Funny People (2009)

[bard]

This one crossed much more into the drama genre than knocked up did. :shrug:
i know, that's why i said it.

[bobby runs]

This one crossed much more into the drama genre than knocked up did. :shrug:
It's a drama with comedic actors, writer, and director. But that might sound like a cluster fuck but it's not.

[From: Skulls]

You know the more I think about this movie the more I like it. Really need to watch it again.

[thursday727]

It kinda grows on you over time

[SandManTEND13]

I liked the movie, some really funny parts, some parts really dragged out! I really did feel like the movie was split in two parts but thats just me...I loved seeing Bo Burnham in this did not expect that! Yo Teach! hahaha any I felt like Jason Schwartzman was hilarious in this

[BigAl]

One of my favorite lines was "I have 100,000 friends on MySpace." in that distinctive Adam Sandler character voice.

[Richard Maxim]

Really curious to see aziz' alter ego "randy" in this.

[GuitarR0cker1]

I just saw it. It was fanfuckingtastic. I don't care what people say about this movie, I think it ruled hard.

[bard]

jason swartzman or whatever was the best part in this movie, but that's not saying much.

[SLoT]

A movie called Funny People that looks completely unfunny.

To me...

[fake empire]

I wasn't a fan of the movie as a whole, but some people seemed to like everything but the ending. The common thread in this is that it "killed the flow" that the first half of the film had set up, but I really didn't see a flow even in the earlier parts of the movie. It didn't seem to me like Apatow wrote a screenplay with a cohesive message, and instead he tried to heap a bunch of different messages on with each irrelevant side story.

There's one plotline of George's second chance at life, his rekindled romance with Laura, and how it falls apart. There's another plotline of Ira's interactions with George, how he perceives George's pitfalls, and how different they are even though they are both "funny" people. Then there's the peripheral plotlines of each comedian, from Ira to his love interest and his roommates to George. We watch as they must deal with selling-out for low-brow comedy, writing jokes in the information age, and figuring out the complexities of each of their lives, even though they are utltimately tasked with making their lives so simple for the sake of comedy. And then there's the final, implicit plotline that semi-reflects Adam Sandler's entire career, as well as his friendship with Apatow, in the character of George and the loneliness he feels "at the top". There are underlying and overbearing references to living one's life to the fullest, which ultimately turn the viewers thoughts to Belushi and Farley in a way that the movie was ulitmately aiming for.

What results from all this, though, is an ambiguity of central characters and central plotlines that will task viewers with trying to find a moral, trying to find progress in one character's life, and failing miserably. Though Ira is interesting, and though we hope that George makes progress as he says he will in the film's closing, in the realm of the film they are both stagnant, and some (like Jonah Hill's character) even regress in their comedic and personal standings. I don't even think it's about closure at all in the end. The problem with this film is that people wanted to see development, a message, and some humor, and only got the last of those three in any distinguishable form. And this is just the prevalent issues with the film, beyond the minor inconsistencies with some of Apatow's cuts, as well as his inability to make Sandler's character into anything more than a contrived, emotional mess whose moods swing both uncontrollably and without any real explanation.
I think the final scene shows that George is making progress.. why do you need to see more than that? And Jonah Hill and Schwartzman's characters are there for comedic purposes, it's not really necessary for them to change.

[fake empire]

I loved this movie, possibly my favorite of Apatow's.

[pleasedontask]

I agree that the movie lacked closure. But I liked it alot.

The Ira/George relationship was the best part about the movie.

[Smash Adams]

I like how Seth Rogen was mature and a real adult in this, and not just some slacker who whines a lot, a lot
I thought jews didn't like listsmight be the best line Judd's ever written

[charliewinn]

fuck facebook in the face!

[Adrian Villagomez]

Hm. I like it.

[Brandon Allin]

I feel ashamed that I made this thread, but have yet to see this movie.

[BryterJonah]

I fucking hate it when people whine about shit like closures in films like this.

It's more real than your average comedy film, so why expect an out of place fairy tale resolution?

