Sandler’s George Simmons is a guy who, when fate offers him the chance to be a good person, chooses to be funny instead. Judd Apatow’s problem is just the opposite; he could be the funniest director in Hollywood if he stopped being such a good guy.
Slate columnist Dana Stevens • In a review of “Funny People” where she argues that while the film is good, director Judd Apatow has problems with the way he’s approached Hollywood in the wake of his success – the number of producer credits (on films of varying quality), the way he brings an all-inclusive feel to his productions – which are fairly clear in the film. Apatow doesn’t want to cut from the flick, so he didn’t, creating a good but overlong movie in need of editing (especially in the last half hour). The overall reviews lean that way too. It has a 61% on Rotten Tomatoes, lower than his previous directorial efforts. • source