Cast: Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslit Mann, Eric Bana, Jonah Hill, and Jason Schwartzman.
Plot: George Simmons (Adam Sandler) is one of Hollywood’s most beloved comedians and is on the back end of his career. When he finds out he has a rare form of cancer he starts up his stand-up act again and tries to relive the life he once had again before he passes. He meets Ira Wright (Seth Rogen) who he gets to write jokes for him and they form a strong friendship together. Ira is a struggling comedian who lives in an apartment with two other guys, Jonah Hill and Jason Schwartzman. As they continue their friendship George finds out that the medicine he has been taking is working and now he has a great chance of living. When he finds this out Ira and him go and try to win back the girl who got away from him, Leslie Mann. Problem is she’s already married to Clarke (Eric Bana) and they have two kids. Will George be able to rekindle the love he once had?
Breakdown: Funny People really lets us in on what its like to be a struggling comedian and what its like to be a comedian whose on their way out. Director Judd Apatow reallys captures these characters emotions and feelings throughout the movie and shows us that it really is a hard and lonely life. The only problem with the movie is that it feels like two movies in one. When George and Ira try to win Laura back it feels like a completely different movie and this is where the movie starts to drag just a bit. However, the movie as a whole is wonderful and could possibly be Apatow’s best movie to date.
Performances: Adam Sandler really gives one of the best performances of his career. He gives a lot of depth to his character George and really shows us that when he wants to, the man can act. Seth Rogen is a big surprise here. He doesn’t play his normal self either and really gives a great performances like we’ve never seen from him before. The supporting cast and even cameos are great as well. Jonah Hill, Eric Bana, Leslie Mann, Ray Romano, RZA, Eminem, and Aziz Ansari are all great here and they all seem to steal at least one scene throughout the movie.
Overall: To put it simply, Funny People is a drama comedy that’s not light on the laughs or the drama. You’ll laugh, you may cry, either way whether your a fan of Sandler, Rogen, or Apatow you should really have a good time watching this movie.
I’m pretty sure this is the SAME role that we’ve seen Rogen in countless times before…the lovable loser. Although he did a great job and showed a little more drama than comedy than in previous roles I wouldn’t call it surprising. I do agree though that this is one of Sandler’s better roles, even if all he is doing is practically playing himself in real life.
Yes I know he plays somewhat the same character he normally plays but I think he puts more into this character than any other character he’s played before. Not to mention most of the time his character is always a stoner, which this characters wasn’t.