Review of Funny People (2009) by Melvin W — 04 Aug 2011

Ira Wright: Do you ever get tired of singing the same songs, you know, over and over? .

James Taylor: Do you ever get tired of talking about your dick? .

I'm one of the few people who aren't polarized by Adam Sandler. Most people either hate him or love him. I fit into neither of those categories. Most of his movies I find watchable, but not very good. I've only loved two of his movies, Punch Drunk Love and Funny People. The easy way of knowing if an Adam Sandler movie is going to be good is by listening to his fans. People who love his form of comedy and go into Punch Drunk Love and Funny People are going to be disappointed because normal routine is gone. These two movies also show that he isn't a horrible actor; he can act, when he chooses to. Obviously it's easier for him to just pick some ridiculous dumb comedy that is accessible to a main stream audience and children can watch.

Now, Funny People does a have a few moments where Sandler's normal acting style does come into play. But when it does, he's kind of spoofing himself, if that's possible. In the movie he plays a comedian and actor who makes a bunch of stupid movies(any connections here). Only when these movies are brought up do we see his typical brand of humor and in a way it feels like he's making fun of himself. .

This movie is probably way to serious for the diehard Sandler fans and possibly the diehard Apatow fans. When I first saw it I was really shocked at how serious it was. I, like everyone else, was expecting another dumb Sandler movie. What I got was much different and a really good film.

The supporting cast is terrific. Seth Rogen plays a really likable character. Leslie Mann and Jonah Hill have good roles. There's a million cameos, including: Eminem, James Taylor and Andy Dick. What really surprises me about this movie most is how beautifully shot it is. The cinematography is brilliant and not what you'd expect from a Sandler vehicle. .

Even if you're not a fan of Sandler, this is one of his two films that I would still suggest watching. I'm not going to say it changed the film industry or anything like that, but it was a  funny comedy and at times an emotional and touching drama.