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==Plot==
==Plot==
George Simmons ([[Adam Sandler]]) is a very successful yet self-involved stand-up comedian who learns that he has an incureable blood disorder and is given less than a year to live. Ira Wright ([[Seth Rogen]]) is a struggling up-and-coming stand-up comedian who works at a deli and has yet to figure out his onstage persona. One thing these different men have in common is that neither of them have any close friends. One night, George takes notice of Ira when they perform at the same club and he hires him to be his semi-personal assistant and opening act at his performances. George and Ira form a close bond as George teaches Ira how to win the crowd and Ira helps the dying George find closure in his legacy. However, when George learns that his disease has gone into remission and an old flame ([[Leslie Mann]]) reenters his life, his recent near death experience inspires him to reevaluate what is important to him and what truly gives meaning to his life.
George Simmons ([[Adam Sandler]]) is a very successful yet self-involved stand-up comedian who learns that he has an incureable blood disorder and is given less than a year to live. Ira Wright ([[Seth Rogen]]) is a struggling up-and-coming stand-up comedian who works at a deli and boobs in the face has yet to figure out his onstage persona. One thing these different men have in common is that neither of them have any close friends. One night, George takes notice of Ira when they perform at the same strip club and he hires him to be his semi-personal anal assistant and opening her ass at his performances. George and Ira form a close bond as George teaches Ira how to win the crowd and im a big gay Ira helps the dying George find closure in his legacy. However, when George learns that his disease has gone into remission and an old flame ([[Leslie Mann]]) reenters his life, his recent near death experience inspires him to reevaluate what is important to him and what truly gives meaning to his life.


==Cast==
==Cast==

Revision as of 23:11, 13 July 2009

Template:Future film

Funny People
Teaser poster
Directed byJudd Apatow
Written byJudd Apatow
Produced byJudd Apatow
Clayton Townsend
Barry Mendel
Jack Giarraputo (exec.)
Evan Goldberg (exec.)
Seth Rogen (exec.)
StarringAdam Sandler
Seth Rogen
Leslie Mann
Eric Bana
Jonah Hill
Jason Schwartzman
CinematographyJanusz Kamiński
Edited byCraig Alpert
Brent White
Music byJason Schwartzman
Michael Andrews
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
July 31, 2009 (US)
Running time
140 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$70,000,000 (estimate)

Funny People is an upcoming 2009 American comedy-drama film, written, co-produced, and directed by Judd Apatow, and starring Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen as stand-up comedians. The film is scheduled for release on July 31, 2009, and will implement more dramatic elements than seen in Apatow's previous films. Funny People is in post-production as of January 2009 and is a co-production between Apatow Productions and Madison 23 Productions, a subsidiary of Sandler's company Happy Madison. Universal Pictures and Columbia Pictures will co-finance the film, while Universal will distribute worldwide.[1]

Plot

George Simmons (Adam Sandler) is a very successful yet self-involved stand-up comedian who learns that he has an incureable blood disorder and is given less than a year to live. Ira Wright (Seth Rogen) is a struggling up-and-coming stand-up comedian who works at a deli and boobs in the face has yet to figure out his onstage persona. One thing these different men have in common is that neither of them have any close friends. One night, George takes notice of Ira when they perform at the same strip club and he hires him to be his semi-personal anal assistant and opening her ass at his performances. George and Ira form a close bond as George teaches Ira how to win the crowd and im a big gay Ira helps the dying George find closure in his legacy. However, when George learns that his disease has gone into remission and an old flame (Leslie Mann) reenters his life, his recent near death experience inspires him to reevaluate what is important to him and what truly gives meaning to his life.

Cast

Cameos

Dave Attell, Sarah Silverman, Norm Macdonald, and Andy Dick have reportedly filmed cameo appearances as comedians, presumably as themselves, who are acquainted with George.[2] Rapper Eminem,[3] comedian Ray Romano, musician James Taylor,[4] MadTV member Nicole Parker,[5] and newcomer Bo Burnham[6] have also filmed appearances. Undeclared alum Carla Gallo revealed she has a cameo in the film as a character on Yo Teach!, a TV show within the film that Mark stars in,[7] while Justin Long and Apatow regular Ken Jeong have cameos in the film as characters in movies within the film that George is famous for.[8] Owen Wilson, Dwayne Johnson, and Elizabeth Banks are featured on posters for fake movies within the film that George starred in.[9]

Production

Script

Judd Apatow had expressed his desire to make a stand up comedian mentor film loosely based on his own early experiences as a struggling performer. He couldn't come up with an interesting idea since most of his mentors were kind to him. He then thought of making a film about a mentor facing a life crisis, and decided to have his former roommate Adam Sandler play that role. The two of them discussed making the film almost two years prior to production.[10]

