Funny People

A veritable smorgasbord of Jewish comedians step up to the plate in the year's most blatant case of false advertising: 'Funny People'.

Adam Sandler does the Robin Williams 'I'm a funny guy who can be serious as well' routine, as an Adam Sandler-esque comedian / actor whose fighting a losing battle with some mysterious form of Leukaemia. Seth Rogan plays an up and coming writer / stand-up comic who befriends the jaded, burnt out star.

At two and a half hours, 'Funny People' demands a lot from its audience; neither funny enough to be considered a comedy nor serious enough to be a drama, it goes for the Robert Altman approach but lacks the measured momentum, humour and satirical insight of Altman movies like 'The Player' or 'Cookie's Fortune'. They're some good lines such as: "Paul Rudd wants to do a Bromance...with you" and "North Korea: those people would blow you for a 'Wii Fit'" A couple of mildly amusing asides such as the doctor who looks like one of the henchmen from 'Die Hard', Ray Romano wondering if cancer is contagious and extended cameos from Eric Bana, Jonah Hill, Jason Schwartzman and Emimem.

But I'm making it sound much better than it actually is; for jokes that may've worked on paper die a death on screen whilst the highs come off looking like below par, latter-day Woody Allen skits that probably wouldn't even make the final cut in a below par, latter-day Woody Allen film. Irritating, overlong, schmaltzy and self indulgent 'Funny People' puts paid to writer/ director Judd Apatow's winning streak, will try your patience and leave you waiting on an unwritten punch line.