Funny People

Make it a double feature with This is 40​ and save!

Apatow’s former roommate Adam Sandler appears as George Simmons, star of obscenely successful Sandler-esque comedies (with titles like MerMan: “A love story that’s a little fishy”). Diagnosed with leukemia, his prospects grim, George must confront the self-serving choices that have left him friendless and alone. Suddenly contrite, he begins confiding in the young comic (Seth Rogen) he’s hired to write his jokes, and resolves to make amends with the lover he let slip away (Leslie Mann, the director’s wife). Apatow’s most mature and ambitious work engages with questions of mortality and acutely portrays the lifestyle and temperament of comedians (with many noted comics playing themselves). The stars wrote their own stand-up material, and Apatow and Mann’s children, Maude and Iris Apatow, appear as Mann’s on-screen daughters.