Funny People: Critic Reviews

In his long, sobering story without a punchline, Judd Apatow confounds three crowds: traditional Sandler fans expecting goofy sweetness, Virgin/Knocked Up boosters hoping for raunchy fun, and connoisseurs of movies that know how to kill.

There's something irritatingly self-satisfied about Funny People, which explains why, though it glances on the perils of fame, it mostly affirms its pleasures.

One of the most enjoyable films of the year.

Funny People nimbly intersperses humor and reflection. It is a rumination on mortality, fame and life choices, punctuated with Apatow's trademark raunchy humor.

It's that rare mainstream Hollywood movie that feels genuinely spontaneous, unafraid to keep the audience just a little bit confounded and off-balance.

The problem is that Apatow is stuck between gears. (That, and there's probably no one around him to say no at this point.)

There's so much that's so disarmingly good and sharp about Funny People that you wish the whole movie weren't so much of a shambles.

The funny business is lame in Funny People, and the people feel phony. So what's left in this dramedy about a comic's near-tragedy? Well, how do bad standup and schmaltzy emotions sound?

The denizens of Judd Apatow's Funny People have been pulled every which way to fit a misshapen concept, yet they remain painfully unfunny, and consistently off-putting.

It all feels so insular and elitist, it's hard to connect.

Apatow continues to celebrate comedy's traditions, raunchy and otherwise.

""Funny People," may not be Apatow's funniest movie; however, and more interestingly, it is his best film, deep and rich and unexpectedly honest while still being remarkably funny."

Funny People feels insular, as if Apatow's whole world consists of nerdy jokesters who were angry, lonely kids who got rich beyond their dreams... but are deep down still angry.

Funny People is leisurely, with many extended sequences, but the performers' natural command of rhythm holds it in tension.

It could have easily been a formula film, and the trailer shamelessly tries to misrepresent it as one, but George Simmons learns and changes during his ordeal, and we empathize.

The film comes dangerously close to stalling, however, once George and Ira visit George's ex, stuck in an untrustworthy marriage. By the time Ira implores 'Can we just go?' you feel the same way.

Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, The 40-Year-Old Virgin) takes some interesting chances in this messy but engaging comedy, which suggests he may yet mature (no, seriously) into a filmmaker of substance.

Funny People turns out to be fairly predictable, and not so rough. In a thoroughly satisfying way.

It's great that Apatow aimed for something more substantial than a disposable chucklefest. Too bad the film falls so short of the mark.

hat this movie manages to be hilarious while honing in on the particulars that go into hilarity is a rare achievement. But then few films would dare look death right in the face and laugh aloud.

What's good about Funny People is really good, and that starts with Sandler, who's outstanding.

If you object to public offenses of decency, smut that reduces the oxygen in the brain or just plain lousy, amateurish filmmaking, it's easy enough to avoid Funny People like the swine flu.

Amusing and engaging yet lacking in snap and cohesion.

In going for a rethink of All That Jazz with comedy instead of Broadway, Judd Apatow's Funny People turns out to be one of the most absorbing films of the year.

Funny People isn't a bad movie, it's an indifferent one. No funny person wants to hear that.