# Michael Cera=Comedy GOLD **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 4, 2007, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-cera-comedy-gold/406649 "2007-06-04T03:47:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2007, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-cera-comedy-gold/406649/1 "2007-06-04T03:47:23Z")
Michael Cera. First there was the ill-fated “Arrested Development.” His timing and delivery was absolutely brilliant. Then, the trailers I’ve seen for “Superbad” have me looking forward to this movie as much as I’ve looked forward to a movie in a really long time. Now there’s “Clark & Michael”, a new Internet show starring him and some dude named Clark Duke. They basically play themselves as a couple of slackers trying to get a TV show sold to a network-- kind of Seinfeld meets Curb Your Enthusiasm meets The Office, with a little Arrested Development-type humor thrown in. Has anyone else seen this? Thoughts? Me? I think it’s friggin’ tits! I couldn’t stop laughing. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2007, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-cera-comedy-gold/406649/2 "2007-06-04T04:14:11Z")
I haven’t had enough free time to sit and watch \*Clark & Michael \* yet, but the _Superbad_ trailer is one of the funniest trailers I’ve ever seen, and I’m eagerly awaiting the movie. I’m still on a comedy high after seeing _Knocked Up_ on Friday night, but Michael Cera (who is probably the most talented teen actor working today, to say nothing of one of the most naturally funny actors I’ve ever seen), Jonah Hill, Bill Hader, Seth Rogen, and Judd Apatow together = comedy gold. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2007, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-cera-comedy-gold/406649/3 "2007-06-04T04:17:18Z")
Find the time, man. These episodes are only about 7 minutes, and they are well worth watching! New eps every Wednesday, from what I gather. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2007, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-cera-comedy-gold/406649/4 "2007-06-04T04:19:23Z")
And since I just mentioned them, here is a funny-but-unsettling clip of Michael Cera getting into a fight with Judd Apatow on the set of _Knocked Up_, and getting fired from the role that would eventually go to Seth Rogen! [http://www.funnyordie.com/v1/view\_video.php?viewkey=86ee661c7c98800678fa](http://www.funnyordie.com/v1/view_video.php?viewkey=86ee661c7c98800678fa) (Language isn’t work-safe.) It’s actually a very funny spoof of the leaked footage of Lily Tomlin having it out with difficult director David O. Russell on the set of _I \<3 Huckabee’s_. Apatow and Cera are obviously really good friends in real life. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2007, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-cera-comedy-gold/406649/5 "2007-06-04T04:50:45Z")
Who else in the history of film has had such a talent for comedy at this age? (Not a merely rhetorical question–I’d really like to know. I don’t generally think of kids as being capable of this kind of performance.) This kid seems pretty phenomenal. I always wondered about him and the girl that plays “Maybe” on Arrested Development (don’t know how you spell that name). I wasn’t sure whether they were really good comedians, or just really well directed. Looks like Cera’s the real deal. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2007, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-cera-comedy-gold/406649/6 "2007-06-04T04:55:46Z")
[QUOTE=Big Bad Voodoo Lou] And since I just mentioned them, here is a funny-but-unsettling clip of Michael Cera getting into a fight with Judd Apatow on the set of _Knocked Up_, and getting fired from the role that would eventually go to Seth Rogen! [http://www.funnyordie.com/v1/view\_video.php?viewkey=86ee661c7c98800678fa](http://www.funnyordie.com/v1/view_video.php?viewkey=86ee661c7c98800678fa) (Language isn’t work-safe.) It’s actually a very funny spoof of the leaked footage of Lily Tomlin having it out with difficult director David O. Russell on the set of _I \<3 Huckabee’s_. Apatow and Cera are obviously really good friends in real life. [/QUOTE] Did they append that to the end of the flick by any chance? That would have been funny. -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2007, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-cera-comedy-gold/406649/7 "2007-06-04T13:55:19Z")
Then there’s this comedy gem: [http://youtube.com/watch?v=nAV0sxwx9rY](http://youtube.com/watch?v=nAV0sxwx9rY) “I’m the happiest and most successful person I’ve ever known, and I know several married couples-- and that includes my parents.” ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2007, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-cera-comedy-gold/406649/8 "2007-06-04T14:07:31Z")
[QUOTE=Happy Lendervedder] First there was the ill-fated “Arrested Development.” [/QUOTE] First there was Steal This Movie, with Cera playing America Hoffman. I saw Alia Shawkat in a made-for-Lifetime movie, playing an angst-ridden teen (No!) accused of being a witch in an overly fundie town. True story. Scary. And pretty good. The great Illeana Douglas played her mother. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2007, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-cera-comedy-gold/406649/9 "2007-06-04T15:07:15Z")
