Funny People

Sometimes, the class clown is doing it because he wants the attention. I am starting think this is the case with Adam Sandler. He gets plenty of attention (and even more cash money) when he screams shabadoo, or catches stuff with his buttocks like he does in that dreadful Zohan movie, but, underneath it all, Sandler is a serious guy with real acting talent, when he gets the right movie to trot it out. Sadly, audiences never seem all that interested in those movies (Spanglish, Punch Drunk Love, Reign Over Me). Can we all go see Funny People to discourage him from making You Don't Mess With The Zohan 2?

Adam Sandler stars as George - an Adam Sandler-type movie star with an ignominious resume. Let's just say he has never been nominated for an Oscar and shouldn't be waiting by the phone for that call (Which is worse? George's Mer-Man or Adam's Little Nicky? Debate among yourselves after you see Funny People).

Now, George has been diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia, and only an 8% chance of living. Without any friends or family in his life in a significant way, he decides to get back into stand up comedy, and finds a struggling wannabe comedian, Ira (Seth Rogan), to help him write jokes, as well as (and, here comes the movie critic cliché), help him with life (you can almost hear that line being recited in a trailer or commercial as they start playing some sappy tune like I'll Stand By You or Stand By Me).

Can George find happiness in his final days?

Will Ira be able to get his career off the ground?

Is it possible any of these people can be satisfied and cheerful?

Funny People is like two movies with very different results. The first movie is a fantastic, funny, poignant look at a man deep in depression and trying to find a way out, as well as a story about friendship and its power to help us through the roughest of times. This is the great movie. This is the movie with dialogue from writer/director Judd Apatow that sounds real and unrehearsed, as well as full of great one-liners and topics you know you and your friends wish they could have rolling off their tongues during the typical late night bull session. This is the movie that makes you realize Sandler has more to offer than you thought after seeing Mr. Deeds. You want to hug Apatow and Sandler for giving you such an amazing treat.

Then, we get the second movie and it makes you want to punch Apatow and Sandler for ruining the wonderful experience we had for the first hour and a half. You want to make these two watch Bedtime Stories over and over and over again until they apologize.

The second movie is this horrible mess of a romantic comedy gone wrong as the audience is confronted with three people in a love triangle you wish was more like the Bermuda Triangle and would suck all three of them into oblivion. Funny People loses its rhythm as it drones on and on with a bad plot twist that doesn't appear to be coming to an end any time soon, and all of the acting performances start to suffer, especially Rogan's, as the material gets worse.

Now, here's the best part of Funny People. Sandler is fantastic!!!!!

It's almost poetic to see Sandler delivering a self-aware self-parody of his career as the goofy, highly successful, immature comedian and movie star. Apatow and Sandler make you imagine this is what his life really can be like, while all of the younger co-stars admire him and seem truly giddy to be doing something with Sandler. Throughout Funny People, Sandler makes us see George's anger, pain, sadness, depression and all around miserableness, often quickly masked by a smiley face or jumping into a famous character to get people to laugh. He's not always a likable guy, and the moments when he shows the warts are the ones you will remember.

It's some of the most straight, honest, and real acting I have seen in a long time. There's no posing. No trying too hard. It's the kind of effortlessness you wouldn't expect from Sandler, but it's a performance he is capable of, and has proven to have within him more than a few times.

The audience gets even more than just Sandler to enjoy in Funny People (look for the fake movie posters, which are great), but we could never have enough web space or time to get into everything that is so good. Check it out, and start thinking about slipping out the backdoor when that love triangle starts in full force.

Funny People is rated R for language and crude sexual humor throughout, and some sexuality.