Product: Funny People
Rating: 5.0
Funny, Heartwarming and Mature Third Outing for Apatow
Any churlish citizens waiting for Judd Apatow to make a bad movie in the wake of his successful and solid first two--40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up--will be disappointed by Funny People. It is very, very good, emotionally satisfying, funny on a number of nicely nuanced levels, and best of all, a film aimed directly at grownups. Of course, anybody who's watched a film from the Apatow cabal with anything like a discriminating eye will have noted a consistent theme--underneath the extremely crude sexual and scatological humor, male bonding and fantasies of perpetual adolescence lies a call for responsibility, wisdom and discretion. Very cannily, Apatow recognizes his audience and doesn't disappoint; he draws in the beer and bong crowd with the promise, always delivered on, of rude hijinks and memorably pornographic dialog, then delivers the medicine. Boiled down, his message is this: Grownup can be sexy, fun and tonic too. His male point of view characters begin as feckless kids and, somewhere along the line, don the mantle of responsibility and adulthood along with the love of a good woman. Ultimately, Apatow's vision is a conservative one, made easier to digest with gallons of silly fun.In this one, Adam Sandler's character George Simmons, a highly successful comedian, has a near-death (or maybe that should be near-life) experience. Living the high life without ever really touching other lives in a meaningful way, he's adapted himself to the cocoon of fame, with all the attendant glories (groupies, tons of tuff) allowing him to stay insulated from real emotion. Then he finds out he has a rare blood disease, a form of leukemia, comes to terms with "the one that got away" (the always-lovely Apatow regular Leslie Mann) and his family. With the help of Seth Rogen's Ira Wright, a struggling, up-and-coming comedian, he discovers himself, deepens, and gains perspective. I won't rehearse the rest of the plot; all I will say is, this movie will last a long time. Long after the beers and bong hits have been downed, Funny People will continue to resonate in adult hearts. It's a bittersweet valentine to the profession of comedy and a heartfelt, smart tribute to the virtues of growing up. Apatow's stable of actors display dimensions you've rarely seen them portray. Come for the X-rated laughs and stay for the sophisticated, thoughtful drama.