Funny People...

Judd Apatow - he's a funny bastard, isn't he? Naturally, anyone with any common sense, would say "yes, yes he is" to such a question. The 40 Year Old Virgin was a seriously funny flick, with a lot of heart to it - although I had no idea from the trailer I saw in the cinema when it was about to be released. From the trailer, 40YOV looked like a poor man's American Pie cash-in for middle aged people ... thankfully I did eventually see it, and a whole world of Apatow comedy was opened up to me.

Knocked Up was, similarly, filled with jokes and raw human emotion and honesty - helped in no small amount by the casting of his real-life wife & kids in the movie ... just like he did here in his latest flick as writer/director.

However, although Funny People has a lot of raw human emotion and honest running throughout it ... but it's not as funny as 40 Year-Old Virgin or Knocked Up. Don't get me wrong, it's pretty damn funny (you'd have thought the Apatow gang would have run out of dick jokes by now, but nope, they're still going strong). Unfortunately the film indulges in Apatow-style meandering comedy too much.

Virgin and Knocked Up were both long films (for comedies anyway), especially in their extended cut forms, but Funny People is seriously long for a comedy, and feels too unrestrained - it feels flabby and in serious need of a diet. This is really the only thing harming Funny People though, I feel. For such a long running time, with this amount of raw human reality and impending-death depression, you really could use a few more jokes ... or a shorter running time with the same amount of gags.

It doesn't go for the knock-out punch that his previous two flicks have delivered, but it does an admirable job of pummelling through the full fifteen rounds (if I dare labour this boxing metaphor any longer, that's come from out of nowhere).

Character wise, however, Eric Bana plays a good loveable bastard, Leslie Mann plays a complex house wife having to balance love, life, marriage and commitment ... and then, Adam Sandler.

I've never been a fan of Sandler, I've not disliked him, but I've not been bothered to watch any Adam Sandler movie - I've seen a couple, but I've generally been "meh" about the whole Sandler thing. However, here he gives a cracking performance - the man needs to do more of this kind of raw, open and honest comedy, rather than the sort of gimmicky shite he usually does (which is sent up here in Funny People with "Re-Do" and "Merman").

Apatow fans, like myself, will most likely dig this movie ... not as much as his previous efforts, but it's easily in-line with the better quality Apatow-produced spin-offs (such as Pineapple Express, or Forgetting Sarah Marshall). If only it had entered the ring in full fighting shape, rather than being a bit pudgy around the midrift ... yep, there's that boxing metaphor again ... where did that come from today?

Pineapple Express...

Yep ... Apatow strikes again, and it's actually rather spiffing too. Drillbit Taylor was neutered and merely fairly decent, Forgetting Sarah Marshall was oftentimes hilarious but just missing a little something extra golden. Perhaps the Apatow flavour is beginning to pale a bit now, the dude is certainly shelling out 'produced by' credits like the British government shell out departmental reviews. Oh yeah, then there was that Zohan movie ... I have absolutely no interest in seeing that at all. Likewise Rogen has been flapping back and forth from movie to movie with gleeful abandon, and continues to leave me baffled that he's pretty much my age (perhaps a smidge older - even though he looks thoroughly thirty plus). Then again, he is a funny fucker - so Pineapple Express (obviously sans censor neutering like Drillbit Taylor - despite one UK-specific trim) is a continuation of form for Rogen (he hasn't dropped form, so there's no need for the "return to" precursor). Again it was myself and the lads off on a trip to the cinema - which, as we all live in a (semi) rural area is a good old distance away ... hence movie choices have to be informed and considered. If you're splashing out six-sodding-fifty for a ticket and a fiver in fuel (if you're senoir designated), then you want to be seeing something of quality. Fortunately, the lads and I have rarely been let down (en masse at least) and once again Pineapple Express failed to piss us off - so huzzahs all round! Who wouldn't love a stoner-action-comedy? Boring people methinks, either that or people over thirty (generally). You've got weed jokes, you've got creative swearing, you've got stoned randomness, you've got fiesty comedy-battles, classic moments to chuckle about on the drive home (death by Daewoo, for example) and James Franco NOT playing Harry Osbourne. Don't get me wrong, I really dig the Spider-Man flicks and have them all on double-disc-DVD, but I just feel Franco's having a lot more fun when he's uncut and let loose. Needless to say, as a big fan of the likes of Superbad, there'll be a pre-order for a double disc extended uncut super-duper-lots-of-other-exciting-words DVD from me post haste! All-in-all, wickedly hilarious fun. Ya-boo-sucks to the hatin' minority...go direct your ire in the general direction of 'Disaster Movie' and its ilk of putrid ass expulsions.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall...

