Funny People (2009)

One thing is for sure: you get your money's worth out of this one. Writer/director Judd Apatow has an exceptional talent for making honest comedies with a lot of heart, and more brains than is easy to give them credit for. Here the mind behind Knocked Up and 40-Year-Old Virgin introduces us to Adam Sandler playing a version of himself diagnosed fatally ill, lonely and depressed in his rich lifestyle, befriending an amateur stand-up comic. It's always an interesting experiment when someone takes a chance on Adam Sandler; he's known more for his incredibly juvenile and annoying characters, but just like with 2002's Punch-Drunk Love he proves quite capable of dramatic heavy lifting. What makes the film difficult, then, is how it is distinctly two films rolled into one. In the first half it's an effusive and hilariously foul musing on death and regret, while the distinctly different second half goes off into far more standard comic fare. Both halves are very well handled, but in the jump from one side to the other the story loses some traction and balance. Also the movie doesn't so much end as stop. The whole of it is still very satisfying tale, often laugh-out-loud funny and frequently quite touching. Its later uncertainty is easily forgiven for its early strength, its flaws deftly paved over by its surprisingly big heart. Two films in one, both of which are very good.

8 out of 10.