[Adrian Villagomez]

I fucking hate it when people whine about shit like closures in films like this.

It's more real than your average comedy film, so why expect an out of place fairy tale resolution?I would have liked a bit more closure.

[IamTheINDUSTRY]

C or C+. dissapointment. the word i would use to describe this film is "messy"

[Sarcasm]

I just watched this.

Good movie, but it really did need a little bit more closure. Some parts were really good.

Nice Eminem cameo in there haha

[bobby runs]

I liked it a lot more than I though I would, considering all the negativity surrounding it, and even though the first half was much funnier I still liked the entire movie. I really think this movie is a victim of bad marketing cause it made it seem like a comedy with dramatic elements like his last two movie were. I' m so fucking stoked for the DVD cause it will have more Randy, Yo Teach, and Leo

Knocked Up> Funny People > 40 Old Virgin (I'm in the minority but I don't like it that much)
I would rank his three movies the exact same. 40 YO doesn't do much for me.

[ikikwe]

I liked it a lot more than I though I would, considering all the negativity surrounding it, and even though the first half was much funnier I still liked the entire movie. I really think this movie is a victim of bad marketing cause it made it seem like a comedy with dramatic elements like his last two movie were. I' m so fucking stoked for the DVD cause it will have more Randy, Yo Teach, and Leo

Knocked Up> Funny People > 40 Old Virgin (I'm in the minority but I don't like it that much)

I haven't seen Funny People yet, but between Knocked up and 40YOV, it would be the same ranking. 40 Year Old Virgin just drags way too much at points.

[airik625]

I was really excited for this, disappointing to hear it wasn't that great.

[airik625]

You should still check it out and form your own opinion. I really loved it and I'm sure others did too

Yeah, I'm still planning on going to see it. I just hope I like it as much as some of you.

[ReignofFiction]

It's kind of like stripes...it's 50% funny.

[laureneliz]

I wasn't really sure about it before I saw it, but I ended up really liking it. Even though parts were sad, it was still a lot funnier than I expected it to be.

[narcoleptic953]

Was highly anticipating this. Haven't seen it yet, but it sounds like I should drop my expectations a bit.

[Metal Now]

I wanna see this so bad.

[poppa Q]

This was way better than I expected it to be and Eric Bana was awesome.

B-

[Thug_Nasty]

film was too messy and boring for me to throughly enjoy

[drudo182]

Final act dragged a bit but overall, I really liked it. Schwartzman was classic. Not as good as Knocked Up, but leaps better than Virgin.
Yo Teach!

[bradsonemanband]

i was disappointed... i thought it would actually be FUNNY (hence the title) but it was mostly just depressing.

[WhoSaidThat?]

Saw it yesterday. This movie could've been more than it was.

[dru]

saw it tonight, i thought it was pretty good, would've liked to see a little more stand-up though

[sweetforever]

What musician do they say Jason Schwratzman looked like?

Jackson Browne

C or C+. dissapointment. the word i would use to describe this film is "messy"

I agree with this statement, almost fell asleep during it.

[drudo182]

i was disappointed... i thought it would actually be FUNNY (hence the title) but it was mostly just depressing.

Did you not read the plot? It's not some happy little film.

[bradsonemanband]

Did you not read the plot? It's not some happy little film.

no, i did not read the plot. why would i?

[Gaugzilla]

Really liked this movie. Not the best, but very well done. I can understand the people saying the second half killing the flow, but I think it's mainly just people angry that it switched from something more than just dick jokes.

And closure? How much closure do you people need? Leave a little to the imagination, we don't need a friggin epilogue.

As far as the Judd goes:

40YOV > Knocked Up > Funny People. Not that it's saying much, I liked them all alot. The theatrical version of 40YOV is a perfect comedy, it saddens me that most people saw the overly long Unrated version since that's what was pushed.

