New of DVD: _Funny People_ is not so funny after all
A-list stars Adam Sandler (Happy Gilmore, Waterboy, 50 First Dates, Mr. Deeds), Seth Rogen (Knocked Up, Pineapple Express), and Eric Bana (Munich) lead the way for a great cast of characters in Funny People that takes us deep into the emotional ironies of leading a life as a major comedian. In no way is this a typical Adam Sandler film, or a typical Seth Rogen one, for that matter. Adam Sandler is George Simmons, a famous comedian and movie star who has lived an incredible life of fame, and in fact, the backstory of Simmons is so uncannily similar to Adam Sandler that it is difficult to separate the two. The movie starts out with some home videos of Adam Sandler as a young man, already providing great laughs with his friends, and heads right into the life of George Simmons. Even the movie posters on the walls of George Simmons’s mansion remind us of Adam Sandler’s most ridiculous films.
Seth Rogen’s character is not the typical pot-smoking, overweight loser that provides crude laughs in almost every other movie. Instead, he plays a young comedian with aspirations of being a larger-than-life star, and struggles while attempting to help others along the way as an endearing friend.
While the entire case provides many laughs along the way, Funny People really isn’t that funny… in fact, it takes a deeper look at the Entourage lifestyle and its pitfalls. There is plenty of laughter provided by the rest of this distinct cast in Eric Bana, Jonah Hill, Aziz Ansari, Jason Schwartzman, and hilarious cameos from Eminen, James Taylor, Ray Romano, and others. However, while most comedies pile joke on top of joke, this movie follows up laughter with awkward, disturbing, and often depressing silence as the reality of the joke sinks in. And WARNING, this movie does not necessarily end on the brightest note. Rather, it ends with a mention of new possibilities and hope of rebuilding a lost life that went badly astray.
This was a good movie, and although not the laugh I think people expected, it certainly deserves a B+ for showing creativity, comedy, and critical insight into a lifestyle most only dream of obtaining.
If you appreciate the ability of Adam Sandler to bring a darker side to his character in this one, then you (or any fan of Adam Sandler, for that matter) should check out Reign on Me with Sandler and Don Cheadle; it is not a comedy.
