By Steve Krakauer, Commentary | The Hill
A delicious bit of cultural subversion is the idea that director Judd Apatow, despite being an avowed liberal and critic of Republicans, actually makes extremely conservative movies.
Ross Douthat of the New York Times made the original case in 2009, looking at how “Knocked Up” makes a compelling pro-life case, while “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” actually celebrates the abstinence of its main character. In 2015, Apatow made “Trainwreck,” the Amy Schumer vehicle that follows a woman who decides to abandon her boozy promiscuity in favor of monogamy and responsibility. Apatow movies are perhaps subconsciously conservative, despite the will of their creator.
Fast forward to 2024. “Wicked” — the Broadway musical adapted into a two-part film starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo — is a box office hit, already grossing hundreds of millions. For those unfamiliar with the plot, “Wicked” is both a “Wizard of Oz” prequel of sorts and a reframing of the original movie, with a focus on the early life of Glinda the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West, known as Elphaba in this version. It’s not spoiling the movie to reveal that “Wicked” portrays a world where Elphaba is actually good, and Glinda is, while more nuanced, actually bad.