Will FUNNY PEOPLE Be Sandler's Big Moment?

Published on September 2, 2009 by FilmShaft Staff · View Comments

Adam Sandler’s new movie Funny People has just been released in the UK to a barrage of mediocre reviews, as is the fairly usual response to his movies by the critics.

These reviews come only weeks after stories of possible Oscar nomination rumours circulating, for Sandler’s portrayal of his character George Simmons– a comedian, who stared into the face of death, as he battles against a killer disease.

So what’s the deal here?

We all know that Sandler’s films are usually from a certain kind of comedy ‘genre,’ similar to that of director of Funny People Judd Apatow. Apatow has been behind such light-hearted movies as The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Talladega Nights, Anchorman, Pineapple Express, Superbad and Knocked Up…..Sounds like the perfect funny man partnership already doesn’t it?

But as all Sandler fans will know, back in 2002, Punch Drunk Love was released, and it made the critics take note for just a moment, as if there was a sudden realization of his acting potential. Sandler’s character, a slightly crazy small-business owner embarking on a romantic journey with a mysterious woman, showed his side as a ‘serious actor.’ There were signs of this again in the heart warming film Click in 2006, one of his greatest box office successes.

And now, if you look amongst the usual reviews for Funny People, from critics who perhaps don’t ‘get’ Sandler’s kind of humour, you will see some who agree that his performance in Funny People is in fact brilliant. Even the Guardian Newspaper had to admit that his performance in this role was ‘shockingly effective.’

Of course, there are the usual punch line jokes and romantic happy ever after storylines that Sandler has become so associated with. But the serious undertone to the movie does intimate that he and Apatow have tried to move away from their usual boundaries, which should be commended, right?

Regarding talk of a possible Oscar nomination at a recent press conference, Sandler said:

“I don’t really think about that. That would be hilarious if it ever happened, believe me.”

Well Adam, as someone whose movies have appealed to millions of people worldwide for nearly a decade, I really hope you’re the one who gets the last laugh.