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Harry reviews FUNNY PEOPLE...
The latest film from Judd Apatow is his least outrageous comedy yet. Most of the laughs come from the actual stand-up routines - with much of the real life... well, it reveals characters of a deeply flawed fashion. Seth Rogen's Ira Wright is a struggling mediocre talent living with two brighter and more successful comedic talents in Jonah Hill's Leo Koenig and Jason Schwartzman's Mark Taylor Jackson. Ira is filled with self-doubt and insecurity. He works a job he hates at a deli counter, and he desperately wants a break. One night at the improv, the break arrives in the form of Adam Sandler's George Simmons. You see, George Simmons is one of those Comedy talents that was daring and badass and awesome in the beginning, but then as he matured, he went batnuts pansy ass and started making shit family films that suck the marrow from the hipbone of comedy. As if he hadn't already slit the throat of comedy, he has found that his own life is ebbing to a close... he has some form of deadly blood thing that is so far along that his only hope is experimental drug therapy. BUT - he it doesn't look good. Upon reviewing his life, he finds he misses the standup days of old. So George decides to go back to the open mike. It just so happens he does so in-between Jonah Hill and Seth Rogen's routines... thus Jonah's LEO can claim he opened for George Simmons... and Ira Wright has to follow the Comedy Legend. George's routine is terrible. Morose. Unfunny. If George hadn't already been given a death sentence, the crowd's silence was more than loud enough for him to hear. When he got off the stage, Seth's Ira takes the mike - and he's stunned. George had just committed comedy sepuku on stage and he had to give the comedic Eulogy - and it is brutal. Make no bones about it, Ira's eulogy of George Simmons' routine wasn't exactly funny, but it was dead on in terms of describing what had just happened on stage. The next day, Ira gets a call from George asking that he and Leo write some material for an upcoming MYSPACE comedy gig he's doing. Ira claims that Leo is occupied, but that he's more than up to the task. To add insult to injury, he siphons off material from Leo that he then sells to George, but then, when George asks him to open for him... Ira uses all the material he'd just written for George, who gets up there and improvs up some other material and does well. But George likes Ira. Decides that Ira will become his new assistant. His new best friend. His professional companion. From here, the film becomes about George's struggle with his medication, his condition, reconnecting to his lost love, Laura - played by the exceedingly adorable Leslie Mann - who has married Eric Bana. Hijinks ensue - but throughout it all - it remains funny and on target. I think the only character that might make a worthwhile friend in the entire film is Jonah Hill's Leo Koenig. His code of friendship is pretty damn rock solid. Meanwhile, everyone else is kind of a whacked personality - all capable and seemingly eager to betray basic rules of friendship and common decency. I like the film quite a bit. It has been ages since Sandler has been this good. Seriously. Ages. Seth Rogen is fucking rock solid as Ira Wright. It is a brave performance, brutally inept and constantly operating from the fear side of the Life Line. Giggle. But it is a great performance. Jason Schwartzman plays douche like nobody's business. However, it is Torsten Voges as Dr. Lars - who completely steals the film for me. I recognized him right off as being one of the Nihilist from THE BIG LEBOWSKI - but Sandler and Rogen's ribbing is constantly funny, if only because of Torsten's uncomfortable reaction to their bullshit. He makes it real. At the party scene later, when he delivers the line he delivers. FUCKING FRIED GOLD!!! Torsten Voges is awesome! So Awesome! This may not be Apatow's funniest film, but in many ways it is his best overall film. Janusz Kaminski's photography is really great. It is a very strong film. It is interesting to watch a maturing Apatow. I have a hope that he'll end up making a film that can stand up with some of the great comedy dramas like THE APARTMENT. He feels as though he wants to flirt with that kind of material... let's hope he gets there.
Readers Talkback
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I felt I had my expectations in the right place so it wasn't that. Nothing was strong enough. It just didn't know what type of film it wanted to be. The ending felt rushed. Way too long. I could go on. Hate that I feel this way about it cause I really wanted to like it.
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...and you felt the ending was rushed? That's not a good sign.
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Things are getting back to normal around here... Need to find some time to see this, its just so fucking long...
