Funny People (2009)

The expectation:
Already done with the comedy smash hits Knocked Up and The 40 Year Old Virgin, Judd Apatow makes smart comedies that drown their deeper issues with a smothering of hilarious lightness. He has a skill for adult comedy- where issues about life surface so that you feel as though the insecurities we all have are shared, are common and mundane. I have never been a big fan of comedy for the sake of itself- I think I only liked Dumb and Dumber because of its pop culture status- it gave the film an importance that I would not have attributed to it before its fame. But I guess that means that I don't really like cheap comedy- I like smart comedy and more so, black comedy. Comedy that has something to say while still being funny, comedy that is scathingly brutal. While Adam Sandler is usually in the former, Judd Apatow is more in the latter. So the question is, who do I trust more, the actor or the director?

The result:
Since I couldn't make up my mind about this film beforehand, I think that I liked it more than I should have. Adam Sandler plays a version of himself- George Simmons, a successful film star and comedic genius who used to work the stand up circuit- but he finds out that he is very sick and kind of has a breakdown. The film doesn't get too existential from here though. It doesn't really retain its hilarity either. I hoped that Apatow would fall back on his "Freaks and Geeks" subtle, yet scathing comedic style, but he tries to do both the dark comedy and the light at the same time and it does not work. It becomes rather trite and boring. However, there are some good parts to the film, some brilliant moments, but overall Ira, played by Seth Rogen, and the other Apatow troupe members, come off as trying too hard with characters who don't try hard enough to be funny in the face of death. They pity and sympathize, they grovel and worship, and they obey and desire, but they never really befriend George and so they cannot really become what he needs- friends who should lighten the serious weight of impending doom by utilizing the skills they have learned through their profession. I think that really funny people are those who can make the right jokes at the right time- not just when they have a microphone on stage. Comedies traditionally start tragically and end with lightness (or with a wedding- according to Greek traditions)- but alas, this film starts with that lightness and made me feel tragic by the end. Maybe the film was just way too long....

What to look out for:
All of those great cameos- our generation's funny comedic actors make an appearance as themselves in the world of Hollywood. Great one liners accompany them- and cement their personas to the rest of us. I can't imagine what their lives must be like walking around with that kind of label ("I thought everyone loved you, Ray")
The skinny jokes towards Ira- seamlessly blending fiction and reality is a hard earned skill.
Leslie Mann- I really like her for some reason. Not only is she Apatow's wife, but she always understands her role in his comedies.

Flickr photo by Meshmar2