Funny People with Adam Sandler Is That Title Meant to Be Ironic?
Adam Sandler seems like a nice enough guy. I remember watching him on Saturday Night Live when I was a kid. I remember that he was one of my favorite SNL cast members. Sandler started out awkward similar to Jimmy Fallon, well similar to Fallon in his awkwardness but Sandler was actually funny on SNL. It is possible that I overrated how funny Sandler was though as I have noticed since I have gotten older that his movies are really suited for young teenagers.
Strangely enough I just watched You Don’t Mess with the Zohan and although it was rated pg-13 I cannot imagine how it was given that rating. Just because the humor is sophomoric does not necessarily mean that it is appropriate for sophomores in high school. Of course that was not my problem with the movie. My problem with the movie is that it is not even remotely funny. There is one thing and one thing only that is slightly worth seeing the Zohan for and no it is surprisingly not John Turturro, he is usually great, particularly in Cohen brother’s movies, but he is wasted in Zohan as is just about everyone else. The beauty of Emmanuelle Chriqui is the only thing I found enjoyable about the movie. I don’t know if Emmanuelle Chriqui is the most beautiful woman in the world, but I do not think it is possible to be much more beautiful than her.
Of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Comedy is similar. I hated Step Brothers, a movie by another SNL alum, Will Ferrell. My brother really liked Step Brothers. I generally like Will Ferrell and it is not that I only like high brow humor or anything like that. I liked East Bound and Down which really could not be more low brow. Ferrell was good in a bit part in East Bound. The show as a whole fell a little below my initial expectations mainly due to how much I like Danny McBride and his previous work. Ferrell is someone who can be incredibly funny in the right project, but at other times is not funny at all. They have both been hugely successful at the box office, but unlike Ferrell who has made some of the funniest movies of the past decade, Sandler’s work leaves a bit to be desired in recent years.
Really I think Sandler like Ferrell could probably use to branch out a little and work with some new people. That is why I was so intrigued to hear that one of the most anticipated comedies of the summer is Judd Apatow’s funny people. Apatow has really saved the American comedy in recent years. Apatow and his band of funny men have been constantly pumping out funny movies. Apatow was listed as a writer on You Don’t Mess with the Zohan although he was not a producer or a director so I am assuming he helped out his old friend Sandler a little, but was not too heavily involved. Sadly the other two writers were Sandler and another former SNL alum writer Robert Smigel. Smigel also worked on Conan and was the voice and creator of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. Triumph was a perfect example of sophomoric humor that was actually funny.
Despite Apatow’s limited involvement in Zohan I am looking forward to Funny People. In addition to Sandler there are some of the usual Apatow suspects in Funny People such as Seth Rogan, Leslie Mann and Jonah Hill. Sarah Silverman is making what I believe is her first appearance in an Apatow film as is Aziz Ansari. Most of you are probably familiar with Silverman and she is always funny, but many of you probably do not know Ansari. He is currently on NBC’s Parks and Recreation. I am not completely sold on Parks and Recreation as a show, but it is from the creators of the Office, the American version, and that show took a year or so to really get going. The show does show promise though and one of the most consistently funny performers is Ansari who plays Tom Haverford. Nick Offerman is equally as funny as his boss Ron Swanson.
Apatow as usual has packed his film with some of the funniest people in Hollywood. I have grown skeptical of Sandler’s comedic skills in recent years, but I believe much of that can be cured by his casting in a better project. This is not an Adam Sandler film this is a Judd Apatow film with Sandler in it. Maybe you are skeptical or maybe you like Sandler’s current brand of humor just fine. I have seen what being cast in a Judd Apatow picture can do for an actor’s career. The best example is probably Paul Rudd. Rudd was previously in bland romantic comedies and was probably best known for looking like Ben Afflec. Now Rudd is not only great in projects in the Judd Apatow universe, but he has even begun scoring leading roles in comedies like Role Models.
As I said previously he seems to be a nice guy and he could certainly continue to crank out mediocre comedies for years to come and make a great living doing it. Kevin James, Sandler’s friend, has certainly shown that it is not that difficult to do. Being funny is not necessarily a prerequisite for box office success. Sure Sandler does not have trouble landing leading roles or making money. He is one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood. Whether he is one of the funniest people in Hollywood is another story entirely.
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