Apatow’s FUNNY PEOPLE just not that funny

Universal Pictures | 2009 | Rated R | 146 minutes

FUNNY PEOPLE, the third feature film from writer and director Judd Apatow, whose last two outings, THE 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN and KNOCKED UP, solidified his status as a comedic hit-maker, has unfortunately fallen short, and seems an unlikely departure for the talented writer. FUNNY PEOPLE follows the story of George Simmons (Adam Sandler), a comedian who has parlayed doing stand up into a wildly successful film career, but who unfortunately, learns that he has a rare blood disease and now must face his own mortality. Along the way he meets Ira (Seth Rogen), a struggling stand up who he hires on as his assistant. While this may not sound like fertile ground for comedy, Apatow still treats it like such at times, with the requisite onslaught of penis jokes that are prevalent in his previous films. But FUNNY PEOPLE also tries to present itself as a dramatic study of character, and attempts to balance between the two extremes throughout the entire movie. It is here that the greatest weakness of the film is found, for FUNNY PEOPLE tries to be two movies at the same time.

With an absolutely unnecessary and painfully long 146 minutes run time, FUNNY PEOPLE feels as if it doesn’t even know what kind of movie it is supposed to be. Is it a comedy with the dark undertones of the lead character knowing he is going to die, or is it supposed to be a drama that allows Simmons to discover who he truly is as a person and what values he holds in life with a tinge of comedy to relieve the tension? There are two very different and competing plots within FUNNY PEOPLE, that of Simmons dealing with the life threatening disease, and that of Simmons trying to rekindle a romance with his now married ex-girlfriend. Had Apatow and editor Craig Alpert actually focused in on one of these plots and allowed that alone to be developed, a much better movie would have emerged.

The result though is that the two plots are forced together, making the audience feel as if they are watching two different films. While this can work to effect if there is a clear vision on how the two plots interconnect with one another, such as in films like FULL METAL JACKET or PSYCHO, that both change gears half-way through, but still carry on a through narrative, this is not the case with FUNNY PEOPLE. Instead, it feels like choices about the direction of the plot were not made by the writer/director early on, and who then in turn, tried to keep everything intact in the editing room. Doing this though greatly undermines the performances of the actors on screen and traps them in a form of stasis, unable to truly commit to a unified vision. Had this movie been developed along one of the plot lines Apatow was attempting, it would have been a very memorable role for the dynamic Adam Sandler. The audience though was robbed from seeing this performance. There is some conflict between Sandler’s character and Rogen’s, but it never really gets to develop past the merely superficial level. Instead Sandler’s performance was continuously contracted in on itself until all that was left was a pretty flat performance that was mirrored by Rogen, and even though the events around them progress, they remain pretty static. When Sandler’s character sums up his relationship with Rogen by saying, “You’re my closest friend and I don’t even like you,” there is the allusion of a great dynamic between the two that unfortunately is never fully allowed to be realized on screen by Apatow.

This leads to a predictability in the humor, and unfortunately this is a case where most of the funny lines of the film were used in the trailer, such as when Sandler and Rogen make fun of a doctor’s accent. This flatness permeates to even the periphery characters, including Rogen’s roommates played by Jason Schwartzman and Jonah Hill, who for the most part, are exactly the same in every scene they are in. This is a shame, because as has been exhibited countless times before, all of these actors are very talented and funny and should have been given something more to work with from Apatow.

The only real glimmer of hope in the performances comes from Apatow’s real-life wife, Leslie Mann, who plays the “girl that got away,” and Eric Bana, doing a fantastic turn as her Aussie, football and Buddhism loving husband. Why both of these actors were allowed the freedom to develop their characters more fully while Sandler and Rogen were not, is a mystery. Keeping your two leads drawn in to the point of being flat though while having your supporting roles shine is a key reason the film did not work as well as it should have.

The fact is, Apatow needed to decide exactly what film he was making and make some tough choices in the editing room. With a cast such as is found in FUNNY PEOPLE, everything is there for the film to be successful, and had Apatow chosen to pursue just one of his plots, it would have been. Unfortunately though, the audience is given a film with a blurred focus that is desperately in need of some serious editing.

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