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It's way too short. <p>/p> Where are the first six paragraphs of you going on about some childhood memory of meeting George Carlin or something and realizing that you knew right then you'd be a comedian. <p></p> However life had other plans so you gave up on your dream. I wanted to read that. Then you could get to your review. <p></p> Just saying.
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Came out disappointed. Funny in places, but nowhere near as funny as some make it out to be. When Ray Romano gets the biggest laugh, something is wrong. The whole Leslie Mann plot was doomed from the off-set. There was just no way it could have worked out well, and as it was...what did any of them take away from it by the end? I don't feel like like anyone in the movie learned anything from the experience. The "he only went down on me" thing was bullshit too. If you're going to go down the adultery route, then at least have the courage of your convictions to follow through on it. Finally, what is it with Apatow and penises? He's obsessed with them.
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Fatasses 2Gether 4 Ever.
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"Ira's routine is terrible. Morose. Unfunny. If George hadn't already been given a death sentence, the crowd's silence was more than loud enough for him to hear." Did you mean, "George's routine is terrible"? Also, "BUT - he it doesn't look good".
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..why people keep calling it "a deadly blood disease" or "some deadly blood thing". its CANCER people, AML is a form of leukemia, cancer of the blood. its not all that uncommon. geeze.
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WTF Harry? cocktease.
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holy crap it is long, longer than the god damn lord of the rings. it felt like there was literally no editing at all. some seriously bad acting from the fat guy and the female whats her name. yeah sandler was better than i expected.
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The penis jokes did it for me. The whole crew is obsessed with them. Judd Apatow has no talent. He's full of cheap jokes, and has absolutely no wit. His humor is so brain dead, it's an indicator of the sad state of America that people like it. I don't even believe the reviews anymore, I refuse to see his films, period.
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I think harry's review is pretty spot on. It was definately funny but it wasn't nearly as hilarious as his past films. Glad I'm not alone in thinking Dr. Lars was awesome! Didn't recognize him as one of the Nihlists though. Shame on me. I just watched Lebowski again a few weeks ago.
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This movie was crap and Harry knows it. There's a reason 3/4th of his "review" is plot synopsis.
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actually goes somewhere! This never did!
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Does Harry check his shit before posting at all??
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I agree ab the number of penis jokes...put in 1 or 2, fine....10+, lame.
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the vast majority of the movie is pretty good. Though would have been content to see on video instead. Seriously though, how/why did they come up w/ some of Rogen's dialogue... talk about over-done, corney, and unreal.
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Yes, that was meant to sound like comic boy guy. See, it's funny to mimic the head writer of the site!
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Hi jinx ensue!
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this doesn't seem like your usual kind of review
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Were you contractually obligated to post a review on this one? Seems almost like an after thought rather than a review.
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and how variable it is. I really don't mind a long movie, but when a movie is running out of gas, the time perception grows in importance. I could easily watch a 4 hour movie if it stays interesting.
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Once Upon a Time in America. I don't usually have 4 hours to give to a single film, but that was time well spent.
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Funny? Sure. But's he's never even approached a persuasive dramatic performance in a movie, and Funny People is no exception. Furthermore this flick is full of ugly, deplorable, unsympathetic characters. It takes a goddamn hour and a half for Sandler to beat the disease (which was so brilliantly given away in the trailers -- nice job marketing team) then trudges through its interminable third act. The last hour of this movie is uninspired garbage. What a colossal disappointment.
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zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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That's more your speed.
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Good god. I looked at my watch so many times I think I sprained my wrist. The family stuff is interminable. No, really, did we need the 5 minute peanut butter scene?
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Not liking a movie doesn't make you a hater. It just means you didn't like the movie. And Apatow isn't a god of comedy.
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Aug. 2, 2009, 8:21 p.m. CST
I'm hearing what sounds like a lot of "interesting experiment" c
by IndustryKiller!
I've heard it's a good film, but maybe it's even better as something Apatow needed to go through before he can really feel confident going into truly great Dramedy. I hope that's the case and he finds that confidence. I don't want him to make just ok adult slice of life bittersweet comedies forever. Not that those are always bad, but leaves you somewhere in the middle emotionally.
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It's okay for people to have different opinions! That's what great about being human! We can disagree!
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We're not sports fans; we don't get any vicarious gratification when our favourites do well or are critically acclaimed, or rather we shouldn't.
