Review of Funny People (2009) by Danielw. — 03 Aug 2009

A great movie. It is however bound to defy expectations. This is not a funny movie, though it has some very funny bits in it. It is a movie about people who make other people laugh, and about what drives them to do so -- a whole motley of motivations that includes fear, insecurity, anger, lust.

Funny people are, it turns out, people who have seen the dark sides of human existence and have developed a uniquely human coping mechanism -- laughter. The writing is as usual in Apatow films whip-sharp, and the actors revel in the space that they have been given by the writer/director to explore ambiguity and nuance.

Sandler in particular is a revelation -- a performance that cannot be reduced to any one character trait. We hate him, pity him, love him, laugh at him, sometimes within the same scene. Will not satisfy those who think that comedy is about staged set pieces, but will resonate deeply with those who realize that comedy is a part of normal life.

Sure, the movie sags a bit in the second half. But I respected Apatow's integrity in putting it up there at the cost perhaps of the movie's commercial viability. It is shaggy and sometimes misshapen, but then again so is life.

It reminded me of an Arnaud Desplechin movie -- not a reference that one is accustomed to in thinking about an Adam Sandler flick, but the one that seemed most apt to me.