Own the rights?
I feel the need to defend Judd Apatow as far as "Funny People" goes. Even though I think the other two films he directed were too long and frankly, overrated, this peek inside a rich man's life is a picture that didn't wear out it's welcome with me, even though it's longer than both of the others.Apatow was integral in some of the best television ever, so my less than enthusiastic reactions to the inevitable news of the myriad films he's associated with (and there's always another one around the corner) is to not think his big screen work really measures up to the programs I look back on so fondly. What annoyed me about "The 40 Year Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up" was the immersing in dumb guy behaviour. The females who are attracted to those dudes are dealing with emotionally stunted males. A man who's more interested in being with his bros all the time is not exactly top boyfriend material and a young lady should be wary of what the real foundations of these friendships are about. Not necessarily respecting women, that's for sure.Here, Adam Sandler plays a celebrity who is jaded and it would be impossible not to be in his shoes. He falls ass backward into huge paydays for projects that embarrass him. His days are filled up dealing with those who would kill for his career and probably would if they could get away with it. Then his new acquaintance Seth Rogen enters and is wowed by what success is all about. One part money tree in your estates' financial backyard, the other parts old regrets and the darn chance of a real crisis, like finding out your health is not obeying some orders from the gods of entertainment to behave itself, so you can continue on down easy street forever.Adam Sandler appeared in a great Documentary a few years ago called "Stupidity". He's obviously a very bright man, but his image, mostly from his roles, is of a moron and he remarked on how journalists who've interviewed him took away the dumb part for their articles and left out any true thoughtfulness in their conversation.His film work is a mixed bag, with some of his finest acting coming in projects few ever saw. Roger Ebert remarked that he loves Sandler in the parts where he's not playing the typical man-child type. Here, his old soul of a still young comic gets to dive into the abyss of almost losing it all and somehow coming up for air and learning how to breathe again.
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