Seth Rogen

Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen Star in Ambitious But Flawed ‘Funny People’

BrianTT — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 09:55:51 -0600

Rating: 3.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Judd Apatow’s “Funny People,” starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, and Leslie Mann, is like watching a friend try out a new stand-up routine. As with a lot of attempts at trying something untested, it doesn’t quite work out, but you have to admire the effort, if not the execution.

The three films that Apatow has written and directed could be viewed as a natural trilogy about common chronological development through the life of a man. “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” is about sexuality, “Knocked Up” is about fatherhood, and “Funny People” is about mortality. If it sounds like deep material for what has been advertised as a raunchy comedy, it is, but that doesn’t mean it works.

(L to R) Ira (Seth Rogen) and George (Adam Sandler).
Photo credit: Tracy Bennett/Universal

“Funny People” is an undeniably ambitious piece of work about infidelity, regret, death, fame, friendship, and love, but it simply got away from one of the most talented comedy writer/directors of the last decade. The romantic end of “Virgin” and the lessons about responsibility in “Knocked Up” had an emotional resonance that’s missing from the over-long, often-rambling “Funny People,” a film with great parts that never quite develops into a cohesive sum.

Like a lot of successful comedians, George Simmons (Adam Sandler) is kind of an a-hole. Life has left him with no friends and less real love. The star of “Merman” and “My Best Friend is a Robot” learns at the beginning of the film that he’s dying. Looking at the face of death sends George back to his roots, bringing him back to the stand-up stage and regretting the one that got away, Laura (Leslie Mann).

After a disastrous on-stage performance one night, George takes a liking to the young man that follows him, Ira Wright (Seth Rogen). Ira has been working his way up the comedy ladder, keeping a day job behind a deli counter and sleeping on the futon of his friends (Jonah Hill, Jason Schwartzman). George hires Ira to write jokes for him and the two become odd friends with the younger comedian going with the dying one to everything from doctor’s appointments to corporate concerts with James Taylor.

There is a solid, entertaining movie about an awkward, overly nice young comedian working with an older, bitter one and learning lessons about the price of fame and the art of comedy. That movie is in “Funny People” but it has been cluttered by a too-long running time and enough themes for a season of television. Instead of sticking with his “A-story,” Apatow stretches his film to the breaking point with subplots about the conflict between friendship and career and a third act love quadrangle between George, Laura, and Laura’s husband (Eric Bana), with Ira stuck in the middle.

It’s all too much for one film and the script gets away from Apatow. By trying to tell so much story, he loses the emotional impact of what he should have focused on. It’s nice to see a film that avoids manipulative melodrama, but “Funny People” is surprisingly dead when it comes to honest emotion. There are scenes of crying characters that should at least pull at a heartstring, but they register shockingly flat.

Laura (Leslie Mann) flirts with George (Adam Sandler).
Photo credit: Tracy Bennett/Universal

Part of the reason for this is the mishandling of the dramatic material, but there are serious issues of chemistry and character that enhance the flaws. I never bought the undying love between Sandler & Mann, nor the relationship between Sandler & Rogen. There’s a dramatic urgency missing from the proceedings. You won’t care if George gets back together with Laura, if Ira finds success or fame, what happens with his friends, or even if George lives or dies. All of it takes place at arms-length, like you’re watching someone on stage, not relatable, three-dimensional characters.

Having said all of that, there are things to like about “Funny People,” even if most of it is on paper. I don’t want to suggest that Apatow isn’t talented enough to handle drama. He is. And we should encourage writer/directors to spread their wings outside of their traditional niche. If your friend’s new stand-up routine didn’t work, you’d still encourage him to try again.

I also vastly prefer this Sandler to the one that makes silly faces and stupid voices as Zohan, Nicky, The Waterboy, etc. He’s missing the dramatic edge of his work in “Punch-Drunk Love,” but there are hints of that actor in this performance, one that gets away from Adam because of the lack of definition in the screenplay but not due to any mistakes by the actor.

Rogen and Mann have excellent comic timing. Eric Bana nearly steals the film with a few scenes. Jason Schwartzman gives his funniest performance in a long time. And there are some very funny moments in “Funny People”. The humor works if the drama doesn’t.

