My Review: This is 40 (5/10)

¨All of a sudden we`re a magnet of negativity. What did we do? ¨

Judd Apatow has produced, written, and directed some of the best comedies since the late 90`s. There is no doubt that he has reinvented the genre and made some memorable comedies like The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up. With Funny People he switched to dramedy, a more serious type of comedy that`s sort of a reflection on today`s society. This is 40 is sort of a sequel to Knocked Up since it focuses on some of the supporting characters in that movie, but it follows a similar premise as Funny People because it is much more serious in tone. It has some really funny moments, but at the same time it is an authentic portrayal of an upper middle class Beverly Hills family facing a midlife crisis. Apatow not only directed this film, but he wrote the screenplay as well and worked with his family, so this was a very personal project. The script is funny, but sometimes Apatow relies too heavily on sex and bathroom gags that have already grown old. For the most part this film is enjoyable, but it suffers from an overlong screenplay and some pacing issues. I enjoyed Funny People a little more than this because This is 40 was kind of the same thing. There were some very funny performances and some great cameos as well, but the film gets irritating at times. Some scenes worked really well, while others felt completely out of place making most jokes either hit or miss.

If you haven’t seen Knocked Up it really doesn’t matter because the film works independently from that one since we only follow a few supporting characters from that movie. The story takes place a few years after the events of the previous movie focusing on the lives of Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann), a middle class married couple living in California with their two daughters: Sadie (Maude Apatow) and Charlotte (Iris Apatow). When the film begins Debbie is turning 40 and she is having trouble accepting her age, while Pete doesn’t think it`s a big deal. Debbie doesn’t want a party, she passes the day with her family while they plan Pete`s party which will be in a few days as well. The plot is pretty simple as it follows their everyday ordinary lives and the problems they face. Pete`s routine revolves around riding his bike and working at his independent record company, while Debbie works out with her trainer Jason (Jason Segel) and owns a clothing store. Both Pete and Debbie are going through some financial issues as the record company is having trouble selling and someone has stolen 12000 dollars from the store. Debbie suspects it`s Desi (Megan Fox), but doesn’t want to say anything because she is her best saleswoman. Jodi (Charlyne Yi) also works in the store and blames Desi. Due to their financial troubles, Debbie asks Pete to stop helping out his father, Larry (Albert Brooks), but he can`t help it. Pete and Debbie must find a way to adapt to their midlife crisis before their entire family and marriage collapses. 

Despite playing really spoiled and unlikeable characters, Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann, manage to give very strong and likeable performances. The supporting cast was also pretty strong with some very funny scenes between them and Albert Brooks. There is also a great scene involving Melissa McCarthy which I thought was the highlight of the movie. Leslie Mann gave one of her best performances and she must have enjoyed working alongside her husband Judd and two daughters. Their performance wasn’t really strong and at times it felt that they were reading off scrip cards, but I didn’t have a major problem with it. The story felt real and authentic, but I just couldn’t sympathize with these spoiled characters. The comedy has its moments, but it is just too little in such an overlong and difficult to bear story. I wouldn’t say that Apatow has lost his touch, but this film is probably his weakest effort to date. Everyone can have a strike or a miss; hopefully he will come back with another home run, but in order to do so he needs to bring something new and original back to the genre instead of remaking his films over again. We do have to appreciate the honesty he brings to his films, and that is why he has had such a successful career.

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.