My Review: Funny People (6/10)

¨You're not funny. You look funny, but you're not funny.¨

(6/10) The writer/director who brought us The 40 Year Old Virgen and Knocked-Up now brings us his latest feature film, Funny People. Judd Apatow has directed, written, and produced very funny stuff (Pineapple Express, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Superbad, Talladega Nights, among many others) and he is one of the men responsible for changing the way we view comedies in this decade. This is why I found it fitting that Judd Apatow would want to write a movie about comedians and their rise to fame and do it in a much darker and serious tone. At moments this movie feels more like a drama than an actual comedy, but with a talented cast like this one they will always get laughs out of you anyways. However don`t go see this movie expecting to laugh throughout the entire thing because it is a very slow paced film with a lot of drama, sprinkled with some humor here and there. There are moments of the film that seem very real and personal and makes you wander if the film might be biographical in any way (the film actually begins with real footage of Adam Sandler doing classic pranks when he was young and makes you think that perhaps many of the things that happen throughout the movie are experiences many comedians have actually faced in real life). If this is the case, many comedians will reconsider choosing a different profession.

The movie revolves around the life of a struggling comedian named Ira Wright who is played by the very funny Seth Rogen (Observe and Report, Superbad, Knocked-Up, a Judd Apatow favorite). Ira shares an apartment with Leo (Jonah Hill, who also works a lot with Rogen and Apatow) and Mark (Jason Schwartzman, Darjeeling Limited and The Royal Tenenbaums). Leo and Mark are also aspiring comedians. Mark is beggining to have success as a leading man in a new television comedy series, and Leo is receiving more attention as a stand up comedian than Ira is. The three are friends although they seem pretty competitive towards each other and envy the other`s success. One day at a stand up show Ira encounters George Simmons (Adam Sandler) who is a very famous Hollywood popcorn movie comedy star who has done hit movies such as Mer-Man (similar to the one Ben Stiller did in Zoolander) and Re-Do (Sandler plays a man in a baby`s body). George has just been diagnosed with a rare blood disease that is mortal and it is during this stage of his life that he meets Ira and decides to hire him as his personal assistant, among which one of the many job requirements is to write him jokes because he has decided to go back to his roots and do more stand up comedy. Ira accepts the offer and both of them form a friendship although a very different one from your typical buddy-comedy. George begins to reconsider the important things in his life during his life threatining disease and remembers the girl he loved and let get away. George visits Laura (played by Leslie Mann who is actually Apatow`s wife in real life) and they become romantically involved even though she is married to Clarke (Eric Bana) and has two daughters with him (played by her real life daughters Maude and Iris Apatow). As George`s assistant Ira is dragged along into this mess.

The movie has a very talented cast. When you see names such as Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Jason Schwartzman, and Leslie Mann you would expect to see a hilarious comedy, but this movie is much more serious than expected. Adam Sandler plays a more dramatic role like he did in Spanglish or Punch Drunk Love, but he is great in his role and gives a good performance. Seth Rogen also plays a much more serious role than what we are used to seeing him in and he delivers as well. The funniest guy on this film is probably the one I would expect the least from: Eric Bana, he is really funny in this movie. There are also several cameo appearances that will make you smile from Eminem, Ray Romano, Andy Dick, James Taylor, Sarah Silverman and many others. The movie has all the right ingredients to be a success, but it drags for long periods of time during it`s 150 minute run and at the end it feels like a lot more could have been done with these actors. I don`t think this film is up to par with Apatow`s other works, but it is unfair to compare because this is a different movie. At the end I have to agree with Iris`s co-worker from Otto who told him: ¨You're not funny. You look funny, but you're not funny.¨ I think this line is what better describes Funny People.