Funny People
Like or loathe Judd Apatow, he's a game-changer. Funny People is only Apatow's third directorial outing, yet Hollywood comedies have embraced - to varying degrees - his signature themes of vulnerable manchildren reinforcing traditional family values through dick jokes and rapid-fire pop-culture references.
Funny People is also startlingly personal. I get the feeling the questions it raises are ones Apatow and his star, longtime friend Adam Sandler, have spent dark hours pondering. You wonder whether struggling standup Ira Wright (Seth Rogen) is just too nice to succeed: whether in a naff sitcom vehicle like the one his smug housemate Mark (Jason Schwartzman) is so pleased about, or gaming YouTube like his ruthless friend Leo (Jonah Hill). Worst of all, will Ira become the same Scrooge-meets-Norma-Desmond monster as his hero, the lonely and mean-spirited George Simmons (Sandler)?
As the title implies, it's more about what the comedy-industrial complex does to comedians than it is itself a comedy. The elegiac tone and leisurely pace may frustrate viewers in search of snappy laughs. At times it feels shambolic, but I loved Funny People's insight into comedians' volatile mix of hostility, anxiety and camaraderie. And yes, it's quite funny.
Format: Cinema
Mood: Sarcastic
Keywords: Judd Apatow, Film
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