On July 31st, Funny People will hit movie theatres. Funny People is a Judd Apatow production. Apatow has previously produced the comedy hits 40 Year Old Virgin (2005) and Knocked Up (2007). Actor Seth Rogen helped to make 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up successes and will look to do the same as one of the stars in Funny People. Funny People features an all-star comedy cast headed up by Seth Rogen and comedy legend Adam Sandler.
In the film Adam Sandler plays the character of George Simmons, a self-centered 42 year old stand-up comedian who receives news that he is dying of a rare blood disease to which there is no treatment. Due to his self-centeredness Simmons has no real friends and has pushed away the one he loves – a girl he dated in college. After receiving the bad news, Adam Sandler’s character hires a fairly new stand-up comedian named Ira Wright (Seth Rogen) to writes jokes for him and to be his friend.
Eventually Simmons decides to pursue his ex-girlfriend from college, Laura (played by Leslie Mann), a woman Simmons still has strong feelings for. Laura has moved on with her life and is married to another man. The two have two children together. However, the marriage is not a happy one and Simmons vows to win Laura back.
As the plot reveals, Funny People is a lot more dramatic than Apatow’s other films. Critics who have read the Funny People script insist there is still plenty of comedy in the film. With an all-star comedy team featuring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, and Leslie Mann there shouldn’t be a doubt in anyone’s mind that Funny People will deliver lots of laughs.
Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill and Leslie Mann have been a part of some great comedies the past four years. Seth Rogen played Cal in 40 Year Old Virgin (2005), Ben Stone in Knocked Up (2007), Officer Michaels in Superbad (2007), Zack Brown in Zack & Mini Make a Porno (2007), and Dale Denton in Pineapple Express (2008). Jonah Hill was Sherman Schrader in Accepted (2006), Jonah in Knocked Up (2007), Seth in Superbad (2007), and Cooker in Strange Wilderness (2008). Leslie Mann has portrayed Nicky in 40 Year Old Virgin (2005) and Debbie in Knocked Up (2007). In addition Mann was in 17 Again, a film released earlier this year.
Adam Sandler is a comedy legend who received his first break as a part of the Saturday Night Live cast in the early 90s. Adam Sandler’s popularity grew with his early comedies such as Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore and Big Daddy. Since then Sandler has started his own production company called Happy Madison. The dramatic undertones of Funny People should provide no problems for Adam Sandler who starred in the more serious Click film in 2006.
Funny People can be seen as the meeting of two generations of comedy; with Adam Sandler representing the past generation and Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, and Leslie Mann representing the current generation. Overall, the star studded comedy cast of Funny People should be reason enough to go see Funny People when the film hits theatres later this month.
SOURCES
1. www.imdb.com
2. www.slashfilm.com
