Product: Funny People
Rating: 2.0
Half comedy. Half drama. A complete mess.
I'll admit that I am a huge Judd Apatow fan. He has an extremely distinct style that he manages to stamp on every one of his films. What makes him such a unique director is his ability to somehow weave together sincere and heartfelt storytelling with a seemingly perfect amount of obscene, gross-out, and often hilarious humor throughout. With Funny People, the first hour and a half is vintage Apatow--witty, crude and hilarious. The second half is where the film takes a complete nosedive. The laughs are scarce, and when they come up, they're enough for a chuckle at best.The film follows George Simmons (Adam Sandler), a stand up comedian since his high school days, who has just been diagnosed with a life threatening disease. We are given glimpses into his past that shows how he turned his success in stand-up into a career of "sell-out" big-budget movies that have made him millions. He begins to reflect on his life and quickly realizes that his self-absorption has left him with a mansion full of things he never uses, no real friends, just a circle of actors whom he sees every now and then, and the love of his life, Laura (Leslie Mann) married to another man.With little time left, he reaches out to the people he's lost touch with through the years and goes back to doing the thing he loves most; stand up comedy. Along the way, he meets his first true friend in Ira (Seth Rogen), an up and coming comedian whom he hires to be his personal assistant and write jokes for his routine. The film stresses how truly important it is to have close-friends in your life. If you don't have someone you can truly open up to and talk with, then all the money, expensive cars and fame won't add to anythingGeorge's life is about to end and he doesn't have a friend talk to about it.There's the potential for a great film here, but Apatow couldn't quite put it together. It feels like you're watching two different movies. The first half is hilarious, raunchy, and has just the right mix of drama. The latter half is awkward drawn out and feels completely out of place. As a whole, Funny People is a mess.-Jeffrey Ryan[...].