I had seen this movie a while ago, but I unfortunately never got around to writing a review. I’d like to start by saying that, though I did find Funny People rather long, which is the complaint most critics gave, I will say for the most part I was pretty entertained throughout. At the heart of this comedic gem is a surprisingly serious character study of stand-up comics involving friendship and a near-death experience.

Apatow was really able to find a close to perfect mix between serious and comedy. He did it perfectly in Knocked Up and came pretty close with this one. Adam Sandler plays a famous stand-up comedian and actor who finds out that he’s going to die soon and starts changing his lifestyle habits, while gaining a friendship with Seth Rogen’s character. That’s really all you need to know.

What I love about Apatow’s movies and especially in this one, is the comedy feels so real and heartfelt, almost awkward at times. Its the comedy you share with your friends daily and that’s  what makes his movies so enjoyable. He doesn’t force anything, he just tells his stories while being pretty hilarious along the way. If you liked any of his work I’m pretty sure you’d find yourself enjoying Funny People. I know I did.

Grade: B+

Tom Hanks, left, plays symbologist Robert Langdon and Ayelet Zurer portrays physicist Vittoria Vetra in the thriller “Angels & Demons.”

This week’s DVD releases cover a lot of territory. They include a family film from the director of “Spy Kids,” a holiday comedy starring Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon, an Adam Sandler feature helmed by writer-director Judd Apatow and a big-budget thriller starring Tom Hanks.

Funny People
3 stars
DVD contains rated and unrated versions of the film. The rated version received an R for language and crude sexual humor throughout, and some sexuality
Universal
Available on: DVD and Blu-ray

There are enough funny people in writer-director Judd Apatow’s appropriately titled relationship dramedy to keep things interesting through the movie’s 155-minute run, but the filmmaker is awfully lucky he assembled the cast that he did.

Adam Sandler stars as George Simmons, a wildly popular actor-comedian who seems to have it all: Hit movies, a palatial Southern California home and the adoration of fans everywhere. But when Simmons learns he’s contracted a deadly disease that could very well end his life, he begins to question his place in the world, and he latches onto a fledgling comedian named Ira Wright (Seth Rogen) for support. Although funny, Ira is yet to perfect his standup routines, so he’s ecstatic when the veteran Simmons agrees to hire him as a personal assistant, and the two men quickly form an awkward but genuine friendship.

Apatow sets up the premise with style, and its interesting to watch Simmons, who is jaded and miserable, interact with George, who is still full of hope and excitement. Unfortunately, the movie takes a negative turn when Apatow leads us into a subplot built around the one big love (Leslie Mann) that George let slip away. Because Sandler and Rogen are a lot of fun to watch, and because they get good supporting performances from Mann, Eric Bana, Jonah Hill and Jason Schwartzman, we can forgive Apatow for straying. Still, there’s little doubt that “Funny People” would have been funnier if it skipped the romantic stuff and put all its energy into George’s bout with mortality and his relationship with Ira.

The movie is available as part of multiple home video releases, including a two-disc Unrated Collector’s Edition. Extra features vary.

Angels & Demons: Extended Edition
2½ stars (out of four)
Unrated
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Available on: DVD and Blu-ray

You have to give director Ron Howard credit for consistency. His adaptation of writer Dan Brown’s “Angels & Demons” shares precisely the same pace and tone as his earlier take on Brown’s bestseller “The DaVinci Code.” Trouble is, “The Da Vinci Code” movie is merely a workmanlike thriller, while the book was a breathtaking piece of genre fiction.

“Angels & Demons” is arguably a weaker novel, but I had higher expectations for the film because the plot is more cinematic. While “The Da Vinci Code” spent a lot of time focused on ancient codes and ciphers, “Angels” is a fast-paced footrace through the streets of Rome. As in “Da Vinci,” Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is at the center of the action.

Langdon is called upon by the Vatican when it appears that a secret society known as the Illuminati has surfaced and placed a devastatingly powerful bomb at the heart of Vatican City. Equally horrifying is a message claiming that four cardinals — the most likely successors to the just-deceased pope — have been kidnapped and will be publicly executed. The perpetrators have left hints as to when and where they will commit their nasty deeds, but they are steeped in historic riddles that only Langdon has the ability to decipher.

Intent on stopping the murders, he embarks on a desperate race to solve the riddles and beat the Illuminati at its sick game. He’s aided by the Vatican police, Swiss Guard and a beautiful physicist named Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer).  Also helping is Camerlengo Patrick McKenna (Ewan McGregor) who — because of the pope’s death — is temporarily the lead authority at the Vatican.

Howard does a good job recreating the events depicted in the book, and Hanks captures the Robert Langdon spirit perfectly, all of which leaves us with a decent movie. Decent, but not great. What the film lacks is the breathlessness one feels while reading the novel. Yes, there are exciting moments on screen, but they are frequently countered by extended dialogue sequences that relieve much of the tension. Part of the trouble is that Brown’s plotting is complicated and cerebral, and it’s tough to condense that type of storytelling into a two-and-a-half hour movie. It can be done, but it takes an extraordinary effort, and everything about this film is painfully ordinary.

DVD extras include more than a half dozen making-of features, focused on everything from the adaptation of the novel to the film’s elaborate props.

Four Christmases
2½ stars
Rated PG-13 for some sexual humor and language
New Line Cinema
Available on: DVD and Blu-ray

With most DVD releases hitting stores less than six months after a film was released into theaters, it feels odd to get “Four Christmases” a full year after its theatrical run. But, clearly, New Line Cinema decided the video would attract more attention during the holiday season. The studio is probably right because, as a comedy, “Four Christmases” is slight, but there aren’t many holiday films to choose from, and it’s always nice to have something new to throw in alongside “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “White Christmas.” 

Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon star as Brad and Kate, a modern power couple that have never married and spend their holidays trying to dodge their fractured relations. Things go awry, however, when bad weather stops their planned flight to Fiji and a television news crew interviews them about the bad break. Suddenly, their parents — all divorced — are aware that they’re available for the holiday, forcing them to accept invitations to four separate Christmas celebrations … one with Brad’s crotchety father (Rober Duvall), one with Kate’s newly spiritual mother (Mary Steenburgen), one with Brad’s anything-goes mom (Sissy Spacek) and one with Kate’s surprisingly normal dad (Jon Voight).

Like “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” the film considers the stress of family gatherings, but never in a mean-spirited or distressing way, and Vaughn and Witherspoon are typically charming. “Four Christmases” is a generic comedy in every sense, but it has enough funny moments to make it viable for anyone who enjoys Vaughn and Witherspoon. The film will never replace “Miracle on 34^th Street,” but it does go down awfully well with a nice glass of egg nog. 

The DVD has no extra features. 

Shorts
2½ stars
Rated PG for mild action and some rude humor
Warner Brothers
Available on: DVD and Blu-ray

In one of the more bizarre careers in film history, do-it-all filmmaker Robert Rodriguez regularly shifts between, ultra-violent action movies — “Planet Terror,” “Sin City,” “Once Upon a Time in Mexico” — and family friendly material — “Spy Kids,” “The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl.” “Shorts” falls into the latter category, telling the story of several children who discover a mysterious charm called a Wishing Rock. The kids soon learn that any wish made with the rock in hand will come true, leading to wild adventures with space aliens, upright crocodiles and even a booger monster.

All the craziness is set against the backdrop of the ultra-corporate world they call home. You see, the children’s parents work for a gigantic corporation run by a nasty CEO named Mr. Black (James Spader). Predictably, his kids, Helvetica (Jolie Vanier) and Cole (Devon Gearhart), are the town bullies.

Rodriguez chose to tell his story through a series of short films that are replayed out of order, leaving viewers to piece things together a little at a time. The most important player is Toby “Toe” Thompson (Jimmy Bennett), the narrator of the each piece.

“Shorts” is wild, wacky and childlike enough to appeal to most elementary school-age children. It is not, however, as carefully crafted as today’s better family films. Rodriguez’s plotting is so over-the-top, it seems he was focused solely on letting his inner child loose, forgetting that a great family picture also includes something for parents.

Along with the movie, the DVD includes one of Rodriguez’s “Ten Minute Film School” extras, this one focused on the making of “Shorts.” Also included is a “Ten Minute Cooking School” episode devoted to the making of Chocolate Chip Volcano Cookies.

ALSO OUT THIS WEEK

“2009 World Series Film — Philadelphia Phillies Vs. New York Yankees”: A detailed account of the season that led the Yankees to their 40^th American League pennant and 27^th World Series title. Available on DVD Nov. 24 and coming to Blu-ray Dec.15.

“The Witches Hammer”: Horror story about a woman named Rebecca (Claudia Coulter) who is brought back from the brink of death and turned into a vampire by a secret agency. Then, she is used as a weapon against her own kind. 

“Gomorrah”: Award-winning Italian drama based on undercover Italian reporter Roberto Saviano’s expose on Naples’ mafia underworld. The film is being released as part of the Criterion Collection, and it’s presented in Italian, Mandarin and French with English subtitles.

“Golden Age of Television”: This three-Disc set features kinescopes of the live broadcasts of “Marty” (1953), “Patterns” (1955), “No Time for Sergeants” (1955), “A Wind from the South” (1955), “Bang the Drum Slowly” (1956), “Requiem for a Heavyweight” (1956), “The Comedian” (1957), and “Days of Wine and Roses” (1958).  These shows were a combination of theater, radio and filmmaking when TV technology was growing rapidly. The set also features interviews with a number of acting legends, including Andy Griffith, Piper Laurie, Jack Palance, Mickey Rooney, Rod Steiger and Mel Torme.