Aye, yet another Apatow gang production - this time a movie written by and starring the dude from Knocked Up who was one of Ben's mates and fancied hooking up with Leslie Mann's character (Apatow's own missus).

Having seen Drillbit Taylor recently (another Apatow gang flick), which unfortunately felt neutered at the tamer rating, it's back to the sex, cock jokes, blue tongues and adult feeling that we've become accustomed to.

While the first half an hour occasionally feels flabby around the edges (it could have been tighter), the flick is quickly off to a swift start, literally whipping out the cock gags almost immediately - the first uproarious cacophony of laughter from the cinema audience I might add.

Plot wise it's generally quite simple - scruffy laid back guy gets dumped by his sexy celebrity girlfriend, dude takes it badly - really badly (hilariously so) - dude then has to get over the bitch while he watches her shag her way closer to a collection of STD's at the hands of Russell Brand - who thankfully isn't playing himself (despite certain similarities).

Now I'm not a fan of Brand, he's a frustrating person. He makes some good jokes, but the bloke is just a wanker in general ... fortunately he didn't put me off this flick, he was actually even quite good in the role, packing some lasting comic punches that resonated with the audience (there was a couple about 20 feet away from where I was who were having an absolute whale of a time).

Simply put, if you dug the likes of 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad and even Walk Hard, you'll no doubt dig this. Nuff said really...

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story...

What with the horrid likes of Date Movie/Epic Movie/Meet The Spartans floating around, like floaters in the porcelain bowl of life, it's a genuine pleasure to come across a proper spoof - rather than a 'Vague Genre Movie' (check out Maddox's site for a witty-as-usual piss-take of such piss poor efforts as Meet The Spartans).

Walk Hard pretty much lampoons one movie only - Walk The Line (the excellent Johnny Cash biopic) - and then goes off on it's own, as if Walk Hard wasn't based on anything at all. It takes one idea, then runs with it on its own. It doesn't take clips from YouTube and insert them hap-hazardly into 300 vs Transformers mash-up 'jokes'.

It truly is a shame that Spartans can take the number one slot, it really is, because it means there's enough people stupid enough to pay to see such garbage.

Anyway, back to a quality spoof in the shape of Dewey Cox ... while perhaps a tad overlong (the 1970's period begins to flag a little), there's a genuine sense of humour amidst the quite faithful spin on the Cash biopic. It's silly throughout, but in a smart way - rather than stupid in a really dumb, moronic, un-original way like Date/Epic/Meet.

There is a danger with all this though, by which I mean the flood of Apatow-related flicks coming out. While he and his various teams are all highly talented, very funny people producing genuinely hilarious movies with real heart & even soul behind them, you don't want to overdose the audience. You never want to hear "ANOTHER movie with Seth Rogen?!" - mind you, such a thing is far from a depressing vision, but even too much of a good thing too fast can be bad.

Hopefully they've already realised this issue, it would be a shame for audiences to tire of the Apatow/Rogen/et al freight train, especially prior to the sure-to-be-excellent Zack & Miri Make A Porno.

Apatow & Co fans, rest assured, Walk Hard will be right up your street. As for the Date/Epic/Meet morons, this is how you're supposed to make a spoof movie - if you're still not convinced how to do it, watch Airplane! as well.