It's unfortunate that the critical reaction to Judd Apatow's Funny People has been mixed at best thus far -- I'd hoped that the Oscar buzz that surrounded the movie prior to release would translate into actual awards gold for Apatow, striking a blow for real comedy in the stuffy world of statuette-baiting event pictures. Unfortunately, Funny People -- somewhat of a work of flawed brilliance in the ever-so-indifferent genre of disease dramas -- has eluded the critical praise that Apatow's previous efforts (Knocked Up and the 40-Year-Old Virgin, both uproarious comedic tours-de-force tempered with winning geniality and sweetness) have earned him.
Understandable, to be sure. Funny People is a difficult movie at times -- Apatow's tale of a leukemia-stricken comedy star taking on a protege is absolutely all over the place, in both narrative and tone. Still, there's a lot of good to be found here. Lead Adam Sandler, whose George Simmons is a faintly-veiled version of himself (horrible gimmick flicks and all), lays bare his comedic persona in what may be his most fully-realized performance to date; Sandler proves, like Jim Carrey and Robin Williams before him, that he's much more potent as a real person than as an overgrown, arrested-development retard onscreen, and here, he bravely makes his character intensely unlikable. Seth Rogen, meanwhile, continues his can't-lose streak, not quite topping his brilliant turn in Jody Hill's Observe and Report, but inspiring winning notices as the film's comedic center. Naive up-and-comer Ira Wright may be Rogen's most complicated role to date - he succeeds where richer George fails, morally speaking, takes a lot of crap from his would-be mentor, and even manages to give the not-so-funny moments a swig of wincing, true-to-life comedy to chase its potent pathos (watch Ira bomb on-stage -- being unfunny has rarely been so hilarious -- or watch Ira blubber uncontrollably about George's sickness. It's all uncomfortable, touching, and rewardingly funny, all at once).
But what Apatow has always needed is an objective editor -- althought his first features sustained momentum, despite epic-level runtimes for funny pictures -- and Funny People kind of stumbles around in its final act, dispensing with its other stories to concentrate on Sandler's romance with old flame Leslie Mann. (Mann is terrific, by the way -- a scene-stealer in those first two movies, she's actually a valuable member of Apatow's troupe, regardless of her real-life marriage to the director. Her appreciation for both comedic AND dramatic detail can be awe-inspiring.) A wonderfully hammy Eric Bana shows up to liven things, but it stagnates a bit -- and, theatrically, this thing is an unwieldy 2 hours 40, so eyelids may droop near the end there.
Still, there's a lot to like here: the performances are uniformly terrific, and when the comedy trots out, it's usually very funny. And I haven't even mentioned Jason Schwartzmann, who's chintzy sitcom needs to be seen to be believed. Despite a lot of pacing issues, this is a bit of a fractured masterpiece. Squeezing sentimentality out of hilarity is Apatow's bread and butter as a director, so I'm not really sure what people would have expected from this flick -- still, all told, this really shouldn't derail the Apatow train. And I wouldn't want it to -- these sort of far-from-perfect tours de force are a necessity in today's stagnant comic world.
Rating: **** (out of five)
Showing posts with label Seth Rogen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Seth Rogen. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Pineapple Express (2008, David Gordon Green)
Since seeing this over the summer, I'd almost forgotten how much I enjoyed Pineapple Express. Not quite-- there were some very funny moments I remember from opening weekend, and besides I just kinda de facto like anything the Apatow factory churns out-- but almost. Man, though, watching this thing again, there's a solid chance this is the best thing the Apatow/Rogen dynasty has put out yet.
It's certainly the most exciting. In David Gordon Green, this ribald troupe has gotten their hands on their most accomplished director-- he of gorgeous indie dramas George Washington and Undertow-- and he doesn't disappoint, directing with startling flair an cross-pollination of comedy and action, two genres you wouldn't imagine him keeping in his back pocket.
Seth Rogen, not content to rest on his laurels ever since Apatow launched him, Steve Carrell-style, into the leading-man stratosphere, gives one of the funniest performances of his career thus far; of course, James Franco and Danny McBride vie for title of "most scenes stolen", and they're both tremendous. Franco's shockingly adept at comedy, and his friendly drug dealer is one of those performances that makes you wish the Oscars respected comedy a little more. McBride's the revelation, of course-- his is such a fully-formed character, full of awesome little tics and seemingly throwaway lines and twisting allegiances and motivations, that one can only imagine his star trajectory has to be next.
The ensemble does well too-- the Apatow-produced movies tend to surround themselves with formidable supporting casts, and Pineapple Express proves no exception, pitting the Rogen/Franco duo against bickering thugs played by "Office" scene-stealer Craig Robinson and the inimitable Kevin Corrigan, and a pair of corrupt weed-conglomerate figureheads in Gary Cole and Rosie Perez. Perez and Cole bring professionalism to the forefront, locating that delicate balance between nefarious and hilarious.