“Megafault”: Syfy Channel thriller about a massive earthquake that creates a crack in the Earth’s crust and threatens to tear the world in half.  Stars Eriq LaSalle (“ER,” “Without a Trace”), Brittany Murphy (“Sin City,” “8 Mile“), Justin Hartley (“Smallville”) and Bruce Davison (“X-Men,” “Knight Rider”)

“Evergreen”: Coming-of-age film about Henrietta (Addie Land), a 14-year-old who believes she’s missing out on life. Desperate to change her family situation, she inserts herself into the lives of wealthy Chat Turly (Noah Fleiss) and his mother Susan (Mary Kay Place), only to find that she may have it OK after all.

“Toi & Moi (You & Me)”: French romantic comedy about Ariane (Julie Depardieu), a writer who pens stories for a magazine inspired by her sister Lena’s (Marion Cotillard) love life.  Both women are in relationships with commitment-phobic men, and they fantasize about finding Mr. Right. Presented in French with English subtitles.

“Beverly Hills 90210” — The Eighth Season: Life after graduating high school is no cake walk for Brandon (Jason Preistley), Kelly (Jenny Garth), Donna (Tori Spelling), David (Brian Austin Greene) and the rest of the original “90210” gang. During season eight, they explore issues such as Kelly being victimized by a drive-by shooting, Donna’s drug overdose, and Brandon and Kelly’s wedding plans.

“Melrose Place” — Fifth Season Volume 2: This season had a huge shift in cast members, as the final 13 episodes introduced Rob Estes, Lisa Rinna and Alyssa Milano. Also, Grant Show, Marcia Cross and Laura Leighton left the show.

Forrest Hartman is an independent film critic whose byline has appeared in some of the nation’s largest publications. E-mail him at Forrest@ForrestHartman.com

Le Film: Une comédie de buzzé qui sort des sentiers battus.

Synopsis: Dale Denton et Saul Silver n’ont vraiment rien en commun, sauf le Délire Express, une variété très rare de marijuana que Saul vend à Dale. Une nuit, ce dernier est témoin d’un meurtre commis par une redoutable baron de la drogue et sa complice dans la police. Sous le coup de la panique, il abandonne son herbe sur la scène du crime… Alors que cet indice conduit directement à eux, Dale et Saul n’ont pas d’autre choix que de s’enfuir pour sauver leur vie.

Critique: Ayant découvert ce film au cinéma, je m’y étais rendu avec un ami mais avec un peu d’appréhension tant ce genre de comédie est habituellement un peu trop prédictible et au final pas si drôle.

Mais force est de constater que cette production Appatow remporte son pari : une comédie de buzzé surprenante, qui détend, fait rire, passer le temps bien qu’une durée relativement longue (près de deux heures). Mais cette comédie est portée principalemet par ses deux acteurs principaux et leurs dialogues.

A un Seth Rogen énorme, dans son type de rôle habituel, répond un James Franco (Les Spider-Man’s) surprenant et tout aussi énorme en dealer d’herbe, 100% dans son rôle complètement déluré. En revanche, la flic incarnée par Rosie Perez, elle, est le point noir du film, tant elle semble tantôt surjouer, puis sousjouer, toujours a contretemps et au final, bien mauvaise.

L’histoire délurée est donc accompagnée d’excellents dialogues, que ce soit Seth Rogen seul dans sa voiture, lors de l’échange avec sa petite amie et un « concurrent » ou encore en compagnie de James Franco et la magie opère, chaque réplique fait mouche et tellement vraie, avec en arrière-plan une belle histoire d’amitié.

Bref un film qui surprend et à voir, au moins une fois pour se faire une idée, en ayant en tête que certes, ce genre de film pourrait ne pas plaire à tout le monde de part son concept, mais qui justement dépasse et surpasse ce concept de base pour laisser de biens bonnes surprises.

82/100

L’image: Un transfert très sympa !

Pour commencer, un léger grain est présent tout au long du film, donnant une impression « cinéma », mais sans gêner le moindre du monde le plaisir de visionnage, au contraire !

Cote colorimétrie, les couleurs sont un peu chaudes, dans le style du film, mais respectant les teints de peau. Les contrastes sont superbes, respectant les noirs et les couleurs plus claires.

Le transfert révèle un bon voir très bon niveau de détails, ainsi qu’un très beau piqué. Les personnages se détachent bien des plans sans êtres trop détourés, pas d’Edge Enhancement ou DNR à regretter et chaque plan est parfaitement visible. Les nombreuses scènes de nuit sont très bien aussi, pas de bruit a relever et une clarté étonnante.

Du tout bon pour une comédie, certes récente avec pas mal d’action, et rien n’était gagné par avance, mais on est bien ici à des années lumière du DVD.

85/100

Le Son: Une piste sympathique, qui suit bien le film

Comédie, donc principalement utilisation de dialogues sur la scène frontale, mais ponctues d’effets d’ambiance intéressants. Les dialogues sont parfaitement clairs et intelligibles, même lors des scènes d’action. En revanche, les musiques n’utilisent pas ou peu la scène arrière et restent principalement frontales sur les enceintes gauches et droites.

Comédie donc, mais avec pas mal de scènes d’action, qui utilisent assez bien la scène arrière et le subwoofer, et si les basses ne vous fâcheront pas avec vos voisins le caisson est assez bien utilisé. La dynamique n’est pas aussi folichonne.

Au final, une piste-son pas folle, mais qui accompagne bien cette comédie déjantée.

72/100

Genre: Comédie
Durée: 1h57
Vidéo : 1080p AVC 2:40:1
Zone: All
Doublage: Aucun
Langues: Anglais Dolby TrueHD 5.1 / Anglais Audio-Descriptif 5.1
Sous-titres: Anglais / Hindou

Interview: Judd Apatow (Part One)

Read Part Two of this interview right here

Funny People was the latest in Judd Apatow’s ongoing series of summer comedies, but it was anything but a typical summer comedy: following a successful comedian (played by Apatow’s longtime friend Adam Sandler) who reflects on his life after discovering he’s going to die, the film offered lots of humor but with decidedly heavier themes lurking beneath the yuks. The film debuts on Blu-ray in a 2-Disc Collector’s Edition next week, and the contents are amazing, showing how Apatow combined lighthearted fare with more serious ideas in the service of exploring something substantive.

Cinematical was lucky enough to catch up with Apatow via telephone one recent morning to discuss the process of putting together the film’s home video iteration. In addition to discussing the bonus materials, extras, featurettes, and a documentary that’s the most thorough and thoughtful ever produced about a comedy production, Apatow talked about finding the right ending for his magnum opus, discovering and deconstructing the process of producing laughs, and front-loading the film’s universe with outside content about the supporting characters.

Cinematical: One of the ideas highlighted in the Blu-ray bonus materials was the fact that you knew this was going in a different direction than your previous films. Even knowing that while you were making it, were you surprised by the reactions of audiences and critics when it was released? Or does it matter?

Apatow: Well, while making the movie it was exhilarating to think we were doing something different that would elicit a wide range of reactions. I’m the first person to get thrown when Bill Murray makes The Razor’s Edge, but I did love the movie and then I read the book. But it took some work to understand what he was trying to do with his career, and only now that I’m older am I not angry at Woody Allen for making Sleeper 25 times (laughs). I’ve been through it with a lot of my friends, watching them take risks and attempt to grow; when we made The Cable Guy, it threw a lot of people because Jim [Carrey] was basically saying I want to have a varied career and do a lot of different things that you wouldn’t expect of me, and it paid off well for him with that movie and Eternal Sunshine and The Truman Showand a lot of ambitious movies he went on to make. It throws people at the time, but it’s great; who wants to watch me or anyone else do the same thing every time out? And it’s been fun. People overall have had a really more intimate relationship with the movie than the other movies; it definitely makes you think about things most people are trying to avoid thinking about most of the time (laughs). They write books called like A Year To Live, where people try to figure out their priorities by imagining what it would be like if they had less time, and in a strange way this is a comedic-dramatic version of that. It makes you think about how you would look at your life differently if suddenly you got sick and then got better.

Cinematical: You and Adam both say that he went anywhere you asked him to. Would you say that’s because you knew him well enough to be able to challenge him effectively, or was he just game for anything, with or without you pushing him?

Apatow: I think Adam is a brave artist. He said to me, “I’m going to do whatever you ask me to do and I’m not going to question it. I want you to make the movie you’re going to make.” And there’s nobody in show business who will do that! That was during the writing process, shooting and editing – he never came into editing and said, “don’t do that – it makes me look like a jerk.” He wanted me to fully express that character and was willing to do whatever it would take to help me – which included writing an enormous stand-up act, performing all of these songs; he really put himself out there. Some days he used to joke, “you’re really getting the full package of me on this one! I’m giving you everything!” To me that was one of the best parts of making the movie, feeling that trust from Adam; Adam loves the movie so much, and the fact that he was happy with the outcome means a lot to me because as I was making the movie I thought ‘I hope the movie’s as good as what Adam’s doing right now’.

Cinematical: Among other things, the Blu-ray for Funny People documents your long history examining and reflecting stand-up comedy. Do you tend to intellectualize comedy or deconstruct how things work, or to see what works better or worse? For example, in one of the documentaries, Randy says it’s funnier if he spins around seven times instead of six; that’s obviously a joke, but do you think about your work or comedy in general that way?

