I've tried writing a review for Funny People that covered the sprawling narrative, the various subplots, minor character flourishes, and incidental footage that makes up the world of George Simmons (Adam Sandler) and Ira Wright (Seth Rogen). None of it made any sense or read as an interesting review. So I'll keep it short. Four short reasons to consider watching Funny People, a very different kind of movie from Judd Apatow.
1. It's not really a comedy - Funny People is about comedians, but not necessarily about comedy. It's not even about comedy in the same way The King of Comedy is about comedy. Judd Apatow uses the backdrop of comedy writers and stand up comedy, mixed with autobiographical material involving his early days with Sandler, and made a film about human beings with flaws. Serious, marriage destroying, career sabotaging flaws that they use whenever the opportunity arises. Not just George Simmons, who learns nothing from a life-threatening health scare. Ira Wright knowingly cuts his roommate Leo (Jonah Hill) out of a co-writing gig for Simmons out of jealousy, and Leo petulantly strikes back by joining Mark (Jason Schwartman)'s horrible sitcom Yo Teach! for a quick buck. Ira gets mad at Daisy (Aubrey Plaza) for sleeping with Mark when he had every opportunity to woo her. Simmons' old flame Laura (Leslie Mann) impetuously decides to help George ruin her marriage to the not-that-bad Clarke (Eric Bana), only to blame Ira when things get inconvenient.
That's just part of the plot, but despite the horribly shitty things these funny people do to each other, you can't help but keep watching. They aren't despicable, even if they behave that way sometimes. They're just trying to be happy in selfish ways. There are laughs, but the heart of Funny People is in the way these very human flaws come and go over two-and-a-half hours.
2. If you thought Adam Sandler was great in Punchdrunk Love, this is the follow-up you've been waiting for - While George Simmons is in many ways a mirror for Adam Sandler's career, one can see hints of Eddie Murphy, Jerry Seinfeld, and even Robin Williams in his character. Sandler has the hardest task of keeping George distant from everybody, to the point of alienating Ira almost completely, but does it without ever losing your sympathy. Sandler doesn't necessarily push himself to emotional extremes in the ways obvious in Punchdrunk Love, but he does carry quite a bit of the acting, especially when George's story overtakes Ira's in the second half of the film.
As a nice contrast, we get glimpses of the films George Simmons made - movies he feels no pride for - that do seem like the Adam Sandler on autopilot available in most Happy Madison movies. The contrast shouldn't be lost on attentive viewers, and if you've been waiting for a glimpse of the Adam Sandler that appeared for Paul Thomas Anderson, George Simmons is your man.
3. The Stand-Up is actually very good - bringing in Patton Oswalt and Brian Posehn in to help write material for the stars was a great idea, but Apatow and company road tested much of the live material months before principal photography began. The stand-up in Funny People actually sounds like stand-up material, and not just a facsimile of comedy writing thrown up in front of a brick wall. Extra kudos go to Aziz Ansari, who plays Raaaaaaaandy!, the inexplicably popular comedian of the Myspace generation. Despite an act that involves very little comedy, Ansari manages to sneak away with every scene he's in. Sandler, Rogen, Hill, and Aubrey Plaza also register despite the fact half of them are new to stand-up and the other half haven't done it in decades.
4. The incidental material is worth the price of admission - Not only is the footage from George Simmons' Re-do and Merman pathetically silly, but Mark Taylor Jackson's retched Yo Teach!, the subject of much derision in the film, gets its time in the limelight. Funny People manages to incorporate actual footage of young Adam Sandler and Leslie Mann into the narrative, which is admittedly bizarre but adds another layer of versimilitude.
But honestly, there are tons of tiny moments that make Funny People worth seeing. The RZA as Ira's co-worker, Chuck, a deli counter employee who loves the health benefits. The German(?) doctor, seen as the butt of many jokes from George and Ira in the trailer, getting his own wisecracks in during a second visit. The clip from Merman. Yo Teach! Or, possibly my favorite moment in the film, one that occurs during a "glad you're well party" for George, when Eminem utters the following sentence:
"If I don't watch my back, then I might get popped by Ray Romano."
Which is preceded by a comparably funny moment when Ray Romano says "Hello Marshall" while being cursed out by Eminem. This is after Sarah Silverman, Norm MacDonald, and Dave Attell have their moment to get a crack in on George.
But seriously, I hope this gives you some idea of what to actually expect from Funny People. It's not some uproarious gross-out comedy, as The 40 Year Old Virgin or Knocked Up were. It's not even Forgetting Sarah Marshall or Pineapple Express or I Love You Man territory. It is absolutely not a bromantic comedy. Funny People is a serio-comic film about people who don't behave normally, so they turn to comedy. Most of them are pretty good at it, even if they're still lousy friends and lovers. And it tends to wander in different directions, so if you don't want to follow Ira's story, then follow George's, or vice versa. There's a lot of meat on Funny People's bone, and I think many of you will find something worth chewing on.
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