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Capone laughs at all the FUNNY PEOPLE!!!
Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here.
The opening of Judd Apatow's third film as a director (following The 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN and KNOCKED UP) begins in the most perfect way possible, with an old home movie clip of what I'm guessing is either a high school or college age Adam Sandler making a crank phone call to a deli. The moment isn't even polished enough to be called a "bit," but it's undoubtedly hilarious. More importantly, it could very well capture the precise moment when young Sandler knew that he wanted to be funny for a living. Of course, that's probably not what we're seeing, but I'll be damned if it don't feel like it is.
In some ways, FUNNY PEOPLE is more the story of another young comic named Ira Wright (played with a nice innocent, bewildered touch by Seth Rogen) who is just coming into his own enough that he's good and getting better at stand-up; he has the comedy bug and is just waiting for that moment when he can start getting paid for his craft. Instead, he works at a deli during the day while his roommates (Jonah Hill, as a fellow stand-up who still gets money from his parents for rent; and a comedy writer and actor played by Jason Schwartzman, whose clips from the awful fictional NBC show "Yo, Teach" are gloriously horrible) seem less desperate. Sandler's George Simmons is a world-famous man of comedy, with albums of his stand-up recordings, posters from his many movies and photos of him with big celebrities lining the walls of his home. He gets recognized everywhere he goes, and he's pretty accommodating with the fans. During a visit with his doctor, George discovers he has a rare blood disease that has a very low chance of survival, and his doctor immediately puts him on a highly experimental drug-therapy treatment.
The same night he gets his awful diagnosis, George decides he wants to hit a comedy club stage just to vent a bit. He ends up bumping Ira to the slot after him, and he proceeds to make jokes about life and death that don't hit home with the crowd. When it's Ira's turn, Ira comments on the downer set George has just done, and George actually finds the young comic funny. He asks Ira to help him write jokes for a corporate gig the next night, and eventually recruits him to be his assistant during his time of trouble, confiding in him all of his fears and inner conflict. Sandler and Rogen have the making of one of the great comedy pairings of the decade, and it makes me ache to think these two guys might never work again, because the two of them have a much more convincing chemistry than either of them do with the women in their lives.
Speaking of women, perhaps the only place that FUNNY PEOPLE really falters is with its female characters. I know that people make this complaint about Apatow, but I'd never really agreed with it until this movie. Ira makes a sweet attempt at a date with female comic Daisy (Aubrey Plaza from "Parks and Recreation," MYSTERY TEAM, and the upcoming SCOTT PILGRIM movie), but something happens that sours him (and us) to her charms--not that he wasn't given ample warning that something bad might occur if he didn't act sooner. And then there's George and the love of his life, Laura (Leslie Mann), whose character is so woefully underwritten that I actually grew to actively dislike the way she lived her life and the decisions she makes. Mann does her best to inject some kind of likability into Laura, but she engages in some of the very behavior that broke George and her up in the first place, and it left a bad taste with me. Her husband, played by the spirited Eric Bana (being allowed to use his Australian accent for once), is barely in the film, and we are rushed through his time on screen. First he comes across as a pretty decent guy, then he gets a bit of alcohol in him and turns into something of a raging dick. It doesn't feel natural or plausible.
I get that George would want to reconnect with his old flame to make amends before he dies, but when his experimental treatment seems to be getting the job done, he goes to visit her in San Francisco in one of the most awkward sequences in the movie. The pacing of the more serious moments seems off, but the laughs keep coming often and with much vigor.
When Apatow and company stick to the parts of FUNNY PEOPLE involving George and Ira, we get nothing but gold, whether what's happening on the screen is comedy jousting or some really serious moment concerning the side effects of George's treatment medication or his reminiscing about coming up in the clubs. The film is one of the most authentic looks at the world of stand-up comedy I've ever seen; it's also a sincere look at what happens when a one-time stand-up schlub becomes a multimillionaire and abandons all his old friends to live in a furnished mansion and have sex with random women. This is not exactly a take on Sandler's life, but I kept putting Eddie Murphy's face into this scenario and it almost hits the spot. Apatow has gone above and beyond in putting together a persona for George that I completely bought, from the comedy pairings illustrated in the many movie posters in his home, to his famous friends who show up at his congratulations-for-not-dying party (not to ruin what you probably already know, but a very famous rapper has a note-perfect cameo in this scene), to the way George dresses down Ira when he's feeling crappy about his own life.