[QUOTE=Frylock] This kid seems pretty phenomenal. I always wondered about him and the girl that plays “Maybe” on Arrested Development (don’t know how you spell that name). I wasn’t sure whether they were really good comedians, or just really well directed. [/QUOTE] They were both very funny, but I thought Cera in particular was really talented. He was (usually) playing a very innocent and awkward character on a show full of ill-intentioned people, and he did a great job of it. He was great at those embarrassed, trailing-off improvs. And according to the first season DVD, “Go fish- Uno” was Cera’s line. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2007, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-cera-comedy-gold/406649/10 "2007-06-04T22:43:26Z")
I love Michael Cera. Shawkat was sweet as Maeby but I thought she had the easier role-the consistently deviour rebellious hustling brat. But Michael Cera! The trail-offs, the awkward laughter juxtaposed one second and the hopeful puppy dog eyes the next, his naive sweet belief in his family, the boundless enthusiasm for a “life of hard work”, the ability to keep his (mostly) well-intention father in line on occasions he started going down the family’s path. The kid nailed it. I was pretty amazed that in such a great ensemble cast he stood out. Portia De Rossi was on Conan a few years back and was talking about how in some ways he IS a lot like the character though (apparently they were at an awards show and he got really excited because the press was screaming his name or something but it was for Michael Douglas…I don’t really remember the anecdote but it was very George Michael-ish). ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2007, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-cera-comedy-gold/406649/11 "2007-06-04T23:32:12Z")
“Alright! Quicken! Did you keep the receipt?” “You want to return it?” “I want to deduct it!” ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2007, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-cera-comedy-gold/406649/12 "2007-06-05T00:09:10Z")
Another episode where Cera is credited with one of the funniest improvs on the show was when George Michael is the first to deduce that his father’s girlfriend (Charlize Theron) is retarded. I’m paraphrasing but the exchange went something like: Michael: We should teach her about baseball. G. Michael: Yeah… uh, that might take a while. Dad I need you to watch this video… The “that might take a while” was improvved and so were a couple of his other lines (“yeah, she _really_ liked the grapes” during the video of the girlfriend eating wax fruit ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2008, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-cera-comedy-gold/406649/13 "2008-02-06T00:10:15Z")
Cera and Jason Bateman have a cute series of [YouTube shorts](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bka5Q_jNtr0&feature=user) ostensibly promoting _Juno_ but mostly just practicing improv on each other. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-cera-comedy-gold/406649/14 "2008-08-05T16:45:15Z")
The trailer for his [new movie](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQxJKKfDRRk) is now up. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-cera-comedy-gold/406649/15 "2008-08-05T20:10:19Z")
[QUOTE=ArchiveGuy] The trailer for his [new movie](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQxJKKfDRRk) is now up. [/QUOTE] Awesome, thanks! ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-cera-comedy-gold/406649/16 "2008-08-05T21:11:53Z")
That was pretty boring ---
**Author:** ![cactus\_waltz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@cactus\_waltz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cactus_waltz)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-cera-comedy-gold/406649/17 "2008-08-05T22:11:09Z")
I have to vouch for another George Michael moment - the mayonegg scene. Of course, Jason Bateman adds to the hillarity of the scene. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-cera-comedy-gold/406649/18 "2008-08-05T23:20:56Z")
While I like Michael Cera as an actor, can we get over calling him a “genius”? That’s how he really is. Every character is just a slight variation on himself. It’s great that he hit on a winning combination and his delayed reactions when Juno is flipping out was hilarious. But “genius”, come on. ---
**Author:** ![Ichbin\_Dubist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-cera-comedy-gold/406649/19 "2008-08-05T23:28:17Z")
I will admit to having stolen his delivery of “Yikes.” ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-cera-comedy-gold/406649/20 "2008-08-05T23:40:15Z")
[QUOTE=Justin\_Bailey] While I like Michael Cera as an actor, can we get over calling him a “genius”? That’s how he really is. Every character is just a slight variation on himself. It’s great that he hit on a winning combination and his delayed reactions when Juno is flipping out was hilarious. But “genius”, come on. [/QUOTE] Nope. Genius is relevant. Go to [clarkandmichael.com](http://clarkandmichael.com) and watch his web series. He and his friend Clark Duke wrote, directed, produced and starred in this comedy gem. Before the age of 20. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-cera-comedy-gold/406649.md?page=2)