Funny People: Near-Life Experience

Strangely, the the order in which I post on these movies is both the order in which I saw them and the ascending order of my enjoyment of them, so of the three, I enjoyed Funny People the least. It was a fine movie (I hesitate to say good) and an interesting movie, but it was definitely less than the sum of its parts. The movie definitely had Apatow's fingerprints all over it; there were scenes that were heavily improvised (the trailers show plenty of alternate line readings) and the film balanced lazy-guy humor with grown-up emotions. Adam Sandler also incorporated a lot of his own "personality" (by that, I mean his stage personality) into the movie to make it somewhat biographical. But the movie also diverged from Apatow's other two films, The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up (both of which I'll try to post on at some point, if only to make fun of Katherine Heigl) in that the journey of the leads was not as linear or uplifting.

The film tells the stories of George Simmons, a comedian who made it big doing stupid movies who is too much of an asshole for his own good, and Ira Wright, an up-and-comer who loves the world of comedy but is too sweet for his own good. George lives alone in a palatial mansion in LA. He has acquaintances, like Andy Dick and Eminem, he has employees (gardeners and chefs), and he has an agent (played by Bryan Batt of Mad Men), but he doesn't have friends. He spends his days feeling sorry for himself that he drove away the love of his life when he was younger because of his infidelity. Ira lives on a pull-out couch with two of his more successful friends; Leo is a much better stand-up than Ira and Mark stars on a popular (but extremely stupid) sitcom on NBC called Yo Teach!. After George received news from his doctor that he had a rare form of leukemia, he decided to take the stage at a stand-up club and deliver a macabre performance about what the world will do without him. Ira happened to go on after George that night, and when he started bombing, he made fun of George's act in order to save his act.

George took notice and although hostile at first, he realized that Ira (and Leo) had potential, and invited the two of them to his house to help write jokes. Ira jumped at the opportunity and boxed Leo out, seeing the invitation as his opportunity to finally become more famous than his roommates. To Ira, the offer was also an invitation to become friends with his childhood idol. To George, he was just hiring another manager. Although George often made bizarre demands to Ira, such as talking George to sleep, Ira stuck with him because he was now in a world that he could never have imagined before. George brought Ira along to a corporate gig for MySpace, took him for limo rides, and provided a glimpse of what success could be (Ira was too starstruck to see behind the glamor at first, though). Ira put up with the way George often mocked him and mistreated him because he was too enamored with the idea of who George was and the life he lived. George eventually informed Ira of his condition, to which Ira became very upset, and vowed to help George get through any way he could.

But then things turned around. While George was sick, Ira wrote off Geroge's abusive and erratic behavior as being due to his sickness and the knowledge of his impending death. But after George learned he was getting better, his behavior did not change. He was still the same self-absorbed, angry, asshole he had been since Ira had met him. Things got even more awkward for Ira when George's old flame, Laura, finally started talking to George again. The knowledge of his disease made Laura feel sorry for him, and after years of avoiding the man who had hurt her so much, she finally wanted him back in her life. Laura had gone on to marry a man who turned out to be similar to George in some ways; he also proceeded to cheat on Laura and he had a self-absorbed streak as well. However, Clarke could show compassion for Laura and their kids as well.

A series of bad events with Laura and Clarke, which included Clarke nearly killing George and Ira after learning that Laura and George slept together, the two comedians parted ways (that's putting it lightly). Ira finally realized who George really was and he knew that George was not the kind of person he wanted in his life. George saw that Ira was not just another kiss-ass yes-man who would allow George to get away with his bad behavior by not questioning it. Ira pointed out that not only did George's near death experience teach him nothing, George actually regressed a bit; George couldn't understand what he had done to put off Laura and Clarke when his numerous mistakes were readily apparent to every character in the movie and person in the audience. However, Ira did learn that if he was ever going to be successful at ANYTHING, whether it be comedy or wooing Daisy, the pretty comedienne across the street, he was going to have to adopt some of George's personality traits to a lesser degree. After all, Ira was so "sweet" (read: naive) that he treated Daisy like they were in a relationship before they went on their first date (he was upset that she slept with his roommate after Ira and Daisy had talked once). There is a bit of a happy ending, but it was more of a potential promise of happiness rather than happiness itself.

