Funny People (2009)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Judd Apatow

Writer (WGA):

Judd Apatow (written by)

Release Date:

31 July 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

When seasoned comedian George Simmons learns of his terminal, inoperable health condition, his desire to form a genuine friendship cause him to take a relatively green performer under his wing as his opening act.

Plot Keywords:

Stand Up Comedian | Woman On Top | Employer Employee Relationship | Television Star | Bare Breasts

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Adam Sandler	...	George Simmons
Seth Rogen	...	Ira Wright
Leslie Mann	...	Laura
Eric Bana	...	Clarke
Jonah Hill	...	Leo Koenig
Jason Schwartzman	...	Mark Taylor Jackson
Aubrey Plaza	...	Daisy
Maude Apatow	...	Mable
Iris Apatow	...	Ingrid
RZA	...	Chuck
Aziz Ansari	...	Randy
Torsten Voges	...	Dr. Lars
Allan Wasserman	...	Dr. Stevens
Rod Man	...	Himself
Wayne Federman	...	Comedy & Magic Manager

Also Known As:

Untitled Judd Apatow/Adam Sandler Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and crude sexual humor throughout, and some sexuality.

Runtime:

146 min | 153 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #45381) | Canada:18A (British Columbia) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia) | UK:15 | Australia:MA | Ireland:16 | Singapore:M18 | New Zealand:R16 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Finland:K-13

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles International Airport - 1 World Way, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The apartment that Ira (Seth Rogen), Leo (Jonah Hill), and Mark (Jason Schwartzman) live in are the Larchmont Lofts on the corner of Melrose Ave., and N. Larchmont Blvd., in Hollywood, California.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the final scene between George and Ira sitting at the table at Otto's, the woman in the background (behind Ira) can be seen at the counter several times. Also, by the end of the scene, she leaves, but at the final shot, she suddenly returns to the counter.

Quotes:

George Simmons: Don't say chilling.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Breakfast: (2009-08-25)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Memory

Good first half, but then...

I really enjoyed the first half of Funny People. I don't think I've ever seen any other Adam Sandler flicks (I didn't want to), so I was happily surprised by the good mix of comedy and drama here.

As soon as Sandler's ex-girlfriend and her family enter the fray, though, the film comes to a screeching halt. And when we learn new facts about his disease, the film turns itself upside down and inside out trying to figure out what it wants to do with this information. No one knows how to react; not Sandler, not the girlfriend, and not her husband. Judd Apatow thinks they do, but it's so hard to follow the character's ideas and feelings here that the film becomes unreadable. Because we don't know where the characters are coming from, we don't know whether we're watching comedy or drama, so we don't know how to feel or react. The little girls, while enjoyable to watch, are cloying and don't advance the story. And when a lot of screen time is devoted to the people playing games and generally goofing around, you're no longer watching the characters--you're watching the actors simply having a good time, which further slows down and confuses the story.

Seth Rogen's character seems to know what's right, but his voice gets lost amid all the confusion until the end, when we get an all-too-convenient moral finish that doesn't address any of the important issues raised in the film.

I think this could have been a much better film with a lot of the meandering in the second half either tightened up or removed.