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"Director: Judd Apatow Screenwriters: Judd Apatow Starring: Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Eric Bana, Jason Schwartzman, Leslie Mann Running time: 145 mins Certificate: 15 Adam Sandler is synonymous with crude gags, an annoying squeaky voice and a dopey grin reminiscent of Captain Caveman (another comic of club-smashing subtlety), but Funny People sees him evolving. Same goes for his old roommate, writer-director Judd Apatow, who crashed onto the scene with The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up. In this he casts Sandler as an A-List Hollywood comedian, hardly a stretch except that George Simmons is also suffering from leukaemia. It&amp;#039;s a story that veers dangerously close to real drama, only both men still have a way to go in terms of emotional development, so it&amp;#039;s just as well they do have a good sense of humour. You couldn&amp;#039;t blame George Simmons for acting badly in the face of death, but early on it becomes apparent that childish behaviour comes naturally to him. Apatow underlines the point in recurring snippets from one of his awful studio films, Re-Do, where his head is digitally superimposed onto the body of a newborn. It&amp;#039;s tragic and funny all at once, which best describes most comedians. One of the more intriguing aspects of the film is its exploration of the stand-up scene in LA and the socially inept people who form part of it. George still flexes his microphone muscle from time to time, but after his diagnosis he struggles to see the funny side of anything. In steps Seth Rogen, bumbling as usual (typecast thanks to Apatow), as struggling stand-up Ira. George hires him to write jokes after catching his act, which on the night of their meeting consists mostly of ribbing the grumpy star after he bombs. There are no bad feelings, but thankfully not too many warm and fuzzy ones either. Initially, George keeps his illness secret, which only heightens the weirdness (and amusement) when he demands that Ira sit by his bed every night and talk him to sleep. When George does tell Ira the bad news it&amp;#039;s an intolerable burden. He is, after all, a virtual stranger and emotionally ill-equipped. Again, Apatow plays it for laughs in a memorable lunch scene where George bullies Ira into fighting back the tears. Ira seeks the advice of his roommates (played by Apatow alumnus Jonah Hill and a typically smarmy Jason Schwartzman). Alas, they&amp;#039;re also comedians, so it&amp;#039;s a case of the blind leading the blind. On the upside, the witty repartee means occasionally being able to get away from the building intensity of Ira&amp;#039;s relationship with George, and there&amp;#039;s more light relief in a nerdy romantic subplot involving Ira and a dry-witted comedienne (Aubrey Plaza essentially playing herself). Of course Apatow is on safe ground dissecting love and relationships. That is until George&amp;#039;s love life overtakes the film and threatens to scupper it completely... He pines for his first love Debbie (a misty-eyed Leslie Mann) and forces Ira to tag along on a mission to rekindle the flame. Only Eric Bana stands in his way as Debbie&amp;#039;s husband. Bana began his career in sketch comedy though Apatow (perhaps unfairly) casts him not for that, but for his imposing hunkiness. At one point Jonah Hill asserts, &amp;#039;There&amp;#039;s nothing funny about a physically fit man&amp;#039;, yet Bana tries his hardest to outdo Sandler and Rogen in the funny department. It means making himself look very silly, which is admirable, but this entire episode is still uncomfortable to watch because it feels out of sync with the rest of the film. Aside from being long-winded, the action is contrived; veering from slapstick to saccharine. That&amp;#039;s a pity for Sandler because he shines for the most part, managing to be obnoxious and endearing all at once. There are also hints of the quiet pathos that made him riveting to watch in 2002 comedy drama Punch-Drunk Love. This time, however, there&amp;#039;ll only be tears shed in laughter.  &amp;gt; What do you think of the movie? Share your views "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/review/a172991/funny-people/>