3/4  Funny People Was Hysterically Underrated
Is it too much to ask that a movie called Funny People should be funny? Well, yes. Like Alex, I had heard it wasn't that funny, so I had low expectations. However, I hadn't heard anything else. What I discovered that it was a poignant ... (read full)

3.5/4  Sandler is back!
Funny people is a definite change of pace compared to Apatow's past 2 films. Many people will tell you they are disappointed and many people will tell you it was not as funny as it should have been. Well, it is not as funny as his other m... (read full)

3/4  Not Judd's Best, but Still Enjoyable
Not Judd's best film. He balanced comedy with tradgedy very well, but to less effect. Despite a little dissapointment, it was still very funny and heartfelt. Interest in the characters is lost at the end and the last 25 min. seem to drag. ... (read full)

1.5/4  Juvenile humor attempting adult drama too.
A comedy that I did not laugh at because I plainly find its brand of humor not to be funny just juvenile humor throughout, and then there are drama elements thrown in too which are not juvenile therefore causing problems in terms of tone. ... (read full)

2/4  Nothing Special
First of all, this movie felt like three movies in one, it was way too long. There are some good laughs here and there, and I thought the plot and characters worked pretty well, but there are simply too many gaps where I was waiting for th... (read full)

4/4  I Don't Know How to Fight - I'm a Comedian
The newest film in the line by writer/director Judd Apatow leaves audiences with mixed emotions, filling the gaps between humor and tragedy. This film was brilliantly written, superbly acted, wonderfully crafted, and poorly advertised. ... (read full)

1/5 NOT FUNNY!
  by soloist (USA)
This is what Hollywood is calling humor these days? Must of been written by the lowly out of work writers during their strike! Crude, demeaning and a waste of my time!

2/5 Flash in the pan
  by Denzel Lockheart (Edmonton, Canada)
The term "Flash in the pan" means "something that promises pure potential but fails". That, unfortunately is "Funny People". When I saw the trailer, I was excited to see the movie. But then I saw the movie. I'll get to the point since Amazon apparently has a word limit:

-The whole "Dying comedian" plot. Andy Kaufman would roll his eyes it was so stupid. It's basically like a fictional version of Andy Kaufman's life.

-The Eminem cameo was so out of place it was unbearable. He did great at acting in "8 Mile", but what he doesn't seem to know is that it was a one time deal!!!!

-Too many [...] jokes.

-The movie was so depressing that how it got called a "comedy" beats me. Is this seriously the best Apatow has to offer after stellar movies like "Anchorman" and "Pineapple Express"????

-Too long for what it was, but not long enough for the amount of material crammed into it. The movie basically ends at like 1 hour and 40 minutes, however the rest seems like a 45 minute after-the-credits sequence but placed before the credits. I am not lying, I thought it was over so many times. It was like the movie ended and the sequel already began.

-It's not a movie, it's a drinking game. Adam Sandler makes a [...] joke? Take a drink. Depressing "Yadayadaboohoo" about being sick? Take a drink. You won't last before the end of the movie though, so be warned.

There's loads more but I'm just cringing thinking about it. Rogen is basically the highlight of this otherwise overlong and depressing movie. So I guess the two star nod goes for Rogen alone.

4/5 Not a entirely a comedy
  by Yair Marx (Northern VA)
I am big fan of Judd Apatow's work. i went into this hearing that its not like his other movies, that it has a more somber, serious tone. so my expectations were tempered. I liked it, i do agree with some other reviewers that it was probably a little too long, which is why I take off one star. But if you go in knowing this isnt a 40 year old virgin/knocked up style comedy then you wont be disappointed. with that being said, i can see why some people rated this poorly if thats what they thought they were going to see going in.

1/5 Pretty pathetic people
  by Reviewer
The new "stars of comedy" make me miss the real ones. Why don't you try to learn from thy elders, like Mel Brooks, boys?

Side note: Hollywood hasn't come up with real comedy since "Meet the Spartans." Anybody who forgot how brilliant it was needs to watch again "I Will Survive" at the end of the Spartans (it might still be on Youtube: SidgzLnh_W4).

