Overlooked Adam Sandler movie The Great Gatsby remake - despite telling the same story, the former manages to be a far more interesting take on the narrative. Adam Sandler has made his name and his career in lowbrow comedy, but recent years have seen him critically reappraised for his dramatic work. However, Sandler's filmography is stuffed with titles that are often dismissed or broadly forgotten, and Funny People sits squarely among them.
Funny People sees Sandler take on the role of George Simmons, a character who could be described as self-parody: a wealthy former comedian turned actor who finds himself dismissed by comedians and film critics alike. Simmons is so much like the actor who plays him - he even gets angry and yells like Adam Sandler - that it's easy to miss the parallels he draws with one of the most well-known literary characters of all time: Jay Gatsby. Funny People's plot is essentially that of The Great Gatsby told from a modern perspective, with a wealthy protagonist chasing a lost love, all framed through the experience of a close friend.
However, not only does Funny People retread the story of The Great Gatsby, but it actually beats Leonardo DiCaprio's 2013 remake in one or two key aspects. Considering The Great Gatsby has been a literary staple since World War II, both films benefit from retelling its story, although Funny People is able to do so in a much more interesting fashion. Though the Sandler/Apatow collaboration proved to be a relatively forgettable title, it bests DiCaprio's The Great Gatsby by merit of its creative approach to the story.
The comedy movies of Adam Sandler may have earned him a specific type of bad reputation, but they uniquely qualified him to play the Gatsby-like character of George Simmons. Simmons, like Gatsby, finds himself an outsider among his peers due to his reputation, and as well as concerning his lost love, Funny People focuses on Simmons' attempt to connect with his fellow comedians despite being something of a joke among them. This gives Funny People extra Great Gatsby credentials while also establishing another layer to its story - Sandler has life experience that makes Funny People somewhat meta, blurring the lines between its narrative inspiration and the actors bringing it to life.
Though Funny People could be construed as another excuse for Adam Sandler to collaborate with his friends, it serves as an intelligent, modern retelling of The Great Gatsby. DiCaprio's 2013 film is a much more straightforward adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, which makes it a far simpler film. The history of The Great Gatsby means that it's already been heavily analyzed, so adding an extra layer to the story using the real-life experiences of its actors makes Funny People a much more interesting take on the simple story.
Though Funny People may have been largely forgotten, it was, surprisingly, better reviewed upon its 2009 release than 2013's The Great Gatsby. Funny People sits at 69% on Rotten Tomatoes, whereas The Great Gatsby earned just 48%. This perhaps highlights how Funny People was able to beat The Great Gatsby, even if it wasn't the dramatic performance that boosted Sandler's career.
