To enjoy Judd Apatow's latest film, you kind of have to be a fan of ApatowLand. For example, I LOVE Coen-BrothersLand. You know what you're getting when you enter their world – originality, eccentricity and, regardless of the story, they will totally NAIL the tone. In ApatowLand, you know what you're going to get – wise-asses, insane profanity, bromance and shallow behavior. I LOVE THAT! I'm a little late getting to the "Funny People" table, which opened July 31st, and there's been much talk about the movie as "Apatow's James L. Brooks movie" and "his attempt at drama". Fear not, the feel of an Apatow comedy is thoroughly in place, even though he's taken on deeper themes than usual.
Adam Sandler plays George Simmons, an eternally selfish and mean stand-up comic in L.A. who learns he has a deadly blood disease. While he undergoes an experimental Canadian medicine, he plots a return to stand-up (after years in apparently lousy, but successful films). He employs the services of young, naïve comic Ira Wright (Seth Rogen) to help him write jokes and do all sorts of other, demeaning services. I know Judd Apatow came to prominence in the L.A. comedy scene, and he's brought authenticity to locations, players and attitudes in the live comedy game. At times I felt like I wasn't supposed to be watching these personal recounts. Most of the cameos are entertaining, too, especially a who'd-have-thought appearance by Eminem.
A common oversight by moviegoers nowadays is to mistake Judd Apatow-directed movies for Judd Apatow produced movies or movies that were made attempting his style. There's a big difference. And the difference usually shows itself here: - An Apatow-directed film will have an underlying sweetness or vulnerability that makes me care about the characters, warts and all. Films he produces often go straight for laughs, bypassing the story elements that really draw us in (see "Step Brothers" or "Walk Hard") - An Apatow-produced film just isn't as funny as one he produces AND directs. He's a good director! (see "Year One" or "Drillbit Taylor") - Films not directed by Judd often force the emotion into the scene. Romantic montages seemed out of place and awkward in movies like the over-rated "Wedding Crashers" and films like "I Love You Man" and "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" try too hard to build relationships that Judd Apatow has made look easy. One movie that handled the romance skillfully was "Adventureland" .too bad it wasn't crazy funny. That being said, I was concerned that Apatow would abandon everything he's used to make a successful formula up to now and turn "Funny people" into something too earnest, too (gasp) emotional.
"Funny People" thankfully avoids overdoses of sentimentality. Every moment that seems like it could be an unnatural, forced turn of schmaltz is undercut by great, comic dialogue. Even a climactic fight scene plays out with a level of truth because the characters are lumbering and inept, as I would expect comics to be when asked to ramp up the machismo.
Eric Bana provides the machismo as the new husband of one of Sandler's exes. He's got one of my favorite scenes, providing f-word-laced commentary to an Australian Rules Football game. Sandler's ex is played by the more-stunning-with-age Leslie Mann, following up on what I thought should've been an Oscar-nominated turn in "Knocked Up" with another conflicted late-thirties adult dealing with ghosts of the past and a conflicted marriage of the present. She deftly takes on a lot of the emotional weight of the plot, which wisely leaves the gags up to Rogen and Co. I was relieved to see Sandler's character be unrepentantly callous. It'd be easy to give George Simmons the "Regarding Henry" treatment, but it's more complicated (and therefore, more satisfying) to go the route Apatow took. I live in L.A. There are plenty of pricks out here like George Simmons. I know he borders on over-saturation (he did appear in 11 films in the last two years), but the best thing about this movie is Seth Rogen. He has an expert comic delivery in every one of Apatow's films and it's wonderfully on display here. This brings up the final note I'll make about the acting – if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Judd Apatow has what people are calling a "gang" at this point, and he succeeds when he keeps it in the family. Mann (Apatow's wife), Jonah Hill, Rogen, Jason Schwartzman and Justin Long (in a cameo) have been in Apatow projects before, and they work well here.
Don't mistake "Funny People" for a hilarious movie, even "Knocked Up" and "The 40 Year Old Virgin" were funny more for the relationships and the way people talked than for any huge comedy moments. Same here, there are no big laughs, but I could've listened to the dialogue for another hour.
