Funny People (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
Judd Apatow has proven to be a stellar creator of raunchy rom-coms in recent yrs. In his latest effort, 'Funny People', he tries to blend raunchy comedy with romance, some serious drama, & it results in an often hysterically funny outing at the theater ... but a slightly bloated, uneven one, at that. Seasoned movie star & standup comic George Simmons (Adam Sandler, playing a caricature of his real life celebrity) is a not-so-nice guy who becomes even more self-absorbed when he's told that his incurable form of leukemia may soon claim his life. Stunned by the harsh news, he doesn't know how to deal with it. First, he tries calling Laura (Leslie Mann), the love of his life who'd dumped him over 10 yrs. ago for cheating on her, but all he can do is spit out a few apologies before she clicks on him. Then he decides to debut a new, decidedly dark standup routine to emulate how he feels inside.
This is where he meets Ira (Seth Rogen); a deli worker/amateur comedian who is one of George's biggest fans. George, disconsolate, lonely, & fairly impressed by Ira's deprecating material, offers him a job as his personal assistant/comedy writer; which he obviously accepts. The two form a genuine friendship. George shows Ira how to win a crowd over. And Ira helps the ailing George to cope with his mortality. But while we sympathize with George's condition & completely understand his frustrations, the sweet-natured Ira, unfortunately, gets the unwarranted brunt of George's self-involved wrath. Situations arise where George hooks back up with Laura, meets her children (played by her adorable real life children with Apatow), & tries to dismantle her iffy marriage with Clarke (a brutish Eric Bana). And Ira sees how no disease, however terminal or irreversible, can really change a person for the better.
It's an odd movie; one that highlights how fun & luxurious it is as a comedian/movie star, but also how wealth & stardom can be a facade for self-doubt, & loneliness. With the sweet comes the sour. I loved a good portion of 'Funny People'. The characters are ... funny people. The humor is raucous, yet witty (even Kevin Kline gets a mention, haha). The dramatic touches in the 1st half of the film are impressive (where Sandler excelled). But the movie is 20 or so minutes too long (in my estimation). And Apatow proves ineffective at balancing the comedy (slows near the end), the drama, and the pathos of George's life; a combination that worked early on, but drizzles off near the end.
Narrative aside, Apatow knows how to give us humanistic, humbling characters, movie after movie. Sandler lets loose some stinging comedic one-liners, as well as some serious acting (i.e., when he wakes up in a sweat & struggles to work his TV set). Seth Rogen is excellent as Ira, showing vulnerability & likeability, along with his dirty humor. But I feel like his character arc takes a nosedive near the end; especially when his own romantic plotline goes nowhere. Leslie Mann is a great actress (a thoughtful scene where she first discusses George's illness), but she's also a hilarious comedienne. I enjoyed Jonah Hill & Jason Schwartzmann's crude senses of humor (though I wonder if cutting them out would have helped the flow of the film). And there are cameos galore: James Taylor, Eminem, Ray Romano, Torsten Voges (highlighted in the commercials as the doctor who should be upset for dying in Die Hard, haha), & other assorted celebrities.
There's plenty to love & laugh at in 'Funny People'; especially if profane/dirty jokes don't dissuade you. Structurally, this is not a great movie. The illness/loneliness storyline is not as dark or as hard-hitting as it needed to be. I also needed to know more behind Laura's reasoning(s) throughout the film. Leslie Mann is wonderful, but the writing of her character is muddled. So any real representations of these characters felt a bit false (especially when we're supposed to take the movie seriously). But when all is said & done, I sat down, laughed, pondered life, & basically enjoyed myself. Judd Apatow really does need to find a better editor, though. Like most movies out there, it needed tightening.
This is where he meets Ira (Seth Rogen); a deli worker/amateur comedian who is one of George's biggest fans. George, disconsolate, lonely, & fairly impressed by Ira's deprecating material, offers him a job as his personal assistant/comedy writer; which he obviously accepts. The two form a genuine friendship. George shows Ira how to win a crowd over. And Ira helps the ailing George to cope with his mortality. But while we sympathize with George's condition & completely understand his frustrations, the sweet-natured Ira, unfortunately, gets the unwarranted brunt of George's self-involved wrath. Situations arise where George hooks back up with Laura, meets her children (played by her adorable real life children with Apatow), & tries to dismantle her iffy marriage with Clarke (a brutish Eric Bana). And Ira sees how no disease, however terminal or irreversible, can really change a person for the better.
It's an odd movie; one that highlights how fun & luxurious it is as a comedian/movie star, but also how wealth & stardom can be a facade for self-doubt, & loneliness. With the sweet comes the sour. I loved a good portion of 'Funny People'. The characters are ... funny people. The humor is raucous, yet witty (even Kevin Kline gets a mention, haha). The dramatic touches in the 1st half of the film are impressive (where Sandler excelled). But the movie is 20 or so minutes too long (in my estimation). And Apatow proves ineffective at balancing the comedy (slows near the end), the drama, and the pathos of George's life; a combination that worked early on, but drizzles off near the end.
Narrative aside, Apatow knows how to give us humanistic, humbling characters, movie after movie. Sandler lets loose some stinging comedic one-liners, as well as some serious acting (i.e., when he wakes up in a sweat & struggles to work his TV set). Seth Rogen is excellent as Ira, showing vulnerability & likeability, along with his dirty humor. But I feel like his character arc takes a nosedive near the end; especially when his own romantic plotline goes nowhere. Leslie Mann is a great actress (a thoughtful scene where she first discusses George's illness), but she's also a hilarious comedienne. I enjoyed Jonah Hill & Jason Schwartzmann's crude senses of humor (though I wonder if cutting them out would have helped the flow of the film). And there are cameos galore: James Taylor, Eminem, Ray Romano, Torsten Voges (highlighted in the commercials as the doctor who should be upset for dying in Die Hard, haha), & other assorted celebrities.
There's plenty to love & laugh at in 'Funny People'; especially if profane/dirty jokes don't dissuade you. Structurally, this is not a great movie. The illness/loneliness storyline is not as dark or as hard-hitting as it needed to be. I also needed to know more behind Laura's reasoning(s) throughout the film. Leslie Mann is wonderful, but the writing of her character is muddled. So any real representations of these characters felt a bit false (especially when we're supposed to take the movie seriously). But when all is said & done, I sat down, laughed, pondered life, & basically enjoyed myself. Judd Apatow really does need to find a better editor, though. Like most movies out there, it needed tightening.