Funny People had many extremely funny scenes. And even scenes that were meant to be funny and were just fair, or were meant to be dramatic, had extremely funny lines. The Swedish doctor saying "Yippee ki-yay, motherfucker" after George made Die Hard references at his expense was great, and Laura's fake Australian accent (Oy!) was amazing. The actors' improv abilities were fully utilized and made for some great scenes with unexpected lines. Yet something about the movie seemed off. It was a little too long and the Laura/Clarke story almost seemed like it was a whole different movie because it started so late and required the action to move from LA to San Francisco. The movie was very dark, which both helped and hurt it in certain ways. I love darkness in my movies, but darkness must be balanced; characters who have bad personalities must either be fun to watch or have some redeeming traits. George had neither. Which was the point. The fact that George was so irredeemable was both interesting because it was what Ira needed to grow, but also grew tiresome. After a while, I wondered why Ira didn't skip out on him earlier.

Funny People is certainly not Apatow's best (40-Year-Old Virgin gets that honor from me), but it is certainly a movie worth seeing, if only once. It is the relatively rarely-seen story of the angst behind comedians and an unconventional story of personal growth. It is also hilarious in many (but not enough) places.

Up next: Alien apartheid...

Freaks and Geeks: The Geeks

The geeks are near the bottom of the social food chain of high school. They are small and somewhat goofy-looking. They are obsessed with science fiction, Saturday Night Live, and
Dungeons and Dragons. Most students don't give the geeks the time of day, and those that tend to be bullies who exist to make the geeks' lives hell. Unlike the freaks, the geeks want to be accepted by high school society, and they will do almost anything to be seen as cool by the social elite. Well, Neal and Sam fit that description; as I said in an earlier post, of all the characters, Bill is probably the most comfortable with himself (although there are definitely times when he wishes his life was a little different).

The geeks' path on the show follows them trying to finally be accepted. Sam longest storyline involves his unrequited crush on the beautiful cheerleader Cindy Sanders, who is one of the only girls at McKinley who actually pays any attention to Sam. She takes a liking to him early in the series, but sees him as nothing more than a friend with an insight into the male mind (she calls on him to help determine if a popular basketball player likes her). Neal tends to be at the forefront of most of their doomed endeavors to be cool; when a pretty new girl transferred to their school, she started hanging out with the geeks, and Neal devised a plan that bordered on creepy in order to keep her in the group. He also was the most ardent opponent of the trio going trick-or-treating on Halloween, out of fear of being seen (sadly, this fear was justified). However, Neal very much is a geek at heart, and was willing to act silly in order to become the school mascot (he wanted to ham the role up), and he never passed up an opportunity to play D&D.

Sadly, the geeks' lives presented them with a catch-22; on one hand, they could accept who they were and be happy enough (although they'd have to put up with bullies and celibacy for a while). Or they could try to deny who they were and be even more unhappy (and still put up with bullies and be seen as uncool). It was interesting to note that Bill was always the most reluctant to go along with Sam and Neal's attempts to be cool; watching him at the makeout party was hilarious and uncomfortable at the same time. Bill understood who he was and was content with himself. He definitely had problems to face, but they were external. Sam and Neal had a lot of internal conflict to work out before they could even consider dealing with their external problems. The biggest proof that being true to yourself is what will make you happy came near the end of the series when Sam was finally accepted into the cool crowd. He got everything he ever wanted only to learn that it was nothing like he expected and nothing he wanted after all.

Like the freaks, the geeks have to take their small victories where they can get them. Life sucked for geeks in high school, and for the most part, things did not go their way. So when good things did happen, such as their incredible play in gym softball, or when they made friends with a cute girl, they did everything they could to make the most of it. But these events were few and far between. Most of their funniest scenes were funny because of how awkward and painful things got. My prime example involves Neal's ventriloquist dummy. When Neal learned that his father was cheating on his mother, he started to use his dummy as an outlet for his anger. Neal's new "routine" was incredibly funny, but its source was incredibly painful. There's also the time Sam was duped into wearing a very unflattering jumpsuit to school (this is especially poignant for me because I did something kinda similar...).

Sadly, we will never see how the geeks would grow into themselves due to NBC's horrible handling of the show. Oh well. What we got was incredible.

Up next: Blessed are the forgetful: for they get the better even of their blunders...

