Thanks for checking out our review for Funny People.
It’s hard to believe considering his name is on just about every comedy movie that comes out these days, but Judd Apatow has only directed two movies in his amazing career so far. One if them is the very good “Knocked Up”, and the other one is (in my opinion anyway) one of the greatest comedies of all time, The 40 Year Old Virgin.
So when it’s announced that Apatow is about to release his third film as a director, you’ve gotta sit up and pay attention. So here comes “Funny People”. Does it meet the high standards Apatow has set in the past? Ummm… no, not even close.
THE GENERAL IDEA
The synopsis for Funny People reads something like this: “George Simmons (Adam Sandler) is a very successful yet self-involved stand-up comedian who learns that he has an incurable blood disorder and is given less than a year to live. Ira Wright (Weiner is his actual last name) (Seth Rogen) is a struggling up-and-coming stand-up comedian who works at a deli and has yet to figure out his onstage persona. One thing these different men have in common is that neither of them have any close friends. One night, George takes notice of Ira when they perform at the same club and he hires him to be his semi-personal assistant and opening act at his performances. George and Ira form a close bond as George teaches Ira how to win the crowd and Ira helps the dying George find closure in his legacy. However, when George learns that his disease has gone into remission and an old flame (Leslie Mann) reenters his life, his recent near death experience inspires him to reevaluate what is important to him and what truly gives meaning to his life.”
THE GOOD
One of the best things about Judd Apatow comedies is that underneath the giggles and crass jokes, there is always something deeper, something touching or even a bit profound once you peel back the layers of them. Funny People deals with a man facing his own mortality which forces him to actually evaluate his life. It’s a bold attempt for someone who is seen as a “funny man” in Hollywood. It’s this direction that makes Funny People more than just a comedy… it’s a film.
Adam Sandler continues to show us that he’s probably better suited as a dramatic actor than a comedic one. He has so much raw potential as an actor that it makes me sad he doesn’t get the opportunity to showcase it more. In the parts of Funny People where Sandler is called upon to project REAL harsh emotions and feelings from this character facing his own demise, the movie shines. They are the highlight of this film for me.
THE BAD
Unfortunately the potentially powerful story underneath “Funny People” gets lost and buried under piles of misfired humor, pointless and distracting parades of needless celebrity cameos and frankly unlikeable and unrelatable characters that no one in the audience ever becomes attached to. The story is essentially lost in the telling. Sandler’s character is so unlikeable that I never care if he lives or dies… and that hurts the film a lot. The main emotional hook of the film fails and thus all the guts are taken out before it even really launches.
This film is TOO LONG. Some movies are perfect for 2.5 or 3+ hours… others are perfect at 83 minutes. Funny People was far too long and drawn out with constant repetitiveness and over dwelling on points we as the audiences already got an hour ago. Eric Bana (who is in so much of the trailers) doesn’t show up until almost 2 hours into the film, because it all moves so slowly. There is no pace to the movie whatsoever.
It’s not funny. Don’t get me wrong, there are certainly funny parts… but they’re isolated and random. The “funniness” seems to just come from random jokes thrown out there (and there are a few of those) instead of from the story or characters themselves. No laughs are built through the film… they’re all just quick random one shots… completely different from the other Apatow films.
The supporting cast surrounding Sandler did not work. I love Jonah Hill, but he did not work in this movie. I love Seth Rogen, but he did not work in this movie. I love Jason Schwartzman, but he did not work in this movie. Everything away from Sandler himself just felt flat and almost desperate.
OVERALL
Funny People is a potentially smart comedy that quickly loses it’s way and becomes mired in disjointed story telling, lack of focus, too many random celebrity cameos, an overly long run time, lack of pace and despite some decent chuckles here and there, lack of humor. Sandler shines in his more dramatic moments, but almost everything else falls well short. Judd Apatow is a genius, but I think we finally just saw his one bad day at the office. Oh well… we all have them from time to time. Overall I give “Funny People” a 4 out of 10.
