Review: Funny People

Judd Apatow's latest directorial venture may not be as side-splittingly funny as "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" or "Knocked Up," but it isn't supposed to be. Though the movie is called "Funny People," it's actually much more of a drama, examining the lonely underside of stand-up comedy, the competitiveness of Hollywood and the question of whether or not a person can truly change.

At the center of "Funny People" is George Simmons (Adam Sandler), a veteran stand-up comedian and movie star who learns he is dying of a form of leukemia. At this point in his life, George has a huge house, lots of money and success in his career, but he's lost the love of his life to another man and has no real friends.

After learning he is about to die, George begins performing stand-up again in comedy clubs. After his act is followed by Ira Wright (Seth Rogen), a struggling young comedian, George asks Ira to be his assistant. Ira serves as a surrogate friend for George and encourages him to reconnect with his family and Laura (Leslie Mann), his ex-girlfriend who he continues to pine over.

Anyone who has seen the first trailer for this movie knows that George finds out he is going to live. The movie is not about whether or not George will survive, but about whether or not he can change his self-centered ways after having had such a close call with death and coming out on the other side of it.

George tries to reconnect with Laura, who is now married with children, and while Laura is still in love with George, she's not sure whether he can actually change. George also struggles in his relationship with Ira, who cares about George and wants to be his friend, but George is so unfamiliar with what a real friendship means that he isn't sure how to treat him.

Another subplot involves Ira and his roommates' competing careers. While Ira can't seem to find his niche, crude Leo (Jonah Hill) has regular gigs at comedy clubs and stuck-up Mark (Jason Schwartzman) stars in the NBC sitcom "Yo Teach."

While "Funny People," isn't quite up to par with Apatow's last two projects, overall it's still an excellent film. One thing people should know going in is that "Funny People" is primarily a drama. Fans of Apatow's TV show "Freaks and Geeks" know that he can blend comedy and drama well, but people who go into the movie expecting it to be the next "Knocked Up" may be disappointed.

While the movie certainly does have a lot of humor and Apatow's trademark raunch comedy is present in the stand-up bits, the film is at its heart a character drama about funny people. It portrays well how easy it is to become narcissistic in Hollywood and the harsh toll that can take on one's relationships with others and one's self.

Overall the characters are very well-developed, which is what makes the movie. One issue I had with "Funny People" is that George stays so unlikable throughout the film that he is hard to relate to, but I understand why the character is written this way. Apatow is trying to show that sometimes the funniest people can be completely miserable, and having experienced the stand-up circuit in the past, it is likely Apatow knew people like George. He does give us a few tiny glimmers of hope that maybe deep down there is still something sympathetic within George, though so much of him has been lost to the Hollywood lifestyle. Sandler plays the part very well, having demonstrated his dramatic prowess before in films like "Punch-Drunk Love" and "Reign Over Me."

But the standout of the film, surprisingly, is Rogen, who shows depth here far beyond the crude slacker types he so often plays. I think he shows here that there is more talent in him than audiences have been able to see before. He has played the roles that people expect to see him in and seem to enjoy him in, but given the right material, Rogen does have range just like his veteran co-star.

Ira is more low-key than Rogen's typical parts. He wants so desperately to be a comedian, yet his friends don't seem to believe in him very much and George's refusal to open up to him doesn't help his esteem. He is shy, sensative and incredibly likable, only wanting to prove himself. Rogen gives Ira an innocent, good-guy charm that, in contrast to George, is extremely relatable and lovable.

Mann is quirky and funny like always, doing a solid job as a woman torn between her family and the man she used to love who broke her heart. Eric Bana is also surprisingly funny as Clarke, Laura's husband. Bana has some great comic chops, and I hope to see him in more comedies in the future. Clarke is like George in so many ways, but Bana is able to pull out the one thread that makes him different and get the audience to sympathize with him in a way they cannot sympathize with George.

The film's nearly two-and-a-half-hour runtime is a bit daunting, and the movie drags a little at times. The movie's constant stream of cameos from stand-up comedians also gets to be overwhelming, though a hilarious exchange between Eminem and Ray Romano particuarly stands out.

Overall I think this is a very well-acted and well-written movie. It has a few flaws, but I commend Apatow for not just sticking with the formula that made him famous and trying to branch out into other genres. And for the most part, he succeeds. Apatow definitely has the makings of a great director and storyteller, and while I hope he still brings us his typical raunch comedies with heart from time to time, I hope he continues to take risks like "Funny People" as well. B


Funny People Trailer - In Theaters July 31 - A funny movie is a click away