Funny People

Funny People Trailer - In Theaters July 31 - Funny bloopers are a click away

Saw the new Judd Apatow film the other day. Didn't like it as much as I wanted to. Here's why:

This guy makes good movies, but now he's trying too hard. First off, I was certainly interested in this film based on the previews (and judging from the trailer above, I feel like I was justified in wanting to go)...I mean, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Jason Schwartzman..a cast like this is bound to be funny, right? (And yes, I left out Adam Sandler...because I have never thought he was funny). Well, the first big problem is that the film is nearly 2.5 hours long! Honestly, during the third act (I think...) it seemed like it was NEVER going to end. This is due largely to an attempt to make the film feel like a bunch of real-life encounters, but movies aren't reality shows, and never the twain shall they meet.

Next, the film, despite being called Funny People, wasn't very funny. Sure, it kinda is another one of Judd Apatow's dramedies, but even the jokes that were on offer here weren't that great. Maybe that was the point? Finally, the movie just ultimately wasn't all that poignant: after 2.5 hours of getting to know these characters, I'm not sure I liked them all that much, cared for their problems, and much less identified with them. This is the sort of stuff that Knocked Up and 40 Year Old Virgin were made of, but not this time around.

Oh well. They can't all be winners (or funny, evidently...).