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Was looking forward to this movie since I enjoyed both of Apatow's past ones, but this just fell flat. If I had to do it over I would just wait until it was on television instead of paying to see it.
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Very simple. You will laugh, there are even some emotional moments that pay off, but it's not a great movie. It's just okay. You know how Knocked Up was this totally over-praised film and then when you actually watch it, the response was just a shrug and "eh". This is that movie. Not terrible, not great. It's like Apatow's Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. In the end, it amounts to just an ambivalent shrug.
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"No good movie is too long, no bad movie is too short."
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Dramatic, powerful, funny. But it ambles, it meanders, and it pisses you off? The first thing on the chopping block: everything with Jonah Hill and the roommates. Distill the flick down to Sander and Rogen, that's where the heart of the film is. Cut back on more Rogen to leave in more of Sandler - he's the star of the movie, let his story shine. A big problem with the flim is that it's a lot of sub-plots struggling for dominance. It's Apatow's cry for help to the heavens: "DEAR GOD!!! I NEED AN EDITOR!!!!" His last two movies have been like that, and this one is no exception. Keep on producing, though, Apatow: Walk Hard, Superbad, and Pineapple Express are all fucking awesome.
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It just doesn't seem like something Harry wrote. There's no...slobbering passion. And I mean that in a good way. It feels like it was outsourced to India. Maybe he's having an off day. We all have them. At least, I do.
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there is no way the harry knowles we know and love wrote the above review, where was the opening paragraph that states he knows one of the stars and goes to his birthday party every year, or where's the slight blurb about owning soething in the movie as a child and hoiw he loves the entire movie because of one smal remark about austin that realy hits home with him<P>nah this review is not harry knows material
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Trek, Up, Funny People, and Hurt Locker. You hated everything else.
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Aug. 2, 2009, 8:48 p.m. CST
brought the 2 hr + curse on oursleves by giving TDK 400 mil
by Tall_Boy66
Damn Nolan and Co. for making a movie at 2 hours and 40 minutes that kicked ass all the way through. Now EVERYBODY thinks they can do it. And then we get...Funny People and Transformers: RoTF. At least Wolverine didn't try to be that long.
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It was kind of an awkwardly written review, but the gist of it was that he liked Harry Potter.
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However he’s understandably handicapped by the fact that he’s Jonah Hill.
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He mostly talked about the books.
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i think it was a pretty great movie minus all the ex girlfriend shit. that all needs to be cut out. my town finally got hurt locker this weekend. i saw that today too. all i can say is 'wow' . now that is a great film. one of the most tense films ive ever seen.
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I mean, all of it. Have it talked about backstage. Apatow gave it to the actors to write their own bits, but it really fell flat on it's face. It's really hard to take a movie about comedy seriously when the comedy of them doing their jobs on stage is gawdawful.
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all the reviewers share the same mind. They all loved Funny People, all hated Transformers 2, all loved GI Joe.
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He seems to be writing a lot of nasty shit movies this year.
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Sure, there the "once in a blue moon" disagreement, but that was only really Harry and Moriarty. It's all the same cookie-cutter opinion set down by Herr Knowles from the top bottom. you get some different in the spy/test screening reports, but not by much.
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Is anyone going to mention Lindsay Lohan being added to the cast of Machete? And why did I find out about this on Perez Hilton?
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Vis a vis Spielberg anyway.
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Aug. 2, 2009, 9:39 p.m. CST
Was it "crazy fun" or "crazy cool?" Maybe "crazy crazy?"
by James Westfall
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anyone else noticed that this didnt seem like the typical bloated harry review. <br><br>didnt leave disappointed.
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http://www.marktaylorjackson.com/
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Besides the missing page about growing up with Funny People action figures, i missed the proverbial "That said" in the review. I may have missed it since I was in shock at the lack of action figure love or the wistfullness of how this movie made Harry feel like he was in love.
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I'm assuming this is a jab at Eddie Murphy: <p> "You see, George Simmons is one of those Comedy talents that was daring and badass and awesome in the beginning, but then as he matured, he went batnuts pansy ass and started making shit family films that suck the marrow from the hipbone of comedy."
