FUNNY PEOPLE (2009) (***1/2)
30 07 2009![]() |
| Check Out the Trailer |
For Judd Apatow’s third directorial outing, he’s more personal and matures his material. Like Roger Ebert mentioned in an interview with the director, his films have a way of taking a typical plot and putting an unexpected twist on it. The losing your virginity plot is skewed in THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN with the age of its lead. The unwanted pregnancy is skewed in KNOCKED UP with a pretty successful woman trying to make her relationship work with the child’s lazy frumpy father. Now in FUNNY PEOPLE, Apatow skews the near death experience with a man who learns nothing.
George Simmons (Adam Sandler, PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE) is a world famous comedian who stars in stupid family films that would even make Eddie Murphy wince. He learns that he has a rare blood disease and must go on an experiment treatment regiment. Before he got sick, he was a miserable person to be around and he only gets worse. At a comedy club, he does painful morse and egotistical routines that audiences laugh at awkwardly. I mean he’s George Simmons, so must be funny, right? At one performance, he meets the young comic Ira Wright (Seth Rogen, PINEAPPLE EXPRESS) and asks him to write some jokes for him. This gig leads to him becoming George’s assistant. Ira finally gets a taste of success — both the sweet and bitter.
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Categories : Reviews, Comedy, Drama







