Funny People (2009)

Starring: Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Eric Bana, Jonah Hill, Jason Schwartzman

I’d like to write a brief synopsis of the film here, but to be honest I’m finding it hard. Funny People is a film that meanders. It’s essentially the story of 2 people (and I still can’t make my mind up who the protagonist is) – George (Sandler) and Ira (Rogen). George is a successful comedian and film star who, at the beginning of the film, is diagnosed with Leukaemia. Ira is a struggling stand up comedian looking for his big break and working in a deli. They meet, George takes Ira under his wing, and hilarity ensues.

Kind of.

To be honest, I don’t like Adam Sandler. I find he’s incredibly typecast, and even when playing a character that’s not so similar, his ego tends to blare through like he’s got a big neon sign above his head reading “HEY, I’M ADAM FUCKING SANDLER!” I’ve seen a fair few of his movies and I haven’t noticed any depth to his acting whatsoever. Therefore I just couldn’t find a way to empathise with his character. It wasn’t “Oh no, George is dying”, it was “Oh, the character Adam Sandler’s playing in this film is dying”. It didn’t help that the character was essentially Sandler anyway, being a (not very good) comedian and all.

Rogen, on the other hand, is an actor I really like. Sure, he’s typecast as hell but he’s been around a lot less time than Sandler, and this film didn’t feature ANY weed. If you’ve seen Knocked Up, 40 Year Old Virgin or Pineapple Express I’m sure you’ll appreciate the magnitude of that sentence. He’s also slimmed down a fair bit (in preparation for his role in The Green Hornet) and looks a lot younger these days. I have to say I prefer bearded, chubby Rogen but he’s still completely lovable and identifiable as the bumbling Ira. This film gave him a chance to begin to break away from his usual role, and he does seem to be showing signs of being a really good, well-rounded actor.

Ira’s housemates are Apatow-favourite Jonah Hill, and a somewhat wasted Jason Schwartzman. Both are initially more successful than Ira, with Schwartzman getting a fat pay cheque from acting in an awful school sitcom every week, and Stone’s aspiring comedian getting more laughs and more gigs than Ira. I feel the movie would’ve lived up to its title a lot more if the action had focused more on the repertoire between these three, rather than giving Sandler far more screen time than he deserves.

A gripe I had with the film was in the form of George’s long-lost love Laura (Leslie Mann), and her two daughters. For those that don’t know, she is director/writer Judd Apatow’s real life wife, and those are their children. They also appeared in Knocked Up, again as a family unit but plus Paul Rudd. In my opinion the movie could’ve shaved off about half an hour by leaving out this shameless back-patting. We see extended montages of George and Ira hanging out with the family, playing games, and doing boring shit that no director in his right mind would’ve left in the film had the actors not been his own flesh and blood. I found this self-promotion irritating, and a little embarrassing that Apatow had to resort to showing a portfolio of his wife’s earlier TV and movie work during the film (maybe so he wouldn’t have to keep casting her?). Eric Bana’s cameo as her cheating Australian husband was pretty good though, and it was nice to see Bana without teary eyes and/or wielding a mace.

Now, I hate it when people moan that films are too long. Most people who do that seem to be complete morons, and massive chavs from what Facebook can tell me. For instance, a “friend” of mine’s status –
“Watchmen woz well to long! Wht da fuck even happend? Shit!”
However, morons and chavs aside, Funny People was one of those films that had about ten endings. It felt, towards the end, like watching Borimir’s death scene in Fellowship of the Ring. Twice. I think that without the unnecessary family scenes, and the overkill of celebrity cameos (keeping the Eminem and Ray Romano scene, which is hilarious) Funny People could easily have tied things up at the 2 hour mark, instead of drawing itself out for another half hour. Overall though, it’s well worth a watch, though it doesn’t pull on your heartstrings or tickle your funny bone particularly.

Maybe it could’ve done with being called “Slightly Funny People”.