Monday, July 27, 2009

Funny People


Judd Apatow appears to be the King of the Comedy Genre with a Capital G. 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up and now Funny People.

Starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Jason Schwartzman and the gloriously hilarious Leslie Mann, I was expecting a wonderfully funny movie.

I love Adam, we started together in NY and then were both rejected in L.A. by that Comedy Store cow Mitzi-I-have-a head-wound-Shore and must wear a turban even when I shower.

Adam stars as famous comic George Simmons who is dying of some disease no one has ever heard of, like Horseradish Mashed Potato Disease, only it's not that because I would have gotten it by now. AND
B(EATEN) IT to death with my spoon.

Adam can do comedy and drama and his vulnerability in both is remarkable. Apatow's irl wife, Leslie Mann, plays Laura, the long lost love of Sandler. Seth Rogen plays Ira/Schmira, another standup who helps Sandler on the road to emotional recovery. He too does a great job crossing the divide from funny into drama, as comedians can always do drama but serious actors falter with comedy (cough) Jeff (cough) Goldblum. Rogen starts out fat in the film and then loses weight, which no one notices or mentions except me, who kept mumbling that to myself much to the chagrin of the chubby woman sitting next to me.

Leslie Mann is the great undiscovered comedian of the United States, like Isla Fisher is in England. Actually I don't know if Isla is English but for this review she is. Aubrey Plaza, as Daisy, is another comedic all star and Apatow really has an eye for finding funny women and bringing the best out of them.

Eric Bana, playing Leslie's husband, is good in his role but seriously, who cares? Put Jane Lynch in drag and make her play the husband. (the floor manager in Virgin and now on Glee)

The movie is too long, by at least 8 minutes. The opening is funny but repetitive. It sets up the SNL juvenile comedy of Sandler, and does, brilliantly, but the rule of threes is seriously misplayed, which I don't think is a word but is for this review. Another sequence with disaster written all over it is when actual standups gather to make Sandler laugh. Charles Fleisher, Sarah Silverman and the usually funny George Wallace have close-up cameos that are so not funny one could only believe they needed the gig to qualify for an extra year of SAG insurance. What surprise cameos there are I will leave for you to discover.

That entire scene does not move the plot forward and should have been left out or done in analog because HD does not like certain people's faces 10 feet tall and spilling onto their sweater vests with food chunks popping out of their nasolabial lines. labiaL, guys, with an L.

There are 4,670 swear words, mostly concerning man's best friend, his cock and balls. Why don't they just marry them and get it over with? I put in this caveat for those of you who are squeamish and would rather watch lolcats.

And I want to thank Apatow for forgetting to ask me to be in his movie. The fact that I don't know him or he me should not make a difference. If I'm good enough for Seinfeld, Michael Patrick King and Larry David, I should be good enough for you, Judd. If I sound like Max Alexander begging for a kidney, then start the Propofol drip.

So I guess Mitzi Shore made the right choice. Adam has to get up early, spend 15 hours on a set each day of a shoot, make lots of money and I get to sit at my computer naked and spew venom day and night. Tough luck, Adam.

Grade: B+

26 comments:

  1. What a wonderful cast of comedians too bad it didn't all come together for them. I love a great comedy. Your review left me wanting to watch Knocked Up again!!

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  2. Isla is Australian you fat spazz!

    And I read the subject of this blog and thought, My Poozy's Blogging about Me. Me, Meeeeeee!! You may commence with the bloggage... NOW!

    (if you don't it'll back up and give you internet cancer)

    Boss O, Also Uhstrailyun. xxxx

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  3. The movie is funny, just a little too long. And you're a big fat doody head Fahey and Isla THE FUCKING AUSTRALIANS. Rahtard.

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  4. Ahahaha. I didn't know Leslie was married to Apatow. *NBC chime "the moooore youuu knowww!"*

    Seth Rogen is possibly one of my favorite dudes, along with Paul Rudd (who I just finished watching in I Love You, Man JUST now. Haha.)

    That's cool you worked with Adam before. My mom, Dizzblnd, met Adam and Henry Winkler on the set of The Waterboy when they were shooting here in central Florida. . . of all the weirdest places. Lol.

    I can't wait to see this movie. Apatow's films are the best in my book.

    Thanks for the review! :]

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  5. Monday morning. I think I'll call in and say that I caught Horseradish Mashed Potato Disease from the Interweird.

