Film Review: Funny People

Posted by: Tony – Jul 31, 2009

After serving as producer on several comedies in the last few years, Judd Apatow finally returns to directing to bring us Funny People, starring Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen. Apatow has always had a talent for balancing comedy and drama in his films in order to make his characters seem more real. When the characters laugh, we laugh with them, but we also feel it when they hurt. With Funny People, there is plenty of opportunity to feel both.

The film focuses on George Simmons, played by Adam Sandler. He is a rich and famous comedian who has starred in countless films and is constantly recognized and stopped on the street. He lives alone in a mansion in Hollywood. To make matters worse, George also discovers he has a rare form of Leukemia and that he will die if an experimental medication is not effective. His doctor gives him an 8% chance of survival. Faced with such odds, George does what most people would do in such a situation. He watches old home movies and tapes of his early performances and remembers the good times. He becomes so swept up in nostalgia that he decides to show up at the comedy club where he used to perform and do an impromptu routine. This gives him the opportunity to see young comic, Ira, played by Seth Rogen, do his best on stage. George can see that Ira is very funny, but lacks experience on stage. He hires Ira to write jokes and serve as his assistant, but it becomes clear that he actually just needs a friend to keep him company through his rough battle with Leukemia.

All of this undoubtedly sounds very heavy. Most comedies do not deal with the central character battling deadly diseases. The good news is that since the main characters are all stand-up comedians, there are a lot of very funny scenes found amongst the drama as George and Ira perform their stand-up routines. There is also the very real commentary on Adam Sandler’s career as we see that all of the movies George starred in were juvenile, involving George making funny faces and strange noises. Sandler might have made these movies 15 years ago.

The comedy does not push the plot forward, though. As George’s condition becomes worse, Ira advises him to reconnect with his family and friends. This is how George comes back into contact with his first love, who is now married and has two children. She only speaks to him because he is dying. Things become complicated, though, when George’s medication begins to work. He beats the disease, and after his near death experience makes him realize some past life errors, he sets out to win back the love of his life.

The situation inevitably becomes messy, but we are spared from it being too painful by the hysterically awkward Seth Rogen. Since Ira and George became close friends, Ira gets caught up in George’s plans to win back the girl. Watching Ira wrestle with the decision to either help George break up a family or to undermine his attempts are some of the funniest scenes in the film. Never will you witness someone so masterfully make bad situations worse by continuing to speak for far too long.

It is amazing that when Judd Apatow sat down to write a new comedy, he came up with a story where a comedian battles Leukemia alongside a new friend, while also pining for an old girlfriend. The subject matter is so heavy that one might expect to spend more time crying than laughing. Fortunately, Apatow really seems to know what he is doing. He never allows the drama to overshadow the comedy, or vice-versa. An example of this is actually found in the trailers. When George’s doctor gives him some bad news, he and Ira spend the next five minutes making fun of the doctor. It is this perfectly achieved balance that makes Funny People both hilarious and fulfilling.

by Gareth Mussen