I’m a huge Judd Apatow fan. I’ve been following his career since Freaks and Geeks so when he hit the big time with 40 Year Old Virgin I made a point to follow the rest of his progression into Hollywood stardom. Well, Judd’s latest flick Funny People hit theaters this weekend and did not disappoint. If you haven’t read a synopsis of the film, I’ll try and break it down quickly so I don’t waste too much of your time before the review. Adam Sandler plays George Simmons, a Hollywood comedian who gets diagnosed with a fatal and rare blood disease. Upon hearing the news, George hires a new assistant Ira (played by Seth Rogen) to help him write jokes – but behind the funnyman is a lonely and depressed individual. Half way through the flick it turns out that George’s disease simply vanishes and the remainder follows George’s new look on life.

So now that we’re all on the same page here I’ll get right into it. First of all, Funny People isn’t a “comedy.” Sure the cast could rival SNL, but the the story isn’t really about the comedy – its about the comedians. It’s widely understood that comedians do what they do because they are some how damaged inside and Funny People explores this to its deepest crevices. Judd Apatow knows how to play to this type of story where he’ll take a serious, sometimes depressing concept like death and loneliness and insert the funny. But it never comes off simply as someone dropping a penis joke whenever things get serious. Apatow’s story combined with Rogen and Sandler’s timing make this film what it is.

In retrospect the story is one of the most depressing I’ve experienced this year. Focused on the lonely life of a Hollywood star, it really takes the audience through the real life situations. Examples would be George having to take photos with fans right after learning of his disease, the fact that George has difficulty sleeping without people talking around him and how his emotions can veer to one side at any time. For all of the adult conversations and adult situations, George Simmons is nothing more than a child at heart. But the sadness doesn’t really stop at the loneliness, especially when Laura comes into the picture. I won’t spoil it too much of this for readers, but Funny People takes audiences on a ride from buddy comedy, to depressing introverted living, to family drama and back again.

The cast is absolutely wonderful. I think Apatow actually waited until he gained enough clout in Hollywood before he pitched this project because it really does contain one of the strongest casts this year. It might not have any Oscar winners, but the people know the characters they play. From a dramatic standpoint, this is Adam Sandler’s best role – hands down. Although he basically plays a version of himself, his portrayal of the tortured comedian is brilliant, sympathetic and terrible all in a good way. His natural ability for stand-up comedy really comes forth and Apatow’s choice to include a lot Sandler’s early work was a great way to show who the man is. Seth Rogen is also in one of his strongest roles and could rival his performance in Knocked Up. Rogen plays a struggling comedian looking for a break when his character is approached by Simmons to write some jokes. But Rogen really stretched himself in this flick as he shows that there is much more to a “buddy,” than simply playing wingman. His character Ira is an honest, hilarious and real portrayal of a young comedian from our generation. The remainder of the cast is simply amazing with Leslie Mann, Eric Bana, Jonah Hill and Jason Schwartzman.

The gags throughout are also extremely entertaining. From the mock NBC teen show Yo Teach, to Eminem’s amazing monologue, Apatow’s paced his film very well. At no point do you feel as though Funny People is a comedy or a drama – it really is neither.

I would give Funny People a solid 8 of 10 penguins on the flightless bird scale. I would have skewed higher, but the film runs for 2 hours and 18 minutes and by the end, your ass will feel it. If possible, catch an early show because this flick is one you’ll want to chat about afterward with your friends.

Comedian Aziz Ansari is back with part 2 of Raaaaaaaandy, a character that he plays in the new Judd Apatow film, Funny People, which stars Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen. If you missed the first part of Raaaaaaaandy, you can catch that here.

Aziz Ansari, one of my favorite comedians which I was lucky enough to catch at Sasquatch! this year, put together a hilarious video on his character Raaaaaaaandy which appears in the upcoming film Funny People, starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen and directed by Judd Apatow. He actually did some of this material at Sasquatch!, but he didn’t have his DJ (DJ Ol’ Youngin) with him at the time. His DJ is just as hilarious. “YOU DON’T NEED A ROOT CANAL YOU NEED A DJ!”

