Judd Apatow has set himself up as the new John Hughes.  He’s created a mini-empire of comedic hits and has built a stable of regular actors and contributors. 

On the surface his films are screwball comedies, usually glorifying sex and crude behavior.  However, many of his efforts seem built upon a thread of melancholy and sadness.  Hughes did the same and his scripts masterfully built upon these foundations. 

Apatow hasn’t been as successful and a lot of the films under his production umbrella have been hit or miss.

Apatow’s latest film, Funny People, is his most personal and was inspired by his early career in stand-up comedy.  That world and Apatow’s friendship with Adam Sandler set up a story that is complex, crude, juvenile and serious at the same time.  If this sounds somewhat confusing to you, then you’ll realize how wildly inconsistent and sprawling Funny People really is.

Art imitates life as Sandler plays George, the world’s most successful comedic actor.  His movies have made him millions but his bad-boy behavior scared off the only woman he’s ever loved and he has no friends. 

His life gets even darker when he discovers he has a rare disease. 

In an attempt to get back to his roots, he starts hanging out at the comedy club and spots a diamond-in-the-rough with Ira (Seth Rogen).  Even though Ira has zero stage presence, George hires him as a joke writer and personal assistant.  Soon, Ira becomes his confidant and a surrogate friend. 

Ira’s naiveté and good nature counterbalances George’s crude and flippant ways and the bromance is on.

That had the makings of a pretty good movie.  I really liked the affectionate way Apatow portrays life at the comedy club and the interactions between comedians.  It’s almost as if he’s making the movie for all the friends and acquaintances he’s made over the years.  Sandler and Rogen have a nice chemistry together and Apatow regular Jonah Hill, along with Jason Schwartzman, make for an interesting group of supporting characters.

The biggest problem is that Funny People desperately needed an outside voice to edit this story. 

Halfway through the movie, George discovers that his illness has gone away and the film switches gears, creating an extended third act that goes on way too long.  It’s almost as if a second movie got tacked on to the end of the George/Ira bromance. 

This second story, featuring Leslie Mann and Eric Bana, further develops George’s character but not in the way you might expect.

The third act in itself isn’t bad, but it screws up the tone of the preceding parts of the film and makes Funny People drag on and on and on.  I remember checking the running time a few times to find out the movie still had more than 30 minutes and at two and a half hours, Funny People is way too long. 

Apatow worked in television and this story feels more like a three or four episode story arc rather than one tight, self-contained movie. 

The movie’s greatest strength is Seth Rogen, who displays a sensitivity and clear-headedness which directly opposes the stoned-out slacker he usually plays.  Sandler struggles with his character a bit.  He excels at George’s crude moments, but has difficulty capturing realism during dramatic scenes.  It’s not his strength and it hurts the viewer’s ability to sympathize with his character. 

There’s also a problem with expectation because Funny People, while funny in parts, really isn’t as funny as you might want it to be.  This is a dramedy all the way and the comedy that does exist usually consists of penis and fart jokes.  I guess that’s what Apatow, Sandler, Rogen and Hill do best, but if would be nice to see them grow up a bit, especially since Funny People is supposed to be a serious film.

I appreciate how this is a personal film for Apatow and that he got to make a movie with his good buddy Adam Sandler.  It definitely needed some serious story editing in lieu of all the on-set ad-libbing that took place. 

Funny People has some great moments of humor and sadness, but doesn’t equal the sum of its parts.  It’s a rental at best and if you do that, I’d recommend watching the first 90 minutes and then watching the last hour separately. 

Funny People
2.5 out of 5

Rated R
Language and crude sexual humor throughout, and some sexuality

The DVD

Funny People is a good-looking movie, shot by the amazing cinematographer Janusz Kaminski.  That’s kind of like getting Beethoven to write a theme song for a television show, but it’s the best…wait, no, it’s out of place and while the movie looks good, Kaminski is kind of slumming it here.  Nevertheless, Funny People looks very good in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio.

The 2-Disc Unrated Collector’s Edition presents two versions of the film on the main disc; the theatrical cut and the unrated cut which runs 7 minutes longer.

As is the case with a lot of movies these days, the Funny People set has an overabundance of bonus features.  If you’re a hardcore Apatow fan, there’ll be plenty for you to be happy with including:

Commentary with Apatow, Sandler & Rogen

Funny People Diaries (75 min) – An excellent and informative look at the creation of the film – from script to test marketing

Judd’s High School Radio Show (3:37) – Apatow’s early interviews with dozens of comedians from his high school days

Raaaaaaaandy! (21:37) – If you like comedian Aziz Ansari’s short appearance in the film, you might like this extended “documentary” about his character, Randy.  Like Funny People, this feature is crude and funny but goes on too long.

Over an hour of deleted scenes, alternate takes, ad libs and outtakes

Music videos and clips from James Taylor, Adam Sandler and the Rza

Stand-up comedy footage and prank calls from Sandler, Apatow and Rogen

Excerpts from George’s movies and the Yo Teach show appearing in the film

It’s all the supplements you can ask for and more than you probably needed.  So, while a lot of it is unnecessary, you have to give them points for being thorough.

Bonus Features rating
5 out of 5

Tony Robinson is a past host of KATU's Movie Guys film review segment and currently reviews movies exclusively for KATU.com. He lives in Portland with his wife, son and action figure collection. He can be reached at tonerobe@hotmail.com.