Funny People

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Funny People!

Original image located here. Accessed 1st December 2023

Once again, I try to sit through a movie starring Adam Sandler. I have already made my view on Adam Sandler clear previously so to find something where he isn't confined to the formula that made him famous is a challenge and a half. I have been lucky so far (see Reign Over Me and 50 First Dates) so can this recommendation keep that hot streak going?

Apparently no. 
First lets talk the positives:
 - Once again Sandler is playing a jerk but this is shaken up in some interesting ways: Halfway through the movie he makes the effort to stop being a jerk but for second half, this character clearly hasn't learned anything and is still being a jerk. So props to Sandler for taking the time to reconsider the role that made him famous
 - The cameos are fun. The appearances of James Taylor and Eminem are of particular note.
 - Eric Bana's presence was great (you can just tell he is a major St Kilda fan, right?)
 - Given that this movie is about stand-up comedy and features many comedians this clearly was a labour of love for the craft. So I'll give it that much.

But the Achilles heel of this movie is it's length. It's a bloated two and half hour run hat could easily been shorn of thirty minutes - or even forty five. Some scenes drag on and come across as pointless. And matters aren't helped with not all the jokes hitting the mark, leaving moments of radio silence.

So yeah, a disappointment if ever there was one

Reign Over Me

   And this week's Friday night movie has been... Reign Over Me!

Original image located here. Accessed 17th November 2023

And here we have another stab at Adam Sandler's oeuvre. As mentioned previously, he may have a reputation for playing childish idiots but it's a reputation that's made him into a punchline. As a result, it can be one that would be difficult to shake off. 
Therefore, to see him playing a serious role would surely be the most ill-advised career move ever. I mean, the concept sounds awful on paper: Adam Sandler playing a widower who's struggling to overcome his losses and is stuck in some form of PTSD? That sounds utterly ludicrous.

So it is therefore a monumental surprise that it actually works. Sure Charlie is the same jerkass character Sandler has played before but here his behaviour is given some vital context. Sandler makes Charlie, the character he's portraying, sympathetic and, most crucially of all, he finally gets to show what he can truly do with his acting prowess - notably the scene when Charlie reveals the depth of his loss. 
Okay sure the script seems kind of all over the place, but when it works, it knocks it out of the park.