1.
Roberto Bolaño was known to say that it was the writer’s duty to plunge headfirst into the void, into the darkness. I like to think that Funny People is the film where Judd Apatow walked to the edge of the void, looked down, and decided that it was enough. The director said he wanted to make a movie about death, but I wouldn’t have known it from watching Funny People. The film is made up of moments where Apatow plays chicken with the serious — and he’s the one to veer first. It follows much like the scene when the self-absorbed pseudo-star played by Jason Schwartzman shares the story of his grandfather’s death, only to be greeted with jokes by his friends.
(more…)