Freaks and Geeks

On an average day of channel surfing and general brain rotting activities I’ll stumble upon something so wrong that I feel the need to right it. Well, that day was yesterday when I landed on one of those “What ever happened to..” shows that focused on 3 people nobody really cares about. In fact, I don’t even remember who was on it, maybe it was like Carol Sever or something. Anyways, in an effort to right the world, here’s a relevant “What Ever Happened to….”

What Ever Happened To the Cast of Freaks and Geeks

Freaks and Geeks was a groundbreaking, short-lived, career launchpad for some of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Set in the 80’s, the show explored serious adolescent issues through situational comedy.

Seth Rogen

Seth Rogen played experimental drug expert Ken Miller. Not only was this Rogen’s first professional television appearance, it also introduced him to a group of entertainers that would eventually help him become the likes of Zack (Zack and Miri Make a Porno), Officer Michaels (Superbad), Ben Stone (Knocked Up), Cal (40 Year Old Virgin), Dale Denton (Pineapple Express) and soon to be the Green Hornet.

James Franco

James Franco played high school badass / super hunk Daniel Desario. Soon after the gig on Freaks and Geeks concluded he found himself playing James Dean (James Dean Biopic), Harry Osborne (Spiderman Trilogy) and most recently Saul Silver (Pineapple Express) and an Oscor worthy performance as Scott Smith (Milk).

Linda Cardellini

Linda Cardellini played the lead role in Freaks and Geeks, Lindsay Weir. The show seemed to center around her and her transition from book-smart genius to free thinker. When the show ended she perfectly played the role of Velma (Scooby-Doo) and was immediately cast as a regular on ER as Samantha Taggert.

John Francis Daley

John Francis Daley was a mere child when he starred as Sam Weir, younger brother to Lindsay. When Freaks and Geeks came to a close, Daley grew like a major league baseball player and recently landed a regular spot as Dr. Lance Sweets on Fox’s Bones.

Sam Levine

Sam Levine played Neal Schweiber throughout the show’s first and only season and showed some amazing potential playing a teenager dealing with his father’s secret second family. Since the show’s end, Levine has been seen in almost every TV show and movie that involved a nerdy teenager. Look for Levine to break this mold in Quentin Tarantino’s latest Inglorious Basterds as he plays a Jewish American soldier looking for blood in WWII.

Jason Segal

Jason Segal was always a giant and played to his strengths as drum enthusiast Nick Andopolis. When Freaks and Geeks ended he soon teamed back up with Apatow and crew to star in the hilariously short lived show Undeclared (which also starred Seth Rogen) as jealous boyfriend Eric. Segal’s TV career has since taken off with the success of How I Met Your Mother where he plays the endearing Marshal Erickson. On the big screen he’s been spotted in comedies like Forgetting Sarah Marshal, Knocked Up and most recently I Love You, Man. Segal is also attached as a writer for the latest Muppets Movie.

Busy Phillips

Busy Phillips played the constantly jealous girlfriend to Daniel, Kim Kelly. One of the show’s more dramatic turns occurs through Kim’s storyline and her developing friendship with Lindsay Wier.  Since leaving the show, Phillips played Audrey Liddell, one of Pacey’s girlfriends in Dawson’s Creek. She has also guest starred on shows like Entourage, How I Met Your Mother and ER and most recently played Kacy Corbin in the Sarah Conner Chronicles.

Judd Apatow

Judd Apatow is the foundation to all of this. He set each one of these stars on an incredible course through Hollywood and acted as the glue between them. Freaks and Geeks was the producing gig he needed to launch his own career, but at the same time he made sure to keep everyone he’d ever worked with in mind for the future. Since Freaks and Geeks, Apatow has gone on to produce Undeclared for television, then moved to movie production with 40 Year Old Virgin, Talladega Nights, Knocked Up, Superbad, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Stepbrothers, Pineapple Express and will be releasing Funny People later this year.

Freaks and Geeks didn’t just change acting careers, it changed the way audiences looked at comedy. Slapstick and fart jokes are like bad leftovers whereas real life situation and brilliant dialogue are fresh. See, wasn’t that better than turning on the TV and seeing some journalist you don’t care about talk about the career of someone you care even less about?

BTW – there were tons of guest stars on Freaks and Geeks that I left out of this in an effort to stay manageable. A couple of honorable mentions are Lizzy Caplan who went on to star in Cloverfield and most recently True Blood, and Rashida Jones who went on to star in Boston Public and The Office and can be seen in I Love You, Man.