Whether examining 40-year-old virgins, high school freaks and geeks, or neurotic comedians, writer/director Judd Apatow has proven himself to be a rare commodity in Hollywood: A comedy auteur with a personal vision that translates into box office success.
Over the last few years, Apatow has climbed to the peak of Hollywood comedy with films like Knocked Up that are as touchingly honest as they are gut-bustingly hilarious (the man can write a good fart joke when needed).
He has seduced audiences with his patented combination of dirty jokes and personal confession and Apatow’s latest movie just might be his most personal project yet.
“I always wanted to do a movie about comedy because there are almost no movies about what it’s like to be a comedian that work well,” Apatow told Metro. This desire led to Funny People starring Seth Rogan as a struggling standup comedian who is taken under the wing of an abusive comedy superstar played by Adam Sandler.
It’s a very personal story derived from Apatow’s early years as a standup and his longtime friendship with Sandler. Apatow has been planning the project for years and the director quips that it may have run his tank dry: “I like making movies where I reveal myself and share my life experience, but I may be out of life experience at this point. So, the next movie might be about an Eskimo. That might be all I’ve got.”
As with all of the director’s work, Funny People comes to DVD with an extended cut of the movie along with hours of deleted scenes and outtakes.
“I always tell the studio if they let me overshoot, there will be great stuff for the DVD,” admits Apatow, who enjoys sharing extra material with home audiences. “You don’t want to ruin the movie, but it is a different experience at home. You can pause when you have to go to the bathroom and don’t mind that it goes a little bit longer.”
With the bladder-busting constraints of the theater gone on DVD, audiences will get a chance to see even more of Apatow and his talented band of comic actors at work.
Recently Apatow has seen his stable of comedic actors like Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, and Jason Segal become huge stars and while he enjoys their success, he admits that their collective fame might put an end to the ensemble.
“People grow up and want to do other things,” admits the director. “But I hope that periodically we’ll all get the chance to keep working together.”
• Funny People is on DVD today
