Movie Fire

FUNNY PEOPLE – REVIEW

8 out of 10

Judd Apatow’s third film, Funny People, starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen and Leslie Mann is not the raunchy comedy one would expect from the director of The 40 Year Old Virgin or from seeing the trailers.  The film is more drama than comedy, but to classify it as a dramedy would be a mistake.  Funny People really is a character study more than anything else that focuses on George Simmons (Sandler), a stand-up comic turned movie star who begins to reevaluate his life after being diagnosed with a rare blood disorder.  The film rambles a bit, may be a bit over long and really never comes to a tidy conclusion, but that’s part of the charm of the film.  If Funny People ended with George achieving the perfect life for himself, it wouldn’t feel real.  It would’ve been just another run of the mill romantic comedy and this film has way more to offer than that. 

George Simmons seemingly has the perfect life.  He’s rich and famous, every guy wants his autograph and every woman wants to sleep with him.  The problem is that George is lonely and unfulfilled.  He doesn’t have any real friends and he laments the loss of his girlfriend from over a decade ago due to his own selfish, idiotic behavior.  He’s a sad clown who realizes that even though his career has been dedicated to making others happy through laughter, there’s no one in his personal life who does the same for him.  Sandler playing a character that resembles himself in many ways (mostly professional) is unforgettable in the role.  He plays George like a whiny, spoiled kid that has no clue how to connect with others in a meaningful way.  In a word, he is a schmuck.  To most people, Sandler would barely even be considered an actor, but he has acquired major acting chops over the past decade or so, starring in films such as Punch-Drunk Love and Reign Over Me.  Funny People is his best performance as an actor (not a comedian) and it is by far the main reason the film is so good.  In fact, he is so dynamic in the role that he deserves an Oscar nomination, although you and I both know that will never happen.  At any rate, I’ve taken great pleasure in watching Sandler evolve from buffoonish comedian to serious actor and I can’t wait to see what he has in store for the future.

Anyone familiar with writer/director Judd Apatow’s work, from his critically acclaimed, short lived series, Freaks and Geeks to his last film Knocked Up, won’t be surprised by the dramatic nature of Funny People.  His work has always had a raunchy comic candy coating that surrounds a soft, gooey center in the middle and Funny People tastes the same way.  If I had a dollar for every penis joke in the movie, I wouldn’t have to work this year.  As vulgar as it can be, The 40 Year Old Virgin is actually a sweet romantic comedy, perhaps one of the best of all time.  Even Knocked Up (although more a comedy than Funny People) had plenty of dark dramatic moments as well.  Believe me, there is nothing funny about watching Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogen fight. The premise of Knocked Up alone smacks of drama.  Funny People is the next step in the evolution of an assured artist who utilizes crude humor to bring real, thoughtful characters to life.  Will it be Apatow’s biggest hit to date?  Not a chance, but he has crafted a terrific film that will grow in popularity over time.  The only real problem with the film is that it is slightly too long, but that is a minor complaint at best.  Hell, it only clocks in about 10 minutes longer than both Virgin and Knocked Up.

Although the film belongs primarily to Sandler, the other actors give fine performances as well.  Seth Rogen as Ira Wright, George’s newly hired assistant/joke writer is a revelation here.  After appearing in about 35 movies over the last 3 years, I was growing fatigued of Rogen’s shtick, but he delivers a heartfelt performance here that has reinvigorated my love for him.  As his character struggles to balance being a faithful employee with being a good friend, Rogen displays an emotional spectrum that I didn’t think he was capable of and serves as the heart and soul of the movie.  Leslie Mann as the object of Sandler’s affection also delivers a solid performance here making it easy to understand why Simmons would be in love with her.  She is a beautiful actress with great comic timing and she knocks it out of the park here.

To sum it up, Funny People is a dramatic look at the life of a successful, albeit lonely comedian that is packed with plenty of laughs along the way.  Even if the story isn’t compelling enough for you, the performances of the lead actors (especially Adam Sandler) make this one movie you shouldn’t miss.