Funny People

Funny People is the latest movie by Adam Sandler. There are people in it, to be sure, but it sure ain't funny.

Sandler's character, George Simmons, finds that he has an incurable disease, and has a short time to live. Noticing that his ex-wife still hates him, he calls her to say he's sorry, apparently for the first time ever. George is a very successful comic, having parlayed a stand-up career into a wildly successful movie career, a la the actor himself, but he's a jerk most of the time, albeit a rich one. Faced with his own mortality, he decides to help out some comics on their way, and hires one of them, Ira (Seth Rogen), to write jokes for him and generally be his assistant.

This is a movie where the sick-and-dying character doesn't learn anything, doesn't nice up, doesn't change at all. In fact, nobody in this excuse for a funny-but-tragic movie wisens up, even a bit. Most of the material isn't wince-proof, and hard to watch, more boring than revealing of character. Judd Apatow, writer and producer, has turned serious, but tells us nothing. He seriously misses with this production.

The only thing to recommend about this film is Seth Rogen, who seems to be getting better and better. He's the only character who rings true here, and his performance appears to be spontaneous and responsive. But that's not enough for this dismal picture. Stay away, stay far away.

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