This is the trailer for Grown Ups, from Dennis Dugan, who previously directed You Don’t Mess With the Zohan, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, The Benchwamers, and National Security. It stars both Rob Schneider and Kevin James, because God hates me.
After Funny People came out, I wondered aloud, “can Adam Sandler continue to do the type of movies he’s making fun of himself for in this?” For an answer to this question, we turn to today’s Variety:
The actor will next star in the romantic comedy “Jack and Jill” and produce via his Happy Madison shingle. Sandler will play Jack as well as twin sister Jill. The project was brought to Happy Madison by Todd Garner (”Paul Blart: Mall Cop”).
You can say Funny People was overlong and self-indulgent, it was still the best thing Adam Sandler’s done in 10 years. It was honest, he was actually trying, and he made you remember, oh yeah, this guy’s actually really funny. And how did we reward him? With his first box office flop, pretty much ever. So now we get Adam Sandler playing Jack and Jill in a script from the writer of Paul Blart Mall Cop. Game over, man, game over. I’m starting to think Adam Sandler’s talent is a metaphor for the American Indian.
(*sheds single tear*)
I hate that Funny People is 25 minutes too long, because it does a couple of amazing things. From his album They’re All Gonna Laugh at You through a few years after Happy Gilmore, Adam Sandler was a comedy God. I laughed so hard the first time I heard “The Buffoon and the Dean of Admissions” that I farted placenta. But at some point around ‘97, he seems to have decided he didn’t give a sh*t anymore and started doing a string of increasingly sappy, unfunny paycheck abortions like Click and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. The only glimmers of talent came in dramatic roles like Spanglish and Punch Drunk Love, in which he proved he could act, but didn’t really seem like himself, like he was just trying to prove a point.
Funny People not only reminds us what Sandler looks like when he’s doing honest comedy — and by that I mean comedy that he himself finds funny rather than “You want me to do a silly voice again? Fine, I’ll do the a voice again. Lap it up, you pigs.” — but combines it with the Sandler who can act. Not only that, the story is the kind of pointed, meta-fictional take on his life that JCVD could’ve been for Van Damme if it hadn’t devolved into such a pretentious euro wankfest. I hate to be a reactionary, but while I was writing this I noticed other people calling Funny People Entourage with Cancer, and I felt compelled to point out all the differences between this and Entourage.
1. Decent writing
2. Decent acting
3. Conflict
4. Likable characters
5. The celebrity character in Funny People is famous for having an actual skill
6. The minor characters are trying perfect an actual skill, and aren’t driven by the sole desire to be famous, or to hang out with famous people, or to help the main character get more famous
7. No one talks about shoes or cars, not even once
When you’re a big Hollywood director, giving major roles in your movies to your wife is pretty standard, and can lead to things like Rose McGowan playing the queen of England. “Excuse me, like, this throne is totally chafing my vag.” Luckily Judd Apatow was smart enough to marry Leslie Mann, who just so happens to be freaking adorable. The latest clip from Apatow’s Funny People has Mann getting into an argument with Eric Bana, who plays her husband, and badly mimicking his Australian accent. Maybe it’s just me, but even when she’s playing a total bitch, whenever she’s on screen I get the overwhelming urge to start a tickle fight. I guess what I’m saying is, I’d let her pee on me. What? It’s sterile.
Yahoo just released this clip (after the jump) of Funny People director Judd Apatow and Adam Sandler talking about Funny People, and how Seth Rogen’s character’s relationship with Adam Sandler in the movie is kind of like Apatow’s relationship with Sandler back in the 80s/early 90s (PS, that picture couldn’t get any gayer if they were standing 69-ing and listening to Lady Gaga). Anyway, I didn’t watch the whole thing because I’m really excited for this movie and I don’t want to spoil my appetite and I have a really really good feeling about this one, and I don’t care so judge me all you want you big meanie.
I know Adam Sandler is known mostly for making awful movies nowadays, but I still remember where I was when I first heard “The Buffoon Meets with the Dean of Admissions” like it was the goddamn Kennedy assassination. It was kind of like the day I went through comedic puberty. I guess what I’m saying is that no matter how many times he lets us down, there’ll always be some tiny part of me that’s waiting for Adam Sandler to stop sucking and be my hero again. For youngish comedy writers, Adam Sandler is our OJ.