Freaks and Geeks: The Freaks

The freaks are the feared outcasts of McKinley High; most of the students believe that they are a bunch of good-for-nothing burnouts who are continually hopped up on drugs and alcohol, and can snap at any moment. Granted, Kim is prone to fits of anger and Nick tends to be high most of the time, but most of these assumptions are ultimately baseless. I am reluctant to say that the freaks have merely seen more badness in the world than most of their fellow students, but everyone had problems in high school and the geeks certainly didn't exactly see the bright side of life. However, the freaks became jaded with the darkness in the world and chose to stop resisting. Daniel, for example, basically gave up trying to make something of himself after effectively being by his middle school teachers that he was unintelligent. Lindsay, on the other hand, after doing what she was told for her entire life, saw that authority doesn't always have the answers or our best interest at heart, and chose to reject it.

The freaks' path on the show is about them trying to be left alone to do their own thing. They are content to live their lives free from the constraints of society and responsibility. On Halloween, for example, when Lindsay is still adjusting to the freak lifestyle, she annoys the hell out of Kim when she continually asks what the group is going to "do" that night. Little does she realize that the freaks don't actually "do" very much. Part of the reason is that most of the freaks don't have very much spending money. Another reason is that they find most socially acceptable activities to be pretty lame. Concerts are fun (but very expensive) and movies are good every now and then, but school dances and alcohol-free parties are to be avoided at all costs. However, that doesn't mean that, in their opinion, someone is necessarily worth avoiding if they enjoy these activities. It just isn't for them.

But even more than that, many of the freaks want to be left alone because of the large burdens that they carry in secret. Daniel's father is disabled and unable to provide for the family. Daniel and his mother have to take considerable care of him, and Daniel even used school as an excuse to get out of going to the pharmacy to get his dad's medication (this says a lot because there are few things Daniel finds more pointless than school). Kim's home life isn't much better; her mother is psychotic and her relatives are violent. Nick's father, on the other hand, is very disciplined and structured, and wants his son to give up his "childish" notions of music superstardom. Drumming is a passion to Nick but a distraction to his father, and he never ceases to give Nick a hard time about concentrating on his studies. Lindsay comes from a stable family who truly support her, but they are also very traditional and cannot comprehend the changes their daughter is going through.

The freak storylines tend to be a little heavier than the geeks' stories (that doesn't mean the geeks don't have their share of pain or that the freaks aren't funny), and we watch as they deal with drug abuse, seeing their dreams slip away, and trying to establish their own identities in a world that demands conformity. Fortunately, the series never presents these issues in a "Very Special Episode" format. The characters learn and grow from their mistakes, but they also are confined by their lots in life and their drive. In an early episode, Daniel tries to convince Lindsay to help him cheat, and while the effort ends badly, it doesn't deter Daniel from cheating in the future, because cheating remains the preferable option to actually studying. Kim changes her attitude towards Lindsay from a complete bitch into an actual friend, but she retains her angry personality throughout the series. And as is true for many of us, they don't succeed in every endeavor they set out to accomplish.

That doesn't meant that things never go their way. For the most part, the freaks are comfortable with who they are. Life isn't great, but they know it could be worse, and few of them truly wish that they were treated differently at school (the same may not be true about their home lives, though). And they certainly know how to make their own fun with limited funds.

Up next: The path of Sam Weir...

Freaks and Geeks: Setting the Stage

The opening scene of Freaks and Geeks establishes two things: first, the show takes place in Michigan in 1980. Second, we learn that this isn't the average show about teenagers. The first thing we see are a football player and his cheerleader girlfriend speaking in melodramatic trope while a sappy song plays in the background. But before the pair can kiss, the camera pans below the bleachers where we meet the freaks, a group of rock-and-roll-addicted burnouts who have long ago given up on their studies. As Led Zepplin plays in the background, we are introduced to Daniel, Ken, and Nick, three guys reputations as troublemakers and ne'er-do-wells. These are the people who have gone to great lengths to distance themselves from the mainstream high school social circles. Right after that, the song changes to Kenny Loggins' "I'm All Right", from Caddyshack, and we meet the geeks. Sam, Neil, and Bill are three guys who are obsessed with comedians, Star Wars, and, to an extent, gaining acceptance with the "cool kids" (this desire affects Sam and Neal, but Bill is pretty cool with who he is). These guys tend to get bullied, and right away, Sam is threatened by his nemesis. When Sam's sister Lindsay, who is both the focus of the show and a budding freak, comes to his rescue, she only makes things worse for her brother, because he had to be saved by a girl.

