George Simmons is a wildly successful comedian turned actor. His silly high-concept films have cleaned up at the box office, but they have left him unfulfilled, leading a life of anonymous sex with strangers and no real family or friends to speak of. He gets the news from his doctor one day that he has a rare form of leukemia, and the only experimental medicine he can take to try to cure it is unlikely to work. George goes to a comedy club that night and does a horribly dark stand-up set, and a young comedian named Ira Wright mocks how depressing his comedy was right after him. Impressed by Ira's bravery, George calls him and asks him to write some jokes for his upcoming gigs. George and Ira eventually become friends, and he hires Ira as his assistant. After some time passes, George confides in Ira that he's dying, causing Ira to start sobbing. Ira vows to stick through this thing with George, but he urges George to start telling the important people in his life about his condition. George reaches out to Laura, his ex-fiancee, and apologizes for cheating on her so often while they were together. When Laura confesses that her new husband, Clarke, cheats on her now, George sees a potential in for a relationship, and they rekindle their friendship. Some time later, George is told by his doctor that he has beaten the disease. Everyone is overjoyed for George, but George, who had come to terms with dying, is left unsure about how to proceed with his life. His first goal is to try to win Laura back, but when his quest to break up Laura's marriage strains his friendship with Ira, George must decide what is really important in his life.
Click here to see the rest of this review...
Best part of story, including ending:
Funny People certainly has its moments, especially the first half when George is facing death. However, the second half, when it becomes full blown romcom, is boring and long-winded.
Best scene in story:
Ira's roommate, Mark, is the star of a terrible sitcom called "Yo Teach!" and the footage of the actual sitcom's scenes are absolutely hysterical.
Opinion about the main character:
George is sympathetic through the first half of the film, but his decisions once he gets his life back are egotistical and definitely drive the audience away.