The flaws, then? The narrative gets a little wonky as the true nature of dying comic George Simmons is tested while re-visiting past relationships. Apatow's previous films were essentially showing the rocky path on the road to romance. In tackling something bigger here, the storyline does stray here and there. When I saw "Evan Almighty" many moons ago, there was a scene early on where newly-elected-to-Congress Evan is settling into his new D.C. home. There's an establishing shot of his children in the living room before Evan enters the scene. It's an innocuous five seconds of set-up. But fellow Movie Guy Adam wisely noted that Judd Apatow would've used those five seconds to allow something funny to happen. That's what makes Apatow great.
Adam Sandler plays George Simmons, an eternally selfish and mean stand-up comic in L.A. who learns he has a deadly blood disease. While he undergoes an experimental Canadian medicine, he plots a return to stand-up (after years in apparently lousy, but successful films). He employs the services of young, naïve comic Ira Wright (Seth Rogen) to help him write jokes and do all sorts of other, demeaning services. I know Judd Apatow came to prominence in the L.A. comedy scene, and he's brought authenticity to locations, players and attitudes in the live comedy game. At times I felt like I wasn't supposed to be watching these personal recounts. Most of the cameos are entertaining, too, especially a who'd-have-thought appearance by Eminem.
A common oversight by moviegoers nowadays is to mistake Judd Apatow-directed movies for Judd Apatow produced movies or movies that were made attempting his style. There's a big difference. And the difference usually shows itself here: - An Apatow-directed film will have an underlying sweetness or vulnerability that makes me care about the characters, warts and all. Films he produces often go straight for laughs, bypassing the story elements that really draw us in (see "Step Brothers" or "Walk Hard") - An Apatow-produced film just isn't as funny as one he produces AND directs. He's a good director! (see "Year One" or "Drillbit Taylor") - Films not directed by Judd often force the emotion into the scene. Romantic montages seemed out of place and awkward in movies like the over-rated "Wedding Crashers" and films like "I Love You Man" and "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" try too hard to build relationships that Judd Apatow has made look easy. One movie that handled the romance skillfully was "Adventureland" .too bad it wasn't crazy funny. That being said, I was concerned that Apatow would abandon everything he's used to make a successful formula up to now and turn "Funny people" into something too earnest, too (gasp) emotional.
"Funny People" thankfully avoids overdoses of sentimentality. Every moment that seems like it could be an unnatural, forced turn of schmaltz is undercut by great, comic dialogue. Even a climactic fight scene plays out with a level of truth because the characters are lumbering and inept, as I would expect comics to be when asked to ramp up the machismo.
Eric Bana provides the machismo as the new husband of one of Sandler's exes. He's got one of my favorite scenes, providing f-word-laced commentary to an Australian Rules Football game. Sandler's ex is played by the more-stunning-with-age Leslie Mann, following up on what I thought should've been an Oscar-nominated turn in "Knocked Up" with another conflicted late-thirties adult dealing with ghosts of the past and a conflicted marriage of the present. She deftly takes on a lot of the emotional weight of the plot, which wisely leaves the gags up to Rogen and Co. I was relieved to see Sandler's character be unrepentantly callous. It'd be easy to give George Simmons the "Regarding Henry" treatment, but it's more complicated (and therefore, more satisfying) to go the route Apatow took. I live in L.A. There are plenty of pricks out here like George Simmons. I know he borders on over-saturation (he did appear in 11 films in the last two years), but the best thing about this movie is Seth Rogen. He has an expert comic delivery in every one of Apatow's films and it's wonderfully on display here. This brings up the final note I'll make about the acting – if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Judd Apatow has what people are calling a "gang" at this point, and he succeeds when he keeps it in the family. Mann (Apatow's wife), Jonah Hill, Rogen, Jason Schwartzman and Justin Long (in a cameo) have been in Apatow projects before, and they work well here.
Don't mistake "Funny People" for a hilarious movie, even "Knocked Up" and "The 40 Year Old Virgin" were funny more for the relationships and the way people talked than for any huge comedy moments. Same here, there are no big laughs, but I could've listened to the dialogue for another hour.
The flaws, then? The narrative gets a little wonky as the true nature of dying comic George Simmons is tested while re-visiting past relationships. Apatow's previous films were essentially showing the rocky path on the road to romance. In tackling something bigger here, the storyline does stray here and there. When I saw "Evan Almighty" many moons ago, there was a scene early on where newly-elected-to-Congress Evan is settling into his new D.C. home. There's an establishing shot of his children in the living room before Evan enters the scene. It's an innocuous five seconds of set-up. But fellow Movie Guy Adam wisely noted that Judd Apatow would've used those five seconds to allow something funny to happen. That's what makes Apatow great.