Funny Person: Judd Apatow
29 August 2009
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In 2004, Adam Sandler was king of comedy and Judd Apatow was a nobody.
Just five years later, it's Judd's name being used to sell the pair's latest film 'Funny People'.
While Adam has starred in a string of critical and financial flops, Judd has become the toast of Hollywood, with 13 blockbusters to his name, including 'The 40-year-old Virgin', 'Knocked Up', 'Talladega Nights' and 'Superbad'.
His films have grossed well over $1 billion and he is widely considered to have changed the face of American comedy.
Gone are the slapstick "gross-out" films of the 1990s - the comedy genre is now ruled by Judd's "bromances" based on groups of unambitious, underachieving lewd men.
His domination of Hollywood is so total, even the actors he works with - including his wife Leslie Mann, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd and Jason Segel - have been dubbed 'Apatown'.
Even Adam admits Judd's star is starting to eclipse his own.
But instead of being angry, the actor couldn't be happier.
He and Judd have been friends for over 20 years, even living together when they were both struggling stand-up comics.
When Adam shot to fame in 1995 hit 'Billy Madison', he tried to drag Judd with him but the director lacked the confidence to follow in famous friend's footsteps.
Judd revealed: "Really, we've been dancing around working together as actor and director for years. When he first got famous he wanted me to direct one of his movies, but I just never thought I was skilled enough to take him on."
But everything changed in 2007, when Jude wrote, produced and directed 'Knocked Up', a film about a woman (Katherine Heigl) who becomes pregnant after a one-night stand with an overweight stoner (Seth Rogen).
The film was an unexpected hit, grossing more than $200 million and finally making Judd feel as though he could handle Adam.
Judd revealed: "We'd co-written 'You Don't Mess with the Zohan' in 2008, but I'd never directed Adam. Now I'm finally confident enough to take him on. There's so much untapped talent there, so of course I've wanted to work with him.
"Before 'Knocked Up' came out, I sent him a copy of it on DVD, and he watched it in his trailer and he called me up afterwards and said, 'Whatever the next one is, I'm in'. He didn't care what it was about he just wanted to do the next one together.
"Then I had to quickly go to my notebook and see if I had any ideas that fit Adam. Luckily I had this idea for 'Funny People', because I so didn't want to just do an Adam Sandler movie per se. He's such a good actor - so I wanted to really take advantage of that."
gross-out films of the 1990s - the comedy genre is now ruled by Judd's bromances
In the film, Sandler plays George Simmons, an egotistical comedian with an extremely successful film career and a glittering social circle.
But everything changes when George discovers he is suffering from a rare type of leukemia.
His chance of survival is less than 10 per cent, and he quickly falls into a deep depression, spending hours watching clips of his old stand-up routine.
Eventually, George decides there's only one thing to do - go back to his roots and take to the stage.
The next night he goes to a seedy comedy club, shocking the audience when he unexpectedly climbs onstage to deliver a depressing routine that leaves no one smiling.
Next up is Ira Wright (Seth Rogen), an aspiring comic who dreams of quitting his job at a deli to become a full-time funny man.
Ira gets a few laughs by mocking George's dark routine, before moving on to his normal dull gags.
The next morning, George phones Ira and ask him to write some jokes for a corporate event he is performing at.
The event is a huge success, prompting George to hire Ira as a joke writer and personal assistant.
Before long, Ira discovers George's illness, changing their relationship forever.
As well as caring for George, Ira convinces him to reunite with his estranged family and chase love with his former fiancee.
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