Apatow: I have the ability to talk about comedy in as full of shit a manner as anybody on the planet, but I try not to break it down because it just dies in front of you if you think about it intellectually. And I’ve seen people have conversations where they explain why people laugh; I watched a whole conversation between Alan Alda and John Cleese at the Paley Center where they were able to break it down. But that makes me want to never work ever again if I think it’s actually possible (laughs). It really is about your gut; sometimes afterwards you can explain it, but it is about just a feeling you get. It’s not that different than probably like when a batter is at the plate and he just somehow knows how to read a certain ball to get a hit; you’ve just got to feel for it and it becomes muscle memory. Some people like to talk about it afterwards, but I try not to (laughs). When you’re making a movie, you kind of have to sit and think, why are we telling this joke? What does this joke say? But I don’t like talking about, like, why is this joke funny.

Cinematical: When the film was released in theaters there was a huge wealth of supplemental material that was used as marketing. Even though not a lot of it ended up directly in the movie, what purpose do you feel was served by creating all of this content around it for characters who may not appear on screen a lot?

Apatow: Well, at heart I’m just a fan of comedy, so there’s a lot of hilarious people around and I just want to make a lot of stuff with them before they leave me. So if I’m making a movie, I have unlimited time with Aziz [Ansari] around, and I don’t know when I’ll get to hang out with Aziz again, but I know in this period, he has to come to work (laughs). I thought to myself I loved what he does in the movie, and the movie really can’t contain everything he could do with his character, so let’s make more stuff with Aziz. We paid for that with our own money; we were just so excited that he had come up with this hilarious comedian character that we felt like we had to max out what you could do with it. You’re aware it will be fun to put on the DVD and put on the web and hopefully it makes people more aware of the movie, but the main reason I do it is I just find it funny; I just want to see what Randy would do. I’m excited to see Aziz and Jason Waller, the guy who directed it, I’m excited to let them go nuts with no restrictions just because that’s exciting for me as someone who loves comedy. And people don’t necessarily get that many opportunities to do that; it’s rare for someone to just write a check to someone and say, “go crazy with Randy!”

So we did that, but it’s almost like a video game where you could just walk into other rooms and learn more about certain aspects of these characters. I mean, for me I see the Blu-ray as the new comedy album, so as soon as somebody says I’m allowed to put things on a Blu-ray, my mind goes crazy. What else can we put on it? Can we clear Adam on Letterman from the early ’90s? Can we clear me on The Dennis Miller Show? Can we put all of the phony phone calls from back then on there? As someone who loves these DVDs, I think, how can I make the best comedy DVD that’s ever been made? Before we started the process of making the movie, we decided to try to make a very strong documentary that wasn’t like your normal, generic making-of that you see all of the time. So we hired this amazing documentarian, Chris Wilcha, who was the director of the television series This American Life, and we tried to give him all of the access he could ever want, and the tools to really capture what this process was. It’s an oddly powerful documentary; you see how the movie was made, and there’s something very emotional about it because the movie is also a summation of all of our relationships.

Cinematical: In the commentary track Seth Rogen called the final scene of the film “a real motherf*cker.” How tough was it to determine where the story would and should end up?

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Apatow: One of the first ideas that I had was that the movie would end with a small gesture of Adam writing a joke for Seth. Everything is always about George’s character and he’s never willing to help, and at the end, that would signal to the audience that at the very least he has some understanding of how damaged he is and he’s not forcing Ira to get out of his life. He wants an honest voice around, and maybe he’ll change slowly. Or not, maybe he won’t, certainly it’s going to be difficult, but the fact that he tries to keep Ira around is what the movie’s about. But I thought the movie was this slow reveal of who George actually is. You have some sense of what he is and what his problems are, and as the movie continues, you realize oh, he’s really much more damaged than I thought, and has limitations when it comes to maturing and finding a way to be happy, and then when it ended, you would think I know everything about this person.

Cinematical: Is it hard to surround yourself with people who can be that honest with you?

Apatow: I make a point of only working with people who are very excited about this type of process. Leslie [Mann] is a very daring actress who’s willing to go there at all times, and in a lot of ways she sets the bar for how emotionally raw you can get, and how much you can expose. It’s really exciting watching her act and watching her interact with other actors. Seth, I’ve been working with him since he was 16 years old, so he knows the drill better than anybody. And Adam has shown over and over in his career that he’s willing to commit fully to what he’s doing; Punch-Drunk Love is one of my favorite movies ever, and I love what he did in Reign Over Me, and he has this side to his work that is very vulnerable – and that was what I think was most exciting about working with him.

Check out Part Two on Monday, where Apatow talks about the film in the context of his career, and examines the emerging themes that seem to run recurrent in his work.

by Todd Gilchrist

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Interview: Judd Apatow (Part Two)

Read Part One of this interview right here

When Judd Apatow’s latest film, Funny People, was announced, many critics and audiences hailed it – even before they saw it – not only as an evolution of the filmmaker’s style, but a return to the kind of drama-laced comedy that flourished in the 1980s and early ’90s thanks to folks like Cameron Crowe and James L. Brooks. When it was released, the film more than satisfied those expectations, offering an unflinching but frequently hilarious portrait of an A-list comedian rediscovering himself, but there seemed to be a sense that audiences knew themselves less well than they felt like they knew the film’s main character, resulting in a less enthusiastic response than perhaps even they expected.

The film arrives on Blu-ray this week, offering what is indisputably the most complete and comprehensive look behind the scenes at a comedy ever produced, and offers audiences a second chance to check out Apatow’s most meaningful and resonant work to date. Cinematical got a chance to catch up with the writer-director via telephone to discuss the contents of the expansive, 2-Disc Collector’s Edition; in the second part of our chat, Apatow talks about precisely what made the movie so personal for him, and offers a few insights about its place in his growing body of work, and its potential influence on his future films (including a Harry Pottermovie, maybe?).

Cinematical: With or without talking to you at the time of the film’s release, people seemed to assume that this was a very personal film, I think because it was more serious than your previous work. Was it really personal, and if so in what way or why?

Judd Apatow: Well, I find that things can be very personal without pointing out to people what is taken directly from your life. If I do it right, it shouldn’t feel like I’m just talking about personal experiences that happened to me or people in my world. So it’s good that it doesn’t seem – that you can’t track it (laughs). But the ideas are very intimate and they relate to a lot that’s happened to me over the decades, but it’s all thrown into a blender to make it more amusing or dramatic. But yes, it does feel very personal, to the point of being embarrassing, but it’s because it’s how you feel about the world that’s out there. It’s kind of showing one’s pleasant side and one’s crazy voices; I’m just better at hiding them in a character that can act them out. You make a movie and think, ah, this is about other people, but slowly you realize it’s all about you. It’s also about everyone who’s involved in the collaboration, but it surprises you when it’s done how much is based on things that you’re struggling with.

Cinematical: Given the sort of line-o-rama process by which you work when shooting scenes, how do you decide what ends up in a film or works best for it?

Apatow: Every joke is meant to illuminate something, whether it’s how funny someone is or a piece of their back story or how they’re feeling on that particular night. So there’s literally no punchline that wasn’t in there that wasn’t debated for hours and hours, but how I like to shoot it is to shoot Adam or Seth doing half an hour of material, not obsessing about what I will use when we’re shooting, and then decide what fits best after. But when you keep it loose and the comedians are really in character, other things happen on stage that are surprising and they do fit into what you need. People do subconsciously start living the story, so Adam one day said, “hey, tonight I’m going to improvise something on the piano,” and he just sits down and sings this mad song. The audience doesn’t know that he’s sick, but in a way it’s a strange goodbye to his audience, and it’s really sad and filthy. I never could have written that in a million years, and Adam did it off the top of his head; and because it’s improvised, it’s sloppy and emotionally raw in a way that’s very truthful. He just went there, and that’s why I try to create some extra space for those moments to happen.

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Cinematical: How much is there a degree of sort of self-satirization in this film, whether you’re taking direct jabs at your or Adam’s movies? Or, even if it’s not in the movie, how much do you guys sort of rib one another about the movies you make?

Apatow: Every time you make a movie, it’s a risk. It’s easy to take for granted the work of comedians, but it’s insanely hard to make people laugh out loud and be really happy for an hour and a half straight. And sometimes you do it with the silliest thing in the world and sometimes you do it in a more thoughtful way or emotional way, but it’s hard as hell (laughs). How I looked at that aspect of the movie was that this character valued being on top more than the quality of his movies, so he tried to make decent movies, but his ego made him try to hit a home run every time out. That being said, while we were making the movie, we kept saying, “we’d make Mer-Man right now!” There’s a funny version of Mer-Man, there’s a funny version of Redo. And it genuinely made us laugh; even though we knew we were goofing on movies like that, we also thought, we could probably do a good one of these!

But one thing I appreciated from Adam was that he never said, “oh don’t do that – people will think you’re goofing on me.” The truth is, I’m not goofing on Adam because Adam has a ridiculously wide range of movies he’s made. He’s just covered so much ground. Some are incredibly silly, some are truly experimental art films, and his level of success is so high he’s just been amazing for a very long time, and I don’t think George Simmons would have tried most of what Adam has tried to do. Again, there’s a subtle difference there, so it’s easy for people to say, “oh, you’re goofing on your own movies,” but I really thought what was more interesting to me was what happens when a shallow person gets sick? He doesn’t want to be thoughtful, so his movies can’t be thoughtful; he’s not making introspective comedies. When he gets sick, he doesn’t tell anybody, he doesn’t know how to talk about it – he’s not that kind of person. He’s more like a Rodney Dangerfield kind of person; he’s telling jokes and being silly.

Cinematical: What I think is one of the things he and the film communicates is that comedy is a way for someone to conceal their true feelings, and ultimately a prison that keeps them from being able to express them.