The good news is that there's not nearly as much of the stuff I didn't like about FUNNY PEOPLE as there is the stuff I did like. Is it too long? Probably, but there's so much good about this movie, I don't think I'd consider making any major cuts. And the DVD deleted scenes will be extraordinary and endless. Sandler is quite good in a role that requires him to work the full spectrum of emotions, but the real surprise for me (and I believe this will be the last time he surprises me) is Seth Rogen, who is essentially a stand-in for a role that Apatow played in Sandler's life years ago. We actually get to see Rogen mature and build confidence, both as a comic and a human being, and it's a genuinely awesome transformation to watch. He's not out to steal the movie from anyone, but he always manages to, by simply being genuine and honest to a fault. FUNNY PEOPLE has many big laughs, punctuated by some really striking moments of contemplation and reflection.
-- Capone
capone@aintitcoolmail.com
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dramatically twisted, yes, but ROFLMAO funny? Nope.
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Prepare for the negativity!
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but what Sandler needs to do is straight up, balls to the wall Horror. I'm not including Little Nicky here. That's a completely different level of Horror.
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That's some cherry topped goodness right there!
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Jul 31, 2009 10:39:19 PM CDT
If this gets even remotely positive reviews I might see it
by soylentmean
But it needs a string of about 10 positive reviews filled with unabashed love. But I'm gonna see Orphan, The Collector, and the motherfuckin' Hurt Locker (which somehow, unexpectedly, is playing near me) before I see this movie.
This summer has worn me out with disappointment. -
And skip all that other nonsense.
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"More importantly, it could very well capture the precise moment when young Sandler knew that he wanted to be funny for a living." He's 42. When's he gonna start getting funny. He was amusing on SNL. But after that. Not so much. He has two characters that he recycles. His dramatic work is better.
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Still the best!!
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so it will get skipped. And this coming from a fan of 40 Year Old Virgin and a guy who saw "Knocked Up" in theater (though, I haven't had the urge to watch the movie since)
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who doesn't have the wild dislike for the apatow gang that most talkbackers seem to have (just like anything remotely popular or well-received in this world) and someone who is a huge fan of the 40 year old virgin and an admirer of Knocked Up, I found Funny People to be a mess of a movie that was entirely too long (not that length in and of itself can ruin a movie, but this felt like they made both the first movie and the sequel rolled into one in this flick), unfocused, made up of entirely unlikable characters (aside from Schmira), and only funny in about 5 or 6 spots. I was severely disappointed in the movie and would not recommend this film to Apatow admirers or haters. I'm almost tempted to say this film was crap, but it had some redeeming moments. Not many, but some. But then again, the sun shines on a dog's ass every once in a while too.
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Jul 31, 2009 11:36:45 PM CDT
Seth Rogen loves to suck a vagrants balls.
by seth_rogens_hairy_breasts
And tongue the anus just a lil' bit.
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A: Not at all.
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A: We Are Devo!
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Another "FIRST!" douche bag, even more pathetic when made SoylentMean's bitch. You're a bigger failure then dog shit on a shoe.
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the entire gang will be gone in less than 5 years.
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But it only serves to underscore for me how utterly horrible this so-called viral marketing campaign was.
I think the studio really fucking bombed when it came to marketing this correctly. -
And I'm not going to blindly condemn it as the worst thing since feminism like some people are doing to G.I. Joe, but between all the trailers and the praise-filled AICN reviews, still nobody has managed to say or do anything that sparks the slightest bit of my interest in what looks like a drearily maudlin story populated by one-trick ponies going through the motions.Maybe you could lie and say Sean Connery came out of retirement to play a walk-on role or something . . . ?
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i disagree about the women. i think they were treated equal to the men. that may not sit well, but it's more realistic. women are 3 dimensional people as well. they deserve to fuck up and want and change their minds and be just messy. sure the stories are usually about men like this who get their shit together and come down to earth to be with the good sensible woman, but in this story's world, like the real world, women are just as complicated as men. i loved it. i loved the whole movie. great from beginning to end. my favorite moment is "i've decided to forgive him this morning". what an unbelievably wonderful line.
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it's for people who are willing to pull back from the bullshit at take a long look at life. it isn't the opposite of an Adam Sandler movie, because those movies are just silly good fun. like going to a fair. this movie was just plain utterly honest. it doesn't really have answers and it doesn't even really ask any hard questions. it really was more like getting to sit down with someone older who will tell you about their life. not someone who is wise and tells you how to live. just someone who has lived and tells you about it. and the film is also filled with dick jokes. which are in fact funny. and they relieve the tension from a very honest dramatic story. if there is a moral to this story. i think there is one slipped in a little tiny bit. maybe more of a theme. it is that
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must be pretty two-faced. eh?
