This is arrogantly promoted, Tarantino style, as “the third film from Judd Apatow” – he of the overrated and overlong Knocked Up and the rather sweet, but still lengthy, The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Funny People is not what you’d expect from the godfather of the “nerd herd”, which is perhaps why it has failed to perform at the US box office. It seems that punters seeking a dose of immature frat boy shenanigans led by the genre’s poster boy Adam Sandler, are disgruntled to discover a long (shock!), but often excellent character-driven drama instead.
Stand-up comedian George Simmons (Sandler) has just been told he has a life threatening blood disorder, so with only a ten per cent chance of survival he decides that it’s time to put his life in perspective, accept he’s lonely, and attempt to form a genuine friendship with up-and-coming comic, Ira (a newly svelte Seth Rogan). Facing up to his own mortality, a dubious legacy (he is the star of a kids film called Merman), and a married old flame, George must re-evaluate what defines his life. Doesn’t exactly sound like a barrel of laughs does it?
Unquestionably an attempted ensemble piece, the cast barely fit on the poster, and at a hefty 146 minutes everyone gets their shot at being a “Funny Person”, but it’s Sandler as the headline act that requires the most scrutiny.
Not even a Marmite performer these days, apart from his wonderfully understated turn in P.T. Anderson’s Punch Drunk Love, he has the consistent knack of being wholly unlikeable, whether he’s whining his way through The Waterboy or using that same nauseating voice in Little Nicky. Here he is terrific, with an obvious self deprecation of lampooning the very same movies that have made him millions, alongside a sometimes nuanced performance when required to err on the side of melancholy.
More importantly the movie never asks you to like George, he is what he is, accept him for all his faults. It’s these aspects of “reality” that permeate Apatow’s directorial efforts and separate them from the heightened silliness of the Superbads and Sarah Marshalls that are also attached to his name.
It’s worth mentioning the performances of some of the warm up acts: Bana relishes in the chance to play it light again after all the brow furrowing of Star Trek. Originally a stand-up in his native Australia and darkly hilarious in Chopper, he shines in this limited role. Rogen keeps his “guffaws” to a minimum; Leslie Mann is cute, Jason Schwartzman just plain weird, and Jonah Hill is, well, Jonah Hill.
The stand-up sequences are all particularly funny and will make for some wonderful DVD extras, and those that have seen the awfully spoilerific trailer will have already seen the hilarious Die Hard doctor sequence.
Something of an Almost Famous for stand-up comedians is an indicator of tone, and the film does lose its momentum at the half way point suggesting Apatow could probably do with a class in editing. The title may be misleading because it’s not actually that funny, but there’s no denying it’s surprisingly good.
[etRating value=“ 3”]
Stand-up comedian George Simmons (Sandler) has just been told he has a life threatening blood disorder, so with only a ten per cent chance of survival he decides that it’s time to put his life in perspective, accept he’s lonely, and attempt to form a genuine friendship with up-and-coming comic, Ira (a newly svelte Seth Rogan). Facing up to his own mortality, a dubious legacy (he is the star of a kids film called Merman), and a married old flame, George must re-evaluate what defines his life. Doesn’t exactly sound like a barrel of laughs does it?
Unquestionably an attempted ensemble piece, the cast barely fit on the poster, and at a hefty 146 minutes everyone gets their shot at being a “Funny Person”, but it’s Sandler as the headline act that requires the most scrutiny.
Not even a Marmite performer these days, apart from his wonderfully understated turn in P.T. Anderson’s Punch Drunk Love, he has the consistent knack of being wholly unlikeable, whether he’s whining his way through The Waterboy or using that same nauseating voice in Little Nicky. Here he is terrific, with an obvious self deprecation of lampooning the very same movies that have made him millions, alongside a sometimes nuanced performance when required to err on the side of melancholy.
More importantly the movie never asks you to like George, he is what he is, accept him for all his faults. It’s these aspects of “reality” that permeate Apatow’s directorial efforts and separate them from the heightened silliness of the Superbads and Sarah Marshalls that are also attached to his name.
It’s worth mentioning the performances of some of the warm up acts: Bana relishes in the chance to play it light again after all the brow furrowing of Star Trek. Originally a stand-up in his native Australia and darkly hilarious in Chopper, he shines in this limited role. Rogen keeps his “guffaws” to a minimum; Leslie Mann is cute, Jason Schwartzman just plain weird, and Jonah Hill is, well, Jonah Hill.
The stand-up sequences are all particularly funny and will make for some wonderful DVD extras, and those that have seen the awfully spoilerific trailer will have already seen the hilarious Die Hard doctor sequence.
Something of an Almost Famous for stand-up comedians is an indicator of tone, and the film does lose its momentum at the half way point suggesting Apatow could probably do with a class in editing. The title may be misleading because it’s not actually that funny, but there’s no denying it’s surprisingly good.
[etRating value=“ 3”]