Apatow: Sometimes it’s easier to hide when you’re that famous. It was strange when Michael Jackson died and there were so many similarities to how we were presenting this fictionalized comedy star in our movie and what was coming out about Michael Jackson. The opening conversation about our movie is Adam having a conversation with his doctor about sleep medication. And all of these images of this rich guy alone in this giant house, never feeling satisfied with the amount of affection he’s getting from the world – which is an enormous amount of affection. A lot of times people want to make you laugh not because they want to make you happy but because they want to know if you like them. Your laugh signals “you’re okay” – and that’s a tough way to live. I think a lot of us as we get older think, is there a healthy way to do what we’re doing? We didn’t start this [for our] mental health, but can we spin it at some point and be creative for normal positive reasons?

Cinematical: Having done this movie which was so much more personal and serious than your other films, do you feel inclined to continue going in that direction?

Apatow: I try to be very passionate about the movies I’m making. I can get passionate about something that’s ridiculous and absurd and silly in the same way I can be passionate about something that’s more intimate and thoughtful, but I just have to care about it. So I don’t know; as of right now, I’m trying not to think too much about what I’ll do next and see what strikes me, but every once and a while I think it would be great to do something really dumb next, really goofy, and just make people happy. Create a joy machine. But most of the time I think let’s do another really dark, melancholy movie about a different subject, and then I think, you know what? Maybe I need a longer rest (laughs). So I don’t know; I’ll just wait until someone needs a director for the 14th Harry Potter movie and hopefully I’ll be at the top of the list somewhere.

Cinematical: Do you have any idea what the next thing is going to be for you?

Apatow: I really don’t. I’ve never had two ideas in my head. I mean, my brain is completely blank. I covered a lot of ground with these last two movies, so I may need something to happen to me in life before I can write again. But I don’t know – then something hits you out of the blue and it could happen in an eighth of a second; oh, it’s that! And then you’re off to the races.

Cinematical: Whether they’re conscious or not, do you see ongoing or repeated themes emerging in or from your growing body of work?

Apatow: I don’t think about it consciously, but there are certain ideas that recur and then you start thinking to yourself, well, should I make sure that never happens in Cinematical: How much is there a degree of sort of self-satirization in this film, whether you’re taking direct jabs at your or Adam’s movies? Or, even if it’s not in the movie, how much do you guys sort of rib one another about the movies you make?

Apatow: Every time you make a movie, it’s a risk. It’s easy to take for granted the work of comedians, but it’s insanely hard to make people laugh out loud and be really happy for an hour and a half straight. And sometimes you do it with the silliest thing in the world and sometimes you do it in a more thoughtful way or emotional way, but it’s hard as hell (laughs). How I looked at that aspect of the movie was that this character valued being on top more than the quality of his movies, so he tried to make decent movies, but his ego made him try to hit a home run every time out. That being said, while we were making the movie, we kept saying, “we’d make Mer-Man right now!” There’s a funny version of Mer-Man, there’s a funny version of Redo. And it genuinely made us laugh; even though we knew we were goofing on movies like that, we also thought, we could probably do a good one of these!

But one thing I appreciated from Adam was that he never said, “oh don’t do that – people will think you’re goofing on me.” The truth is, I’m not goofing on Adam because Adam has a ridiculously wide range of movies he’s made. He’s just covered so much ground. Some are incredibly silly, some are truly experimental art films, and his level of success is so high he’s just been amazing for a very long time, and I don’t think George Simmons would have tried most of what Adam has tried to do. Again, there’s a subtle difference there, so it’s easy for people to say, “oh, you’re goofing on your own movies,” but I really thought what was more interesting to me was what happens when a shallow person gets sick? He doesn’t want to be thoughtful, so his movies can’t be thoughtful; he’s not making introspective comedies. When he gets sick, he doesn’t tell anybody, he doesn’t know how to talk about it – he’s not that kind of person. He’s more like a Rodney Dangerfield kind of person; he’s telling jokes and being silly.

Cinematical: What I think is one of the things he and the film communicates is that comedy is a way for someone to conceal their true feelings, and ultimately a prison that keeps them from being able to express them.

Apatow: Sometimes it’s easier to hide when you’re that famous. It was strange when Michael Jackson died and there were so many similarities to how we were presenting this fictionalized comedy star in our movie and what was coming out about Michael Jackson. The opening conversation about our movie is Adam having a conversation with his doctor about sleep medication. And all of these images of this rich guy alone in this giant house, never feeling satisfied with the amount of affection he’s getting from the world – which is an enormous amount of affection. A lot of times people want to make you laugh not because they want to make you happy but because they want to know if you like them. Your laugh signals “you’re okay” – and that’s a tough way to live. I think a lot of us as we get older think, is there a healthy way to do what we’re doing? We didn’t start this [for our] mental health, but can we spin it at some point and be creative for normal positive reasons?

Cinematical: Having done this movie which was so much more personal and serious than your other films, do you feel inclined to continue going in that direction?

Apatow: I try to be very passionate about the movies I’m making. I can get passionate about something that’s ridiculous and absurd and silly in the same way I can be passionate about something that’s more intimate and thoughtful, but I just have to care about it. So I don’t know; as of right now, I’m trying not to think too much about what I’ll do next and see what strikes me, but every once and a while I think it would be great to do something really dumb next, really goofy, and just make people happy. Create a joy machine. But most of the time I think let’s do another really dark, melancholy movie about a different subject, and then I think, you know what? Maybe I need a longer rest (laughs). So I don’t know; I’ll just wait until someone needs a director for the 14th Harry Potter movie and hopefully I’ll be at the top of the list somewhere.

Cinematical: Do you have any idea what the next thing is going to be for you?

Apatow: I really don’t. I’ve never had two ideas in my head. I mean, my brain is completely blank. I covered a lot of ground with these last two movies, so I may need something to happen to me in life before I can write again. But I don’t know – then something hits you out of the blue and it could happen in an eighth of a second; oh, it’s that! And then you’re off to the races.

Cinematical: Whether they’re conscious or not, do you see ongoing or repeated themes emerging in or from your growing body of work?

Apatow: I don’t think about it consciously, but there are certain ideas that recur and then you start thinking to yourself, well, should I make sure that never happens in one of my movies again? For instance, I like when sad people find a way to get happy, even if it’s only for a moment; should I avoid that now that I’ve noticed that in a bunch of my

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movies? That’s an interesting question for me as I walk around the house. I can see the stitching on the ball now more than anybody, and then you start thinking about new terrain, but you also don’t want to suddenly make a movie about Icelandic people just because no one expects you to do that. I would like always to write about things that matter to me and I understand, but I was reading this graduation speech that Larry Gelbart delivered at UCLA a few years ago and a big hunk of it was about writing about things you don’t know anything about and how ultimately it will still become a personal story. I usually go against that, but I thought, well, if Mr. Gelbart says that then maybe my philosophy is wrong.

Cinematical: What was the thing that you took away from this experience that was maybe different than your other movies?

Apatow: Well, it’s much more challenging to make a movie that’s meant to be more than just fantasy fulfillment. It is hopefully a big, funny, enjoyable experience but it’s also kind of an independent movie, you know; it’s a character study, and it is a different world when you’re trying to have that relationship with the audience. A lot of people got to the movies just to numb themselves out from whatever other difficult things life is presenting to them, and I’m exactly like that; when a girl broke up with me, the first thing I did was run to see What About Bob? But this is the first time for me where I tried to share a more complicated experience with people. And you get a larger array of reactions to it – some people, it completely knocks them out, other people, you can tell that they emotionally shut down from thinking about any of this, and the movie is hard for them to tolerate. And that’s the point of it: it’s supposed to stick with you for a while. That’s all I thought about when we were ending it, and I hope people talk about this for a while. I hope it’s something that stays on people’s minds.

by Todd Gilchrist

Cheap Web Hosting Plans

Angels & Demons 2-Disc

Angels & Demons is the sequel to the 2006 Blockbuster The Da Vinci Code.  The Pope has died and a successor is to be named by the Conclave. Four candidates has been called but were kidnapped and killed in the process. Symbologist Robert Langdon accompanied with a young physicist must race through Rome to unlock the clues and the mysteries that will lead them to a new powerful weapon, a group that will stop at nothing to have them, and a shocking truth that could change the world.

Four Christmases

Four Christmases features an all-star cast including Reese Witherspoon, Vince Vaughan, Robert Duvall, and Sissy Spacek. It’s a comedy about a couple who wanted to spend christmas in an exotic location while avoiding their own families. However, due to mother nature and a Television News Crew they will have to spend four Christmases this time. Can their true love survive four families?

Funny People 2-Disc Unrated Edition

Funny People stars Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Eric Bana, and Leslie Mann. George Simmons was at the top of his game with his low comedy films but is hit with the worst punchline of his life: a rare form of leukemia with a very little chance of survival. He decides to go back to his roots of stand-up comedy. There, he takes Ira Wright under his wing as his assistant/joke writer. As George reconciles his life, he tries to get back the one thing he lost along the way.

Check out all these new films at your local video store!

See you next week and Happy Viewing!

Funny People

Starring: Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Leslie Mann, Eric Bana
Directed by Judd Apatow
Rated R
Run Time 146 mins
Genre: Comedy/ Drama
4 out of 5 frames

Adam Sander heads up this Judd Apatow comedy/ drama as an aging comedian George Simmons, that has been diagonised with a life threatening illness. He takes on a young comedian, Ira Wright (Seth Rogen) to be a companion in his last days. When he gets word that he is going to be fine, George sets out to correct past decisons that have haunted him.

Although this runs a tad on the long side and some scenes drag on, there are so many funny moments and excellent appereances by comedians young and old.

Things to watch for: The who’s who of comedy. Suprise guest appearances by those who you would never expect to be in a Judd Apatow movie.

Rent it or buy it: If you’re fan of Apatow or Sandler, this is a must have for your collection.

