Lazy Sunday Review: Funny People (2009)

Well, I guess Superbowl Sunday doesn’t exactly define a “Lazy Sunday”, but for us miscreants, the only thing of interest is The Who at halftime. Doesn’t Roger Daltrey EVER get sick of PINBALL WIZARD?



Last night, Dan and I watched Funny People, the new Judd Apatow film that just came to DVD. Now: there are many, many things one could say about why this movie sucked. I just want to know why I didn’t hear any of them before I ordered it on Netflix. The few reviews I read were overwhelmingly praiseworthy. The only warning I had was Dan (he had a hunch it would be lame).

Adam Sandler stars as George Simmons, a wealthy comedian who lives alone in a giant mansion in LA (I’m guessing Sandler’s playing a version of himself?). Within the first few minutes of the movie, George is diagnosed with a form of Leukemia, and will most likely not survive. Seth Rogen, co-starring as Ira Wright, enters the film as an aspiring stand-up comic, and is star-struck when a bitter and desperate George discovers him at a comedy club and hires him as his personal assistant. What follows (more or less) is George’s journey from self-loathing and regret to vindication and possibly happiness.

I have to admit that the first hour or so of the film was rather moving: the introduction of the threatening disease, followed by a view into the George’s loneliness and desperation, followed by his outreach to anyone (Ira) who would be close to him, in his mansion, during his final days. Finally, in his own way, George comes to terms with the end of his life. I will never forget one scene in which Ira finds George in bed, sleep-deprived and weepy, because he couldn’t get his television to work. He stands up, weak, robed in blue terrycloth, and starts screaming out of anger and fear of his debilitation. I gasped (silently)… Sandler is kind of like Pacino right now. I can’t believe it. He’s doing Pacino from Angels in America (2003) (go see this definitely, by the way). That’s how good it got.

This is all in the first 90 minutes, mind you (translation: THIS MOVIE SHOULD BE OVER SOON, RIGHT?).

If you’ve ever seen any of Apatow’s movies, you know he’s not in a rush to end the story candidly, or even appropriately. Nope, here’s where the crap comes full speed ahead, for another freakin’ hour. Leslie Mann (will Apatow EVER cast anyone besides his wife?) co-stars as the love of George’s life / the one who got away. SNORE. She hated him, but now they start talking because he’s sick, and they still love each other, but she’s married, with kids (it’s always fun to watch the Apatow girls as they grow up), but she might leave her husband for George, but actually not, BLAH BLAH BLAH. My God, why!?

I feel that it was the sudden transition from a “moving film” to “a waste of time” that ruined the entire thing. Jonah Hill was in it too, by the by, and he was pretty funny.

The ending sucked. Go rent Angels in America instead.