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Movie Preview: Adam Sandler and Chris Rock in Grown Ups

BuzzSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:30:36 -0800

I've been watching over the past several months as the cast roster for Grown Ups continued to add more of Adam Sandler's previous SNL colleagues and close friends - Tim Meadows, Maya Rudolph, Colin Quinn. It's like he decided to make a project where he could invite everyone he knows to jump on board and have fun. And the cast really does appear to be having a good time in the trailer - I'm just not 100 percent sure I'm right there with them.

The film follows Sandler and his childhood friends (Kevin James, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, David Spade) as they reunite one Fourth of July weekend to honor the death of their basketball coach. Sounds kinda like The Big Chill, but as to be expected with a Happy Madison film, it's ridiculously slapstick. I love all of these guys, but the bits in this teaser definitely aren't as roll-on-the-floor funny as I had hoped with such a star-studded cast. (Really, a breast-milk joke?!) But maybe I'm just judging it too quickly. The film opens in June, but take a peek at the video and tell me your thoughts when you read more.

Adam Sandler Is Going to Fetch a Pail of Water?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:30:32 -0700

Well, I guess Adam Sandler is ready to go back to his old tricks after playing it straight in Funny People: the actor has signed on to play both Jack and Jill in the upcoming romantic comedy called - you guessed it - Jack and Jill. The movie will be produced by Sandler's company, Happy Madison.

The image of Adam Sandler as a woman is already giving me a bad taste in my mouth about this project. I love Sandler and his wacky sense of humor, but playing a pair of siblings sounds too immature even for him. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that he's not veering towards a career like Eddie Murphy's. What about you guys - are you excited to see Sandler in drag or is he getting too old for this stuff?

Funny People: Apatow Almost Gets It Right

PopSugar — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 09:30:01 -0700

Before we get right into my thoughts on Funny People, let me preface by saying that I loved Judd Apatow’s first two films, The 40-Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up. I would count both among the best comedies to hit Hollywood in the past few years, and I had full faith that he would hit another home run with his third directorial stint. I understand that he was ready to try something new and a get a little more serious, but looking back at his first two achievements I have to wonder: when the formula works so well, why mess with it?

Adam Sandler stars as George Simmons, a middle-aged comedian who's found fame and fortune thanks to a movie career filled with silly, Eddie Murphy-esque characters. His house is a palace, but George's selfish behavior has pushed away all of his friends and family. This leaves most of his social interactions with his personal staff, female conquests, and his fans. When George learns that he’s dying from a blood disorder, he decides to go back to his roots in standup comedy while taking on aspiring comedian Ira Wright (Seth Rogen) as his assistant. As George assesses what could be the end of a lonely life, Ira slowly becomes his closest friend and sidekick.

That's just the beginning, so to see what I thought of the film, just read more.

While George isn’t exactly the most likable character around, Adam Sandler does a great job of capturing his moody (and often downright mean) personality. The role is perfect for Sandler as it gives him a chance to shine as the effortlessly funny comedian we all know and love, but at the same time deliver a strong performance as an ailing man who is trying to change his life in the 11th hour.

Seth Rogen is equally impressive and perfect as innocent, puppy dog Ira. Rogen's no stranger to playing the everyman kinda guy, but this is the first time I feel like he's playing a role with no hint of sarcasm or arrogance. Ira could easily be mistaken for another lovable loser, but Seth shows that he’s so much more than that. There’s also something endearing about seeing Ira’s wide-eyed enthusiasm juxtaposed with George’s apathetic nature as they face the world of standup comedy as a team.

Beyond Sandler and Rogen, the film’s supporting cast provides a lot of life (and many of the laughs) to the story. Leslie Mann really brings out Adam’s sweeter side as Laura, George's "one that got away," and Eric Bana gets a rare chance to show his comedic chops as her bread-winning husband. Jonah Hill and Jason Schwartzman round out the group as Ira’s quirky and witty roommates. As an added bonus, Apatow and Mann’s daughters, Maude and Iris, are adorable as Laura’s kids.

As promised in the title, Funny People delivers jokes, and plenty of them. Granted, more than half of them are about the male anatomy and another large percentage are directed at Seth Rogen’s weight loss, but they're still there. The problem is that the laughs aren't free. George’s illness creates a dark cloud that hangs over the story, even when he learns that he has a good chance of pulling through. Apatow has your heart in his hands because everyone in the audience knows that there's a potential death scene lurking around every corner.

The movie has a lot of depressing moments, but what's even sadder is that the biggest takeaway of the film is the length. At over two and a half hours, the movie drags and is entirely too long. Apatow wanted to take his time to make his point, but by the end he had lost me and I just didn’t care that much about the film's final message.

Funny People has a lot to offer and isn’t terrible by any means, but it is hands-down my least favorite of Apatow's three films. I'd still give him golf claps, but there just isn't enough to earn a standing ovation this time around.

Photos courtesy of Universal Pictures

Watch, Pass, TiVo or Rent: Funny People

BuzzSugar — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 06:30:11 -0700

For Judd Apatow's third directorial feature film, Funny People, he has Seth Rogen starring as a fledgling comedian who looks up to the seasoned comedian/Hollywood actor, George Simmons (Adam Sandler). George learns that he has an untreatable blood disorder and that he has one year to live. He notices Ira's act one night and takes Ira under his wing - though it doesn't change the fact that George is a prickly, difficult guy. The movie explores the world of comedy and the quirky sort of mentor/mentee relationship that forms between a newbie performer and a guy who's "made it" - but at a cost. Leslie Mann also stars as George's "one that got away."