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That famous quote was actually Ebert's, and he voiced it throughout the years. There's a Tonight Show (Carson era) or Letterman appearance, which may still be posted at YouTube, where Roger repeats said phrase too. All these years later and people are still mixing Roger and Gene up. No biggie.
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First hour was good...but the end lost me. The quick shift of Adam Sandler's obsession with Mann & her discussing plans to move down to L.A. (!! so improbable for her kids), to him now only caring about his next movie deal & her loss of interest...it wasn't what I thought.
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...needs a phantom edit?
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This happened and then this happened and then this happened.... It's funny how you hear contributors on this site talk about the craft of a review and how they look up to certain figures who write stellar reviews and this is all they can ever come up with. How have you people not gotten better at this by now?
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That guy has done damage to Spielbergo's movies over the years. WAR OF THE WORLDS is a lense-filter festival of annoying. I don't need to see the glare off of the actors' eyeballs, thank you very much.
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...but Steve Martin, Robin Williams and a couple other people whose names escape me. <br><br> Maybe I'm assuming, but those names came to mind when I read that line.
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Harry Knowles glowing review of GI Joe on the Yahoo home page?
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This site is staking its' credibility on GI Joe, hope it's worth it.
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It was good, made me laugh, but is a much rougher character examination than I expected. Also Rogen must feel like Apatow's bitch, he's become more fem-like every movie. He was kinda of a pussy-hound in 40-year old virgin, he's nearly neutered in FP.
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Jonah Hill's bit killed me.
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...to GI JOE is just fucking bizarre. If you're going to shill for a big studio release, do it for one that you won't be embarrassed by in a month's time.
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No joke, but I suppose GI has a bit more marketing cash to throw around than say D9.
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...Julie & Julia with Streep and Adams, directed by Nora Ephron. I've read some good things about it. Yeah, it's a chick flick, but I hear it's a really GOOD one. But GI-fucking-JOE? The concept that Team America did better years earlier?
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Meryl is like a female Denzel, built-in audience and she always does a great job.
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In anything. That chick is adora-fuckable.
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And since when does Harry review a movie days after it opens? <p> Is this damage control on a film that underperformed at the box office?
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Takes herself way too seriously. Like she's an artiste with an e.
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Whatever happened to the adaptation of Picasso at the Lapin Agile? I thought I read about that years ago (around the time Shopgirl came out), but don't see anything about it on imdb.
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all you did was recap the movie and then tell us that the best part was a guy who had about 15-min of screen presence. Why the hell do reviewers insist on recapping the fucking movie? You're two days late reviewing this movie. It's safe for you to assume that we've read other reviews by lesser reviewers and therefore we've read recaps already. You didn't like the movie. It had no effect on you. And the reason for this is because you are not involved in the stand-up comedy world. Apatow made this for them probably as an accident. It is so geared toward them that it's completely unrelatable to most of the rest of us. Also, Ira's follow up to George's bombing set was not "brutal". He makes a suicide joke and that's it. It's not brutal. Jim Norton, Colin Quinn, Louis C.K., Greg Giraldo. Those guys have brutal shit in their live shows. And it extends well beyond a pussy suicide joke. Good movie, but not of the caliber of 40-yr old or Knocked up.
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It's because Apatow makes all his movies way too long. 40 year-old virgin was badly hurt by it's length.
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I am shocked! Shocked i tell you!!
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Come on Harry... really! The movie's tone was depressing (like punchline) and the jokes wouldn't even make the cut on the average episode of South Park. It was 2 unfunny hours that kept going in slow, boring circles and ended in a limp-dicked way, much like it's jokes. This cinematic fecal pile is not even close to 40 yo virgin. This movie flat-out sucks and was a total waste of $8.00. It's not even worth seeing for free.
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As of this weekend, The Hangover has made $255,776,000, topping Star Trek's $254,642,000.
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jeeze
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Overratted = Describes something that whole lot of other people besides you, and I mean a WHOLE LOT, liked. Usu. when others who have a better sense of humor or are more attached to the real world favor something that one asshole does not, this term applies. For example: "That new Star Trek is so overrated because it has a storyline that moves and non-cheesy special effects, and doesn't cater to just us sci-fi geeks!" Term used by losers, except when it refers to anything by Aaron Sorkin, to which the word suitably applies.