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Aug 01, 2009 12:49:57 AM CDT
Might have okay opening, but repeat business will be tough.
by juansanchez
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Aug 01, 2009 12:53:01 AM CDT
SoylentMean - Hurt Locker is solid. One of the year's best.
by juansanchez
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you should see while you have the chance as hardly anyone gets to make a studio picture that even tries this any longer. Although the world of comedy has been Apatow's muse and home, I'm really glad someone showed with total harsh honesty the competition and neuroses that poison friendships involved in any creative subculture. It often reminded me of the tribulations my online community of gay Thundercats fan fiction writers go through on a month to month basis - there are the superstars, like the guy who wrote "Mumm-Ra's Mommy fetish", who we all put on a pedastal, and when he got sciatica from his passionate writing, he did not change for the better.
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also, people totally stole my joke about Capone's actor credits on his GI Joe review.
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DISTRICT 9 on the other hand...
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7Cy9u_-O54
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'First he comes across as a pretty decent guy, then he gets a bit of alcohol in him and turns into something of a raging dick. It doesn't feel natural or plausible.' You must not get out much.
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dubious about this one... i'm a bit tired of apatow casting the same crew in every one of his pictures. i get it that he's loyal and all that but really, try and mix it up a bit hey? this schtick gets old pretty damn fast, itd be nice to have some new faces give it a whirl. and i really don't like leslie mann on screen
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and then just keeps on going for another hour. I know you wanna cram your wife and kids into this Judd but jeez the movie's OVER, let it end already!
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This is one of those movies you put on your Netflix que and hold off quite a while before letting it actually ship. By that time, you find it playing on HBO or Skinamax, watch it, and are glad you had a better movie in your mailbox waiting to be watched to make you forget the mediocrity of this so-so comedy. Apatow really needs to rethink his casting choices from now on. He needs to quit drumming up Rogen as a leading man. He needs to work with other actors and not the same stale crew that helped put him where he is today.
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Apatow = overrated.
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They control all the media I tells ya!
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Knocked Up got great reviews, but I thought it was incredibly dull, wasn't funny and needed to be cut by at least 30 minutes!
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Those poor basterds, thank fark its not me... HA AH AHA HAHAHAHAHA
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146 minutes. Apatow needs to be held to 2 hours max.
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the theatrical version of this snoozefest was 146 minutes, i shudder to think how long the "unrated and extended" version on DVD will be. my guess on the over under is 3 hours anyone else?
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I liked it .. a bit too long for me .. would have liked a more "respect to standup" sort of movie, with clips of some of the cameos best routines ... but otherwise a funny flick with decent people in it .. a homerun? nah ..
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I thought experienced funny guys like Apatow knew that comedies past the 90 minute mark almost never work well.
And I say this as a guy who has liked pretty much all of Apatow's filmography. My least favorite is probably Pineaple Express. It was gold for an hour plus, but they really had to include that warehouse shoot-out finale and turn it into a Rush Hour retread? Ugh. -
This one hurts a little because it had the potential to be one of the all time greats. But the third act is just foul and ruins a lot of good will from the first 2.
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I fell asleep during one of the commercials so no way can I handle 2.5 hours of awkward jewmour.
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Aug 01, 2009 3:25:19 PM CDT
WATCH AS SHITHEADS LEARN ABOUT LIFE, LOVE, AND FRIENDSHIP.
by haterofcrap
I saw apatow and sandler on charlie rose. couple of mutual asskissing megadouches. will the next flavor of the week director please stand up?
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I would like to see him direct a comedy. He has to break out of that shitty cheap horror shit he's used too.
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I don't understand why it's cool to slam him now. Everyone raved about 40year old virgin. Pretty much the same for Knocked Up. Now he's a pariah? What the fuck? It really does come across as "we hate the successful guy". Someone actually said "This movie doesn't look funny from the trailers and so it will get skipped" and no one slammed that person for it. The transformers 2 TB was less one-sided.
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to the person who said "This movie doesn't look funny from the trailers and so it will get skipped", You are a gigantic poop nozzle attached to a diarrhetic child's bottom. You, sir, are a bum. A no good bum.
