Review: Funny People

Sometimes it's hard to remember that while Judd Apatow and the gang of actors he's come to be associated with have had a tremendous film presence in recent years, this is only the director's third time behind the wheel. Even with that knowledge, Funny People feels right at home inside this relatively new genre that essentially spawned from Apatow's earlier films. This is a double edged point for the movie. On one hand, the audience knows what to expect and the cast is primarily well known. On the other, the audience knows what to expect. A number of films starring these same actors have been released in the last few years. From the top of my head I can think of Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, I Love You, Man, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Pineapple Express, 40 Year Old Virgin, and Knocked Up. I imagine I even missed a few there, but essentially these films have the same faces showing up and plots that, while different, share a vast amount in common. In each of the above films we expect a very lude, envelope pushing first act that isn't afraid to "go there", and a second act which almost always has a heartwarming message about either love or friendship. It's a fairly worn genre that has been upgraded to the kind of unabashedly real, no-compromise formula we see today. And it works. It speaks to the youth generation of the day, but the problem is that it's becoming worn once again. This is the chief problem I placed in front of Judd Apatow walking into Funny People, and while I wasn't blown away afterwards, this film definitely surprised me in a lot of ways.

The first place to begin in a movie from this group is obviously the cast. Dually lead by both Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen, both actors are well-known so that the impetus to entertain and hopefully bring something new falls on them. Sandler turns in a pretty convincing performance here in what essentially amounts to a dramatized version of his own life. The usually zany, but oddly emotionally detached actor is able to channel a very introspective performance for this film. I found that it's almost as if in having to get in touch with earlier aspects of his life and career, Sandler was forced to not only come to terms with but also repurpose parts of himself that seemingly fell away over the years. It all adds up to a very self referential turn for the well known actor, and stands as one of his more heartfelt performances in years. I still don't find him particularly funny, but the way Sandler addresses it is more tribute than pastiche. It comes from a genuine place and that resonates regardless. Seth Rogen is pretty huge these days, and the number of movies he's appeared in over the last two years is staggering. Fortunately for him, it seems he has the talent to back up his exposure. With a distinct look and one of the most unique laughs in cinema, one would think that it would be tough to distinguish the actor from any of his characters. Here Rogen plays against type (which is to say carefree, upbeat, stoner with a heart of gold) and manages to convince the audience that he is Ira -- a self conscious, insecure, and emotionally in-touch individual. It's not played for laughs either. Like the rest of the movie, you cheer for Ira as he slowly gains confidence in both life and career. Most importantly, it feels like a real progression. I'd be lying if I said that the scenes with Seth Rogen in them were more interesting to me than the ones with just Adam Sandler.

The rest of the cast does a serviceable job. Jonah Hill is the slightly manic, fast talking guy we've seen before. Leslie Mann does a good job of playing a woman torn in half by the turmoil happening all around her life, and you vicariously feel her dilemma. Jason Schwartzman jumps between being hilarious and over-the-top. One moment he's pitch perfect as just exaggerated enough to be real, and the next he pushes it slightly too far into the realm of outrageousness. Eric Bana does a great job as the overly butch, Australian husband to Mann, and it seems his comedic background serves him well. He knows he must essentially be the antagonistic jerk, but he plays some hammier elements of the character up just right to garner laughs. Most importantly he is able to earn a sliver of sympathy which is invaluable in the final act of the film. The movie is also chock full of various celebrity cameos, the least successful of which goes to Eminem who does a fair job of realistically delivering his lines, but when tasked with being funny falls a little flat.

Funny People is basically two movies in one. While I have heard the argument that the movie's heart succeeds best in the first half in which Adam Sandler's character believes he is terminally ill; I find it hard to agree. Without the second act which focuses primarily on Sandler's George Simmons attempting to get back the girl of his dreams, the movie runs the risk of swimming in all too familiar waters. Too many movies have dealt with dying, learning to accept it (or not), and the arc of that journey. It would be impossible and unwise of this movie to walk the same road. Instead, Funny People chooses to use the less travelled road of showing what happens when you stand on the brink and get a second chance. Though not altogether a new concept, it allows the film to do a lot more than it would have otherwise. Once these elements are established, it's easy to field where the movie is headed.

More than once during the film I worried that we were going to get another mushy, gooey Apatow ending serviced by convenient plot devices and copious amounts of emotion. It's on this point that the movie surprised me most, bucking a number of trends I fully expected it to embrace. First, even after having a life altering experience, George Simmons is not definitively the hero of the story. Things happen that cause the audience to really wonder if the right thing is happening, which in turn causes one to think deeper about the circumstances of the unfolding story. Second, unlike the previous two Apatow films, everything does not necessarily end up ideally for the protagonists. For once it feels like a bow hasn't been tied around everything and it leaves the viewer the opportunity to decipher for themselves one or two elements of the story. This is certainly a rare and unexpected treat in a movie from this group.

Lastly I will call into question the comedic element and thusly the titular 'Funny' in Funny People. This film falls more into a dramatic category than a comedy line of thinking, but never misses the opportunity to invoke a laugh. For this reason, I cannot recall during this film a time I may have laughed as hard or genuinely as I may have viewing previous efforts from this director, but I also cannot remember feeling there was any value to the film after the credits rolled. In the end, Funny People is an average movie to me. It doesn't astound or revolutionize, but it does just enough to distinguish itself from its peers in my mind that I feel it's worthy of being called the most thematically successful Judd Apatow movie, if not the funniest. See this movie if you want an amusing diversion which possesses the requisite heartwarming elements, but can handle not being spoon fed the most meaningful messages of the story.