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Saw a free screener of this. If it cost 75 million you don't see the money on the screen. I'm guessin the Appatow's BRATmitzvahPACK lined their pockets on this one. And "Jason Schwartzman plays douche like nobody's business." Yup, it's innate.
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not one character is likeable or endearing (and i got the idea that apatow meant it that way), except for apatow's kids who are too fucking cute<P> i was shocked that not one standup routine was funny (and again, it is possible that apatow meant for it to be that way)<P> i saw this film as apatow's personal rant at hollywood, and a straight out jab to his friend sadler, who sat there and just took it (much like the characters in the film take shit from each other without really retaliating<P> but there is a good movie in here...and its core are the vids that apatow took of the young sadler and the rest of the buds...that movie i want to see<P>this one...i kinda wish i didnt<P> although it was nice to see sandler finally play an adult
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was posted on worst previews and elsewhere almost a week ago...and perez hilton is a fucking no talent hack...what the fuck are you doing going to that site? trolling for cock?
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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.
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Observe & Report sucked. I Love You, Man sucked. Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past sucked. The Hangover sucked.
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punchdrunk love then?
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i just remembered there were tits in this movie.
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This movie was boooooooooorrrring. Apatow needs to ditch his regular cast and try out some new blood. I'm sure he's earned his keep with these overrated twats that he helped put on the map and vice-versa.
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The trailers were unappealing and confusing. Is this a stand-up concert movie? A typical goofy Adam Sandler movie? Wait, he's dying of Cancer? Is this one of these movies that starts out funny then turns sappy? Who's the star Adam Sandler or Seth Rogen? Just what the hell is this movie about? Gimmie two tickets to G-force.
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It seems to be a recurring theme on here - nobody can be arsed with his fat, loud profane crap anymore. He has absolutely zero talent - Superbad showed that (awaits flames because it has a guy called McLovin. Woop.) I think Carrell had the right idea in stepping back from the crowd after Virgin (cameo as himself in Knocked Up doesn't count). And Seth Rogen really needs to stop being the white Sam Jackson and taking every single role going. We need a break.
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Not just the buddy comedy aspect, but him getting sick, getting all serious, then beating the disease, then going after the old girlfriend. They should have shown the buddy comedy aspect and a snippet of the girlfriend aspect. That's it.
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i'm still not going to see funny people or gi joe
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Thanks for the correction - I could have SWORN it was Siskel. Siskel did ask would the movie be an improvement on the same cast having lunch, which is a great line.
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The funny thing is I thought that Carrell's cameo was the unfunniest thing he's ever done. There was something very mean-spirited about the tone of Knocked Up.
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Who the fugg wants to see a comedy with pathos.I could barely stomach Man in the Moon despite Carrey's exceptional performance, the last 3 minutes was cryptic.Some date movie that was.<p>And I never bothered to watch Patch Adams, you don't mix something as fucked up as cancer with comedy. Bad combination indeed.
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... are all giving this the same review. "This isn't really funny or anything, but ... WOW, THE PATHOS!" None of the apologists for Apatow know what to make of it and are therefore scrambling - it's hilarious!
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Adam got $20M but where did the rest go??? Guess those CPAs are friends of friends.lol
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YOU CAN READ BOUT IT HERE AT TIME: http://tinyurl.com/me82cj AND HERE AT CNN: http://tinyurl.com/ksevyf
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What the fuck is this? I would have been flunked from Film Appreciation 101 with this shit. Since when is a review just a plot summary with a terse unsupported opinion tacked on at the end? What the fuck is this website these days? Old news, staff devoid of credibility or intelligence, and "interviews" that come off more like fanwank stroke-jobs. Fuck this place.
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Although it's positive, you can tell Harry's not thrilled with it. It's actually a tough movie to hate. Nearly every aspect of this movie is top-notch, but the consensus on this film is spot-on: overlong and self-indulgent. Now, if you really like Judd Apatow, self-indulgent isn't necessarily a bad thing. (oh, and his kids are actually better than most child actors.) For me, the film derailed in the hour-long (maybe longer?) visit George pays to his ex-wife. Sure, it's the intended path of the movie, but like Seth Rogen's Ira, we're stuck watching Sandler play family man when anything other than this sounds like fun. The parts with stand-up and the doctor stand out because the rest of the movie is tedious. This is kind of like Judd Apatow's Elizabethtown...except it's only his third film. He needs to dial it way down, maybe even make a spin-off where we actually get to follow stand-up comedians trying to make it big. That's where the story was here, but it was treated like an aside. The only thing that will survive from this movie is Raaaaaaaandy. That's eight a's. Oh, and it's nice to see someone mention Janusz' work on the film. That was a pleasant surprise, and there is some truly gorgeous camera-work.
