Comedy behemoth Judd Apatow’s latest film, Funny People, is perhaps his most mature and understated piece yet. That isn’t to say it’s perfect – it isn’t – and ironically this more probing and subtle approach may alienate some of the fans who reliably dash to see his latest releases and raised the Apatow brand of comedy to where it is today.
Personal Dramedy
Whilst Apatow Productions cranks out multiple comedies a year, with varying degrees of success, Apatow has only directed three of them himself, Funny People being his first stint behind the camera since the well received Knocked Up, and although many of the elements are familiar (regulars Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill and Leslie Mann, amongst others, all return) the overall concoction is a much more personal experience. Apatow is clearly tapping into his own back-story here, even opening the film with genuine footage of him and Adam Sandler making prank phone calls from way back when the two of them lived together.
The film gravitates around George Simmons (Sandler), a phenomenally successful comic and movie star whose achievements have made him insular and unhappy. Twelve years after separating from the one girl he truly loved (and still loves), George, by his own admission, doesn’t have any real friends. That is until Ira (Seth Rogen), a struggling unpaid stand-up, accidentally crosses paths with him and the two form an intriguing relationship. There is a genuine sentiment in their burgeoning friendship (helped by excellent turns from both men) and a complex and interesting interplay surrounding George’s apparent inability to accept that he likes Ira and Ira’s own concerns about his comedic pedigree in light of a celebrity he has worshipped. The situation is complicated by the fact that George has been diagnosed with a rare blood disease that may or may not kill him. Ira swiftly becomes his only confidant and the two of them are forced to deal with the film’s main concern: death.
The script’s preoccupation with death is made to be both funny and sad, which is the dichotomy the film strives for, and often achieves, without resorting to defeatism or crude philosophising. In amongst the successful gags and heartfelt moments there are inevitably times when the film veers rather abruptly from funny to serious and occasionally these moments can jar. That said, there is a beating heart beneath this film that so many comedies forget to utilise, and it’s to the film’s credit that there isn’t a cop-out ending or a clichéd resolution.
Mostly Funny People
Despite the always watchable leads and decent supporting turns, the film is overlong at 136 minutes and the lengthy setup unfortunately is not rewarded with a killer ending. Nevertheless, when it works it gets some good laughs and scores extra points for having something to say amidst the gags. Celebrity cameos are mostly well judged and the film is refreshingly unformulaic, providing an interesting glance not only into the life of one of contemporary comedy’s most prolific exponents, but also into the life of a stand up in general.