Ultimately, Funny People is a film starring very talented people made by a very talented man. You can’t write it off entirely. Judd Apatow is at the top of his game and he could have played it safe and produced just another raunchy comedy. He didn’t do that. He got up on stage and tried a new routine. It may not have connected with the audience, but you have to admire the effort.

‘Funny People’ stars Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Jonah Hill, Jason Schwartzman, and Eric Bana. It was written and directed by Judd Apatow. It opens on July 31st, 2009. It is rated R.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Seth Rogen Delivers in Controversial, Hilarious ‘Observe and Report’

BrianTT — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 11:09:41 -0600

Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – The hysterically misleading TV spots for Jody Hill’s “Observe and Report” make it out to look like another broad comedy that might even have a cute romance between stars Seth Rogen and Anna Faris. There’s nothing cute or predictable about “Observe and Report”. And that’s precisely why it works.

Those ads are like suckering family viewers into a Kevin Smith movie by advertising that he did a voice in the animated “Doogal” or pitching “Tropic Thunder” to the crowds that really liked that family-friendly Ben Stiller in “Night at the Museum”. Audiences have no idea what they’re in for.

Anna Faris as Brandi and Seth Rogen as Ronnie.
Photo credit: Peter Sorel and Warner Brothers

Drug use, extensive frontal nudity, extreme violence, date rape - this is material that’s not for the faint of heart. If you were remotely offended by last year’s Rogen vehicle (“Pineapple Express”) find another movie for this weekend’s date night. “O&R” pushes the envelope to a level that will be well beyond the breaking point for a lot of viewers and I understand that. It’s not a movie for everyone.

However, if you’re like me and you think that comedy should be dangerous every once in a while just for the health of the genre, then get in line. Sometimes, humor should make you uncomfortable. I would never dare to suggest that everyone will fall for the very dark jokes of “Observe and Report,” but aren’t you exhausted by the predictability of modern movie comedy? Don’t you sometimes want to see something completely different? Aren’t you tired of movies that you could write yourself simply based on watching the TV spots?

In a script that was reportedly inspired by “Taxi Driver,” Seth Rogen gives the best performance of his career to date as Ronnie Barnhardt, a bipolar mall security guard with serious mental issues. He lives alone with his alcoholic mother (Celia Weston), dreams of dating Brandi the makeup-counter girl (Anna Faris), and wishes he could carry a gun to work instead of a nightstick.

Ronnie feels like he may have finally found his purpose in life when a flasher decides to target the mall parking lot and Brandi becomes one of his early victims. Despite the invasion of actual authority in the form of Detective Harrison (Ray Liotta), Ronnie will be the hero he’s always been in his own mind, rescuing the girl and saving the mall from perversion.

Seth Rogen as Ronnie and Collette Wolf as Nell.
Photo credit: Peter Sorel and Warner Brothers

Assisting Ronnie are his right-hand man Dennis (Michael Pena) and twin guards John and Matt (John and Matt Yuan). He gets emotional support from the sweet-and-cute coffee girl Nell (Collette Wolfe).

This all sounds like the set-up for a Will Farrell comedy but “Observe and Report” is much more subversive than it’s set-up. Around halfway through, a movie that’s been dark all along takes a violent turn after Harrison drops Ronnie off on the wrong side of town. From there, Ronnie, who has decided to try and be a cop, begins a descent into madness.

And this is not your typical movie madness. Hill and Rogen expertly walk a tight-rope of comedy and tension. Ronnie is not a likable character. He’s a hero only in his own mind. You’re not supposed to root for him to get the girl and stop the bad guy. In fact, Ronnie clearly needs help. After the first two acts of “Observe,” there wouldn’t be a surprised face in the theater if the final one ended in a hail of bullets (and I’m not saying it doesn’t.)

The comedy of “Observe and Report” is meant to make you uneasy, to put you on edge. It reminded me of Scorsese’s “After Hours” or Demme’s “Something Wild” in its blend of tension and comedy. “O&R” is a film of conflicting tones, sometimes right in the same moment. In one scene, a police officer says “I thought this would be funny, but it’s just sad.” He could be talking about the unpredictability of the entire film, a comedy that’s going to put off and offend thousands of people this weekend and build a cult following at the same time.