Thus begins one of the most realistic, funny, and tragic tales of high school woes that I've ever seen. On this show, the freaks don't always learn from the mistakes they make, and when they do, the lessons learned are not grand life lessons of the typical "very special episdoe". The geeks almost never get the girl in the end, and in the off-chance they do, they learn that there is a difference between the person they wanted and the person they got. Freaks and Geeks is about the small victories that most people had to make for themselves in the cutthroat society that is high school.

The series looks at why people acted the way they did in high school and why some stereotypes were wrong... and why others were right. Take Daniel, for example, the king of the freaks. When the series begins, he appears to be just a lazy pretty boy who chose to follow his desires to be a rock star by ignoring everything else. He can be smarmy and angry, but as the series progresses, his layers are stripped away to reveal a sad and lonely boy from a poor family that can barely make ends meet. It is true that he doesn't have a lot of intelligence, but he was also never encouraged the way people like Lindsay (who has an abundance of smarts) were. On the geek side, Neal is an annoying (in a good way for the audience) horndog who think he is 10 times cooler than he truly is. He is cynical and demeaning at times, but these are his responses to the world he has been exposed to. People don't treat him well, and he and his only two friends don't know why. His desire to be accepted stems from the anguish that comes from being forced outside, and his cynicism is a coping mechanism.

Is still find it amazing that I like this show so much, because, although I was neither a complete freak or complete geek in high school (I was closer to geek, but I had elements of both, and I like to think that I didn't truly conform to a single label), I can identify with a lot of what happened on this series. I guess I'm far enough removed from hell school... I mean high school (Buffy reference!) that I can laugh at the events of the series. And there is a lot to laugh at. But there is also a lot to cry about, and there are times when a single thing can induce both (I'm looking at you, Morty the dummy).

The Weir parents, Harold and Jean, add an adult perspective to the show. They comment on the changing times and the changes in their children. They are an interesting match; Harold is a hard-ass cynic who tries to scare his chilrden straight, while Jean is trying to hold onto the last remnants of the mother-child bond that her children are rejecting during their high school years. They are just as real as the teens on the show; they do not exist to hammer home a lesson every week, and they have their flaws and strengths.

For the most part, the lives of the freaks and the geeks take separate paths, converging through Sam and Lindsay at integral times. Therefore, I will do one post about the freaks and one about the geeks.

Up next: The path of Lindsay Weir...

The List: #12 Freaks and Geeks

#12
Number of Seasons: 1
Years Active: 1999 - 2000
Network: NBC

The truth hurts, which is exactly why Freaks and Geeks is such an incredible show. Taking place in 1980, the series follows the lives of two social groups in a Michigan high school. And the high school life presented isn't watered down with melodrama, superhot kids and implausibly happy endings. There are certainly some happy times for the freaks and the geeks, but for most people, high school was a time of awkwardness. Said awkwardness is responsible for some of the show's biggest laughs and biggest heartbreaks.

The very first scene sets up the theme of the entire series: we see a pretty-boy football player sweet-talking a hot cheerleader with a sappy song playing in the background. But before anything can happen between them, the camera pans below the bleachers and we are introduced to the freaks; they are a group of rock-and-roll loving (the music changes to a guitar riff) burnouts who care very little about schoolwork. After that, the music changes to Kenny Loggins' "I'm Alright" from Caddyshack and we meet the geeks. The geeks are a trio of freshmen guys who are obsessed with SNL, movies and science fiction. Despite their better efforts, they cannot seem to talk to girls or make any friends outside of their little circle (though this is pretty much true for all the cliques we meet, at least in the early episodes).

The focal point of the series is the Weir family. Lindsay Weir is a young genius who used to be a model student, until a traumatic event in her life changed her world view. She lost her idealism and started hanging out with the freaks. Sam Weir, Lindsay's little brother, is a freshman geek who pines after a pretty cheerleader. Unfortunately, he is a tiny little guy who is waiting to fill out.

Freaks and Geeks is heavily character-driven. The trials and tribulations of the various characters is what makes the F&G universe tick. Outside events occur that influence the characters' lives, but it is ultimately the choices of the characters that make us laugh and cry. And believe me, there are plenty of laughs (and tears) to be had.

Sadly, this series was underpromoted and placed in a death slot (pretty sure it was put on Saturdays). Since the series favored realism over escapism, it stands to reason that many people would be put off by it. Sadly, the fact that people missed out then has led to us who may have been too young to appreciate it while it aired missing out now. I guess all we can do is enjoy the episodes we got.

Up next: #11...