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Assuming there are any. I mean, the fucking movie is two and a half hours long. I cant imagine he actually deleted anything. But if he did, I hope it fills in more of the standup comedy angle. To me, that was the heart of the movie. But Judd just had to get that family shit in there. To me, the far more interesting family was the comedians struggling to make it.
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Oh, and in the future, you don't have to tell us why you're leaving. Just leave.
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sandler was almost an adult in that one...also saw the one he did with don cheedle...but he played a nutcase in that movie, so he could still be a juvenile
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Harry, you're really damning with faint praise when you state an actor with about 4 minutes of screen time steals a 2 and a half hour movie.
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Aug. 3, 2009, 11:02 a.m. CST
Yeah I have to agree..I Don't think Harry wrote this
by Glory_Fades_ImMaxFischer
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How could he not know that films about standup comedians = death at box office. Mr. Saturday NIght, Punchline, etc. And aren't the lives of comedians bad enough without a fatal disease?
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Never thought I'd ever say that. I like the movie the more I think about. However, they may want to lay off the dick jokes. I felt like I was hearing the same punch line over and over sometimes. Also, I'm kind of surprised Ken Jeong was nowhere to be seen. He's been every comedy better for the last two years.
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He said he wanted to forcibly shove the life line up my ass!
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Take note Hollywood. Never become too big and too famous. Or else Joe Basement will hate on you.
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In many aspects his writing style is symbolic of the very essence of the American Way. Sloppy. Slap-Dash. Lazy. Ill-conceived. Incoherent. Crude. And yet Harry profits greatly from this just like America profits from its hamfisted, corrupt ineptitude. Hats off to you Harry. You're the living embodiment of America. They should tear down the statue of liberty and erect the statue of Harry in NY harbor.
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...but this doesn't seem to have been written by the same person. It could just be an evolution of style. If so, give me the old style, which, although occasionally sloppy, was nonetheless filled with life.
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The movie was good, but damn did he let pointless scenes run for too long. He really needs to edit his films down. Ridiculous: http://www.filmsavior.com/a-note-to-judd-apatow-top-5-ways-funny-people-could-have-heen-brilliant-instead-of-pretty-good/
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Just because we like movies doesn't mean we have to swallow everything and be grateful. We're allowed to say something sucks.
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If we don't like a movie or a filmmaker's current project, we're "hatin'" or the target is a victim of backlash due to their wild success? <p> How about if the movie just isn't any damn good? (Eye roll)
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NOW, GO TO YOUR ROOM!
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I just found this out last week. God, I need drugs. Even a cigarette would do. I like Apatow but his detractors are correct. He makes movies that are way too long. Brevity is the soul of wit, Apatow. Stinks like ego if you're making 2.5 hour comedies.
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Perfect bookends. But damn if Judd didn't get lost a whole bunch of times in between.
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You know, as in, MICROPHONE. Funny People was pretty good.
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And those are supposed to contain the best parts of the film. Please tell me that the film itself is funnier than the trailer.
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Tim Burton opened up his own museum... Can we all say ASSHOLE?
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There's nothing to suggest he'll come anywhere near the glory of that film
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Why every reviewer has to 'qualify' this film as not typical Apatow.. that he's maturing.. that he's trying to do something different. It's like everyone is trying to make it ok that he didn't make a funny movie because it's trying to be touching. It's ok that it doesn't succeed as a heartwrencher because it has some funny parts. I found the whole thing mediocre, boring and too long. BUT... I'll give props to Nero.. he was the standout comedically and dramatically, not that Nihilist.
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"You have a thick cock" "Your cock must be so thick" "You should see this guy's cock, it's thick!" That's followed by 2 1/2 hours of convoluted, fragmented filmmaking.
