Wie das Leben so spielt

Adam Sandler -> Eric Bana: Wenn ich so aussehen würde wie du, wäre ich den ganze Tag zu Hause und würde mich selbst f*cken. Einer der wenigen Sprüche, über den Sie in dieser traurigen Komödie lachen werden. Aber Sie werden sich mit ihren Figuren prima fühlen und darum geht’s. Über Beziehungen, das Bedürfnis, jemanden bei sich zu haben, über die Bedeutung von alten Lieben und darüber, dass Berühmtheit und Reichtum auch Einsamkeit bedeuten können. Und das kommt oft vor. Apatow sorgt für eine perfekte Pointe der meisten Dialoge, er enthüllt das Leben hinter der Hollywood-Fassade und lässt die Schauspieler*innen "innerlich“ strahlen. Aber eine Länge von 2,5 Stunden ist für dieses Genre trotzdem zu viel. (17.06.2013)

Auf Apatows Seite ist es ziemlich zurückhaltend und ironisch, aber leider nicht sehr komisch. Die Schauspieler sind gut (Sandler und Rogen spielen wirklich) und sie geben eine ausreichende Darstellung eines komödiantischen Schauspielers aus dem Leben, obwohl es in der zweiten Hälfte ziemlich inhaltslos wird. Die Laufzeit ist tödlich. (26.05.2011)

Everyone loses their sense of humour sometimes. It’s even worse if you make your living by making others laugh. I really would not have expected Judd Apatow to make a sad film about people who have taken being funny as their mission in life. Of course, there are jokes on the topic of “when the penis met the vagina”, celebrity cameos (particularly by stand-up comedians this time) and female characters written with little understanding and who are just as Apatow would want to have them in his ideal world, i.e. laughing at sexist jokes and down to fuck. The core of the story comprises two men, namely the characters played by Sandler and Rogen. They are good at comedy, but also convincing in more serious situations. I’m glad to have spent time with them and I didn’t mind too much when they just blathered about nothing. It seemed that the film dealt with more serious matters and it wasn’t entirely awkward in doing so. On the contrary, there are a few scenes that almost moved me, when Apatow sets aside his need to show that he knows how to be funny. Really. Only in the second half, when there are just a few minor surprises but no essential twist happens, does the chattering start to be excessive, as its importance to the film would rather relegate it to the out-takes on the DVD (of which there is still more than an hour). They characters just go over more or less the same thing again and again and not even the character played by Eric Bana (written in probably because the director/screenwriter is a fan of Hulk) brings anything new to the table. If Apatow wants to prove that he can do more than “just” very well-made comedies, he will have to be more ruthless with the editing next time. Based on this unhealthily ambitious attempt, I believe that he is capable of making an equally well-balanced mix of comedy and drama as Woody Allen was at the peak of his career. 75% (04.05.2012)

More of an existential drama than a comedy. And Sandler is good at acting this type of guy and it’s a joy to follow his verbal exchanges with Rogen. The excessive length bothered me a little (I was glued to my armchair in the end), but on the other hand, I don’t know what I would have left out, because I really enjoyed myself the whole time. I also enjoyed the many star cameos. Personally, that Aussie Oz Eric Bana got to me most. :-) (09.12.2009)

I like Adam Sandler and I'll probably always root for him. This film has a bit of an overlong runtime, and by the time it deals with the main character's relationship with his former love, I found it too boring. Otherwise, there was a great cast of actors who were a good match for each other, and I had a good time with them. (05.02.2018)