Casting

Apatow had cast Sandler, Seth Rogen, and Leslie Mann as the three leads in March 2008.[11] Eric Bana, Jonah Hill, and Jason Schwartzman were later cast in June 2008 when the title of the film was announced.[1] When asked about the decision to cast Bana, Apatow said that both he and Rogen are fans of his films as well as his sketch comedy work in his native Australia.[10] Rogen additionally commented they cast him as Leslie Mann's character's husband because he was someone who would be considered an intimidating presence to both Sandler and Rogen.[12] Bana mentioned that he decided to make his character an Australian so he could improvise more.[13]

Filming

Academy Award-winning cinematographer Janusz Kamiński handled the cinematography for the film. Apatow had Sandler, Rogen, and Hill, who all play stand-ups in the film, write their own material for routines. Apatow filmed them performing their routines in front of live audiences, using six cameras to capture their performances and audience reactions. Apatow filmed their entire performances, although he says only 5–10 minutes of stand-up footage will appear in the film. Additionally, Apatow filmed scenes from Sandler's character's fictional filmography, as well as scenes from Schwartzman's character's fictional TV show, for the film to add realism. Apatow expects the final theatrical cut to last slightly under two and a half hours.[14]

Marketing

The first teaser poster for the film was released November 13, 2008. On the day the teaser poster was released, Universal Pictures and MySpace partnered together to create a contest that would allow people to have a part in the film by just writing a comment explaining why. Additionally, Apatow held a stand-up comedy concert event called "A Night of Funny People" at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles to film a scene for the movie. The event was open to the general public and featured acts by Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Aziz Ansari, Sarah Silverman, David Spade, and Patton Oswalt, with Sandler, Rogen, and Ansari performing as their characters in the film. The first theatrical trailer for the film was released February 20, 2009 on the internet, with a shortened version first appearing in theaters with I Love You, Man.

A website for a fictional TV show-within-a-film was created on NBC.com[15]. The sitcom, Yo Teach!, "stars" the movie's egocentric character Mark Taylor Jackson (Jason Schwartzman), who is a C-list actor portraying a young teacher with a class of failing students, and includes a cameo by internet celebrity Bo Burnham[16].

Reception

Jeffrey Wells from Hollywood Elsewhere received feedback from sources who had seen a test screening, with one source calling it "really funny, a really sweet movie, a lot of veracity...really a brilliant film", comparing it to the works of James L. Brooks. Another source who gave feedback mentioned the possibility of Academy Award nominations for the film, notably Best Original Screenplay for Apatow and Best Actor for Sandler.[17]

References

  1. ^ a b Michael Fleming (2008-06-11). "Trio joins Judd Apatow film". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
  2. ^ "Stand-Up Comedian Cameos in Judd Apatow's Funny People". Slashfilm.com. 2008-12-17. Retrieved 2009-01-31.
  3. ^ "Eminem In New Judd Apatow "Funny People" Movie". Rap Basement. 2009-05-16. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
  4. ^ Mark Shanahan and Paysha Rhone (2009-01-08). "Taylors turn to film". The Boston Globe. Globe Newspaper Company. Retrieved 2009-01-25.
  5. ^ "MADtv's Nicole Parker Joins Wicked as Elphaba Beginning January 16". Broadwayworld.com. 2009-01-07. Retrieved 2009-01-31.
  6. ^ From YouTube to Hollywood
  7. ^ "Carla Gallo Exclusive Video Interview". Collider.com. 2009-01-09. Retrieved 2009-01-31.
  8. ^ "Dr. Kuni Speaks". IGN.com. 2009-03-04. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  9. ^ "Judd Apatow Reveals Adam Sandler's 'Funny' Films With Owen Wilson, Elizabeth Banks and More". MTV Movie Blog. 2009-05-11. Retrieved 2009-05-11.
  10. ^ a b "Funny People Set Visit: Judd Apatow". Comingsoon.net. 2009-04-07. Retrieved 2009-05-08.
  11. ^ "Sandler reteams with Apatow". Variety. 2008-03-09. Retrieved 2009-05-08. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ "Eric Bana teaches AFL to Seth Rogan". The West Australian. 2009-03-05. Retrieved 2009-05-08. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ "Australians Are Extra Insane: Bana". Empire Online. 2009-04-08. Retrieved 2009-05-08.
  14. ^ "Judd Apatow Wants You To 'Enjoy The Ride' Of 'Funny People' For 2.5 Hours…Then Watch The Super-Long DVD". MTV Movie Blog. 2009-05-07. Retrieved 2009-05-08.
  15. ^ http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/2008-12-6-motion-captured/posts/2009-5-3-the-morning-read-5-29-09
  16. ^ http://newteevee.com/2009/05/29/bo-burnham-gets-schooled-in-yo-teach/
  17. ^ "Apatow Ups His Game". Hollywood Elsewhere. 2009-04-24. Retrieved 2009-05-05.

Fictional websites created for the film

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