2/5 Saga of a Depressed, Lonely Comedian Lacks Punch
  by The Movie Man (Maywood, New Jersey USA)

Despite its title, "Funny People" is not a comedy in the traditional sense. It has some top comedy talent in the persons of Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, and director Judd Apatow ("The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up"), but the movie looks beneath the veneers of men who make their living doing standup comedy, exposing some darker elements.
George Simmons (Sandler) appears to have all that money can buy -- a beautiful home overlooking Los Angeles, a garage full of merchandise he's received free of charge just because he's a celebrity, and a never-ending collection of young women eager to jump into the sack with a star. But George has no significant relationship, no friends, and a rare, life-threatening disease.
When he sees aspiring comedian Ira Wright (Rogen) perform at a comedy club, George asks Ira to write him some jokes for an upcoming corporate gig and eventually hires him as his personal assistant, partly as joke writer, partly for company.
Though "Funny People" is only his third feature film as writer/director, Apatow has established a trademark of creating natural dialogue and having his actors deliver it effortlessly. His ear for dialogue and flair for inventing colorful supporting characters makes his work stand out.
This time around, however, Mr. Apatow has ventured into rough territory with a film about a comedian and his problems that's not very funny. We get glimpses of both Ira and George on stage. While it's understandable that Ira will be rough and unpolished, we expect that George will annihilate the audience with spot-on jokes and observations. This never happens. Instead, Apatow allows Sandler to mutter, utter a few lame gags, and mug as the on-screen audiences guffaw at nothing especially amusing.
It's tough to empathize with Sandler's George. He has made his life what it is, becoming wealthy and famous in the process. Faced with the uncertainty of his illness, he mopes around, leaning on Ira in the absence of the usual support system of family and friends. He is desperate to connect, but can't.
Mr. Rogen, slimmed down from his earlier movies, plays the struggling artist with integrity, a quality his wide-eyed-innocent face immediately conveys. Ira lives with roommates Mark Taylor Jackson (Jason Schwartzman), currently starring on a hit TV sitcom, and Leon Koenig (Jonah Hill), a sometime standup comic more proficient at making wisecracks with his pals than igniting audience laughter when he's on stage. This is a strange trio: three men living together even though one is being paid handsomely for TV work. But it allows the competitive pals to share their concerns, complain and moan, and air their views on the trials and tribulations of the comedy business. The chemistry among the three actors works well.
Two other supporting actors deserve mention. As Chuck, fellow deli counterman at Ira's day job, RZA is very funny as a friend who will attend his coworker's standup gig only if paid to do so. This is a guy with perfect comic timing and a look to match. He's on screen for just one scene, but he steals it.
Dr. Lars (Torsten Voges) is George's physician, who must convey sobering news to the comedian and outline the rigorous treatment he must face. As straight man to Sandler, he is a joy to watch, since he gets his laughs by staying in character and letting his appearance and Sandler's barbs create two first-rate scenes.
Leslie Mann is on hand as George's former girlfriend, Laura, and Eric Bana plays Clarke, her Australian husband. Ms. Mann is a pleasant, attractive actress but has a tough role here. Married, with two children, her Laura is pitched into a situation of renewed intimacy with George, a development that pretty much sinks the film, reducing it to cliché, predictability, and tedium.
I have never been a fan of Adam Sandler's movies. As a sketch comic on "Saturday Night Live," he was wonderful and portrayed many terrific, offbeat characters. But a little of Sandler goes a long way, and when he anchors a feature film, he often overstays his welcome. "Funny People" attempts to modulate his boyish hijinks and have him rise to a level beyond his customary celebration of male immaturity. "Funny People" accomplishes that, but the film itself is unremarkable.
Rated R for language and sexual humor, "Funny People" is two hours and sixteen minutes, far too long. Scenes go on too long and several stop the movie dead. There are too many scenes of George hang-dogging it in his lonely hilltop mansion. Had some of these indulgent sequences been replaced with genuinely funny standup routines, the film would let the viewer see and hear the routines that made George Simmons a star.