[chokeychicken]

i saw this movie last night and can't remember the last time i hated a movie i saw in theaters this much. that includes the hannah montana movie and the jonas brothers live in 3d concert. (i have a sister)

there were so many scenes that either didn't make sense, or didn't contribute to the movie as a whole that i cant even begin to name them all. eric bana is the worst actor in hollywood. and there were a lot of scenes that were so awkward, i felt bad for the actors that actually had to act them out.

were there funny parts? yes. did i laugh out loud more than once? yes. but that doesn't mean it was a good movie. as far as cinema goes, it was terrible. the dialogue was shitty, there was no character development, and the last hour of the movie could have been taken out without anybody knowing the difference.

luckily, i'm seeing 500 days of summer again to make up for this.

[thewk]

What I didn't like about this movie was the ending.. After all the terribly mean things George said to Ira, Ira still takes George back and they stay friends. If George wasn't such a huge star, Ira would have been like 'fuck you' because who needs to take that kind of abuse? It just shows how their relationship isn't genuine, it's just Ira trying ride on the coat tails of George and his success, regardless of how badly he is treated.

[Talib Scottie]

I don't agree with that. The most brutal part of George's abuse is him constantly referring to Ira as his assistant and now his friend.

It's obvious the entire movie that George has issues being close with anyone but Leslie Mann's character (including his own family), but he comes back at the end showing Ira he does consider him to be his friend. George admits that he had a long way to go as a person, and apologized in his own way, by writing Ira jokes.

That's how i interpreted it anyway.

[Spicoli hey bud]

Knocked Up> Funny People > 40 Old Virgin (I'm in the minority but I don't like it that much)
If this is better that 40 Year old Virgin, then I'm excited to see it.

[Adrian Villagomez]

I don't agree with that. The most brutal part of George's abuse is him constantly referring to Ira as his assistant and now his friend.

It's obvious the entire movie that George has issues being close with anyone but Leslie Mann's character (including his own family), but he comes back at the end showing Ira he does consider him to be his friend. George admits that he had a long way to go as a person, and apologized in his own way, by writing Ira jokes.

That's how i interpreted it anyway.Well put.

[reesa]

saw this last night. i had NO idea this was gonna be so deep. the story line really surprised me coz i only saw the preview and thought, hey this is gonna be funny. but it was really quite depressing. i still enjoyed it. could've been better but twas worth watching.

[Full Effect Ed]

It's still playing?

[Thomas Balkcom]

coming to DVD Nov. 24th

http://videoeta.com/movie/103902

[popdisaster00]

coming to DVD Nov. 24th

http://videoeta.com/movie/103902
just in time for black friday (scary to think about that)

[WhoSaidThat?]

coming to DVD Nov. 24th

http://videoeta.com/movie/103902
I'd probably buy it.

[Thomas Balkcom]

coming to DVD Nov. 24th

http://videoeta.com/movie/103902

artwork released today

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v125/tommykb127/funnypeopleadpic2.jpg

[Thomas Balkcom]

I will definitely buy this

[bard]

40 year old virgin >>>>>>> knocked up >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> funny people

[itsmesean0630]

artwork released today

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v125/tommykb127/funnypeopleadpic2.jpg
Hahahaha the DVD cover is almost identical to I Love You, Man! Haha even down to the guy in the middle with crossed arms!

[Thomas Balkcom]

Hahahaha the DVD cover is almost identical to I Love You, Man! Haha even down to the guy in the middle with crossed arms!

holy shit I did not notice that at all

[itsmesean0630]

holy shit I did not notice that at all
Must be running out of ideas...haha. Though, I'm sure I Love You, Man wasn't the first to have that cover either...

[drudo182]

Really looking forward to watching this one again. Out on Tuesday.

[deadkidsean]

This is definitely a movie that will be more enjoyable a 2nd time and at home. Really excited.

[drawndead]

is it worth the netflix rental?

[popdisaster00]

This is definitely a movie that will be more enjoyable a 2nd time and at home. Really excited.
I think I agree with this.

[popdisaster00]

is it worth the netflix rental?
If you're an Apatow fan, of course.

