I'm a big fan of Judd Apatow's comedy -Knocked Up & The 40 Year Old Virgin- mostly because there's always a feeling that it's not just comedy but also human emotions at play. Although Steve Carrell was a loony joke as the 'virgin' he had a carefully written role that demanded more than just jokes and in Knocked Up, Kathryn Heigel asked- No, make that demanded- Seth Rogen to lose his schlub lifestyle for a more serious life as a parent. Funny People is the weakest movie of Apatow's short career, it's also his most personal, ambitious and heartfelt one. It is by no means a total failure, there are scenes of great comedy and effortless abandon. What makes it a disappointment is the fact that you were allowed to expect more from a writer/director who's style everyone is trying to copy these days. The film is too long and should have been much shorter, it also doesn't have much of a flow and -contrary to his past 2 movies- it doesn't mix the drama and comedy as well. Sandler plays -well- Sandler and Rogen plays the same role he always plays- The schlub (God, I love that word). Some comparisons have been made to describe the film as Woody Allen-esque but I wouldn't go that far- Because this is Apatow's most 'Auteuristic' and personal film (loosely based on his days as Sandler's roomate during their comedy club days) I'd actually venture towards a more Truffault-esque play of words and say it reminded me of the French Auteur's later venture into Dramedy.
Noah Baumbach's “Jay Kelly” is joining the Criterion Collection on February 16, 2027. It's one of the headliners of the newly announced February slate, and it's coming out barely a year after Netflix released it.