In Funny People, Judd Apatow inserts real documentary footage of
his daughter singing “Memory” in her school performance of Cats,
and makes it a story point. That says everything about Funny
People‘s inflated sense of importance. Apatow hasn’t a touch for
big-screen comedy (not in pacing, composition, nor attitude). He
prioritizes mass acceptance too highly to make anything more than a
150-minute sitcom. But by beginning Funny People in a milieu he
understands, the film succeeds as a character drama before it veers out
of control. The heart and gold of the film belongs to Adam Sandler and
Seth Rogen. Their interplay as celebrity comedian George Simmons
(Sandler) and his pupil/assistant Ira Wright (Rogen) has insight into
the way fame hinders normal relationships. These are humane,
sympathetic performances, but Funny People chooses not to look
that friendship in the eye. The gears shift entirely into a story of
George trying to court his now-married ex (Leslie Mann), as Funny
People captures its audience in the shared feeling of “I can’t
believe I’m still watching this.” Not realizing when enough is enough,
Apatow turns Funny People into the most indulgent
ego-stroke-session since Cameron Crowe’s Elizabethtown.
This article appears in Aug 6-12, 2009.
