Funny People ***

A friendless comedian with a terminal illness is not your usual Judd Apatow subject, nor your usual Adam Sandler vehicle. But it is an interesting, and yes, at times really funny character study of George Simmons, famous funny man (who seems a lot like Adam Sandler) and the relationship he strikes up with a young joke writer and comedian, Ira Wright, trying to break into the business, winningly played by Seth Rogen.

Ira, who sleeps on a friend's sofa, is dazzled by Simmons' lifestyle: the big house for one, the private jet, the easy conquests. But change is coming, as his illness leads Simmons to look up old friends, family, girlfriend. Throughout the journey Ira is there as the all-purpose assistant as well as writer. Ira's roommates and attempts at dating provide a contrast to Simmons, as well as an echo, one imagines, of his early days.

Both men have a lot to learn, and together they seem to help each other, until a reunion with the one who got away (Leslie Mann) opens a rift. These dramatic situations have to be developed, I know, but it takes a bit too long to get there, and the movie almost grinds to a halt in the last half hour. Ultimately the movie delivers. It's a darker message than the fairy tale endings of "Knocked Up" and "The 40 Year Old Virgin," and it's Sandler's best work in years, but it would have been better with about 15 fewer minutes.

Rated R. 146 minutes. Judd Apatow - Director / Writer / Producer, Barry Mendel - Producer, Clayton Townsend - Producer, Janusz Kaminski - Cinematographer, Michael Andrews - Composer, Jason Schwartzman - Composer, Jefferson Sage - Production Designer, Craig Alpert - Editor, Brent White - Editor. Produced and distributed by Universal Pictures.

Principal actors: Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Eric Bana, Jonah Hill, and Jason Schwartzman.