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Basically, Harry is in cahoots with Apatow's productions (see: every single positive review of an Apatow production ever. Aside from, like, one bad review of Year One.) On Sunday, the writing is on the wall that Funny People is going to be a rather expensive bellyflop. So Harry hastily whips up a positive, lip-service review for the film to try to desperately kick in some more business, keep Harry good with Apatow, and keep Harry deep in Pwesents. Maybe not 100% accurate, but seems pretty gat-damn close to me.
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...but as much as I liked it, it certainly ground on the nerves a bit at times; especially Eric Bana who was on screen about ten minutes too long.
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was the only and best film to capture the struggle of stand up comics. Those people are idiots. <p> Seinfeld's "Comedian" kicked the shit out of this.
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Second half ruins it. Entire Leslie Mann/Bana subplot should have been axed.
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only with cancer salted in.
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He has a long way to go to make his appearance in anything a worth while occasion. <p>so pretty scared that is supposed to be the emotional centre of it. <p> Butttttttttttt, heard many polorising reviews of this. Im sure I'll at least give it (and Jonah Hill) the time of day. Make no mistake, Jonah. The clock is ticking! *does fingers to eyes then points a Jonah thing*
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You heard it here first at AICN from the words of the HeadGeek himself. Apatow is the next Billy Wilder. Bwaa-Haa-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha -Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha -Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha -Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha -Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha -Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha -Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha -Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha -Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha -Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha -Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha -Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha -Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha -Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha -Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha -Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha -Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha -Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha -Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha -Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha -Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha -Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha -Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha!!! NOT EVEN CLOSE!!!
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You got to the point right away. I never like Apatow's films, they're all 30 minutes too long.
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First of all F the haters. Many of the people who shred movies to pieces have never made anything except a big turd after a night out (who am I kidding, a night in) of drinking diet redbull/vodka and tag-team-pizza-face-stuffing in their parent's house while masturbating to 7 of 9 in bluray paused and zoomed. If you made FP too much like your other films then people bitch, and when you try to make something that depicts a slice of reality while still being entertaining you get dumped on. F'em! Funny People was great hands down and it's mainly because it has a very ambitious scope. At first I questioned the long running time of the Eric Bana section (like him in this alot) but after I thought more about the film, it is what sets the whole rest of the movie up. It's truly what this film is about. George Simmons was dying of cancer and you took us through that by showing that the excess of success without real values is worthless, but still an addicting drug. Taking us along the journey with Sandler was powerful as he essentially was mocking his own career while probably dealing with some real emotions about his own life. This is one of his best performances to date. He has a sadness about him that I think you featured beautifully. Jonah and Seth were at their personal best too. They were relaxed and confident in their performances and easily held their ground with Sandler. Their scenes together made me feel as if I was a fly on the wall watching their hilarious banter. (The YouTube kitten thing was brilliant.) And Seth's line about not allowing you to have two daughters in China came off as a throw away line but is one of his funniest in the film. Also the plot never hinged on contrived over-reaction to certain developments in the story. No one went for the easy joke or comment and I appreciate that you are treating your audience like an adult in this film. (Most likely while some of the bottle and diapers crowd won't be as big a fan of this film until they are older.) The blend of sadness and comedy in FP is what made it real and fresh and for me my favorite film of the year so far. Well done.
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Ouch!
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what hit me most about it was the flaws in everyone. Not everyone in the movie is believable but it did feel genuine. I dont give a shit about people talking about the box office or Rogen in another movie. I did care about the story and made me feel alot of things. sooooo I thoroughly enjoyed it.
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FUNNY PEOPLE was lame with a capital "L". Not only was it not funny, but it was very obviously ad-libbed throughout much of the film. If you remember the early days of David Letterman, where a lot of the material just totally fell flat with awkward, pregnant pauses that just kind of made you embarrassed for him...well...this movie is a lot like that. Everyone was trying so hard to be funny, but it just fell flat. The serious parts seemed very uneven and the 2 1/2 hr. runtime felt long (and I usually like long movies). The movie was uneven and awkward. Very few laughs and most characters were generally unlikable. Seth Rogan did the most solid acting while I thought Sandler was just kind of annoying. His return to stand-up just sort of happened, with no real setup for why he went back to it. An odd movie I just can't recommend.
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thats a summary .this movie was funny
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Great movie about comics and the lifestyle..
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