Judd Apatow’s (The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up) latest film Funny People is his best film to date (directed or otherwise). It reverses the standard “Apatow formula” and delivers something completely original. In 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up we get a well-written dirty comedy with a fair amount of drama thrown in at key points. Funny People however is a well-written drama with comedy thrown in at perfect moments so you aren’t left in a sea of sad emotion.
This film is also another example of Apatow telling the story of a sensitive topic through humor, much like Knocked Up, which dealt with the issue of unplanned pregnancy, this film deals with the very broad topic of death. Apatow has stated that most of his writing comes from personal experience. What is nice about Funny People is that we actually get to see these personal experiences play out. The very opening of the film features a young Adam Sandler on an old home movie, prank calling people. It was nice that Apatow added that sense of realism, allowing us to dive much deeper into the character of George Simmons.
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George Simmons is a big name in the entertainment world (mirrored by Sandler himself) who is informed that he has a rare blood disease which is slowly killing him. Upon hearing this news Simmons decides to get back to his roots and perform stand-up, which according to the club owner, he hasn’t done in 5 years. It is also around this time that we meet the other star of the film, the frequent Apatow collaborator Seth Rogen as beginner stand-up comic Ira Wright. Ira is bumped because if Simmons performance. Simmons gives a dark and boring act that is met with almost no laughs from the club audience. Ira after being forced to follow the act responds to it and insults Simmons who walks out of the club. We later join Ira in the parking lot where he meets a depressed Simmons who attempts to run him over. Later the next day Simmons calls Ira and apologizes for the incident and then offers Ira a job as a joke writer for him. From this point forward we see a bond between Simmons and Ira form as Simmons becomes more open with Ira.
What was amazing about the film was how it sold itself. The trailers for the film weren’t lying to anyone. The film is a dramatic comedy that allows us to enter the world of comics when they are off-stage and attempting normal lives. Unlike the other comedy-drama of this year Adventureland, the audience knows exactly what to expect going in.
One of the unsung heroes of the film is Ira’s friend and fellow stand-up comic Leo Koenig played by Jonah Hill. His character didn’t get a lot of screen time compared to Simmons and Ira but he does get enough for us to learn about the character as a person. He is one of the best elements of the film as he allows us to see how Ira’s success is affecting everyone around him.
Many question if this film is “Oscar-worthy”. The film is full of emotion, drama, and character development but the sad truth is that the Academy will never nominate this film for best picture. There is potential for a writing nomination but I fear it may suffer the same fate Chasing Amy did in that department.
Funny People is a moving, emotional, vulgar, and funny film. It delivers exactly what you would expect from Apatow, Rogen, and Sandler. This is definitely a step up for Apatow as a director both in a technical sense and in maturity. His storytelling gets deeper and deeper with every film he makes. I only hope that this trend continues and I hope Sandler will be a recurring part of his crew, especially if Rogen is involved because the chemistry the three of them create is nearly unmatched this year.
9.5 out of 10