I had no clue what to expect from Funny People, nor was I really even sure I wanted to see it. While I really enjoy a good deal of the comedies Judd Apatow’s brought to fruition, his stabs at directing have left me split. I (like most people) loved The 40 Year Old Virgin, but hated Knocked-Up… and from the trailers Funny People looked like it was going the Knocked-Up route. Luckily I was completely wrong as Apatow struck a medium that in many ways stylistically echoed his beloved cult favorite TV show Freaks & Geeks. Like that show, Funny People really isn’t a comedy at all, it’s a drama. But because of who the characters are the movie can’t help but being funny, charming and really earnest.

While sure the plot centering around a dying superstar comic trying to make amends is, to put it lightly, schmaltzy… The film’s characters (at least the male ones) are not only fleshed out well but the acting is spot on. For anyone who loved Punch-Drunk Love and wanted to see more of that Adam Sandler well he’s right here. Sandler plays the depressing and sardonic George Simmons. A man the whole world knows and loves, but who’s virtually friendless. His comedic fame stems from a career that parodies everything you either love and/or hate about Sandler and his films. It’s the sort of cliche “behind the laughs” story that were it not for Adam Sandler’s charm would just have been hackneyed. Seth Rogan, is Seth Rogan… you either like him or you don’t and he’s pretty spot on as a shitty and awkward stand-up comic who’s first real break comes when Sandler’s character asks him to write some jokes for him for an upcoming private Myspace performance. Jonah Hill is hilarious in his cameos, and even Jason Schwartzman who’s grown exponentially more annoying since Rushmore is pitch perfect in the role of Rogan’s roomate/frienemy who stars as the teacher on an awful (yet hilarious) sitcom resembling Head of the Class. There’s also two all to brief but great cameos by Aziz Anasari (Human Giant, Parks & Recreation) as the hot-shot douchebag stand-up comic who’s awful routine is funny on so many different levels.

Funny People isn’t without it’s flaws, for one It’s 2.5 Hours long and while some of the forced celebrity cameos are great (like Andy Dick or Eminem with Ray Romano) some are just downright painful to endure (Sarah Silverman and Dave Attel for example). But the thing you’d think would derail a movie like this, the prerequisite romance plot line is actually done quite well by Apatow. Rogan’s love story somehow doesn’t take all that much time of the films 2.5 hours to ever get taxing, while Sandler’s attempts to win back the one who got away are done in an overly drawn out segment, that thankfully owes more to the Woody Allen formula of romantic comedy than those of Drew Barrymore films.

In the end Funny People works because Apatow never tried to make anyone likable or hateable. The characters are who they are flaws and all while the story unfolds with the sort of absurd believability that makes for some good dry comedy or dramady in this case.

One of the movies funnier aspects is the countless easter eggs and clips littering the sets that allude to George Simmons’  awful and fake Adam Sandler-esque movies. Here’s a link to all of the phony movie posters from the film, some are downright hilarious and beilvable Adam Sandler vehicles. Then there’s also a George Simmons Youtube page with a few clips from the “movies” like the above one from Re-Do.

- My Pal the Crook