English, baby!

Funny People

Date: Nov 11 2009

Themes: Friend, Health

Grammar: Second Conditional

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Intro

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2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

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What’s funny about terminal illness? Uh, well, you’ll have to watch the new comedy Funny People to find out. In the film, Adam Sandler plays a successful comedian who finds out he has just one year to live. He befriends a struggling comedian played by Seth Rogen, who tries to help him become a better person in his final days.

The director of Funny People, Judd Apatow, managed to make unplanned pregnancy funny in his movie Knocked Up. So if anyone can get laughs with fatal disease jokes, it’s probably him. Find out what Devan and Beren would do if they only had a year to live.

Dialog

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Devan

Beren

Devan: So I just went and saw Funny People.

Beren: Oh, that’s the Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen stand up comedy movie?

Devan: Yeah, are you familiar with the plot?

Beren: Kind of.

Devan: So it’s like this guy, this comedian who’s really successful, and then he finds out he has a year to live. And he was kinda not a very good guy, but when he finds out he has a year to live he befriends this less successful comedian and starts trying to turn his life around and change it, you know? And it just made me think about what I would do if I only had a year to live.

Beren: If you had some crazy terminal illness.

Devan: Yeah, like what would you do if you found out you had one year left?

Beren: See that’s the question. I don’t know, part of me…I would hope that I’d do something amazing and try to be a better person, but then I wonder if because I only had a year to live I’d just be like, “Let’s go crazy!” and like spend as much money as possible and go wild.

Devan: I mean, that’s the thing, it seems like whenever there’s a movie with this premise, the story’s always them trying to turn their life around and help other people. But I wonder if that’s realistic, or if you found out you had a year left you’d just become really selfish and try to do a bunch of fun things for yourself, you know?

Beren: I think that’s probably the more realistic take on the terminal illness.

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Discussion

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Devan just saw Funny People, starring Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen. One of the characters in the movie gets told by his doctor that he only has one year to live. Seeing the movie made Devan wonder what she would do if she discovered that she had a terminal illness.

Beren says she hopes that she would try to do good and become a better person if she had only one year to live. But she thinks she might try to enjoy her final moments on earth as much as possible. She might even go crazy and spend tons of money, since she wouldn’t have to worry about the consequences. Devan agrees that this might be the most realistic response.

What would you do if you found out you had only one year to live? Do you think most people would try to do good, or would they just want to enjoy their final days?

Comments

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julito

Argentina

what if you found out that you had just one year to live ? interesting question popped up.

Beren says that probably she would do crazy things ,why not climbing up the Himalayas ?

Devan and Beren agree that a more realistic take on this, would be leading a more selfish and fun life . My take on this would be (hopefully)Ehh guys , I am not afraid i am as solid as a rock !!!!!!!

samirah

Saudi Arabia

hhhh I dont know ! ummm I often by bedtime, i think that tomorrow will be my first day in the grave .So according to this terrifying idea , i try to straighten up .

whathell

China

Ive seen this movie few moths ago,its good. To my surprise,even eminem appeared in this movie too as a guest starring:), he looked so boss haha.

whathell

China

Ive seen this movie few moths ago,its good. To my surprise,even eminem appeared in this movie too as a guest starring:), he looked so boss haha.

Laura Gl

Saudi Arabia

If I discovered that I have only one year to live then most probably I would pray a lot or do anything that I wanted to do next year ;D.I guess most be would be crazy that they gonna leave this life, because u no life is such that everybody wanna live it to its most, but at the same time u have to live, if they r made the would enjoy or else cry baby! :D

MONY----

Egypt

wooow what will you do if you just have one year left to die????????

this question reveal what we really are!

your answers are amzing guys ,some of you wanted to turn their lives around and donate gifts to the poor and children,others are going to travel and spend more times with their families and friends :)

but have you ever think that we might be have just one day left while we have no idea!!!!!!!? what you are waiting for just do what you want

ivyxie

China

If i find out i just have only one year to live,i will take more time with my family,and do things i want to do buy didn't do,try to realise my dreams,desire…

and said sorry to the people who has been hurt by me…

saddam1989s

Yemen

hi I wanne to chat with any one

francisco@hotmail.com

Dominican Republic

I’m a that person don´t know too english, but i hope that you undertand me. I am not a person funny, I just like to know new friends and can to meet us. Can you undertand me?

mahalo39

Japan

Maybe I would enjoy half of the year by traveling around the world, eating what I love and seeing beautiful scenary…and the rest of the days, I would spend with people I love and thank them for being with me.

Marcelolic

Brazil

I guess,this is a big bullshit! People wanna be better just because they have one year of life…So I answer that question with another question…Why people don't think about being better in life?! ;)

goreeza

Thailand

Death or live ^^ :P haha

kukuka

Ukraine

I don't know what I would do, but I tell you that I wouldn't be afraid or nervous even if you told me I had one day to leave. Death is as natural as life. We all will die somewhen. Does it matter when? For me it is not. Every day of my life I live as if it's my last one. I am not sure about other people. Would be interesting to read E-baby members' responses.

DaeNg

Thailand

I would be give something to all if i had one year for alive

Ca_Brazil

Brazil

Its tough to listen to something like that by doctor. I think i would feel really bad in the firsts days but later i would try to do everything possible to me, traveling, enjoying the moments with the people i love and maybe to write my memories or something about my simple life and let to my family and the people who care about me. there is a great song that reminds that we should love the people like if tomorrow wouldnt exist…its called "pais e filhos" by renato russo, a popular brazilian singer in the 80s and 90s here, check this out if you have a chance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRQJQL6oRFs , its in portuguese, guys…

go surfer

Taiwan

If i had one year to live,i would surf all day!

vip_groovygirl

United Arab Emirates

I didn't watch the movie, but I have watched the commercial and it was kinda boring, so no wonder if the movie was the same. !

Anyway, thankx 4 the lesson.

iwori

Japan

I would not endure anything and try to live following my feeling if I found out I had only ne year to live. I don't want to regret. And it's good to say thank you to my friends, family and my life.

I hope I can feel my life is wonderful and thankful on the final days of life.