If you’re tired of the same old comedy routine, if you are exhausted by the predictability of the genre, and if you believe that sometimes comedy should push people’s buttons, then “Observe and Report” will not only be one of your favorite comedies of the season but probably the year.

Ultimately, for this critic, “Observe and Report” takes daring, bold chances in a genre that too often plays it safe. Even if you don’t think those chances pay off, you have to respect the attempt.

‘Observe and Report’ stars Seth Rogen, Anna Faris, Michael Pena, Ray Liotta, Collette Wolfe, and Celia Weston. It was written and directed by Jody Hill. It opens on April 10th, 2009. It is rated R.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

DreamWorks’ ‘Monsters vs. Aliens’ Has Great 3D Concept, But Falls Flat

BrianTT — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 11:09:18 -0600

Rating: 2.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Hasn’t Pixar proven that animation can be more than just concept and celebrity voice work? The problem with “Monsters vs. Aliens” is that the team behind it clearly prioritized nearly every element of the film over actual storytelling. It looks good, has some talented people behind the mic, and is visually engaging, but there’s nothing memorable about the script at all. The 3D may pop, but the story is flat.

Rob Letterman (writer/director of “Shark Tale”) and Conrad Vernon (director of “Shrek 2”) direct a script that took five writers to bring to the big screen and feels like it was haphazardly constructed like kids playing the story game on a playground. One kid starts the story and then another picks it up and so on and so on.

B.O.B.(Seth Rogen), The Missing Link (Will Arnett) and Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D. (Hugh Laurie) introduce themselves to their new monster roommate.
Photo credit: Monsters vs. Aliens & © 2009 DreamWorks Animation LLC. All Rights Reserved.

“Monsters vs. Aliens” pushes its 3D gimmick from the very beginning, opening with an asteroid belt designed to provoke oohs and aahs and moving into a sky watcher bouncing a rubber ball into the audience. Kids will be impressed. Adults will remember that 3D is just a trick, not an actualy storytelling device.

Through that asteroid belt, a giant space rock hurtles toward the Earth. The debris is headed right for the wedding of Susan (Reese Witherspoon) and Derek (Paul Rudd) and the poor bride gets slammed to the ground, slowly turning into Ginormica, the film’s variatoin on the 50-Foot Woman.

Susan/Ginormica is captured and thrown in an underground vault with four other monsters - the giant Insectosaurus, the mad scientist in a bug’s body known as Dr. Cockroach (Hugh Laurie), the ego-driven Missing Link (Will Arnett), and the body and brain-less B.O.B.(Seth Rogen). The monsters seem doomed to a dull life in a mysterious underground bunker until…

It turns out that the giant space rock had an element being sought by a power-mad alien (Rainn Wilson). He sends a robot down to claim it, bringing the President (Stephen Colbert) out to great the new “very big wonder”. When things go very wrong in the meeting of the interstellar powers, General W.R. Monger (Kiefer Sutherland) suggests to the leader of the free world that the only way to stop the alien invasion is to unleash the monsters, promising them their freedom if they save our skins.

These Monsters—The Missing Link (Will Arnett), Ginormica (Reese Witherspoon), B.O.B.(Seth Rogen), Insectosaurus and Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D. (Hugh Laurie)—are defenders of the planet.
Photo credit: Monsters vs. Aliens & © 2009 DreamWorks Animation LLC. All Rights Reserved.

A few of the set pieces, especially those clearly authored with 3D in mind, look undeniably impressive. When Susan literally glows during her wedding, when the monsters use the Golden Gate Bridge as a weapon, and the final battle sequence - all of these set pieces have a visceral, action-driven fun, but even within them there’s no reason to care about anything that’s happening. Most video games have more character development than “Monsters vs. Aliens”.

The problem is that the writers WANT there to be a heartwarming story about being who you want to be. The idea being that even a monster can save the world. But it doesn’t work. If they had pumped up the references to old movie monsters and aliens and gone just for the thrill ride, that could have been effective but the attempts at character, like the fact that Derek doesn’t stand by Susan when she grows big enough to crush him, fall totally flat.

Worst of all, “Monsters vs. Aliens” just isn’t funny. There are two or three solid chuckles, but that’s it. The celebrities do a reasonably good job, especially Witherspoon and Rogen, but a shocking number of jokes hit the ground with a thud. It’s just not clever enough.

