Weekend Pass: Funny People
This first weekend of August has a diverse lineup of new releases. Aliens in the Attic [ANATC] is a kids film about aliens taking over their neighborhood. Adam [ADAM] is s sensitive love story starring Hugh Dancy [HDANC] and Rose Bryne [RBRYN] about a man with Asberger’s Syndrome who finds love with a neighbor. The film to watch for is definitely Adam Sandler’s [ASAND] Funny People [FUNYP]. It is the latest in the Judd Apatow [JAPAT] line of comedies.
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Sandler plays George Simmons, a veteran stand-up comedian and movie star, much like Sandler himself. When he learns that he has a terminal condition, Simmons realizes he has never had a genuine friendship. In order to experience a true connection, he takes a young comedian played by Seth Rogen [SROGE] under his wing. Nearing death, Simmons re-evaluates his life and find that love, whether from a significant other or a friend, is indeed life’s most precious commodity. George’s lost love interest is played by Leslie Mann [LMANN], who is also Apatow’s wife.
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With comedies like 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked-Up and Superbad, Apatow has rewritten male portrayal in cinema. His leading men are unattractive, rarely the first choice in the gene pool, and have a hard time getting the girl. However hapless they may be, Apatow's men somehow manage to do the impossible, i.e. Rogen ending up with Katherine Heigl [KHEIG]. With Funny People, men are the ones looking for love and not lamenting its many requirements and responsibilities.
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Mann is best known as the married sister in Knocked Up. She won kudos from fans of the film when she lamented how age had diminished her feminine wiles. Men aren’t interested in old gals. She was bold yet vulnerable as she gave voice to the things women don’t want to talk about. Her presence in Funny People no doubt gives it rich layers that other actresses might not bring.
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Finally, whether you think he’s ugly or just unattractive, Rogen has fearlessly carved out a niche for himself thanks to Apatow. He has skillfully capitalizes on his “regular guy” to become one of the most competent comedic actors around. Audiences should find him basking under Sandler’s attention.
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For those of you who liked seeing a serious side of Sandler a la Punchdrunk Love, Funny People should be an engaging offering this weekend.
Tag(s): ANATC, ADAM, HDANC, ASAND, FUNYP, JAPAT, SROGE, LMANN, KHEIG
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