(Released in theaters 7/31/09)
Funny People, written and directed by Judd Apatow, is the third movie by the director/writer. This movie is a dramedy, unlike his other films that were straight comedies with dramatic elements, this is a drama with comedic elements. The story is more dark and serious then his other two which are about an old virgin and a fat guy knocking up a pretty girl. This film takes a different path for Apatow and I liked that, the stellar cast and great cinematography add to a high-quality story. The first half is phenomenal, but the script takes a turn for the worse and ends up being the worst of the Apatow flicks, but still a pretty decent movie.
George Simmons, played by Adam Sandler is a very successful stand up comedian who learns that he has an untreatable blood disorder and is given less than a year to live. Ira Wright, played by Seth Rogen is a struggling up-and-coming stand up comedian who works at a deli, lives with his two friends on a foldout couch, and has yet to figure out his onstage persona. One night, Ira and George perform at the same club and George takes notice of Ira. He hires Ira to be his semi-personal assistant as well as his friend. He then starts doing a lot more stand up and even tries to patch up things with the girl who got away.
If you are a fan of Sandler (which I am), and a fan of Apatow (which I am), there is no reason you won’t enjoy Funny People. It still has those great raunchy jokes like any other Apatow flick, and it’s great to see them coming from Adam Sandler. It reminded me of his old comedy, when he use to make his R-rated CDs like “What The Hell Happened To Me” and “They’re All Gonna laugh At You”. But Sandler also does something great with his performance, he plays a lonely, angry, famous comedian very well, and I really connected with his character. It’s probably his best and most mature work since Punch Drunk Love. He shows the world that he can be goofy and very funny, but the man can also act as he has some great emotional scenes and some other very dramatic moments.
The supporting cast is solid. Seth Rogen has yet to bother me in any film he has been in. I was starting to believe his career was fluke and that he would eventually fade away, but I just really enjoy him in everything, he plays another likeable character in this film. Jonah Hill, plays Leo a stand up comedian friend, Hill who has been getting kind of old lately, puts in a very funny supporting performance here. He has great comedic timing and its true people don’t find physically fit men funny. Jason Schwartzman plays Mark, a conceded sitcom star of a series called “Yo Teach”. Schwartzman was hilarious interacting with Ira and Leo and being a part of a ridiculous sitcom. Leslie Mann plays Laura the girl who got away, I was surprised cause she is usually hilarious in Apatow films but here she is not. She has some very dramatic scenes with Sandler and Eric Bana and it was different seeing her so serious, her acting was better then I thought it was going to be. There were also some cameos by some famous stand up comedians playing themselves and I thought they were all very funny in their small roles.
Apatow’s writing is usually very good. He really nailed it with The 40-Year Old Virgin and then came back with a tight script for Knocked Up. Funny People seems more of a passion piece for Apatow, and not really a truly special script. It’s like Apatow sat down with Sandler and wrote joke after joke and then wrote s a story around it. 25% of the movie is a stand-up act, which was awesome. But, the story lacks a great 3rd act, which is a problem because that’s the most important. It started off very enjoyable and funny, but when that story takes a turn for the worse in the second half it starts to drag and becomes too serious. I also thought that the trailer didn’t help the film. They could of left some key plot points out, and then it would of came as a surprise in the film instead of everyone already knowing what was coming, and that took away from the story a little.
I have to mention also that Oscar winner director of photography Janusz Kaminski does some amazing cinematography. He gives the film a crisp look and it was very nice to look at and that’s rare for a comedy.
Overall, Funny People is funny, but it’s also very serious. Sandler stands out, but the script falls short, which also makes the film fall short of being MADE.
Imdb: 7.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 66%
Moviewiseguys: 7.5/10