Rabs’ Review: Funny People Is Judd Apatow’s Best Movie Yet

Funny People (A-)

Judd Apatow has had a huge effect on Hollywood comedies. With his first two films, The 40 Year-Old Virgin & Knocked Up, he has effectively changed the game and could be dubbed the “Godfather of raunchy blockbuster comedies.” After the massive success of his first two outings, both grossing well over $100 million each, R-rated comedies from other filmmakers have had to reach and/or succeed the bar that he has set. With his third film, Funny People, which he wrote and directed, Apatow has put forth a comedy that incorporates much more human, personal, emotional and dramatic elements than any other film that he’s been involved with. It’s the first Apatow flick that I’m probably going to go back for a second viewing.

Funny People, to succinctly sum up, is about the world of comedy. It’s about comedians. It’s about the struggles, envy and hilarious chronicles of the life of  stand-up comedy. Apatow and star Adam Sandler are life-long friends and comedians who have been there, together, during the good times and the bad. During the opening credits, we get glimpse of real, home-video of a very young Sandler performing hysterical prank calls. These prank calls, while dumb, are hilarious because the funniest comedy is that which is juvenile and unscripted, a comedic element that Apatow has utilized very well over his career.

Funny People is the story of George Simmons (Sandler), a 40-something  comedian and movie star who gets diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. As he reflects on his life and comedy career, realizing he has limited time left, he decides to return to his passion and do stand-up comedy again. He goes to an improv club and does a set that is unusually dark and bizarre, as he is struggling in how to deal with his certain demise. He is then followed on stage by an unknown comedian named Ira Wright (Seth Rogen), who makes fun of Simmons’ apparent suicidal demeanor. Simmons’ is impressed with Ira’s comedic skills and enlists his help in the form of a personal assistant and joke-writer.

Ira lives with his two roommates, fellow struggling stand-up Leo (Jonah Hill) and successful sitcom actor Mark (Jason Schwartzman). Jonah Hill is hilarious as usual with his dry, smart-ass mocking of everyone around him. “I think your grandfather went to hell,” Leo says after Mark explains the personal and emotional memory of his grandfather dying. Schwartzman is probably the best character in the film, as he is just a conceited sitcom actor who is naively drunk with his  limited fame. He stars on the fake NBC sitcom Yo Teach where he teaches inner-city kids Shakespeare. “Sha-sha-sha-sha-Shakespeare!” It’s frickin’ hilarious. His character is based on a real-life roommate that Sandler and Apatow had when they lived in L.A. in the 80s.

Simmons gives Ira a taste of the good life, taking him on the road in limos and private jets. Simmons attempts to reconcile with his ex-girlfriend (“the one that got away”), Laura, played by Apatow’s real-life wife Leslie Mann, but to no avail as she is now married with kids. Simmons then finds out his that his once life-threatening disease is miraculously near-cured and unexpectedly gets a second chance at life. The rest of the movie is about Simmons trying to make things in his life right again, most importantly, getting Laura back.

While Schwartzman is probably the best/funniest character, the absolute best performance is hands-down delivered by Adam Sandler. He goes back to his raunchy, profane roots and is very funny.  But he also surprised the hell out of me with his brilliant portrayal of the vulnerability and despair of a man who thinks his time is up and has a lot of regrets. There’s a scene where he breaks down and is screaming at Ira, simply because the cable is out. It’s really because his bottled-up emotions about dying erupted and it’s a really powerful and emotional scene. He will definitely be the #1 contender for a “Best Actor in a Comedy” Golden Globe, MAYBE even an Oscar. It’s that good. I was seriously impressed and you will be too. I’m still on the fence on whether I truly like Seth Rogen, or am indifferent about him, but in this film he does a great job. He displays child-like wonder and appreciation for the opportunities given to him by Simmons, and is sweetly loyal to him, even though Simmons he treats him like shit. You really want things to work out for Ira, and it’s because of Rogen’s performance. Mann’s performance is very compelling as well, sufficiently showing off her acting chops in a dramatic fashion that we haven’t seen before.

Apatow’s writing is sharp, hip, utterly relevant and hilarious as usual. Same old’ profanity-laced speeches from Rogen and Hill. Same old graphic descriptions of penises, vaginas and various sex acts. And it’s all great. You could tell the actors had a great time making this movie and everyone’s chemistry on screen is fun to watch. There’s a lot of cool cameos in the movie, as George Simmons is a famous comedian. Cameos include: Ray Ramano, Sarah Silverman, RZA from Wu-Tang Clan, George Wallace and Paul Rieser. The funniest cameo by far is from the incomparable Andy Dick. “I’ll jack of my dicks into her vagina.” LOL! You’ll see. The best cameo, for me, is something that you’ll just have to wait and see. It’s totally awesome and from the last person you’d expect. I won’t say who it is, but I’ll just say he tells Ray Ramano to “fuck him in the ass.”

The reason this movie didn’t get an A, is because the third act of the film dragged on way too long. George and Ira go to Laura’s house to win her back. Laura’s husband is an Australian business man, played by the great Eric Bana, who is a very funny douche-bag, and who Simmons inevitably squabbles with. The back-and-forth antics of George trying to court her affection drags on for like 45-minutes, ultimately resulting in the film’s 20 hour and 20 minute run-time. If they had cut down the third act by 25 minutes and wrapped up the story in a more efficient way, it would have been great.

This is a really good movie. I am in love with and truly fascinated by the world of stand-up comedy, and if that’s your cup of tea as well, this flick is for you. There is A LOT of great stand-up that will really make you laugh, and should be one of the main reasons to go see it. It’s a really impressive third outing for Judd Apatow, that contains a lot more character development and emotional substance than his previous two films. You seriously care about these Funny People, which makes it his best movie yet.

What Should You Do? Definitely check it out, you’ll enjoy it.