Funny People

[A Matter Of Chance]

I thought this movie had a lot of problems. From what I can gather, Apatow wanted to make a movie about the nature of stand-up comedy. However, this movie is coated in three generic stories–one about illness, a love story, and a kind of "bromance"–that detract from the core of the film and seem superfluous and weak. In the end, the movie ends up being about these petty, contrived storylines instead of comedy itself, which would have made a much stronger picture.

The quote above–about George Carlin directing a film by Ingmar Bergman–doesn't make any sense to me because Bergman's films are tight and poignant, even when they're long they're never really sprawling like Funny People.

[SiliasRuby]

First of all, he said he wanted to make a film that dealt with a dying, then getting better and dealing with that experience. It was set in the stand up comedy world but thats not what it was about. Secondly, what I quoted a reviewer said was that "Its as if George Carlin doctored a Ingmar Bergman Screenplay". Doctored means being a script doctor which means a rewrite. Jesus Christ, read something very carefully before writing it down and posting it.

[A Matter Of Chance]

I'm sorry I misquoted your quote.

I'm sure he wanted to make a movie about death, but I don't think it comes across in the film. As a finished product I think it deals much more with comedy than death, which David Denby recognized when he wrote about the movie in the New Yorker. If Apatow really wanted to make a movie about death, I think he would have done well to lessen the preference given in the film Simmons' life as a comic and all the other auxiliary storylines–including the younger comics. I think it would have made a stronger film.

[SiliasRuby]

You may be right and he might have been spreading himself too thin but I really am happy that he was trying to do something different.

[ᾦɐļᵲʊʂ]

Apatow's other ventures are among my favorite comedies, but this one is the most powerful because of its reluctance to maintain the same level.  Whereas his comedies tend to be formulaic, but heartfelt, this one retains heart and ditches the formula.  Why aren't there more comedies with this much ambition?

It goes beyond seeing a situation's particular humor and instead tackles people who devote their lives to humor, even in the face of death.  I'm not sure of any movie I've ever seen that is as simultaneously hilarious and touching.

[SiliasRuby]

Apatow's other ventures are among my favorite comedies, but this one is the most powerful because of its reluctance to maintain the same level.  Whereas his comedies tend to be formulaic, but heartfelt, this one retains heart and ditches the formula.  Why aren't there more comedies with this much ambition?

It goes beyond seeing a situation's particular humor and instead tackles people who devote their lives to humor, even in the face of death.  I'm not sure of any movie I've ever seen that is as simultaneously hilarious and touching.

Hear hear.

[matt35mm]

I won't get to see this until September and that upsets me.

[RegularKarate]

I enjoyed the movie for sure, but I don't get how people are calling this "Easily his best".

I mean, I think the best you can say is "nice try".

It's clear that Apatow is trying to break free of the "bromance" or whatever dumb word has been used to describe 40yov and Knocked Up, but he's still really clinging to it, which is why it kind of fails.

It's a mess.  There's no fluidity.  Every time it starts to get to true heart, it gets scared and hides behind an improvised dick joke. 

I did enjoy trying to call out which comic wrote which of their jokes though.

[ᾦɐļᵲʊʂ]

Every time it starts to get to true heart, it gets scared and hides behind an improvised dick joke. 

Even if it's unintentional, this is what I absolutely loved about the movie.  Every time that Sandler faces mortality, he has escape.  So it plays out that every time we are about to discover something about him, it's diverted by him trying to shift the focus to something less miserable, or at least, something to laugh about.

[SiliasRuby]

Every time it starts to get to true heart, it gets scared and hides behind an improvised dick joke. 

Even if it's unintentional, this is what I absolutely loved about the movie.  Every time that Sandler faces mortality, he has escape.  So it plays out that every time we are about to discover something about him, it's diverted by him trying to shift the focus to something less miserable, or at least, something to laugh about.

because that's what most comedians do.

[RegularKarate]

Even if it's unintentional, this is what I absolutely loved about the movie.  Every time that Sandler faces mortality, he has escape.  So it plays out that every time we are about to discover something about him, it's diverted by him trying to shift the focus to something less miserable, or at least, something to laugh about.

It would be one thing if Sandler's character did that.  It would make sense for the character, but while that's the case SOME of the time, most of the time that's just what the whole movie does.  It cuts to the roommates (Apatow's crutch) or another ridiculous scene.  It can't fully commit to being real.  "That's what comedians do" is a cop-out (especially because that's what HUMANS do... comedians are just sometimes funnier when they do it).  If you wanted to claim that the movie is mirroring this behavior, then we would have to be able to see more of the "harsh reality" that lies behind the jokes.

Once again, I liked the movie.  I just wanted something more from a movie about stand-up.

[SiliasRuby]

Maybe on the DVD RK you'll find more what you were looking for.

[Neil]

I think judd hacked into silas' account.  but anyhow do you think this causes it to lose depth, or what?  I'm saying in almost compliance with your posts that this flick has attempted more heart than 40YOV, and more realism than 'Knocked up' IMO!!!!, and i mean in the face of a situation like this, what's to debate how humans act? Or what should play out? regardless of the profession?  It's purely situational, and i feel it works. I kind of think the comment on "another ridiculous scene is a cop out.  I understand the crutch with roommates, but don't you think Rogan is as an important character as Sandler, i mean for the films progression? and i could agree that there may be some filler scenes. But, we're supposed to see the young side too with Rogan, and i guess "yo teach" and other sequences fuel that?  Like i said, i have only watched it once, i'm not sure about the depth and consistency, upon one viewing it seemed to work, i'm just curious on more of what you thought didn't.

[SiliasRuby]

One last thing on this movie, some of the marketing was a little wacked as most people on here could see. I am going to quote another review and say "The more I think of this film, the more I think it is a dark drama punctuated by some funny lines. The trailers have been playing up this angle of it is from this guy who wrote '40YV' and 'knocked up' but, as my wife commented, that's like marketing "Schindler's List" as "From the director of 'E.T.' and 'Jaws'." It doesn't tell you much about the movie you are about to see."

Yeah, just thought I should put that out there.

[Ghostboy]

Was this movie really that dark, though?

Eric Bana was tops. And Eminem should do more acting too.