Review: Funny People

Funny Forum

I'm not exactly sure why this is, but the likable charm of writer-director-producer Judd Apatow has never particularly struck a chord with me. His two previous directorial efforts, The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up managed to keep some smiles on my face, but I certainly believed the overwhelming support those two films received were more than necessary. As for the projects that have had Apatow as a producer, only one has really made me appreciate that particular brand of comedy, and that was Superbad. In fact, after I saw Pineapple Express, I had hoped that this film would have been the tune up he desperately needed to get the comedic ball rolling again (particularly after the abysmal failure that was Year One). So I pose the question to myself that I try to answer: Is third time the charm for me and Mr. Apatow?

To try and answer that, we look to where this story starts, and that is with George Simmons, played by Adam Sandler in one of his serious performances that he seems to do every once in a while. Simmons is essentially Sandler in an alternate reality, where he is a popular celebrity comic that has been bogged down by a slow career. However, his life takes a dramatic turn when he receives news that he has contracted a rare form of leukemia and with this news decides to try and get a new lease on life. He returns to his stand-up roots and contracts a younger comic, Ira (Seth Rogen), to assist and write jokes for him. The two form an inevitable bond and take their relationship to a test when George tries to win back the love that was lost (Leslie Mann) now married to Eric Bana (probably thanking Apatow for the compliment that Rogen got laid in Knocked Up because of Munich).

This is a movie that has a really good two thirds. This is where Apatow crafts a truly well rounded and complex allegory on life and mortality, all through the prism of a comedian's eye. Here is where his craft as a writer in creating stories that defy their conventional genres becomes well nurtured and matured. There is also grand kudos for him not allowing the film's personality to split in two, and the themes of comedy and tragedy are always in a healthy mix. Apatow's directorial hand still feels a bit flat, but it's a hand that only gets better when he allows his characters to guide the medium rather than the camera (speaking of, what is double whammy Oscar winner Janusz Kaminski doing lighting this movie?)

But then we get to that third act, and it is a drawn out affair. Don't get me wrong, the excursion at Mann's house while she attempts to rekindle the relationship with Sandler while awkwardly trying to steer away the suspicions of Bana are funny at times, but tonally doesn't fit with the rest of the film. In all honesty, it feels a bit tacked on and more like a plot to a cheery sitcom rather than a complex comedy. Not only that, but as with most of Apatow's projects, it takes a mighty long time to wrap up, and the film's nearly two and a half hour length starts to take its toll. I'd be lying if that doesn't bring down the movie too much, but the film fortunately has the first two thirds to make up for a rather bland third act.

Anybody who knows me is aware that when it comes to Adam Sandler, I am not the guy raising his hand to declare being a big fan. For most of his career I've despised his lazy brand of slapstick humor that has only occasionally translated to him delivering any believable dramatic work. Here is the perfect role for him because it allows him to become comfortable with this character's overtly comic personality while occasionally slipping into emotionally driven scenes that feel authentic. This is Sandler's best performance in his career, and I for one am very thankful to find one that I like. As for Rogen, I do feel like he's doing more of the same character he's been doing for Apatow since the beginning; it's very funny but not earth-shattering in terms of a range for an actor.

Fortunately, the entire ensemble delivers equally on comedic talent, something that is rare find in comedies that I have only recently seen in Sideways and Superbad. Leslie Mann, who seems to be the only female Apatow stock player (though I wish he'd invite Elizabeth Banks), is once again charming and sublime in a role that doesn't feel completely forced. Familiar faces Jonah Hill and Jason Schwartzman play Rogen's roommates, and both present the sly wit and great comedic timing to make them distinct and equally hilarious. Bana is also surprisingly endearing in this role and is never overacted into the stereotype category. Special mention has to be given to the numerous celebrity cameos that range from James Taylor to Andy Dick to Sarah Silverman and even to an extremely funny scene between an irate Eminem and a dumbfounded Ray Romano. The cameos are cheap, but God if I didn't laugh at all those cheap jokes.

So was third time the charm? Yes and no, I'd say. I appreciate that the ambition of this film is much larger than the Apatow projects in the past, and I was really surprised at how well this film was crafted and superbly acted in that first big chunk. But then it does fall apart at the end and loses steam before it crosses the finish line with only the continually funny actors to guide it through. This isn't the perfect Apatow comedy, but it is one that shows where Apatow is willing to take an audience and that is a good step for having me appreciate him on a level that seems to be socially acceptable. If only he gets his film's length under control, then he'd have me set. *** / ****; GRADE: B