What’s so ‘Funny People?’

With a title like that, writer-director Judd Apatow’s summer flick was kind of a switcheroo. Even with Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen in the leads and tons of comedic talent as support, Funny People, in stores now, is a rambling and quirky indie drama writ large through and through. Sandler plays it almost straight as a formerly brilliant and cutting edge stand-up comedian whose career has slipped into a deep rut of embarrassingly cheesy, no-brainer comedies. Along the way he has lived a rather solitary life, losing the woman he loved and keeping potential friends at arm’s length. But when he is diagnosed with a terminal illness, Sandler decides to return to stand-up with the help of a young, up-and-coming writer, played by Seth Rogen, and do whatever it takes to win back his girl, played by Leslie Mann, now married to Australian jock Eric Bana, and the mother of two young daughters. A host of comedic actors and celebrities make appearances in the film including Aziz Ansari, Jonah Hill, Ray Romano, RZA, Jason Schwartzman, Sarah Silverman, and James Taylor. Rated R.