Without characters to care about or clever dialogue, all that’s left in “MvA” is the pretty pictures and, for some, that will be enough. The 3D looks good but the backgrounds aren’t nearly as richly developed as they should be. Visually, it’s not nearly as memorable as “Coraline”.

With the concept over storytelling and emphasis on the visuals, I often felt like “Monsters vs. Aliens” played like a preview for a longer, more rewarding experience. Then I realized it IS a preview. It’s a preview for the video games, toys, inevitable sequel, thrill rides, and so on and so on. When you can see previews online for free, why pay to see one in the theaters just because it’s in 3D?

‘Monsters vs. Aliens’ stars the voices of Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie, Seth Rogen, Will Arnett, Rainn Wilson, Stephen Colbert, Kiefer Sutherland, and Paul Rudd. It was written by Maya Forbes, Wally Wolodarsky, Rob Letterman, Jonathan Aibel, and Glenn Berger and directed by Conrad Vernon & Rob Letterman. It opens on March 27th, 2009. It is rated PG.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

God’s Vajoojoo Tastes Like Semi-Glorious ‘Pineapple Express’ in Judd Apatow, Seth Rogen Stoner Film

HollywoodChicago.com — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 23:01:00 -0600

Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – If god had a vajoojoo, Judd Apatow and company think it’d taste something like smoking “Pineapple Express”. There’s no question “Pineapple Express” is ultimately a stoner film, but is it the ultimate stoner film of our decade?

Always the most difficult proposition in a comedy is maintaining its comedic pacing with consistency.

Dale Denton (Seth Rogen, standing) and Saul Silver (James Franco, being carried) are two lazy stoners running for their lives in “Pineapple Express”.
Photo credit: Dale Robinette

A comedy’s goal is to sidesplittingly laugh your socks off from start to finish (and even after the credits roll). So often, though, a semi-successful comedy will instead feel like a humorous rollercoaster replete with some ups and some downs due to the inability to maintain its “A”-game material in a consistent fashion.

“Pineapple Express” falls victim to the comedic consistency trap. While the story has its heart in the right place for a film that’s centered on reefer madness and the script successfully grows ever-more complex and ridiculous, the story needs to be sliced and diced.

For every two comedic lines that successfully land one falls short. While the film certainly has the beginnings of stoner-film greatness, it’s still sometimes stifled by lines that had the potential to be roundhouse knockouts and instead were crippled stumbles.

Saul Silver (James Franco, left), Red (Danny McBride, center) and Dale Denton (Seth Rogen, right) in “Pineapple Express”.
Photo credit: Dale Robinette

That said, everything successful about “Pineapple Express” comes in threes from its writing (Judd Apatow, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg) and its primary actors (Seth Rogen, James Franco and Danny McBride).

There’s a lot of talk about James Franco playing against type for this role. Based on his performance, though, this shouldn’t be viewed as Franco playing against type. This should be viewed as Franco having found his type. For Franco, all other roles pale in comparison.

Despite his excruciatingly untalented performances in box-office monoliths “Spider-Man,” “Spider-Man 2” and “Spider-Man 3,” Franco’s drug-dealing, always-high demeanor in “Pineapple Express” proves he indeed has acting chops that have been otherwise been hidden away. All he needed was a little Mary Jane to deliver him from acting evil.

Dale Denton (Seth Rogen, left) and Saul Silver (James Franco, right) are two lazy stoners in “Pineapple Express”.
Photo credit: Dale Robinette

Now a painfully atrocious “Pineapple Express” performance by Rosie Perez – who hasn’t delivered a noteworthy performance since 1992’s “White Men Can’t Jump” (or 2001’s “Riding in Cars with Boys,” but that’s really stretching things) – without a doubt is the trippy film’s biggest buzzkill.

RELATED IMAGE GALLERY
View our full, high-resolution “Pineapple Express” image gallery.

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Gary Cole (her partner in crime) delivers an equally frightful performance. Amber Heard – a name you’ve likely never heard of before – continues trying to make her way in Hollywood after being bolstered by various “hot” ratings from magazines including Jane and Maxim.