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Yeah, Apatow's a real idiot for wanting to follow in the loser footsteps of such losers as Python and PTA. How did he not realize that his career and the quality of his films would suffer if he used an ensemble cast that kept getting better with age because they knew eachother's cues and spurred each other on to new challenges? How was it that he missed that and just blindly continued on in the stead of people like Christopher Guest and Robert Altman. Apatow clearly has missed the boat and understands nothing of film making.
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I think they do quite well ... again, with age they will get better
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with age this will all be forgotten. these movies are not ensembles, they are CLIQUES. losers who are now the "cool" kids. but they're not cool, or really anything upwardly lifting, creative, or even amusing. and I have always hated apatows shit movies and shows. Freaks and geeks sucked, 40 year old virgin was fucking annoying, knocked up deserves to be knocked out of existence, and zohan needs to be vomited on and fucked by the vomit guy from stern. no need to elaborate any further.
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you are a wordsmith sir, that's what you are.
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if he would stop thinking so highly of himself he'd be able to edit his films to under 2 HOURS! give us a break already. 90 MINUTES!
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Aug 01, 2009 5:20:27 PM CDT
weak reviews flooding in from all over the net. Weak movie
by doctorzoidberg
Freaks and Geeks, and all of Apatow's older stuff is gold. He is now lost in the maze of hollywood bullshit that encompasses all projects that are not truly independent. And you can count them on one hand. Seriously, one hand.
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...when AICN was still relevant? Ah, those were the days.
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Aug 01, 2009 5:22:37 PM CDT
Oh and Adam Sandler is a douchnozzle. Sorry but it is true
by doctorzoidberg
I want to like the guy, but I can't. Douchenozzle. Douchenozzle.
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Just math, nothing more.
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and 90 min is under 2 hours. Good to see you can do math, too, Doc.
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The first hour was funny, the part with Mathers getting pissed at Ray was hilarious "I thought everybody loved you."Shortly after that, I don't think I laughed more than once or twice.
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yeah you're making one big assumption there funny guy... that the ensemble cast ARE actually getting better with age... as opposed to, oh say, just getting tired and bored by churning out the same jokes in different disguises. what makes you think that just because he's using the same actors that automatically means he's heading down the same path to greatness as groups like monty python? i'd say at the moment his path is more comparable to that of kevin smith. the same shit under a different name, not great or classic. now i'm no apatow hater, i liked virgin and knocked up, but i think he should try different things and different actors.
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and it didn't even have well known people in it.
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Don't say that it won't be funny. You're the kinda dicks that sit the whole movie whining about things you didn't like, so frequently that you forget to laugh.
It's incredibly well-produced, well-written, earnest, hilarious, and it was a great experience.
ALSO! Don't say the marketing campaign wasn't well-thought out because there wasn't a day that went by that I didn't see something about it on the internet or on tv.
And if you've seeeeen the movie, you'll understand the "Yo Teach" marketing campaign. It's not "viral", its immersive. It brings you into the world of the movie where you relate this crappy children's sitcom to shows that actually exist and you get to meet Schwartzman's character who is fantastic. -
Whoever he is, he needs to watch the garage door opener episode of 'Freaks and Geeks' about 100 fucking times. Or until he realizes that an audience can decide on their own how to feel. They don't need to be hit over the fucking head with a 2X4 every time you want to make a point. Goodwill from the aforementioned F&G has its limits.
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He plays the hell out of the character and makes George Simmon's seem like that's how Adam Sandler really is even though none of it is at all true.
JUST SEE THE MOVIE AND STOP BITCHIN.
The Hangover is a different type of movie so don't compare them.
The Hangover was amazing but there's more than one level of funny. -
I'm not being a dick here, but honestly, tell me what you liked about this movie. I didn't find a single moment that felt real. The disease was the very definition of a plot device. And everything that came after it was movie of the week level melodrama. But with worse acting. Oh, and not a single character was likable. Which is fine. But none of them were relatable, either. I think Judd made a movie that will appeal to selfish standup comedians in L.A. and absolutely no one else. The point to showing an insular world is to give you some insight into why they are the way they are. 2 1/2 hours later, I have no fucking idea. So, really, tell me what I missed.
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Does a 600% drop next weekend sound unreasonable?
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Trailer didn't grab me. Tv previews didn't grab me either. If I cannot get hooked via one of those two then there's no hope for me to see this. It just doesn't look good. Will wait for a free dvd rental or the $3.00 discount bin at Target.