Ahhh Tuesday, one of the best days in the entertainment business. It’s the day (usually) when all DVD’s and Blu-Ray’s and CD’s are released for eager fans to pick up and pay their hard earned cash on the “5-disc Special digital download plush toys action figure” edition of their favorite movie of the summer. So, I felt it was necessary to bring a review out of the archives about a movie coming out this Tuesday (tomorrow) that I saw this summer. The movie was Judd Apatow’s Funny People, and lets just say I was less than impressed…

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Funny People is the third film to be directed by Judd Apatow following The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up. He has also produced some of the best comedies in recent years such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Pineapple Express. Funny People also has an amazing cast as well as amazing cameos by some of the best comedians. So why is it that when I left the theater after seeing this film it left a bad taste in my mouth?

Funny People stars Adam Sandler as George Simmons, a famous comedian who has a rare blood disease and decides to go back to his roots as a stand-up comedian. While performing at a comedy club one night he meets Ira (Played by Seth Rogen) who is a struggling comedian and is hired by George the next day. Ira’s job description is basically to write jokes for George and talk to him until he goes to sleep at night. When George learns that the experimental drugs that he has been taking is actually curing him, he decides to go and visit “the one that got away”, an ex-girlfriend played by Leslie Mann.

Now i do want to take the time and tell that there are a few things to like about this movie. My favorite thing about this film is that it shows the true nature of comics: they’re vain, insecure, competitive, dark and unhappy people who mask these attributes behind jokes. This should have been the heart and soul of this film. Another thing that I liked was the cameos, especially by Sarah Silverman, Ray Romano, Norm Macdonald, and Eminem (yep, that Eminem). There was a good balance of comedy and drama which kept this film afloat for the first hour and a half.

But this vessel begins to sink as soon as George learns that he’s getting better. Out of nowhere George and Ira decide to go to Laura’s house. This whole road trip takes up the last hour of the movie and is the main reason that the film sinks and sinks fast. It just seemed like there was no structure to this entire hour and should have been cut by about 40 minutes. By the time the film ended I didn’t really care what happened between George and Ira and the rest of the gang: in truth I just wanted to get out of the theater.

But this isn’t the only thing wrong with this film, it just isn’t all that….funny. Besides the stand up acts from all the comics (Except for Aziz Ansari, who is only funny in Parks and Recreation), there was a LOT of moments where things that were supposed to be funny wasn’t (there are too many jokes about penises that were old 12 years ago) and the rest of the movie goers in theater number 16 agreed with me. There is a really good movie hidden in this film if the story had been tweaked a bit and if the script was more spontaneous.

I respect what Judd Apatow tried to do with this project but I think he tried to put too much into a film that needed simplicity. It’s just not worth the $9.50 for the movie ticket to see this movie. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot worse comedy films you could go see this summer (Year One, The Ugly Truth, Twilight: New Moon) but there are also a lot better Comedies you can go see (The Hangover, Land of the Lost). I strongly suggest you go see something besides Funny People.

Verdict: SKIP IT!

What did you think of Funny People? Did I get my review wrong? Or was I spot on? Voice your opinion and post a comment.

"You're under arrest. No, really you are. Stop laughing!"

(Columbia) Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Seth Rogen, Bill Hader, Martha MacIsaac, Emma Stone, Aviva, Joe Lo Truglio, Kevin Corrigan, Marcella Lentz-Pope, Roger Iwata, Carla Gallo. Directed by Greg Mottola.

One of the hottest names in comedy in  is Judd Apatow, who is a producer on Superbad. Better still, the writer and one of the stars is another hot name, Seth Rogen (who starred in Apatow’s Knocked Up).

It is the waning days of their senior year and best friends Seth (Hill) and Evan (Cera) have passed through their high school years unremarkably, not cool enough to hang with the “A” crowd and as a result, score with the girls, but not quite dorky enough to be all-out geeks. There is a little tension in the air between them, however; Evan has been accepted to Dartmouth whereas Seth, who is not quite as smart as his friend, could only get into a state college.

They are going through their last weeks being put upon by jocks and wishing they could go to one last party, when they are invited to one by Jules (Stone), one of the cooler girls in school. The problem is that Seth has bragged that they have a fake ID and can get liquor for the party, so Jules is expecting them to. Making things worse, Becca (MacIasaac), a girl Evan has had a crush on, like, forever, is expecting him at the party too.

They might be okay though; their truly dorky friend Fogell (Mintz-Plasse) has gotten himself a fake ID which labels him a 25-year-old organ donor from Hawaii named McLovin (no first name). Seth is pulling his naturally curly hair out by the roots, but Fogell – er, McLovin – is confident. He goes into a liquor store, gets the items on the list provided by Seth and Evan, brings the bottles to the front counter – and gets cold-cocked by a robber.

The case is being investigated by two cops you won’t ever want to see pull you over – Slater (Hader) and Michaels (Rogen). They convince Fogell that they’ll drop him off wherever he wants to go and that they believe he’s a 25-year-old organ donor from Hawaii named McLovin. This forces Seth and Evan to improvise, leading them to the party from Hell. In the meantime, Fogell goes on a ridealong that makes “Cops” look like the “Donna Reed Show”.

This isn’t for the sensitive or the easily offended. The humor can be crude and sophomoric, and four letter words are used with great abandon. That said, this is easily one of the funniest movies of recent years. Some of the gags and jokes were laugh-out-loud, fall-out-of-your-seat, pee-your-pants funny.

The young actors do some really good work here. Mintz-Plasse, who looks like what Stewie from “The Family Guy” might look like when he grows up, is memorable as Fogell, getting not only the smarts right but also the awkwardness and false bravado letter perfect. It’s hard to believe he was only 17 years old at the time of filming. Hill has a great deal of potential, but he was unfocused at times and I wound up kind of getting sick of his character after awhile. MacIsaac is cute, sexy and does one of the better drunk seduction scenes you will ever witness.

Superbad was something of a surprise hit – although in all honesty Columbia’s publicity department pushed it hard. If you can get past the swearing and bodily fluids, you’re probably going to dig it big time. If not, well, there are reruns of I Love Lucy on TV Land that will suit you better.

WHY RENT THIS: Laugh-out-loud funny. Genuinely “gets” teenagers. Walks thin line between sentimentality and maudlin without falling off the rope.

WHY RENT SOMETHING ELSE: Extremely crude and sophomoric. Final third drags in places.

FAMILY MATTERS: Are you kidding? This is crude, lewd, rude and proud to be that way. Lots of filthy language, plenty of sexual situations and the unrated cut on the DVD is even farther afield than the theatrical release. Not for the kids in any way shape or form even though some of the more mature boys will want to see it.

TRIVIAL PURSUITS: The lead roles were named for co-writers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg.

NOTABLE DVD EXTRAS: There are plenty in the extended unrated 2-disc DVD edition. There is a practical joke played on Jonah Hill as well as a faux documentary on actor Michael Cera, a staged interview in which Hill loses it during an interview with a snooty British interview, improvs done in the police cruiser with “special guest stars” including Justin Long, Chris Kattan, Jane Lynch and Kristen Wiig, as well as the traditional Apatow feature “Line-o-rama” in which lines of dialogue from the film are read by different actors.

FINAL RATING: 8/10

TOMORROW: Angels and Demons

Dirección y guión: Judd Apatow.
País: USA.
Año: 2009.
Duración: 146 min.
Género: Comedia dramática.
Interpretación: Adam Sandler (George Simmons), Seth Rogen (Ira Wright), Leslie Mann (Laura), Eric Bana (Clarke), Jonah Hill (Leo), Jason Schwartzman (Mark), RZA (Chuck), Aubrey Plaza (Daisy), Aziz Ansari (Randy), Maude Apatow (Mable), Iris Apatow (Ingrid).
Producción: Judd Apatow, Clayton Townsend y Barry Mendel.
Música: Jason Schwartzman y Michael Andrew.
Fotografía: Janusz Kaminski.
Montaje: Craig Alpert y Brent White.
Diseño de producción: Jefferson Sage.
Vestuario: Betsy Heimann y Nancy Steiner.
Estreno en USA: 31 Julio 2009.
Estreno en España: 4 Septiembre 2009.

“Hazme reír” relata la historia de un famoso cómico, interpretado por Adam Sandler, que descubre que tiene una enfermedad terminal, y que decide apoyar a un colega de profesión (Seth Rogen) que está empezando en este mundillo.

Vaya decepción, así de claro, leí Adam Sandler, Eric Bana, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogeny Jason Schwartzman bajo la firma del siempre querido Judd Apatow y me apasione tanto que casi me da un tabardillo, pero al leer la descripción de la película en internet, me mosqueo cantidad eso de 145 minutos, me dio en la narizota que una película de la gama Apatow no podía durar tanto. Y más me dio cuando vi eso de Drama/Comedy.

¿En resumen?, sin alardear de ser crítico de cine ni ostias, UN GRANDISIMO CAGADO DE PELICULA, UN GRADISIMO MIERDA DE DOBLAJE (Como siempre pifian la voz de Seth Rogen) Y SOBRE TODO, UNA GRANDISIMA PERDIDA DE TIEMPO.

Pedro dixit

Hazme reír es la tercera película como director de Judd Apatow tras “Virgen a los 40” y “Lio embarazoso” y esta vez ha querido jugar a algo más complicado metiéndose en el drama de humor.

Y el resultado no es todo lo desastroso que a priori pudiera esperarse. Esta vez el peso dramático cae sobre Adam Sandler, que no es que sea santo de mi devoción, aunque reconozco que en su momento me reí mucho con ”Little Nicky” y que “Zohan” me hizo pasar también un buen rato. Y sorpresivamente esta vez queda más que creíble en su papel.