Heard plays Rogen’s much younger high school girlfriend who fits with him just as much as a Mormon fits married to a Jew. Though this film is marketed with the burgeoning star power of James Franco and Seth Rogen behind the powerful comedic name of writer and producer Judd Apatow, we are not to forget Danny McBride.

Whether you loved McBride or hated him in “The Foot Fist Way” (or have never even heard of that film), “Pineapple Express” isn’t just the duo its advertising may have made you believe. McBride is the necessary tripod of this trio. Rogen co-wrote the story along with Apatow and Evan Goldberg (who also wrote “Superbad” along with Rogen).

“Pineapple Express,” which is directed by David Gordon Green and is written by Seth Rogen, Judd Apatow and Evan Goldberg, stars Rogen, James Franco, Danny McBride, Bill Hader, Rosie Perez, Amber Heard, Gary Cole and Kevin Corrigan. The film opened everywhere on Aug. 6, 2008.

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com

Dr. Seuss’ ‘Horton Hears a Who!’ Heard Loudly Into Instant Children’s Classic

HollywoodChicago.com — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 20:15:36 -0600

CHICAGO – One of Dr. Seuss’ most famous storybooks has finally been granted life with its self-titled animated feature “Horton Hears a Who!,” which involves a morally righteous elephant, philosophical timbre and Dr. Seuss’ ingenious lyrical rhymes.

A star-studded cast supports this vibrant tale and Dr. Seuss’ ethical elephant and morally slated advice about equality are well represented in this CG-animated adaptation.

“Horton Hears a Who!”.
Photo credit: IMDb

The elephant Horton (Jim Carrey) comes to the rescue of a speck crying for help as it floats by in the colorful jungle of Nool.

When Horton decides to help the speck even though he can’t see the Whos who inhabit it, the famous line “a person’s a person no matter how big or how small” comes into the film and sets the Suessian tone of the tale.

After Horton and the mayor of Whoville (Steve Carell) initiate communication, they work together to help save the planet of Whoville from total destruction.

When Horton discovers the speck, he is confronted by a law-enforcing kangaroo (Carol Burnett) who is a non-believer. She claims anything she can’t hear or see can’t be real.

As Horton’s determination to protect the speck is challenged by banana-shooting military monkeys, a bone-crushing vulture and an angry animal mob, the mayor of Whoville experiences similar mockery in his parallel world.

Isla Fisher in “Horton Hears a Who!”.
Photo credit: IMDb

The film jumps back and forth from the jungle of Nool to Whoville and creates an effective juxtaposition of the different animated cultures.

For instance, in Whoville everything always goes according to plan until their tiny world sets afloat and everything goes awry (with tremors, global warming and backward mishaps aplenty).

Meanwhile, the jungle of Nool starts off as a playful society and transitions into a fearful and angry place.

As the mad animal mob in Nool is about to destroy the speck of Whoville, the mayor of Whoville is able to bring his people together to make enough noise to be heard and save their tiny world.

Carrey and Carell are the star voices of the film and their bubbly wit and humor are perfect matches for their characters. While Carrey at times borders on hyper, writers Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio translate his active energy into entertaining dialogue for the little guys.

Even though roles by Will Arnett, Seth Rogen and Jonah Hills are small, they are uniquely their own and add wonderful color to the film as a whole. Trendy jokes and references about MySpace, cell phones, condos and “I love the smell of bananas in the morning” are sprinkled throughout the film. Though they might go over the heads of kids, they’re not too over the top for adults.

Jonah Hill in “Horton Hears a Who!”.
Photo credit: IMDb

Big life lessons and philosophies are everywhere in this film. They give the movie a moral undertone that so many other children’s movies lack.

The excellent animation and even a sprinkling of japanimation can be credited to the creative directing of Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino.

They managed to not only keep consistency with Seuss’ original illustrations but also created new characters who meshed perfectly with the signature style.

While the crisp CG animations are enough to move this film into the cartoon greats category, also the all-star cast, hilarious wit and virtuous messages have instantly made “Horton Hears a Who!” into a children’s classic.

“Horton Hears a Who!” opens on March 14, 2008.

Click here for our full “Horton Hears a Who!” image gallery!

By ALLISON PITACCIO
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
allee@hollywoodchicago.com