Funny People (Theaters)

While many comedies are flat out hilarious, once in a while you come across one that is something much more than just a laugh fest. Whether it be a life lesson conveyed by the film or just something provocative enough to keep you thinking after the credits roll, these comedies offer much more beyond the initial layers of laughter. Funny People is just such a movie.

The premise of the movie is fairly simple. It follows the life of comic actor George Simmons (Adam Sandler), who after numerous box office hits, has discovered he has leukemia.  In an effort to make sense of it all, he returns to his comedic roots by doing standup comedy, yet quickly realizes he no longer has anything funny to say. He enlists the help of a struggling up and coming comedian, Ira (Seth Rogen) to not only help write jokes for him, but to be his assistant through his time of ordeal. Along the way, the two become friends and Simmons realizes that despite all of his succeess, his existence has been empty and shallow up until this point.

When his latest set of blood tests comes back clean, Simmons is granted a new lease on life.  He immediately decides to try and make up for everything he has missed out on over the years, including regaining the love of his life, Laura (Leslie Mann).  George soon finds that things are not always that simple and despite having another chance at life, he must come to the realization that some things are just the way they are.

Sandler is excellent in this film. While watching, you can’t help but feel that the character of George is loosely based on Sandler’s life. He began as a small time comic for the sake of making people laugh, yet somehow alll of that got lost in the shuffle of making bigger, sillier, and funnier movies. Sandler’s portrayal of a man coming to grips with his own mortality is really genuine. As sad as it is to watch him sufferring, it is equally funny watching him as he uses his amazing humor to cope with his situation. 

Rogen is equally good. For the first time in any of his movies, he tones down his abrasiveness and brings to life a genuinely likeable character. You really feel for him struggling to make it as a comedian, and later as his standup improves, the sense of accomplishment is clearly evident in his portrayal. With so much comic presence on the screen in this movie at any given time, Rogen’s subdued approach is dead on.

The rest of the cast is straight up amazing. Jonah Hill and Jason Schwartzmann are hilarious as Rogen’s two roommates. Leslie Mann is great as George’s love interest, yet also manages to provide qutie a few comedic moments of her own.  Last but not least, scene stealing Eric Bana is just awesome as the jealous Aussie husband.

For a movie about life and death, it also has a comedy within a comedy element going on. There are famous commediennes up the ying yang in this film, with cameos from start to finish. I think it’s safe to say that this film has more jokes per minute of movie than any other comedy that has come out in a long time (and at a whopping 2.5 hrs of running time- that’s a lot of jokes!!). Unlike other comedies which sometimes tend to overly rely on insane situations for humor, Funny People just looks at life through the eyes of well..funny hilarious people. 

While the film doesn’t have the craziness of Superbad or Knocked Up, it does have a lot more soul…while providing just as many laughs. I highly recommend this movie to anyone. While the film willl no doubt have you cracking up, it may also cause you to take a moment and look at your own life and the choices you’ve made.