La película nos cuenta la historia de un cómico famoso interpretado por Sandler, al que le diagnostican una enfermedad terminal y le dan una esperanza de vida de apenas un año y pocas esperanzas a través de un tratamiento experimental. La ya de por si vida no muy satisfactoria que lleva se ve tambalear hasta los cimientos al darse cuenta de que no tiene nada en la vida o más bien que no tiene a nadie por culpa de sus errores del pasado y las cosas típicas vamos. Es un poco capullo, tiene el síndrome del payaso triste y viendo su vida acabar vuelve a los orígenes y se pasa una noche por el típico bar tipo club de la comedia a y allí conoce a Ira, un joven cómico que intenta abrirse paso en eso tan complicado de hacer reír a la gente encima de un escenario.

A partir de aquí sigue esta película de dos horas y media donde se nos cuenta como se establece y una relación de amistad más sincera de las que ha tenido el protagonista hasta la fecha, y todo a través de contratar a Ira como asistente. Y a mí al menos me ha sorprendido porque me ha parecido muy creíble Sandler en su papel cínico, depresivo y serio. El peso de la película también cae sobre Seth Rogen y su personaje como Ira Wright y es que este chico cada vez es mas solido en sus papeles. Para refrescaros la memoria, es el Zack de la ultima película de Kevin Smith  “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” y va a ser Green Hornet en la película que sobre este lisérgico héroe esta haciendo el todavía mas lisérgico Michael Gondry (“La ciencia el sueño”, “Rebobine, por favor” y “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind“) lo que le da muchos, pero que muchos puntos a la película de Green Hornet.

A mi me ha gustado bastante, me la he creído y me ha hecho tener esperanzas en que algún día Adam Sandler pueda hacer algo interesante, si le dejan. En el género de “Drama sobre crisis vitales, pero dentro del mundo de la comedia, pero sin ser una comedia”, le doy un 8. Y por favor… hacedme caso, en versión original.

]]> http://filmsaddiction.wordpress.com/2009/11/22/funny-people/ Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:26:28 +0000 amore http://filmsaddiction.wordpress.com/2009/11/22/funny-people/

The one time that Seth Rogen and Adam Sandler, actually aren’t funny.

Famous and wealthy funnyman George Simmons (Adam Sandler) doesn’t give much thought to how he treats people until a doctor (Torsten Voges) delivers stunning health news, forcing George to reevaluate his priorities with a little help from aspiring stand-up comic Ira (Seth Rogen). Judd Apatow (Knocked Up) writes and directs this moving comedy that also stars Leslie Mann, Jonah Hill, Jason Schwartzman and Aubrey Plaza.

Funny People is a movie that I’ve wanted to see for a very long time now. I love Sandler, Rogen, and most of all Judd Apatow. And when I heard they we’re all goin to be in the same film together I could not believe myself. Finally I got the DVD and watched it and I’m quite glad.

This is Apatow’s third written & directed film, and in his last two showings (Knocked Up, The 40 Year-Old Virgin), he showed a great way of blending hilarious comedy with some moving drama. However, in this film he doesn’t show his best directing abilities. I felt like he was being more serious with this film, as this is probably one of his more serious and mature pieces of work cause it is about dieing. I just didn’t feel like this film hit every single point it could have. Apatow over-uses the slow-motion zoom in to show his characters being emotionally effected by something, and it really starts to become a little too obvious.

Still, his humor does hit the mark. I felt like there were a little bit too much of those jokes about boners and such, but really I wasn’t expecting much different. The humor blends in really well, where at points in the film they are actually making little jokes about death, and it lightens up the mood.

Apatow also does a great job of blending in fiction with non-fiction to evoke compelling realistic performances from the cast. I think this is a role of a lifetime for Sandler, because the character he plays is a goofy comedian he gets to indulge in the zany side of his comedy, but also he gets to play the characters darker parts and he does a fantastic job at it. Seth Rogen is really great in this film as he isn’t playing the usual Seth Rogen you see in every other film, he is actually more serious and believable as a very awkward and nerdy geek who is just trying to be funny. Surprisingly, the funniest out of this whole cast has got to be Eric Bana. Yes, out of a cast filled with Jonah Hill, Adam Sandler, and Seth Rogen The Hulk ends up becoming the funniest guy. He comes late in  the film but plays this stereotypical macho-man guy and really gives this film the extra laughs it deserves.

There are two films in Funny People, one about Sandler and Rogen, and the other about Sandler and Leslie Mann. It’s less of a buy one get one free deal, as much as it is a buy one and get one you really didn’t ask for. The latter part didn’t feel like it was supposed to be put in the film, and just added on to less comedy and more drama.

Consensus: Funny People is not Apatow’s best, but still has a great blending of comedy and drama, with some realistic performances. I just felt like this was two movies rolled into one, and lack of cohesiveness between the two separate stories is what stops it from being a great movie.

8/10=Matinee!!!!!

A meandering mess of a movie, Funny People is all the more disappointing because early scenes sparkle with brilliant potential, crisp comedy and poignant drama. The movie is Judd Apatow’s third directorial project, continuing the producer/director/screenwriter’s tendency for overlong pictures with its 145 minute runtime.

One of the key problems with Funny People is its uncanny ability to kill its own momentum. Apatow starts with an interesting, humorous and touching premise and sets it up beautifully, drawing characters we care about and letting us into the world of stand-up comedy with some unique sequences. He uses his stars well, too, having them perform comedy in front of live crowds and shooting the reactions. But it’s when Apatow creates a mountain out of a subplot that Funny People loses everything it could have been.

Adam Sandler stars as comedian and actor George Simmons. He is, essentially, playing a slightly different version of himself. Simmons’ career has been built on a series of lowbrow comedies and he lives a luxurious lifestyle. The problem is that George is suffering from a rare blood disease and is, as a result, expected to die. He’s isolated himself from family and true friends, so he decides to use the situation to better himself.

In bettering himself, Simmons takes an interest in a young comic, Ira Wright (Seth Rogen). Wright is working a day job at a deli and lives with roommates who are in various stages of success in the entertainment industry. Simmons eventually hires Ira to write some jokes and the two bond with George telling Wright about his medical predicament. This relationship develops and remains an interesting component until Apatow forces an angle with George’s ex-wife (Leslie Mann) and her Aussia husband (Eric Bana) that drags things to a standstill.

When Funny People focuses on George’s return to his roots as a stand-up comic and with his relationship with Ira, it is actually a good movie. Unfortunately, Apatow abandons the premise for something else only weakly linked to Simmons’ illness and this abandonment makes for a bizarre, unfunny, boring second half punctuated by Mann’s abysmal performance and Sandler’s inability to drum up chemistry with her.

There are a ton of guest spots here, too, but those are confined to the better portions of the movie. Eminem shares a hilarious moment with Ray Romano, while comics like Norm MacDonald, Sarah Silverman and Paul Reiser drop by. There’s also a performance by James Taylor in the mix, which helps cement the aura of celebrity Sandler’s Simmons exists in. It helps things feel real that Sandler tries his best, too, but in the end there’s little to be done with Apatow’s bloated script.

Rogen keeps to his usual self, never quite reaching for much and never quite hitting it, but he does reasonably well when he works with Jonah Hill and Jason Schwartzman. He’s tossed an unnecessary bone in the form of a small romantic angle with comedian Aubrey Plaza’s character, but this goes nowhere and remains completely uninteresting after it’s swept up by Apatow’s need to give his wife something to do.

In the end, Funny People is its own worst enemy. It becomes a bloated waste of talent, completely abandoning the momentum drawn up by a pretty good first half. It’s ambitious, overly so, and tremendously long all things considered. While it does have the support of a good Sandler performance, there’s just not enough other stuff here to recommend this movie.

3.9/10

Trailer:

View the world of the comedians. Maybe like a punch line this movie has a pace where it seems to slow and maybe about to die then suddenly it picks up along. I was thinking of the evolution of Adam Sandler from earlier movies like Airheads and Billy Madison. My favorite was Big Daddy. To me a dark comedy like Punch-Drunk Love was some strange side of Sandler. It rears its ugly head again with Funny People. I occurs to me how comedians take life situations good and bad for their punch line. Similar to writing it takes honesty about yourself and to voice your opinion and that fear how will others take what I say? I have seen other movies about comedians I believe Billy Crystal did one. Similar at least to me it had a dark side. I don’t know if this is bad but like facing the truth about your self to me isn’t the greatest thing, sure after you get to the other side you usually feel great. The stand up from different comedians was good to appreciate their work. I would be terrified a whole crowd and no one laughing. Seth Rogen plays such a wimp its sad but It makes sense for the movie. I know its me I don’t want to be some guy with lots of emotions. Leslie Mann is funny but I think her roles are all too similar. It works she is a sexy mom. Eric Bana was not funny. Maybe I’m stuck with flick like Munich, Black Hawk Down and Star Trek. He plays a bad ass so well. Good movies have great villains as Nero in Star Trek he nailed it. This move definitely had me laughing through out. We could all use more laughs! I did love Aubrey Plaza as Daisy. A peculiar young lady. Her stand up was good. I guess I should say George Simmons (Sandler) gets sick and may die. This leads him into this journey with Ira Wright played by Seth Rogen. Ira is struggling to be a comedian he becomes an assistant to George Simmons which leads to finding himself and Oh! So much more!

Zack and Miri Make a Porno è un film del 2008 commedia scritta e diretta da Kevin Smith, e distribuito da The Weinstein Company.

Leggi altre notizie su: | Kevin Smith | Seth Rogen | Elizabeth Banks | Craig Robinson

There is a fundamental problem with the new* Judd Apatow movie, ‘Funny People‘: None of the people in the movie are actually funny. They talk about the jokes they are writing and we see the writing process, but all of the jokes told on stage are punctuated with mild laughter, which is all this movie ultimately gets as well.

