Judd Apatow’s “Funny People” is scheduled to start shooting this week. So it makes sense that rehearsals for the stand-up comics movie have wrapped in L.A.
According to EW, the film’s three leads, Seth Rogen, Adam Sandler, and Jonah Hill (though Hill is much more a supporting role), made one last “Evening Of Comedy” rehearsal in front of a live audience last Saturday night at the West Coast Upright Citizens Brigade theater.
From the sounds of the EW report, some of the stand-up bits are straight from the script, i.e. Sandler telling the audience how his girlfriend Leslie Mann “couldn’t be less interested in seeing his shtick in action.”
We’ve read “Funny People,” and it’s a (mostly) certifiable Apatow classic in the vein of “Knocked-Up,” in that there’s a lot of heart and soul and a lot of comedy.
We will say that Apatow hinted months ago that it’s probably his heaviest film and more dramatic and sad then most and yes, those elements are there, but it’s not like it’s that far removed from the melancholy moments of the aforementioned pregnancy comedy. Maybe just a tad more serious and dramatic. Then again on screen, maybe it’ll be even tougher.
It’s not giving away much at this point to say “Funny People,” stars Adam Sandler as a lonely, friendless comedian that thinks he’s dying and Seth Rogen plays a struggling comedian who inadvertently befriends the famous comic and becomes a friend/errand boy to make ends meet and ostensibly help his non-existent career. Apatow’s wife Leslie Mann plays Sandler’s ex-girlfriend who is now married to douche-y businessman, Eric Bana. Jason Schwartzman and Jonah Hill play Rogen’s friend and roommate, involved in both TV sitcoms and comedy as well.
It probably won’t be in theaters until late 2009 or early 2010. The next Apatow comedy we’ll see next won’t be until June 5, 2009 with the biblical comedy, “Year One,” starring Jack Black and Michael Cera as directed by Harold Ramis. We read that too and it’s funny and pretty enjoyable. We suppose we’ll write about that a bit more in-depth soon too.