[drawndead]

If you're an Apatow fan, of course.

i actually am but i heard from people that the only funny parts were the commercial scenes

[popdisaster00]

i actually am but i heard from people that the only funny parts were the commercial scenes
It is definitely a comedy-drama, with emphasis on the drama. There are plenty of jokes, the movie is like almost 2 and a half hours long I think. But yeah there is definitely a lot of drama too. no reason not to watch it though

[drawndead]

It is definitely a comedy-drama, with emphasis on the drama. There are plenty of jokes, the movie is like almost 2 and a half hours long I think. But yeah there is definitely a lot of drama too. no reason not to watch it though

alright thanks ill definitely put it in my que

[popdisaster00]

alright thanks ill definitely put it in my que
you should enjoy it

[wildaman1]

I personally had a great time watching it, one of the most enjoyable movie experiences I've had at a theater. Could have had something to do with the fact that I was a perfect high and not coming down, but that's only part of it. I'd rank it behind Knocked Up and Forgetting Sarah Marshall in terms of my favorite Apatow movies, tied with Superbad which I like in a completely different way for completely different reasons.

But yea, excited to watch it again.

[nlcentralchamps]

Will be picking this up today. Going to look to see who has it cheaper first.

[Chris Fallon]

Think I'll be buying this today. I know I'm likely to agree with the consensus that it's overlong and all that, but I like Apatow's stuff. Might be a nice movie to watch while I'm at home for the weekend.

[drudo182]

Maybe it was a little long, but didn't take away from the movie for me.

[jwelborn]

I'll eventually get around to buying this, its not a top priority for me. I just want to see the bonus features and the watch it with commentary.

[Thomas Balkcom]

I'll eventually get around to buying this, its not a top priority for me. I just want to see the bonus features and the watch it with commentary.

same. Just don't have the cash to burn right now thanks to the holidays coming up

[Drew Beringer]

I'll probably pick up the 2-disc eventually.

[*crying stars*]

This movie was so freaking long. But I enjoyed it more than those just expecting a little drama.

I'll eventually get around to buying this, its not a top priority for me. I just want to see the bonus features and the watch it with commentary.

This is probably true for me as well.
I've found that I tend to watch commentaries/bonus features more than the actual film nowadays with Apatow-produced movies, hah.

[Chris Fallon]

Bought the 2-disc edition just because the bonus features sound awesome. I might start it before I go to work and finish it when I get back home tomorrow. I bought too many movies today, so now the problem is finding the time to sit through them and stay awake!

[drudo182]

I think I'll try and pick up the two-disc one this weekend when I get paid.

[Talib Scottie]

Loved the Charlie Rose interview.

[Until The Bombs]

Netflixing it. Second time around will help me decide if it's worth purchasing.

[drudo182]

I watched Apatow on Insider the Actor's Studio last week and it was great. He was really funny and they broke down each movie and talked about it. Very cool stuff.

[fake empire]

I didn't think the movie was too long at all

[Genuma]

I really enjoyed this movie. I don't know that I can ever completely hate something Sandler does.

[a speedo model]

It was decent, but it seemed to drag for me at times. I enjoyed it and may purchase it a year from now.

[dpatrickguy]

I agree that it was a little long but I felt that nearly every scene was necessary to the development of the movie

[RiCCioLi]

I didn't see this in theatres (which is surprising cause I love the cast and Apatow movies) because everyone I know who saw it said it was decent, but too long. So when it came on DVD today I certainly rented it and just finished it. I can say that I enjoyed the shit out of it and it didnt seem too long. Every scene contributed to the story. I mean they could have ended the movie basically right before they go to his ex's house, but I didnt mind. Would def watch this again

[Talib Scottie]

The extra with Raaaaaaaandy and the DJ is pretty amusing

[jwelborn]

Got paid today, so i'll be picking up the 2 Disc tonight.

[HelpMeSleep]

I didn't know this was out. this is going to be the top of my queue on netflix now.

