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Funny People
3.5 out of 5
Judd Apatow, the famed director of the 30 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up has taken some criticism from both his fans and critics alike for his new film, Funny People, getting a bit too real on them. It's true: Adam Sandler plays George Simmons, a famous comedian turned blockbuster movie star who has no friends and has a rare form of leukemia. And that's just the half of it, because the movie isn't about dying, it's about second chances and making the right decision, even if it's hard. From the trailer, you might think this is a light movie, but it definetly has a much more serious element to it than Apatow's previous offerings. The movie does have some fun laughs, like Jonah Hill: "I just saw the knew Harry Potter movie... Harry's getting old, he's like 30 or something. He's been going to that wizarding school for like 10 years, what is he getting his PHD in wizarding or something?" or when Seth Rogen's character learns he has to open for Sandler: "How many minutes do they want me to do?" asks Rogen's character, Ira Wright. "1 minutes for every inch of your penis," replies Sandler's Simmons, in a standard silly Sandler voice, "so 2 to 4 minutes, depending on your mood." True, besides it's adult subject matter of motality and adult choices, the movie has some fundemental flaws, like Rogen's Wright has a romance that feels a bit tacked on, and his conflict with roommates Hill and Jason Schwartzman. Schwartzman plays a successful sitcom actor, who plays the title role in, "Yo, Teach," which may be the worst show ever, but is never the less successful.
In any case, we liked Funny People, and we definetly liked it more than Smart People, even if Funny People was a bit less resolved. Just keep in mind, its not just a comedy, its a drama as well, and it doesn't have the smoothest of endings. In fact, it ends during a bit of a riff session between Sandler and Rogen via retracting crane shot.