Funny People movie review from modmove

LAPDANCE LARRY

SEVENTIES SIMON

PHOTOGRAPHY

COMIC ART

INTERVIEWS

Sub-menu 1.2.1.1

FESTIVALS

EXHIBITIONS

Funny People
Yet again with Seth Rogen and Judd Apatow. This one's called Funny People. It doesn't have the snap, crackle and pop of The 40 Year-Old Virgin, nor the self-consciousness of Knocked Up. What it does have is humour, heart, Adam Sandler and another movie trapped inside it.

In a revelatory performance, Sandler is George Simmons, a wildly successful stand-up comedian who receives terrifying medical news. As he descends into a soul-searching depression, he spots Ira (Rogen) trying to develop his own career. Ira’s routine includes taking swipes at George’s success and following the audience's uproarious response; George hires the fledgling comedian to write him some new material. A close friendship is forged with George confiding all to Ira, the former trying to repair damage he caused due to his runaway success and the latter enjoying the luxurious perks of his new friendship. And then… George goes into remission and foolishly tries to reclaim the love of his life, Laura (Apatow’s heavily accented wife Leslie Mann), who is now married with two children that, naturally, sees George and Ira’s friendship put to the test.

Sandler is just perfect. With smart economy, he embodies the physicality and tics of stardom. He looks the part, shuffling about, and that charm he exudes is unique; at times it’s hard to believe he was ever any other kind of person. As Ira, Rogen is effortlessly likable. When in the company of his flat mates Jonah (Leo Koenig) and Mark (Jason Schwartzman), Funny People climbs to another place altogether as Apatow's expert direction makes their scenes the flick's best moments; I'd love a movie focusing on these three characters. Sadly, when George hears the good news, all the great wealth the tale’s built up starts to wobble as he reverts to his former self.

When offstage, these characters are very funny; penis jokes naturally abound and naked emotions spin on revelations and accusations. Eric Bana swoops on his role as Laura’s philandering husband obsessed with Eastern culture and pumps up the pedestrian action of the second half. What’s curious about Funny People is how unfunny these characters are when performing. Watch for a scene where Ira is reading George new material he’s penned with George loudly exclaiming “That’s funny!” Is he telling Ira or us? Still, it's a delightful romp despite the lack of balance. At two hours plus, it’s too long and while self-indulgence may be Apatow’s enemy, it isn’t Sandler’s.
Michael Dalton
www.funnypeoplemovie.com


also featured
NEW COMPETITIONS! The Grey Competition Thanks to Icon Film Distribution, we have ten double in-season tickets to give away to The Grey! Read more >> Shame How do you connect with the disconnected? Read more >> Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a characteristically British film. Read more >> The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo The best thing about this American version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is that this is Fincher's version of Dragon Tattoo. Read more >> Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol After cutting his teeth on Pixar's The Incredibles, Brad Bird applies his ample talent and requisite enthusiasm for spy thrillers to live action in this, the latest installment in the foundering Mission: Impossible franchise. Read more >> Boxing Day Bash The annual Boxing Day movie feast presents Hollywood approaching the season’s end like it was a big fairy tale wedding with something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. Read more >> Puss in Boots When a franchise runs out of steam there is always the spin-off. Read more >> Attack the Block The alien invasion genre has been hit particularly hard of late with the likes of Cloverfield, District 13, Battle: Los Angeles and Aliens vs Cowboys, each one more mediocre than the last and culminating in the downright awful Skyline. So kudos to director, Joe Cornish, for at least trying something a little different. Read more >> Immortals As eye candy, Immortals ticks all the right boxes. Read more >> In Time In Time is a competent action/thriller in the Hollywood mould but coming from director, Andrew Niccol, who also wrote and directed Gattaca and wrote The Truman Show, it is disappointingly light. Read more >> Moneyball First the conundrum, I love baseball movies but don’t especially like the game itself and would never even entertain the thought of actually watching an entire game. Read more >>


Stay up to date with modmove news
about modmove
What to know how we got started? Read more >>
read the modmove blog
Check out all the random stuff that didn't make it to the website! Read more >>
contact Us
If you have any queries or if you would like more information about modmove, we would love to hear from you! Read more >>
join our mailing list
subscribe to the mailing list and receive the modmove newsletter. Full Name Email Address Enter Word Verification in box below
search
search modmove for previous news and reviews.