[Drew Beringer]

Just saw it as well tonight, I really enjoyed it. It had a definite different feel than any other Apatow movie, from the way it was written to the way it was shot. I loved it, I loved the character development from George as well as Ira. It works more as a dramedy than anything, it feels like a movie Zach Braff should have been in haha. Anyways I love it and the extras are fabulous.

[IcedOpethBlind]

underwhelming

7/10

[Chris Fallon]

I watched it over two days and forgot to watch the extended version. Lame. Anyway, it wasn't too bad -- just not as outright hilarious as the other movies in Apatow's arsenal. Sandler's character was well-developed and handled well, and I wasn't sure what they were doing with Ira... but by the end, I felt they finally gave him something worthwhile to do and to become. The extras are easily the best part of the DVD package though.

[deadkidsean]

For the most part I enjoy comedies more and more with each viewing but this was unbearable the second time around. Way, way too fucking long,. at least 40 minutes could have been cut, and it's just not very funny. Apatow does a much better job producing than directing
It's no Bruno.

[last light]

It's no Bruno.

Lol, that's all I kept thinking reading that.

[Full Effect Ed]

hahaha

[Full Effect Ed]

To me, this film was great. I loved it, but I also knew going into it that it wasn't going to be the funniest movie, guess the people who thought otherwise are shit out of luck.

[greenteaallday]

I really didn't like this film, just felt uncomfortable watching it.

[Talib Scottie]

I enjoyed the movie when I saw it this summer, but I didn't truly appreciate what Judd was going for until I watched the extras.

[dissident]

waiting so long to see this helped me i think. i got to hear everyone's reactions and complaints of "it's too long, too depressing, blah blah" and so i went into it prepared for the experience it was intending to give. sandler was fantastic in this. i love that he was an asshole who didn't have to apologize at the end. that type of resolution is fucked out at this point and unrealistic. life isn't that polite and neat all the time.

[Drew Beringer]

waiting so long to see this helped me i think. i got to hear everyone's reactions and complaints of "it's too long, too depressing, blah blah" and so i went into it prepared for the experience it was intending to give. sandler was fantastic in this. i love that he was an asshole who didn't have to apologize at the end. that type of resolution is fucked out at this point and unrealistic. life isn't that polite and neat all the time.
I interpreted him apologizing to Ira by giving him pointers and trying to be his friend at the end.

[zion the lion]

Me and my aunt decided that this was Adam Sandler's way of saying that he hates us all and that he's dying.

[Talib Scottie]

This is what I took from that deal.

George wrote Ira jokes, that was his way of apologizing. He's been emotionally shut down for years and just opened it up when he got sick. George was brutal to Ira because he put himself out there for Laura and she rejected him so he's trying to shut Ira and every one out of his life again.

I think it's far more realistic that he didn't come out and give a spoken apology.

[dissident]

I interpreted him apologizing to Ira by giving him pointers and trying to be his friend at the end.

right, but in his own way that's not very clear. either way, a lot of people seemed to not like that and think that sandler was just an asshole throughout the whole thing. while true, i liked that.

[dissident]

Me and my aunt decided that this was Adam Sandler's way of saying that he hates us all and that he's dying.

not quite. it's more just a snapshot into what sandler's life could have been like if he took a different path.

[Losthope182]

I think I'm finally going to check this out tonight. Any suggestions on whether I should watch the original or extended version?

[narcoleptic953]

Finally saw this last week. Decent, but definitely flawed. Felt like 2 different movies to me.

[yoyostring]

the bonus features are so great.

[drudo182]

"I went to a place recently I'm convinced is the most fucked up, crazy place I've ever been to. It's a little place called Cold-Stone-Creamery."

Watched it for the second time today and it's even better than I remember. Will end up in my top ten for the year for sure.

[dissident]

I think I'm finally going to check this out tonight. Any suggestions on whether I should watch the original or extended version?

doesn't matter, i think the difference is like 5 minutes.

[Smash Adams]

RngsEXyiD0Y

[Mitch]

Saw this for the first time. Not sure if it's because I had pretty low expectations or because I knew what to expect, but I ended up liking it a lot despite my usual hatred for Sandler.

