Dvd
Funny People
Despite producing several of the best comedies of the last few years (including Pineapple Express, Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Superbad) this is only Judd Apatow's third film behind the camera (The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up). The all-star cast includes Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Eric Bana, Jonah Hill and Jason Schwartzman.
Funny People is the story of a famous comedian (Sandler) who has a near-death experience. Says Apatow: "I'm trying to make a very serious movie that is twice as funny as my other movies. Wish me luck."
Starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Eric Bana, Jonah Hill, Jason Schwartzman, RZA, Aubrey Plaza
Directed by Judd Apatow ('The 40-Year-Old Virgin, 'Knocked Up')
Written by Judd Apatow
Drama, Comedy | 2hr 28mins | Rated (R16) | contains offensive language, sexual material and other content that may offend | Origin: USA | Official Site »
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Flicks review
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3
Writer-director-producer Judd Apatow’s third film as a director aims for something a bit more substantial than your average comedy but can’t decide what exactly that should be. The film’s too juvenile to be an affecting drama but too melancholic to be a genuine rib-tickler.
It’s also half an hour too long and could have done with a good trim. At times it feels like Apatow is hijacking all the goodwill earned with his terrific previous films (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up) to make us sit through a self-indulgent vanity project (the casting of his wife and kids in main roles does nothing to convince us otherwise).
Luckily, Apatow has retained his knack for creating loveable characters. Eric Bana steals every scene he’s in, while Seth Rogen is the geek we all are inside. Adam Sandler earns himself further appreciation as a mega-successful comedian who regrets his life choices.
The film’s relaxed, shambolic pace and well-chosen soundtrack hints at the director’s assured ambitions but when the credits eventually roll Funny People has long outstayed its welcome.SHARE:
The people's reviews
17 reviews
Press Reviews
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Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
The thing about Funny People is that it's a real movie. That means carefully written dialogue and carefully placed supporting performances -- and it's ABOUT SOMETHING.
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Dominion Post (Graeme Tuckett)
Apatow's gags can still make me laugh out loud, but Funny People's flirtation with serious drama is forced and uncomfortable.
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Empire (UK)
4
An absolute treat. In spite of its disappointing climax, this is Apatow’s smartest, rudest and -- yes -- funniest film yet.
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Hollywood Reporter
Apatow is on the right track. In moving his adolescent male comedies into more adult realms, the humor sharpens and characters deepen.
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Los Angeles Times
Any sort of new insight into comedy's darker themes, to say nothing of life's, eludes Funny People. Instead Sandler and Rogen and the rest are left to wander aimlessly, with tedious comedy gigs, an even more tedious faux sitcom and relatively vapid relationships masquerading as a plot.
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New York Times
There’s something irritatingly self-satisfied about Funny People, which explains why, though it glances on the perils of fame, it mostly affirms its pleasures.
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Total Film (UK)
4
A comedy-drama full of beauty and ugliness, profundity and profanity. Eventually loses its way but, for at least 100 minutes, it’s some sort of masterpiece.
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Variety (USA)
Amusing and engaging yet lacking in snap and cohesion, this insider's look at the world of standup comics in contempo Los Angeles rings true in its view of the variously warped, stunted and narrow lives of its mostly male denizens.
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