Best Mood to Walk In With: Thoughtful
Don't See This Movie If: You are looking for something more like Knocked Up
Funny People lasts 5 and a half hours. OK, that's an exaggeration, but it seems like it which maybe tells you a little something. In fact, despite its misleading name and cast of actors, Funny People is a drama with a few comedic elements rather than a straight up comedy.
Although I can understand what the movie was trying to chronicle, an aspiring comic who needs to lose his naivete and a debauched, famous comic who needs to find joy in more innocent pleasures, this adds up to only semi-interesting crossed journeys. Interspersed in the storyline are occasional jokes and stand up routines. Unfortunately, most of the stand up is bad (purposefully) and a lot of the jokes get lost in the awkwardness of the characters. Though quirky characters are all the rage lately (think Juno and McLovin), Seth Rogen's character is more uncomfortably different rather than endearingly weird. Honestly, it was difficult to like or be sympathetic to any of the characters. Just when you thought you might start to like one, they go and do something incredibly annoying.
Also, there were just too many incongruencies in the film making for me. First, there is often weird pairings of action and music. Although many films use the soundtrack to oppose the situation you see for symbolism or effect, hearing James Taylor sing beneath Adam Sandler doing stand up was just bizarre. The following scene reveals the link between the two, but it was still a buzz kill pairing in my opinion. Equally strange was the closing shot. The ending was not one I would have chosen for the movie, but it somewhat works. However, the last camera shot made it even more awkward, as you will notice if you see the movie.
Now despite all this negativity, you'll notice my rating didn't completely pan Funny People. Although I did find all of these things to be annoyed with, a lot of it can be marked up to two things. The first is completely misleading advertisements and trailers for this film. The second is my high expectations for a Judd Apatow-Adam Sandler-Seth Rogen-Leslie Mann collaboration. Even if this movie did not meet my expectations after hilarious romps like the 40-year Old Virgin, it was not horrible. In fact, redeeming qualities included the acting, particularly of Mann, and fun cameos by almost every stand up comic in Hollywood as well as Apatow's and Mann's children.
Keep Your Eyes Closed For: Eminem's appearance...so awkward and needless
Keep Your Eyes Open For: Jonah Hill doing stand up for the first time in his life (for real!)
All in all, Funny People is much more of a rental than a $10 in house ticket. Not only because you're more likely to get your money worth, but because you then have the ability to pause it if you're not ready for the drawn out plot.
Movies Are Life. ~ K
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