Movie Review
Funny People
2009
Starring: Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen
Directed by: Judd Apatow
Runtime 2:25

When one thinks of the idea of a Judd Apatow directed Adam Sandler movie, one might be thinking that the project would be a mix between 40 Year Old Virgin and Happy Gilmore. Instead, Apatow gives us Funny People; a movie where Sandler plays a more dramatic role than expected (even though the role he plays is a stand-up comedian). Actually, it would be more appropriate to call it two films because that’s what it feels like you are watching with this film. There’s the odd morsel of gross-out humour but, for the most part, the comedy tries to be intelligent and, at times, sentimental. It makes for an interesting dynamic considering the players in this film.

The movie follows around Ira Wright (Rogen), a struggling stand-up who is trying to make a name for himself. One evening, mega superstar George Simmons (Sandler) stops by the comedy club and delivers a rather dark set. George befriends Ira and reveals to him that he’s terminally ill. George has no one in his life due to his reclusiveness. Feeling the need to have at least one friend, George asks the star struck Ira to be his assistant. The two build a close but turbulent relationship. George begins to be more open to others as time passes by. Luckily for George, a last chance effort to cure him works. With a new lease on life, he sets off to seek out the only woman (Leslie Mann) he has ever loved. She confides that while she still cares for him she has her own life that involves a husband and children. George has trouble accepting this and wants desperately back into her life.

The weird thing is that this film would have made two very good films; instead it’s one long mediocre film. Funny People on its own is good but it feels way too long and the first half of the movie feels vastly different from the second half. The only things that remain the same are the characters. It handicaps the film because whatever enjoyment you get from the film initially gets forgotten as you begin to feel the long runtime wear down on you.

While the movie is funny, it’s not as funny as you would expect with a project from the trio of Sandler, Rogen, and Apatow. Sure, there are times where the movie is so funny that your sides will hurt from laughing so hard but those times are far and few between; which doesn’t bode well for a 2:30 comedy. At times, the movie has the vibe of a bad open mic night at a comedy club, which I doubt that was the idea even though the film takes place at times from during an open night mic at a comedy club. If this film had come from an upstart comedy team, it would have been more acceptable that the film isn’t a comedy classic but considering the pedigree working on this film, anything short of a high plateau is disappointing.

The performances were acceptable but uneven. Sandler was fantastic although it wasn’t his best performance. At least he didn’t try to overact to compensate to make up for the weaker performances. Rogen was fine because the movie only required him to do the only three emotions he knows how to do properly (smug, mopey, and annoyed). Mann is poorer than Rogen in terms of acting ability and she is one of the reasons why the film drags in the second half (her character becomes prominent during the second half of the film). She can do upset well but that’s about it. All the other emotions seem to be the same. Normally, stale acting can hurt a film but since Mann is mostly in the second half of the film, the weight of the film’s length and never ending narrative take precedence. Besides, Sandler’s acting more than carries the film and the supporting cast (Jonah Hill, Jason Schwartzman) do their job very well to make acting issues barely noticeable.

Some may criticize Judd Apatow for coasting due to the effort shown with Funny People. It does feel uninspired and at times relies on cameo appearances to keep the audience interested. It would have been better had the movie been split into two films since it really feels like you’re watching two films back-to-back. Instead of two really good films, we’re given one unexceptional film.

☆☆