I dunno, I suppose a big draw to this film for me-- other than it being hilarious-- is the way it handles that balance. It's funny, at times really REALLY funny, but there's good filmmaking in here: there's an exciting, expertly-filmed car chase (which is also hilarious), a series of surprisingly violent deaths near the end (occasionally hilarious), and, best of all, an epic fight between Rogen and Cole, which seems to gun for how exactly a fight between these two would go down in real life, in all its awkward, bumbling glory. Of course, there's that gratuitous John Woo shot of Seth leaping from the heavens, limbs askew, but that's part of what's so gratifying in a film like this-- it needles in little loving odes to action films while providing some mild satire, and it takes that sort of loving touch to effectively spoof. (Ask those Shaun of the Dead guys-- you can tell they really appreciate all the horror tropes, y'know? Same principle.)
It's really just a good job done all around, and it all adds up to what may be the principles' finest collabo. The mean streak is there, but all the congenial buddy comedy is too. In fact, Rogen and writing partner Evan Goldberg wrote Superbad, too, and you can tell-- the dynamic, the buddies embarking on wild misadventures, the sledgehammer-subtle comparison of sexual and best-bud relationships, it's all there. One can only hope they'll let that remain an enduring theme in future collaborations, as there's so few comedies out there that really, truly explore the bonds of friendship-- I mean, you can make a billion "bros before hos" comedies, but Rogen and company show before they tell. These relationships feel real, and that's worth its weight in comedy gold.
And make no mistake, Pineapple Express is comedy gold. The great film caper comedy is back with a vengeance, and I, for one, am in.
Rating: ****1/2 (out of five)
It's certainly the most exciting. In David Gordon Green, this ribald troupe has gotten their hands on their most accomplished director-- he of gorgeous indie dramas George Washington and Undertow-- and he doesn't disappoint, directing with startling flair an cross-pollination of comedy and action, two genres you wouldn't imagine him keeping in his back pocket.
Seth Rogen, not content to rest on his laurels ever since Apatow launched him, Steve Carrell-style, into the leading-man stratosphere, gives one of the funniest performances of his career thus far; of course, James Franco and Danny McBride vie for title of "most scenes stolen", and they're both tremendous. Franco's shockingly adept at comedy, and his friendly drug dealer is one of those performances that makes you wish the Oscars respected comedy a little more. McBride's the revelation, of course-- his is such a fully-formed character, full of awesome little tics and seemingly throwaway lines and twisting allegiances and motivations, that one can only imagine his star trajectory has to be next.
The ensemble does well too-- the Apatow-produced movies tend to surround themselves with formidable supporting casts, and Pineapple Express proves no exception, pitting the Rogen/Franco duo against bickering thugs played by "Office" scene-stealer Craig Robinson and the inimitable Kevin Corrigan, and a pair of corrupt weed-conglomerate figureheads in Gary Cole and Rosie Perez. Perez and Cole bring professionalism to the forefront, locating that delicate balance between nefarious and hilarious.
I dunno, I suppose a big draw to this film for me-- other than it being hilarious-- is the way it handles that balance. It's funny, at times really REALLY funny, but there's good filmmaking in here: there's an exciting, expertly-filmed car chase (which is also hilarious), a series of surprisingly violent deaths near the end (occasionally hilarious), and, best of all, an epic fight between Rogen and Cole, which seems to gun for how exactly a fight between these two would go down in real life, in all its awkward, bumbling glory. Of course, there's that gratuitous John Woo shot of Seth leaping from the heavens, limbs askew, but that's part of what's so gratifying in a film like this-- it needles in little loving odes to action films while providing some mild satire, and it takes that sort of loving touch to effectively spoof. (Ask those Shaun of the Dead guys-- you can tell they really appreciate all the horror tropes, y'know? Same principle.)
It's really just a good job done all around, and it all adds up to what may be the principles' finest collabo. The mean streak is there, but all the congenial buddy comedy is too. In fact, Rogen and writing partner Evan Goldberg wrote Superbad, too, and you can tell-- the dynamic, the buddies embarking on wild misadventures, the sledgehammer-subtle comparison of sexual and best-bud relationships, it's all there. One can only hope they'll let that remain an enduring theme in future collaborations, as there's so few comedies out there that really, truly explore the bonds of friendship-- I mean, you can make a billion "bros before hos" comedies, but Rogen and company show before they tell. These relationships feel real, and that's worth its weight in comedy gold.
And make no mistake, Pineapple Express is comedy gold. The great film caper comedy is back with a vengeance, and I, for one, am in.
Rating: ****1/2 (out of five)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
