Movie Review: Funny People (2009)

If you don't mind penis jokes-lots and lots of penis jokes-I highly recommend Judd Apatow's new film, Funny People, starring Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen. Funny People is the most touching friendship story I've seen in a long time.

Adam Sandler plays George Simmons, a famous comedian and movie star who has just learned he has a rare blood disease that will likely kill him. Seth Rogen is Ira (Weiner) Wright, a struggling up-and-coming stand-up comic who works at a deli and shares an apartment in L.A. with two other "funny" men: a slightly more successful stand-up comic (Jonah Hill) and the star of a god-awful sitcom on TV (Jason Schwartzman).

Ira meets George after they've both performed in a comedy show, and George decides to hire Ira as a joke writer and personal assistant. This new job is a dream come true for Ira, until George's neediness leads to some questionable decisions involving George's old flame, Laura (Leslie Mann).

Funny People is not a laugh-a-minute kind of comedy. But don't be afraid to see it because you worry it's "too sad." It's not! The tone is more serious and introspective than the other Apatow movies I've seen lately, but there are still lots of hilarious one-liners and funny situations (and I already warned you about all the penis jokes). Like The 40-Year-Old Virgin, which is still probably my favorite Apatow film, Funny People makes us genuinely care about these characters-we want to see them succeed; we want them to learn from their mistakes.

I'm not a big fan of Adam Sandler's brand of comedy. I tend to think he's more "cute" than "funny." I like Happy Gilmore and The Wedding Singer, and I remember thinking that Sandler proved himself as a decent actor in Punch Drunk Love, but Funny People propels him to a new level. This has to be his best performance yet.

It could probably be argued that Sandler doesn't have to do much acting here-George Simmons is a comedian who became a rich and famous movie star, same as Adam Sandler, right? In fact, the stupid movies that make George famous are only slightly stupider than most of Sandler's real-life movies! But Sandler as George Simmons is effortlessly funny and vulnerable and so real. Through him, we see that it's not always easy to be the famous comedian that everyone loves.

It's not George's sickness that will break your heart; it's his acute loneliness.

I adore Seth Rogen. He always makes me laugh-a lot. I can't imagine anyone else as Ira, the young, nervous, self-deprecating stand-up comic who gets a rare glimpse at the serious life of a "funny" superstar. Ira is sweet and sensitive, and in some ways wiser than his older, more successful mentor. I'd love to see Sandler and Rogen team up in another movie. In Funny People, I think they bring out the best in each other.

I was pleasantly surprised by Eric Bana's performance. Bana plays Clarke, Laura's Australian husband. First of all, that Australian accent makes him fifty times sexier (and he's already plenty sexy!) than he was as Bruce Banner in Hulk. So after I stopped drooling (I never really stopped), I realized that Eric Bana almost single-handedly rescued this movie just when it was starting to drag. I enjoyed every second he was on screen. (I can't wait to see Bana in The Time Traveler's Wife! I don't think he gets to speak with his native Australian accent in that film, though. Too bad.)

With a running time of 146 minutes, Funny People is just a tad too long, in my opinion. I wouldn't have minded about twenty less penis jokes (some of them are funny, but I can tell you that the middle-aged lady sitting behind me in the theater didn't laugh a single time!), and there were perhaps a few too many cameo appearances. Funny People still manages, though, to end on a perfect note.

If Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, and Jason Schwartzman crack you up, you'll enjoy this movie. If you love Leslie Mann as much as I do, you'll enjoy this movie. If you want to stare at Eric Bana for twenty minutes, you'll enjoy this movie. Even if you don't normally like Adam Sandler movies, you'll probably enjoy Judd Apatow's Funny People.

Go here to watch the Funny People movie trailer. (Or don't. I actually think the trailer gives away too much.) If you've already seen Funny People, let us know what you thought of it in the comments section below.

Sources:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1201167/

http://www.funnypeoplemovie.com/