Funny People

Director: Judd Apatow
Cast: Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Jason Schwartzman, Aubrey Plaza and Eric Bana
DVD release: 7 January 2010
Rated: MA 15+

Funny how things turn out

Let’s be clear from the outset – Funny People is not an Adam Sandler movie; nor is it a Judd Apatow movie for that matter. Of course, in one sense it’s both those things, but what I’m trying to convey is that this is a very different project for both these men. In other words, if you’re expecting another Happy Gilmore or 40 Year Old Virgin, then you may be disappointed.

This is a rather more mature – and downright courageous – project than either Sandler or Apatow have produced to date (with the possible exception of Sandler’s outstanding turn in Punch-Drunk Love). Why courageous? Because both men squarely lay their pasts and their talents on the line here.

Sandler however is clearly the braver of the two. While Funny People is largely a reflection by Apatow on his rise to fame, for Sandler, this is a no-holds-barred contemplation of his professional life.

Sandler plays George Simmons, a hugely successful comedian turned actor. The fruits of his movie career have given him plenty of material benefits – a nice house, a private jet and fans fawning over him. His movies however are largely pap, and his personal life is a wreck. Apart from the last point (Sandler is married to actress Jackie Sandler), this could be a blueprint for the actor’s biography. That he should apparently bare his soul so completely via the character of Simmons (who, let’s face it, isn’t a very likeable kind of guy) is a real act of fortitude if you ask me.

Funny People is about comedians – stand-up comedians in particular. Seth Rogen is Apatow’s alter ego here. He plays Ira Wright, a struggling stand-up guy given the chance of a lifetime by Sandler’s character. His job is ostensibly to write jokes for Simmons, but he soon finds that it involves much more than knocking out the odd quip. The situation is complicated by the fact that Simmons has a potentially fatal disease (hence his desire to ditch movies and get back into his first love, stand-up); and his need to make things right with his other first love, Laura, played by Leslie Mann (who is Mrs Apatow in real life).

The title of the film is perhaps ironic, as the film itself isn’t all that funny. Sure, it has its moments – the riffing between Sandler and Rogen is a definite highlight – but this isn’t a comedy movie in the way that we’ve come to associate with Apatow. It’s actually a pretty serious excursion into some dark recesses of the soul and the psyche. It makes the obvious point that comedy isn’t easy and that comedians sometimes struggle with their art like everyone else; but it’s primarily about the connections we make with other people. In the end, Apatow takes a stand against the kind of egotism that appears to infect Hollywood at times.

Apatow clearly enjoys incorporating the life experiences of his actors into his films. Here, for example, Seth Rogen’s character has recently lost weight, just as the actor has. Daisy, the character played by Aubrey Plaza (who’s hilarious, by the way) is from Delaware, just as the actress is. And, just to throw everyone for a complete loop, he makes Eric Bana’s character, Clarke, an Australian – genius!

Sometimes however there’s a danger in writing stuff so close to life, and Apatow falls into it here. You see, the thing about life is that it’s messy and hard and not conducive to easy solutions. So when a screenwriter is writing about things close to their own personal experience, they can sometimes get too involved in the material and don’t appreciate when to cut out some of the real-life stuff.

Here, Apatow allows the plot to drift along for far too long, especially in the latter part of the third act where George and Ira visit Laura in San Francisco. Some judicious editing of either script or film would have made the whole thing flow a lot better. As it is, the film struggles in the last hour or so (bear in mind it’s two-and-a-half hours long) before being brought back on track in the surprisingly low-key but nonetheless satisfying finale.

The cast do an excellent job with the material. This is certainly one of the best things Sandler has ever done. I found his George both repulsive and attractive at the same time, which is quite an achievement. Rogen is rather more subdued here than we’re used to seeing him and plays second-fiddle to Sandler much of the time. Leslie Mann, leaving aside suggestions of nepotism, is excellent as the object of Simmons’ affections and Eric Bana is totally at home as the ‘ocker’ Clarke.

I’m sure Funny People will perplex and dismay many. There will be those who will get this DVD because of the names on the box cover; but they will be in for a shock. This is a marked change of direction for both Apatow and Sandler; and a daring one at that. While it doesn’t work for the whole of its substantial running time, it is an intriguing, occasionally hilarious and unerringly perceptive look at the world of comedy.

David Edwards