Will you venture out to the theaters for this one, wait for the DVD, catch it on TV someday, or skip it altogether?

More SNL Alums Join Sandler's "Grown-Up" Comedy

BuzzSugar — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:30:08 -0700

Adam Sandler's next movie is titled Grown Ups and follows a bunch of high school friends who reunite 30 years after graduation, but it also appears to be serving as a real-life reunion for a whole team of former Saturday Night Live performers. A few comedic actors were cast a while back, including Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade and Rob Schneider, and today there's talk of more coming on board. Tim Meadows is joining the cast, which now also features Maya Rudolph, Norm Macdonald, Colin Quinn and actor/SNL writer Tim Herlihy.

This should be interesting, to say the least. Some of these folks have been responsible for a few of your favorite SNL sketches, though I wonder if there are any other SNL veterans who could round out the cast even more. Steve Martin, Darrell Hammond, Amy Poehler, Will Ferrell, Molly Shannon, Sheri Oteri?

Cher Lands Two New Jobs: Burlesque and Zookeeper

BuzzSugar — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 10:30:26 -0700

I was just talking about ladies above a certain age landing more roles and today there are two pieces of news that make me feel like someone was listening. We haven't seen Cher on the silver screen in years, and now she has landed not one but two interesting movie roles.

First she will be joining Christina Aguilera in the movie musical Burlesque. Cher will play Tess, the woman who runs the Sunset Boulevard burlesque club where Aguilera's small-town character finds success. Also, Cher will sing onscreen which "will mark the first time she'll be seen singing in a film she stars in."

Cher has also joined the cast of voices for an Adam Sandler-produced film starring Kevin James and Rosario Dawson titled The Zookeeper. The movie "centers on zoo animals trying to teach the keeper their methods of dating and mating to help him win back the woman of his dreams." No word yet on which zoo animal Cher will voice. Other people lending their voices to the project include Sandler, Jon Favreau, Sylvester Stallone and Judd Apatow.

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Movie Preview: Judd Apatow's Funny People

BuzzSugar — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 16:24:06 -0800

The trailer for Judd Apatow's new comedy, Funny People, has arrived, and it looks like a bittersweet mix of Apatowian humor and genuine emotions. Apatow's wife Leslie Mann stars as the love interest of Adam Sandler's character, with an ensemble filled out by Eric Bana (sporting an all-natural Australian accent), Seth Rogen (naturally), Jason Schwartzman, and those two adorable daughters of Apatow and Mann. It looks like this movie could contain everything I so enjoyed about Knocked Up: a lot of laughs but also a lot of heart.

To check out the trailer, read more.

Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures

What Would Be Your Comedy Dream Team?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 06:30:10 -0800

No, no - this lineup here is definitely not my comedy dream team. It is, however, the main cast of a new, untitled project written by Adam Sandler. Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade and Rob Schneider will join Sandler in a comedy which follows "five best friends from high school who reunite 30 years later on a Fourth of July weekend."

This is a fierce lineup and these guys' powers combined will probably result in a pretty funny movie. It reminds me of the news of Will Ferrell and Sasha Baron Cohen teaming up for their comedic take on the Sherlock Holmes story - a great pairing that shakes up the comedic teams a little bit (John C. Reilly is funny with Ferrell, but variety is nice, too). If you could line up a bunch of comedic actors for a film, who would you pick? If I limit it to five, I think I'd go with something like this: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Rock, Isla Fisher, Anna Faris and Donald Faison (I can't help it, he always makes me laugh on Scrubs!). Your turn: Who's on your dream team?

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First Look: Adam Sandler in Bedtime Stories

BuzzSugar — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 14:30:00 -0700

When Adam Sandler uses his talents for cuteness (as opposed to, say, Zohan) it can be so good. I've enjoyed watching him work with kids in the past - I can never resist Big Daddy when it's on TV, and I think he shines in the scenes with his tween daughter in Spanglish. Now I'm happy to see him at the center of a new Disney movie that looks completely adorable.

Directed by Hairspray's Adam Shankman, Bedtime Stories is about a handyman who tells his niece and nephew imaginative stories that start to come true. Whatever the kids come up with each evening he has to survive in real life, including a gumball rainstorm and being set on fire. In the recent TV spot for the movie, it looks like a funny, good-natured kids movie and I found myself laughing more than I thought I would. The kids are super cute, and Sandler is a good sport.

Though I may not be in the key demographic for this one, it really does look like a fun movie! Check out the TV spot here and tell me what you think.

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Buzz Brainteaser

BuzzSugar — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:30:28 -0700

Welcome to Buzz Brainteaser, the trivia feature on BuzzSugar! Every weekday I'll test your knowledge about TV shows, music, and movies. If you enter in the correct answer, you win points! At the end of The Wedding Singer, there's a rock star on the same flight to Las Vegas as Julia, Robbie and Glen. Name the rock star who appears in this scene.
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