Funny People

I kept pushing off seeing this movie because I thought it would be anything but funny, and it was pretty funny, but more heartfelt and sincere. The film follows Adam Sandler’s character who is a well established actor/comedian who has found out that he has cancer and is dying. He goes back on the road to do standup comedy shows just like the old days. Along the way he meets Mira who is a young, male standup trying to make a break into the comedic scene. Mira is played by Seth Rogan, who then befriends Adam and helps him write material that isn’t depressive and lame. The film has some other relationship dynamics involving his ex-wife played by Leslie Mann. Eric Bana, Jonah Hill, Jason and Schwartzman are also along for the ride. Jason probably has the funniest role in the film – as lame TV star with a big head that steals Mira’s girlfriend from him for a night.

Funny People Trailer

Like I mentioned earlier, this film isn’t as funny as it is a drama about a man who tries to relive and reminiscence about a life that has passed. Adam does a good job at playing a serious role while still keeping a substantial level of humor throughout his performance.

The film is long, but you don’t realize it until about the 130-minute mark. Then you’re like, “wait? Is this the ssmae director that did THE FORTY YEAR OLD VIRGIN?” then you scratch your head and it ends and you see that Judd Apatow isn’t just a one trick pony. He really can bring more to the table than pot and penis jokes. In KNOCKED Up we started to see how he can pull more from his actors and stories than just college humor, but in FUNNY PEOPLE he falls into a pocket that will not doubt bring him to the stage as a credible drama director.

Rating: 8.25/10