outing also stands as one of his best. 2007’s Hot Rod, starring Andy Samberg, was not a popular film upon release, only making $14 million at the worldwide box office, but the film has since found a cult following. Samberg and Schaffer prove to be an incredible duo, with Samberg’s execution of Schaffer’s style making some of the funniest sequences the comedy genre has seen this century. From its absurd plot to its incredible ensemble, Hot Rod stands as one of the most underrated comedies of the 2000s.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping Is Extremely Underrated
What is arguably Schaffer’s best film is also his most underrated. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping may have made less than $10 million at the box office, but it stands as one of the best comedies of the century. The film is an incredible mockumentary of the music industry, with Andy Samberg capturing all the subtleties and insecurities of the average pop star in ways that feel relatable to the modern world while also being hilarious. From its ludicrous music numbers to a wedding turned violent, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping has some of the best laugh-out-loud moments in any movie.
The film also allowed for the reunion of The Lonely Island. Co-directed by Schaffer and Jorma Taccone and starring Andy Samberg, the three of them came together to not only write the movie, but also write more parody songs. Songs like “Equal Rights” and “Bin Laden” not only portray Connor4Real, played by Samberg, and his massive ego perfectly, but they also express The Lonely Island’s gift of blending comedy and songwriting. The parody group skillfully creates multiple catchy songs while expressing their distinct sense of humor. It’s extremely hard to get parody right, but The Lonely Island does it better than nearly every other artist.
Whether he’s writing a script or making a song, Akiva Schaffer has proven for the past couple of decades that he is one of the best comedy filmmakers working today. Ranging from children’s movies to absurdist adult comedies, Schaffer’s range and consistency show that there is no one else doing comedy like him. Whether he’s attached as an executive producer or leading a project in the director’s chair, everything he is a part of is bound to be great, and with The Naked Gun performing compared to most theatrically released comedies, audiences are bound to see more of Schaffer in the future.
What do you think? Put in the comments below who you think is the best comedy filmmaker working today!
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Image courtesy of Marvel Studios. -
Image Courtesy of Marvel Studios