    Great review :)

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  6. Adam Sandler worked with my friend (2nd unit camera) on a movie several years ago and he sent flowers to his widow when he died. I love Adam Sandler.

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  7. I love Adam Sandler too. When I feel tired and stress after long working hours. I just sit infront my TV and play Adam Sadler movie. I laugh and laugh. And I sleep with big smile... I don't know when this movie comesto Jakarta. But I will watch it....yeaahhh

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  8. I am SO looking forward to this movie. Adam Sandler and Seth Rogan on the same set... there outta be a law.

    Thanks for counting the swear words for me, that will leave me a little more time to pay attention to the movie.

    How come you didn't accept Apatows offer?

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  9. i think I might actually go see this one.


    I could use a laugh. I'll just leave 8 minutes before it's over.

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  10. Anything with Adam Sandler has to be great....... except the dying from "Horseradish Mashed POtato" thing.....

    make it cheddar cheese fries, and we'll talk.......

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  11. It looks like a really good movie, I really like all Apatow's movies but I'm pretty easy to please.

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  12. Okay, I'll go see it. An A- from you must be a tripleA rating from any other normal blokette.

    You are one discerning woman.

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  13. So...I can go out and get some popcorn during the stand-up scene?

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  14. Suz I'm pissed they didn't use you too. I mean what the hell? Did they loose your number? I mean I'll call them up and tell them.

    I was at the Jay Leno Show when Leslie Mann and Dr. Phil were both on. Leslie had Dr. Phil read a letter that she wanted him to tell her husband to write. I was crying. She has such a great sense of timing.

    What are we watching next. I mean you've seen Drop Dead Stupid, Funny People, and I've seen Ugly Truth what comes next for the new Ebert and Siskel?

    Hey Suz, I think I just found our next gig.

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  15. Oh I love Adam Sandler too:)
    Love your review...venom and all!

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  16. Suzy I am so glad that I stopped by. Thank you for the laugh.

    Thank you for your prayers.

    Renee xoxo

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  17. Suzy you do the best reviews! They're almost as good as the movies, although I haven't seen this so I'm not sure how I'd know.

    I'm going to have to take a pass on this one, though. I can only take 4,669 instances of profanity and this will exceed my limit by one. Thanks for the head's up ; )

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  18. I cannot believe that these guys are overlooking you and your talent. Would you get their attention if you started making jokes about their cock and balls?

    Nah, probably not. Such a touchy subject.

    Thank you for the review and the laugh!

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  19. I am sure they didn't forget to put you in this movie. They just have bigger plans for you.

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  20. Anonymous7:19 PM

    I could have attended a screening of this movie because I'm on a voting committee and we get all the invites, but I prefer to see all movies with a REAL audience and not those who sit through all the credits and point at the screen, zen applauding their friends.

    Punchline was bad, mainly because it made people think that Tom Hanks and Sally Field were people like us...and they aren't. So I have high expectations about this standup movie made by people who actually know what it's like to stand in front of comedy audiences, both kind and hostile.

    When I used to emcee at a club in the valley I would bring Judd up many times. I've added him to my list of people I should have been much nicer to. Would it have killed me back then to say..."Hey, great set, let me buy you a drink or two, or maybe dinner. Don't worry, you can make it up to me someday."

    Oh, so this comment isn't all about me...Great review, Suzy. I've read many reviews about this movie but I trust yours because a) You're a comedian and b) You're much funnier than Roger Ebert.

    Brad

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  21. Okay, I am still laughing at the Max Alexander ref. and really, couldn't we go the rest of our lives without seeing Charles Fleisher attempt to speak without doing a voice or do a voice for that matter? ENOUGH. I have something else to say about this movie but it will have to be emailed to you privately because I don't want the entire world knowing I slept with Judd back in the 80's and may or may not have a character in the movie based on me. I haven't seen it so this can not be confirmed or denied...yet. but, again, I must actually email you privately so that doesn't get out.

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  22. I'm definitely going to see this movie.

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  23. Wait a minute...lovin' lolcats makes me squeamish???

    Shit.

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  24. Like Adam has time to give out all those bloggy awards, either.

    Poor guy.

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  25. I think you're awesomely funny!
    Screw what turbanhead thinks.

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  26. Anonymous8:35 AM

    I admit, I liked Punchline. Am I bad?

    Despite the 8-minute overrun (how could they?) I will definitely check this one out. Cheers, Suzy!

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