There is some heart and some humor here, but Apatow has gone for broke and fallen overboard. ‘The 40 Year Old Virgin’ was a slim 116 minutes, and while ‘Knocked Up’ trickled over two hours, it was bearable. ‘Funny People’ is a 100 minute movie stretched so far that by the end I was just hoping George Simmons would get hit by a freakin’ bus.

The problem here is that the film puts heart over humor, and Apatow and his actors have a lot of trouble pulling it off. ‘Virgin’ and ‘Knocked Up’ were funny and ended up having a heart under the vulgarity. ‘Funny People’ tries to be serious business, with the disease and the old love and the new family, and we don’t really care enough about the characters to think anything they do is funny. The relationship between George and his old lover Laura (Leslie Mann) is forced in an awkward scene where he regrets cheating on her. Maybe this would work if the parallel scene where Ira (Seth Rogen) watches the kids was amusing, but it isn’t. Seth Rogen is usually insufferable, but he did some good work in this movie. Too his source material wasn’t better.

Don’t get me started on Jonah Hill. This kid has no business being in any movie and is pretty easily the worst component of anything he touches. Yet Judd Apatow loves him, so he keeps popping up.

‘Funny People’ is completely underwhelming. I give this advice often about many new movies where the cardinal people have done better work: Don’t waste your time–watch ‘The 40 Year Old Virgin’ again.

* Since I am currently in South Korea, sometimes it takes me longer than usual to see movies. I try to keep up to date, but there is only so much I can do.

Quando abbiamo cominciato a scrivere di cinema, ormai nel lontano 2003 (!), pubblicai un inutile (bellissimo) sondaggio. A parità di condizioni, in un piovoso pomeriggio domenicale, potendo scegliere un solo e un solo film, su cosa vi buttereste: simpatica e frivola Comedy o testoteronico e maschio Action? All’epoca – e sotto sotto ancora oggi – la mia personale scelta cadeva inevitabilmente sull’Action. La motivazione, tolto il gusto personale, è semplice: all’epoca la commedia, pur se realizzata con impegno e dedizione, non aveva a mio avviso nulla da dire di nuovo. Si era rimasti impantanati in un modello che potremmo definire “Se scappi ti rincorro, previa autorizzazione, per poi litigare con te in modo buffo per poi infine sposarti ecc…” L’Action al contrario, anche nella sua forma più bassa, aveva una vitalità e una possibilità di innovazione del linguaggio ben più eccitante. Poi le cose sono (in parte) cambiate. Se mai come oggi il cinema de muscoli ci sembra in ottima salute, in questi anni la commedia è cambiata. E se dovessimo fare un nome per identificare un responsabile, diremmo Judd Apatow. Grazie a lui, e a una lunghissima serie di nomi tra attori e sceneggiatori, il genere ha saputo rinnovarsi e trovare una nuova spinta. Tutto il Frat Pack, più gente come Greg Mottola, Adam Mckay, Nicholas Stoeller, John Hamburg, Jonah Hill sono riusciti nel difficile compito di regalare una seconda giovinezza al genere. Oggi però, data astrale 2009 quasi 2010, ancora una volta, la commedia è in stato di empasse.

Tutto sembra ancora una volta essersi crisitallizato attorno a due o tre filoni che danno insindacabili segni di stanchezza. Da una parte dei trentenni cazzoni impossibilitati a crescere e con ridicoli problemi di cuore. Dall’altra una commedia fracassona che comincia spesso a sfociare in una facile trivialità. Will Ferrell ha apparentemente finito gli sport da dileggiare e s’è rifugiato in una stupida commediola amarcord come Land Of The Lost. Judd Apatow ha fatto Funny People che ha lasciato l’amaro in bocca a molti. Year One non è piaciuto nemmeno al regista di Year One. Adventurland non è Superbad. L’unico che sta uscendo a testa alta da questo enorme calderone di titoli e nomi è l’outsider Jody Hill. Anzi, con solo due film e una miniserie telvisiva all’attivo, può già essere considerato a tutti gli effetti un autore personale e unico, in grado di portare avanti una sua precisa poetica.

Ex istruttore e cintura nera di Taekwondo, nel 2006 esordisce con il lungo metraggio The Foot Fist Way (salvato da un probabile oblio proprio da Ferrell & McKay). Una sorta di mockumentary autobiografico su Fred Simmons, un istruttore di provincia di arti marziali. Insieme all’amico Ben Best, Hill scrive uno dei personaggi più squallidi e tristi mai visti su grande schermo. Fred Simmons è un perdente arrogante, cattivo e ignorante. Convinto di possedere un dono, di essere unico, fa di tutto per primeggiare sugli altri anche quando questo gli risulta impossibile. La frase “debole coi forti e forte coi deboli” per lui vale solo a metà: come non esita a porsi di fronte a bambini sovrappeso con tutta la sua forza, allo stesso tempo e com la stessa cieca convinzione si scaglia anche con chi è nettamente sopra le sue possibilità. Non solo dal punta di vista fisico, ma anche sentimentale, mentale e psicologico. Chi è contro di lui o semplicemente non lo riconosce come un faro illuminante di saggezza e forza, è dalla parte del torto e deve essere umiliato. E, anche se colleziona un fallimento dopo l’altro, Simmons continua a seguire il suo “percorso”, quello che ogni eroe ha scritta nel proprio destino. Per Fred Simmons il destino però ha in servo una cena al ristorante di pesce in uno shopping mall con una moglie che lo tradisce e lo detesta. Non la salvezza dell’umanità.

Passiamo a Kenny Powers il protagonista della miniserie di Hill Eastbound & Down, prodotta sempre da Ferrell & McKay. Ex giocatore professionista di baseball, Powers – dopo aver assaporato uno scarso quarto d’ora di popolarità grazie a una singola palla fortunata – getta la sua carriera alle ortiche. Volendo vivere larger than life, ma non avendo nessun tipo di talento sportivo o qualità umana, finisce vittima dei suoi vizi. Sfatto nel fisico, ma allo stesso tempo convinto del suo incredibile valore come uomo e come sportivo, finisce suo malgrado per diventare istruttore di ginnastica nel suo vecchio liceo. Abbandonato da chiunque, con debiti e cause in corso, vive a scrocco a caso del fratello. Non perde occasione però per far sapere a tutti che l’uomo che era un tempo, sta per tornare. Anche in questo caso, la sua ferrea convinzione di essere al di sopra di chiunque lo circondi, lo portano ad umiliarsi in continuazione, inseguendo un sogno che è evidentemente irrealizzabile: tornare ad essere stimato da tutti. La sensazione però di essere vicino al baratro è più vivida qui che in Fredd Simmons. Kenny Powers, dopo aver maltrattato un vecchio, dopo essersi presentato in ecstasy a una ballo scolastica per un bambino disabile, dopo aver pippato nel retro di un bar di periferia, piange in camera da letto di suo nipote. Incapace di avere normali rapporti con le persone, vive seguendo i suoi consigli registrati su un audiobook di quando era al top. Sembra quasi sforzarsi nel deludere e abbandonare anche i pochi che tentano di entrare in contatto con lui. Quello che lo muove, anche qui, è un disegno più alto che nessuno oltre a lui – in quanto “normale” – può vedere. E un finale così triste per una serie comica, non s’era mai visto.

Il passo successivo – e la totale messa a fuoco del cinema di Jody Hill – è Observe & Report. Il primo cambiamento è l’abbandono del protagonista dei due lavori precedenti. Danny McBride, perfetta rappresentazione fisica dei personaggi di Hill (e fondamentalmente a secco di personaggi positivi…) viene sostituito dal volto rasserenante di Seth Rogen, un nome che in America è garanzia di vendibilità del prodotto. Cambia poi anche la confezione: se già Eastbound & Down – pur nei limiti del televisivo – era un passo avanti rispetto alla rozzaggine di The Foot Fist Way (ma comunque un prodotto televisivo), qui siamo dalla parti Grande Cinema. La fotografia del grande Tim Orr, il montaggio di Zene Baker, una colonna sonora straordoinaria e un cast incredibile (oltre a Seth Rogen, Ray Liotta, Anna Faris, Michael Pena e un cameo per McBride) rendono Observe And Report un film dal punto di vista formale inattaccabile. I ralentì antieroici e le sequenze interrote a metà, accennate nei lavori precedenti, qui diventano un marchio di fabbrica. E in più si spinge ancora più forte l’accelleratore sui meccanismi comici già rodati. Questa volta il protagonista è Ronnie Barnhardt, capo della sicurezza in un grande shopping mall. Una guarda giurata che, come Vito Catozzo, all’epoca del Drive In, ha visto troppi film con Clint o Charles. Tutti suoi personaggi sono così, perché il loro punto di riferimento è il Cinema. Simmons ha visto troppe volte Best Of the Best. Powers ha nel cervello tutte le rise and fall che abbiamo visto nella nostra vita su grande schermo. E Barnhardt non ha fatto altro che vedere polizieschi e film action. Anche se inizialmente possono avere qualche problema, prima o più la storia farà il suo corso e inevitabilmente avranno la meglio. Questa convinzione non fa altro che rendere ancora più eroici il loro fallimenti. Quante volte ci è stato fatto vedere che prima di tornare in vetta bisogna veramente toccare il fondo? È un meccanismo di appropriazione e distruzione di certi topoi di un cinema popolare, riconoscibile da tutti. Dopo l’arrivo di Jody Hill è impossibile guardare a sequenze come quella del monologo del compianto Patrick Swayze ne Il Duro del Roadhouse senza riconoscere la stessa cieca e insopportabile ignoranza.

