MovieMantz Review: ‘Funny People’

“Self-Absorbed ‘People’”

“Funny People”
Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen
Directed by Judd Apatow

Did you hear the one about the shallow, jaded, lonely celebrity who’s forced to re-evaluate his priorities after he’s diagnosed with a deadly disease?

It’s not a joke, but rather the plot of “Funny People” – the third film from director Judd Apatow after “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” (2005) and “Knocked Up” (2007). But where those films were straight-on comedies with a heart, “Funny People” is being billed as Apatow’s first “serious” movie.

That’s fitting to an extent, especially when you consider that the versatile Apatow also co-produced or co-wrote other recent comedies like “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” (2006), “Superbad” (2007), “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Pineapple Express” (both from 2008).

But while it’s safe to say that “Funny People” is Apatow’s deepest movie yet, it’s also his longest, most bloated and self-indulgent. That’s too bad, because it actually is really funny, though in the end, I cannot remember the last time I laughed so hard at a movie that I thought was just okay.

Exploring the bleaker side of stand-up comedy for the first time since 1988’s under-rated “Punchline,” “Funny People” tells the story of George Simmons (Adam Sandler), a world famous movie star whose box office hits include bottom-feeders like “Re-Do,” “My Best Friend is a Robot” and “Merman.”

But when he’s diagnosed with a fatal blood disorder, he decides to take stock in his life and figure out where it went all wrong. Helping him along the way is Ira Wright (Seth Rogen), an aspiring stand-up comedian who becomes his assistant, confidante and only friend. As they stare into the abyss, they find that humor can still be found even in life’s darkest places.

For the first 90 minutes, “Funny People” is right on the money. Adam Sandler is well cast as George Simmons, who goes back to his stand-up roots to remember why he became a comedian in the first place. A slimmed-down Seth Rogen is also effective as Ira Wright, whose colorful banter with his friends brings to mind the struggling hipsters found in 1996’s cult hit “Swingers.”

But after George is told that his disease is in remission (no surprise, since it’s in the trailer), “Funny People” loses its focus – and its purpose. The last hour goes on forever as George tries to win back his old girlfriend (Leslie Mann, Apatow’s real-life wife), who’s married to an unfaithful husband (Eric Bana, in a rare comedic role). But rather than add another layer to the film, the story meanders while George goes back to his old self-absorbed ways.

Apatow’s screenplay is filled with raunchy jokes about male anatomy, but since they’re told by a collection of increasingly unlikable characters (including Jonah Hill and Jason Schwartzman, who play Rogen’s competitive friends), they only go so far. But thanks to fun cameos from Paul Reiser, Sarah Silverman and Ray Romano, you feel like you’re a part of stand-up comedy’s inner circle.

The problem is that “Funny People” is all setup and no punchline. It could have been a great movie, but instead it’s only a good one, mostly because it forgot the first rule of comedy: leave them wanting more, not wanting to leave.

Verdict: SEE IT