Judd Apatow and his third movie are about to hit the big screen tomorrow. Apatow, who’s past work includes the 40 year old Virgin and Knocked up, has once again gone into the Apatow stables and teamed up with the highly talented Seth Rogen and almost as talented Jonah Hill. And he has also dug out Adam Sandler to boot!
Sandler plays a big shot comedian turned movie star, called George Simmons. Rogen plays a deli guy trying to turn comedian called Ira Wright. Simmons has it all, big house, cars, women and so on. After getting a blood test done, he discovers that he has a form of cancer and there isn't much hope. He gets experimental medicine that has an 8% chance of success. Simmons wanders into his old haunt of a comedy club and see’s Wright doing some stand up. He likes what he see’s, phones him up and asks him to write him some jokes and become his assistant. Then Simmons gets better and his another chance at life which doesn’t exactly work out as planned.
Judd Apatow in my book, has always had clever and intelligent comedies. And funny people is another intelligent comedy. Sure there are laughs, not many laugh out loud laughs, but there are laughs none the less. As for the intelligent part, well this is where the movie falls down. It is far too clever for its own good, and in attempting to prove how clever it is, it goes on for way to long! It clocks in at 146 minutes and to be honest, 20 minutes could have been shaved off here. The first half of the movie is superb, its fast and tight paced with some great writing. The latter half, it stumbles and falls over itself and had me looking at the time at least more than once, wondering when and how the thing is going to end. And when it does end, it ends quite flat and quick. After giving over 2 hours of my life to a movie that over complicates itself in the latter half, I was expecting a little more from the ending!
As for the performances, Rogen is great, Hill is great and Adam Sandler is actually quite brilliant. He plays the part far better than anything else he’s done in quite some time, and I think this is partly to the fact that he is not the writer and / or director. He’s more at ease being directed and acting someone else’s movie rather than his own. Eric Bana needs a special mention too as his performance is very solid as well, and keep your eyes peeled for a tonne of cameos!
Ultimately, Funny People, while it is funny at times, is too long and while its clever and intelligent, its tries too hard to be a rocket scientist and gets boring and falls all over the place in the second half! Its a pity as Apatow would have a great third movie, as opposed to a half missed opportunity!
Sandler plays a big shot comedian turned movie star, called George Simmons. Rogen plays a deli guy trying to turn comedian called Ira Wright. Simmons has it all, big house, cars, women and so on. After getting a blood test done, he discovers that he has a form of cancer and there isn't much hope. He gets experimental medicine that has an 8% chance of success. Simmons wanders into his old haunt of a comedy club and see’s Wright doing some stand up. He likes what he see’s, phones him up and asks him to write him some jokes and become his assistant. Then Simmons gets better and his another chance at life which doesn’t exactly work out as planned.
Judd Apatow in my book, has always had clever and intelligent comedies. And funny people is another intelligent comedy. Sure there are laughs, not many laugh out loud laughs, but there are laughs none the less. As for the intelligent part, well this is where the movie falls down. It is far too clever for its own good, and in attempting to prove how clever it is, it goes on for way to long! It clocks in at 146 minutes and to be honest, 20 minutes could have been shaved off here. The first half of the movie is superb, its fast and tight paced with some great writing. The latter half, it stumbles and falls over itself and had me looking at the time at least more than once, wondering when and how the thing is going to end. And when it does end, it ends quite flat and quick. After giving over 2 hours of my life to a movie that over complicates itself in the latter half, I was expecting a little more from the ending!
As for the performances, Rogen is great, Hill is great and Adam Sandler is actually quite brilliant. He plays the part far better than anything else he’s done in quite some time, and I think this is partly to the fact that he is not the writer and / or director. He’s more at ease being directed and acting someone else’s movie rather than his own. Eric Bana needs a special mention too as his performance is very solid as well, and keep your eyes peeled for a tonne of cameos!
Ultimately, Funny People, while it is funny at times, is too long and while its clever and intelligent, its tries too hard to be a rocket scientist and gets boring and falls all over the place in the second half! Its a pity as Apatow would have a great third movie, as opposed to a half missed opportunity!