A partir da segunda metade da década de 1980, o diretor norte-americano John Hughes estabeleceu novos parâmetros para a comédia adolescente, um gênero àquela altura esgotado pelo hedonismo desenfreado (e de qualidade duvidosa) de O Clube dos Cafajestes, Porky’s, A Última Festa de Solteiro e outros menos cotados. Criou um novo nicho de mercado, com títulos como O Clube dos Cinco, A Garota de Rosa Shocking, e é claro, o pai deles, Curtindo a Vida Adoidado. Diferentemente de seus antecessores, os personagens de Hughes não estavam interessados apenas em afogar o ganso e encher a cara, a lá John Belushi.

Bons intérpretes, diálogos afiados, situações mais verossímeis, próximas do universo dos jovens, tudo isso embalado ao som de uma trilha sonora com o melhor do pop da época: ingredientes que transformaram Hughes na maior referência do gênero, apesar de eventuais escorregadelas no campo fácil dos clichês, como o da mocinha pobre apaixonada pelo janota riquinho. E ainda que tenha entrado em franca decadência após o sucesso da série Esqueceram de Mim no início dos 90, a influência do estilo de Hughes permaneceu. As comédias voltadas para o público jovem realizadas nas décadas seguintes continuaram rezando pela sua cartilha: Ela é demais, Dez coisas que eu odeio sobre você, Mal posso esperar, todas copiavam desbragadamente seus filmes. O êxito nas bilheterias provou que a fórmula ainda funcionava. John Hughes morreu esse ano, sem que se pudesse apontar um substituto à sua altura.  Greg Mottola, o cidadão alopécico da foto, é quem está aos poucos se credenciando como o sujeito mais indicado pra ocupar o trono vago.

O último trabalho de Mottola, Adventureland, é um bildungsroman da melhor qualidade, ambientado nos mesmos anos 80 que Hughes retratou tão bem em sua obra. James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) termina o colegial, e como presente de formatura, planeja conhecer a Europa, antes de ingressar na faculdade em Nova York. Para seu infortúnio, entretanto, o pai é rebaixado no emprego, passando a receber um salário bem menor. O sonho de ir ao Velho Mundo escorre pelo ralo, e Brennan se vê obrigado a arrumar um trabalho para tentar garantir pelo menos a ida à Grande Maçã.

O tal emprego é no parque de diversões que dá título à fita, administrado por Bill Hader e Kristen Wiig (comediantes impagáveis egressos do Saturday Night Live). O nome Adventureland acaba funcionando como uma metáfora: ao trocar a adolescência pelo mundo adulto, Brennan se lança em um território estranho, repleto de possibilidades e descobertas. Enquanto é obrigado a escutar trocentas vezes por dia a infame Rock me Amadeus nos auto-falantes do parque, o rapaz forma novos laços de amizade, encara responsabilidades e dilemas bem diversos daqueles experimentados em sua vida anterior, e como não poderia deixar de ser, é premiado com a chegada do primeiro amor.

Mottola leva uma grande vantagem sobre Hughes: seus personagens e as situações por eles vividas não são tão pasteurizados, folhetinescos. Trazem consigo maior carga de sinceridade e guardam uma proximidade com o real com a qual o criador do Ferris Bueller sequer sonharia. O universo de Mottola é bem mais honesto. Em Superbad, um projeto pessoal/autobiográfico escrito por Seth Rogen, o ator-fetiche do Judd Apatow, já era possível divisar o talento do diretor, tanto na maneira como a história era conduzida como no desempenho extraído dos protagonistas. Um pequeno grande filme. Já Adventureland, escrito e dirigido por ele, é uma obra mais autoral. E o cara não faz feio, superando com folga as expectativas. Para que não reste nenhuma dúvida quanto ao seu talento como diretor de elenco, o cara consegue arrancar boas atuações até mesmo dos insuportáveis Kristen Stewart e Ryan Reynolds. Uma proeza e tanto! O protagonista  Jesse Eisenberg, que este ano também emplacou o ótimo Zombieland, é um Michael Cera menos efeminado e um nome promissor na indústria.

Confira aqui o trailer de Adventureland, que pelo que ouvi falar, recebeu aqui no Brasil o inacreditável título de Férias Frustradas de Verão. Teriam os nobres responsáveis pela distribuição julgado uma estratégia inteligente associar o lançamento às infames comédias estreladas por Chevy Chase? Vai saber o que essa gente tem na cabeça!

O Rei Hughes está morto. Longa vida ao rei Mottola?

Du säger snyftare, jag säger filmer med hjärta. Hur man än väljer att se det så är Adam Sandler bäst när det brukas lite allvar också. Här spelar han döende komiker som ångrar att han levt sitt liv som ett svin. Inte så mycket en komedi som ett drama gjort av folk med humor. Råbarkat, skört, roligt och ibland hjärtknipande. Vill du inte lipa när Adam Sandler river av den där låten på pianot så är du död inuti. Har alla förresten sett “Freaks & Geeks”? Se till att göra det annars, jag är rädd att ni missar vitala fasetter av er uppskattning av Seth Rogen. Även känd som den störste myskillen på den här sidan Paul Rudd. Jason Schwartzman är alltid ett rent nöje att skåda, gillar även Aubrey Plaza, både hon och Aziz Ansari från underbara “Parks and Recreation” är med i biroller.

+ IMDb
+ Hemsida
+ Trailer

Betyg: 4/5

NOTA : 7

Download subtitrare  Funny People

Trailer Funny People :

Funny People with Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann and Eric Bana

I was really looking forward to this movie. I had seen the trailer and I thought : “Cool! We are going to watch a half-funny, half- dramatic film!” Well the movie was a little dramatic and a little funny but that’s all. And that can’t really get you through 153 minutes (146, if it is not unrated). I am not saying it was all bad, but there were so many unnecessary scenes and so many useless lines- it just doesn’t work.

So George Simmons (Adam Sandler) is a successful, highly popular and very rich comedic actor. He has come a long way from stand-up comics. He doesn’t have a problem picking women and all looks fine for him-until he goes to the doctor’s and finds out he is terminally ill. He examines his life. He realizes he has screwed up when he ruined things with the love of his life, Laura (Leslie Mann). Laura left George when he cheated on her and went on to marry an Australian called Clarke (Eric Bana) who apparently cheats on her too. But she has two kids with him…

George doesn’t have any real friends either. When he goes back to the stage for live comedy (probably for nostalgic reasons), he meets a clumsy,not-so-funny Ira and for some reason decides to have him work for him. Ira is ecstatic- he is writing jokes and assisting his favorite funny man.

Ira has two close friends: Leo (Jonah Hill) a comic a little funnier (supposedly) than him and Mark (Jason Schwartzman) who plays in a sitcom that Ira can’t really stand to watch.

So the movie concentrates on relationships and trusts the dialogs: Between George and Ira, Ira and his buddies, Ira and Laura and later on my favorite : when Clarke comes from a business trip to find George and Ira at home with his wife and kids.

There are things I like about the movie, I can’t say I despised it. Let me write down the likes first:

+ Eric Bana: Don’t tell me it is because he looks good because he doesn’t , not here. But he is a good actor and his role & over-the-top Australian accent is funny. He is a real Aussie but that’s not how he actually speaks…And there were some good jokes that came from Ira about why they shouldn’t mess with him.

+ Seth Rogen: I normally don’t like him. I despised his character in Knocked-Up, he just wasn’t funny. But in this movie, he is the only character that is well…humane and at least slightly likable. With all his failures and good intentions, he was fun to watch. He has also some funny takes on who makes it successful in life. And Ira’s stand-up scenes at least one or two funny moments.

Dislikes:

- Leslie Mann’s Laura: She was fine and likable at first but later she just got…OK, so she can forgive a cheater ex (Adam Sandler) because he is dying. Fair enough. But then he gets better and she suddenly acts like he is the one that got away and her husband is an asshole..and..yeah the problem is Clarke isn’t actually that big an asshole, he is certainly not worse than George. So you sympathize with…no one, really! Ira is OK but then he really acts like a crybaby most of the time and you just want him to tell George to stick it.

-The Brat Pack: I don’t have anything against Brat Packs or crude comedy- as long as the combination works. I like the group of Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn and Luke Wilson and well, I adore Old School. But if you are going to throw in lots of swearing and abrasive language, please make sure it is funny!

-The stand-up acts: The movie involves so many scenes with them. It just slows the movie down. Really slows it down, because they are just not funny 99% of the time.

- Duration : You really shouldn’t have a story pretending to be profound for 153 minutes, when you could have a much more effective and much funnier story told in 90 minutes! I thought it was ironic. In one scene Laura tells George to cut the swearing and he jokes that then he wouldn’t have a third act. I wish Leslie Mann had told the same thing to real life husband Judd Apatow. Yes, brat pack and family members….Ouch!

In wish I had known the movie was Judd Apatow’s and his brat pack’s.His movie making is just my style. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy 40-year-old virgin, the movie had a lot of funny moments. But I was really bored during Knocked Up. It wasn’t funny, I didn’t like any of the characters and if a comedy doesn’t make you laugh, you feel bad. I have nothing against Sandler- I actually really like some of his movies, like The Wedding Singer, Big Daddy, The Longest Yard and Anger Management. But the elements in the movies just don’t work. Indiviudally, Bana,Sandler and Rogen are good. The idea of the story is fine. Cameos are fun. But..that’s pretty much it. And it certainly didn’t help that I watched this movie on the same day I watched Hangover. Hangover is my next post- it is directed by the Old School director Todd Philips. And it is a perfect example of how you can be crass and funny without being boring and irrelevant.