The Plot: This movie was spot on about what it has to say to be a comedian and how most of the great jokes that have come out of life are usually the horrible things that happen to us. The film sets up the fact that Sandler's character is a secluded comedian that is dying from a disease and when he gets wind of his impending death, he has nobody close to him to tell. This movie is about the bad mistakes that one goes through in life and what that means for you in the end. The main theme of this movie is what happens when life doesn't go exactly your way and what that means when you know exactly where you are supposed to go and you go in a completely different direction and about how we lie to ourselves to make our lives better. Director Judd Apatow nails so many different aspects of what it is to live in the life of an entertainer whose worse moments are the one the audience pays to hear about. He plays on the fact that both Ira and George are really two sides of the same coin and they parallel each other so well in terms of what Ira can become and what George used to be as a struggling comedian. The script also manages to create characters that are dimensional. The film knows what it wants to be and it achieves that so brilliantly. The script is written well to where we cringe at moments where these characters just have no spark in their comedy routines and we can't help but laugh along with the audience at the jokes that are working. It has you rooting for the characters when they crawl their way of the crap situation that they are in and just hate, but understand them at the points where they become competitive and cutthroat in getting their names out there. How it is in the real world. Everybody is waiting for the moment to play their card. When it comes they'll take it, but what are the ramifications of doing so. That is not to say that this film ain't funny. The jokes are almost kinda of incidental to the plot. The real funny bits comes from the more depressing moments of the film, but that is the point to it where our worst moments are our funny bits and we take those shitty moments and try to make people smile with them. But this film is definitely funny, but its not the typical Judd Apatow film. It also is funny in the fact that they are congruent with the real world that you get one of the characters going to see a movie that just opened up in theaters a few weeks ago, and making jokes about how Seth Rogen lost too much weight and needs to gain it back to be funny. It had me chuckle a few times at those moments when it realized there is a real world. It leaps beyond being a comedy and actually tells an engaging and heartfelt story about a guy who comes to a point where he realizes where he is going to end up and realizing he has nothing. The film is quite depressing at times, but that is exactly the intention so that we come to care for each of these characters and Apatow nails it! Overall, a great script and the ending is great and sentimental.
The Acting: The acting in this film is very subdued and not as over the top as some of the other Apatow films. This isn't 40 Year Old Virgin or Knocked Up, but it isn't trying to be or outdo them. It is more comparable to Punch Drunk Love or Spanglish. This is a more introverted, deeper, and darker story. With that said, all the performances are pretty much excellent. The standouts in this film has to be Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen. The both play their parts very subtly and they aren't trying to outdo each other. They complement each other and they work as a duo in this film. I also liked how Apatow was able to reign in Sandler from being "Adam Sandler" and just have him give a strong dramatic and comedic performance. Seth Rogen was also great and he plays everything a bit more straighter than any of his previous films and he is a idiot like the rest of us, but that is why he works so well in this film. He doesn't know where to start his career off as a comedian, and he isn't funny. The writing for his character shows an arc that is very satisfying by the end of the picture. The performance by Leslie Mann was also effective and I did enjoy watching the scenes between her and Sandler as they added a lot of depth to the narrative and punctuates the mains points of the film so well. The one actor that really surprised me was the Eric Bana character. Without giving too much away, you kinda are lend to not like this cat from the ads and even in the film, but when you are introduced to this character, you would gladly have a beer with this guy because he is a good dad. If he is a good husband, I'll leave that to you to find out. Overall, great cast with appearances by famous comedians and the typical Apatow crew all shine in this film at various points.
The Negatives...
Well, there isn't much I have to say against the film except that the film had a rough start. The film felt as if there was an uncertainty of tone and it felt as if it took awhile to find itself, but that is a minor quibble and that went away fast. I just enjoyed the film, but it does run a bit long at times. Some of the scenes could have been trimmed without hurting the film, but its just a case of tightening the film up.
Overall, I enjoyed the hell out of this film and this isn't 40 Year Old Virgin or Knocked Up, this is something completely different. It is a very relatable story and it is effectively maybe Judd Apatow's strongest piece of writing thus far as it doesn't rely on the jokes as his other films do. I'd give it a FULL-PRICE! I enjoyed the hell out of this film!
Till next time keep the laughs coming! :P