[showmethefever]

Loved this movie.

[SlappedActor]

Flashes of brilliance, but too long and really uneven.

[BornUnderPunches]

I like the dramatic parts of this much more than the terrible comedy in it. Eminem's part was hilarious, though.

[OhSnapItsSummer]

Awesome Movie. I loved The Begining

[HogarthHughes]

Probably my favorite film that Apatow has directed, despite being a tad too long. The scene where Ira plays "Keep Me In Your Heart" by Warren Zevon gets me teary-eyed every time.

[mattyrocks]

I like the dramatic parts of this much more than the terrible comedy in it. Eminem's part was hilarious, though.


the outtakes of his scene are even more hilarious. he couldnt keep a straight face sayin those lines.

[mattyrocks]

Awesome Movie. I loved The Begining


the beginning was pretty good. nice touch. eagerly anticipating his next movie.

[*crying stars*]

This is the only Judd-directed movie that I don't own yet. I haven't decided whether or not I want it.

[drudo182]

Do it.

[dissident]

movie is terribly underrated.

[icantdecide]

I'm a little more than halfway through, and I like it for the most part, but I can't bear to see Adam Sandler do one more accent.

[Matt Chylak]

movie's decent

[HogarthHughes]

This movie has one of my favorite commentaries out of my whole movie collection. I find myself watching the movie with the commentary turned on more often than with it off.

[omgrawr]

this was a pretty underrated movie i feel like, other than being a bit long for a comedy.

[irthesteve]

this was a pretty underrated movie i feel like, other than being a bit long for a comedy.
its way more a drama than a comedy if you are going to classify it

[Ryan Rumsey]

Caught this on TV last night and was pleasantly surprised. I had only heard negative things, but I really enjoyed it.

[bobby runs]

Yeah I see it as a drama written by people who are used to comedy so it still has elements of that.

[kyle is hk]

Watched the extended version of it last week. I don't even think that is too long. Love the movie, so underrated.

[bobby runs]

Watched the extended version of it last week. I don't even think that is too long. Love the movie, so underrated.
I think it is. I have a feeling that Apatow is too close to his films. There's a LOT of unnecessary stuff in both Knocked up and Funny People that could be cut out and make these two films even stronger.

[kyle is hk]

I don't think 40yov and Knocked Up are too long either. I know Im in the minority, but I enjoy every moment of those films.

[omgrawr]

its way more a drama than a comedy if you are going to classify it

yeah, i guess it was more drama than comedy. the part i remember laughing most at was ira when he thought pizza was at the door haha.

[omgrawr]

I don't think 40yov and Knocked Up are too long either. I know Im in the minority, but I enjoy every moment of those films.

i watched 40 year old virgin again like a month ago. it surprised me how much i still enjoy that movie.

[DrStrong]

I really liked this movie, I don't know why people give it a bad wrap. Maybe because Apatow did it, I don't know. I think the main reason was because the title, and the trailer, made it look like a straight up comedy, which it wasn't.

[HogarthHughes]

I really liked this movie, I don't know why people give it a bad wrap. Maybe because Apatow did it, I don't know. I think the main reason was because the title, and the trailer, made it look like a straight up comedy, which it wasn't.

It was definitely marketed poorly. Making it look like a straight comedy, along with revealing in the trailers that George gets better, were poor decisions methinks.

[Brandon Allin]

Movie was fairly good, just way too long.

[saintnumberfive]

Just re-watched the film again tonight. I really love this movie. I yearn for the Adam to do more movies like this and Punch Drunk Love. He's a much better dramatic actor than he gets credit for. That scene where Ira plays songs from his iTunes playlist and George is laughing at first and then the last song to come up (a James Taylor song maybe?) where he stares straight ahead and tears up just a bit gets me every time. Powerful shit. Even though he ruins the moment and says "Just write me some jokes you fucking idiot" still adds to the power, imo.

Great flick.