Funny People — Page 2

Hm, I seem to be in the minority as I really can't wait to see this movie tonight. I'm going with some friends from work and am expecting to really like it. I'm a huge fan of Judd, Seth, and Adam Sandler, so this movie for me features some of my favorites. I hope it can beat out Forgetting Sarah Marshall as my favorite Judd Appatow movie.

Got back about an hour ago. I really really liked it, and I think it's the most mature/best movie that Judd Apatow has done. It has a real depth to it that only slightly reveals itself in some of his other movies. Not only is it funny, but it's also very touching and dramatic. Plus, Adam Sandler is giving the best performance of his career. Sure, the movie may be long, but I didn't really feel like it dragged on, and I was enjoying every moment. Judd is a great director as well as writer, and I can't wait to see where he goes from here.

awesome. can't wait to see it tomorrow. it does seem unusually weird for Apatow, but i can deal.


Pineapple Express was wayyy to hyped up. Role Models was really funny and so was I Love You, Man, but at the top of the list is Forgetting Sarah Marshal.

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Yep, the best Apatow movie is definitely FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL, which he neither wrote nor directed...so I don't really give him credit for it. It's funny with genuine heart behind the comedy, something that I find largely missing in his other movies I have seen.

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My thoughts on FUNNY PEOPLE:

Do not mistake it as a Comedy. It is a Drama. It is a Drama about a comedian's life, so there is a juxtaposition. It has funny moments. You'll laugh. Some.

It's long. It feels long. Act II is stretched. We have all these unanswered questions but nothing really gets done about them. I cared less about Sandler than I did about the other characters.

It's an OK film but definitely nothing memorable. It's almost a film made for the sake of making it by the filmmakers and actors than it was a film made for an audience.

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"Isn't it a Judd Apatow movie? Is it filled with shrill bitchy women and schlubby immature men?"

Not a fan of Gen X are we, Phyllis? Me neither.

Too bad Gen Y is even worse...

And too bad Apatow movies are pretty much spot-on about both.

Could the advertisting and trailers for this be ANY worse? I consider FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL up there with the best comedies of the last ten years... maybe Segal should have done a rewrite on the screenplay?

P

P.S. In case it's not BLATENTLY obvious - the vampire puppet rock musical in FSM is an homeage to DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES and the megamusicals of its ilk. There's a clip on YT of JS and NPH singing entire scenes from LES MIZ verbatim. Segal is a HUGE theatre queen and he hopes to do a full-out movie musical soon. Can't come soon enough judging from FSM!

Updated On: 8/2/09 at 02:04 PM

I think FUNNY PEOPLE is simply a drama as directed and performed by Apatow and crew.

I wish Mann would've been given something more to do. She was so brilliant (and in my opinion, completely deserving of an Oscar nod) in KNOCKED UP. I wanted more from her.

Sandler was quite good. Rogen was lovable. The supporting characters were useless, and the laughs were few and far between.

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"wonder what the BO numbers will be"

Number 1 for the weekend, but overall numbers were down and came in below past outings for either Apatow or Sandler (being attributed to the 'different' subject matter.)

See I LOVE Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Thought it was hilarious and also had pretty likeable characters. My friend and I quote it to each other all the time. To each his own, though.

Not a huge fan of Knocked Up. Loved The 40 Year Old Virgin. My friend saw Funny People yesterday and said it was good, but she went hoping for very funny (she needed to get her mind off things) and said there were parts that were. But overall it's not about being funny.