Judd Apatow is a lot like Quentin Tarantino was in the late 90’s; he has his hands on a lot of films (writing, producing, ec.) but he’s only directed two – now three – films. Audiences have come to expect a certain kind of comedy from Apatow's movies: funny and crass, but deeply rooted in the characters and about way more than cheap laughs.
In respect to all these expectations, Funny People is without a doubt, Apatow’s most mature film. Its fitting that the story is based on getting older, and what to do when you see the next generation coming up, when you’re still uncertain of what you want to do. Fittingly, the bulk of the movie’s cameos – another requirement from Apatow's films – are older entertainers. Warren Zevon and Jackson Browne both get name-checked - one movingly, the other hilariously -, and James Taylor has perhaps the funniest cameo in the whole movie.
The movie’s plot is centered around George Simmons (Adam Sandler) a former stand-up comedian, turned comedy actor who has lost himself in a slew of crappy family films and meaningless relationships. When he finds out that he has a form of leukemia, he starts to reassess his life. On the top of his mind is the quintessential “girl that got away,” Laura (Leslie Mann).
Into this world comes Ira Wright (Apatow regular, Seth Rogen), a hopeful comedian whose sense of humour catches George's attention one night in a comedy club, so much so that he hires Ira to be his assistant. The two have a great love of comedy, and a real friendship develops, even if George doesn’t want to admit it.
So, when George gets the news that he has miraculously beaten the disease, he has to decide what to do with the second chance he’s been offered. No fair spoiling the end, but its not what would be expected from this kind of comedy.
This all may sound a little too dramatic for an Apatow comedy, but Apatow is a director who knows how to blend humour and heartbreak together seamlessly. Even if the movie was a bit long, all the scenes go toward advancing who these two men are. You could call Funny People a “bromance” (which is a term that just drives me up the wall), but it really is about two men trying to find a way to do what they love in the world.
As always, the supporting cast is fantastic. Jonah Hill and Jason Schwartzman as Ira’s roommates are hilarious, but my favourite was Eric Bana, dropping all the action/drama gravitas he normally is saddled with, and going for outrageously funny as Laura’s Australian husband.
The main three actors are all at the top of their games. Mann (Apatow’s wife) has never been more lovely or vulnerable, skillfully creating a woman in the midst of a crossroads in her life. Rogen, who seems made to deliver Apatow’s brilliant lines, is as funny and charming as he’s ever been, while still conveying all the emotions of a green guy in the world of comedy.
The real money is Sandler, though. After doing a bunch of lackluster roles, Funny People is his best acting display since Punch Drunk Love. I’m not sure how much of his own life he plumed for the role of George, but he brings all kinds of loneliness, bitter humour and confusion to bear for this character. I know he won’t get any love when the award season roles around, but he knocks it out of the park here.
Funny People isn’t as laugh-out loud funny as The 40-Year-Old Virgin or Knocked Up, but it is a film that shows a writer/director coming to grips with age in an industry that usually tries desperately to avoid aging. For me, age looks good on Apatow.
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