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Simmons = Gatsby
Ira = Nick
Laura = Daisy
Clarke = Tom -
I can see how that it is kind'a like Gatsby, except that Gatsby was a false richy and Simmons is actually what Gatsby wished that he was, a rich guy made by his own way into a fortune.I see Funny People as more of drama/comedy on the pitfalls of trying to achieve fame (i.e. suck'sess) over trying to be a good person.I read Steve Martin's book 'Born Standing Up' and had a better understanding of a up-and-coming comic striving for movie star-dom than this pic.But, I applaud you on seeing the similiar story points (actually, your' insight makes the film seem even more shallow).... (I've read Gatsby ((as most have)) and by comparing, I see it as a lesser version.)
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Much funnier.
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Bill and Ted's Bogues Journey!!!
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Here's the deal. Everything you just said is a complete matter of opinion, that could be modified by what you've been through in your life. I say the characters are interesting, likable, and relatable, and you can feel the opposite. So I said none of those things. And if these guys are making more than you will make in your entire life from acting, I'm pretty sure there's got to be something to it.
Seth Rogen has his annoying moments, but its because the character is HUMAN. That's why its believable. Everyone is extremely flawed, but they try to do what they think is right for themselves. Like you're trying to do what's right for yourself by taking your frustration out on someone stating an opinion of a movie. I'm trying to be courteous sir, but can I really trust the opinions in artistic expression of a person who calls themselves "Garbageman"? Valid and shockingly true. -
I dont read from these guys.
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Good movie, but Apatow let his kids frolic around on screeen for way too long. Here are 20 mins of cuts that someone should have had the balls to insist upon:
1. The entire SF airport scene. Could have been handled faster elsewhere.
2. The kids watching 'Yo, Teach!' with Rogen
3. The rugby watching scene
4. The 'insulting aussie accent' scene. Fine for the trailer, but should have been left there.
5. And the Eminem scene. Didn't work, sorry, even though it was moderately funny. -
I sure smiled a whole lot though, but I actually really, really liked the movie. Might be a bit long for me to take on any rewatching duties, but first time around its definitely won me over.
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Aug 02, 2009 6:38:28 AM CDT
Friday haul $4 million < Superbad, $1 million < Knocked Up
by juansanchez
< means less than.
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Actually, I've been through living at home while my father slowly died of cancer. So yes, I could certainly relate to someone being gravely ill. But that's the thing. His situation never seemed grave to me. There was one cheesy montage and he got really winded when he went swimming that one time. That's it. I'm not asking for Brian's Song. But if you don't convey the severity of his situation, how am I supposed to respond to him being changed by it?
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This is a movie opinion site. It's not a site where we point out which scenes had the boom mike dangling into frame. Or argue about historical inaccuracies.
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Damn You Michael Bay
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I think the trailer was a warning; a 3 1/2 minute trailer? Instant red flag. A 2 1/2 hour comedy(-drama)? Can we say 'self-indulgent'?
And it's sad that people are still hating on Katherine Heigl. I guess that guys are so distracted by what comes out of her mouth, they tend to forget they want to put it in her butt. Don't worry; happens to the best of us. Not me, though. When it comes to stuff like this, I have a mind like an elephant; I *never* forget. -
Did I tell you that you couldn't dislike the movie? No. At no point did I tell someone who didn't like the movie that they were wrong for it. I'm telling people who haven't actually seen the movie not to judge by what others say. Think what you want, bro, but I'm telling you for a fact you personally can't make a better film. If you can find a funnier way for a man to go through believing he's dying of cancer, go for the gold, Michelle Kwan. But until then, I will fight you with the belief that people shouldn't pass judgement on movies they haven't seen, or whole-heartedly despise an artistic expression. So. Have at thee, douchebag.
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Really, I am. Personally, I prefer characters who aren't one dimensional. Especially when they all have the same single dimension (insecurity). I found it a bit like watching a Woody Allen movie in which all the characters were Woody Allen. But hey, that's just me.
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Come the fuck on. There's always one or two yahoos who literally hate anything that anyone popular ever does. Apatow not funny? Rogen not funny? Jesus. I mean, they don't have to be your favorite, but to say that they have no talent is just absurd.
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For an assfuck
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but everything else was pretty good. Corney or just plain strange doesn't begin to explain most of Rogen's absurd dialogue. Also it does run a little long. Apatow's wife is super-hot. This movie is worth renting but no way worth seeing in the theatre.
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