I‘d wait in line, “Star Wars” prequel style, for only one director’s movies.
Judd Apatow.
Sure, he produces barrels full of features these days from the mediocre (”Drillbit Taylor”) to the sublime (”Superbad”).
But please name a one-two comedy punch better than Apatow’s “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up.”
It’s why the just-released trailer for “Funny People” left me flustered.
First, it commits the movie trailer cardinal sin — it gives away the whole story arc.
Secondly, it’s just not funny. Not Apatow funny, at least.
I’ve never hopped aboard the Adam Sandler bandwagon. His best films either pair him with Drew Barrymore or edgy directors looking to tap his popular zeitgeist (”Punch Drunk Love”).
And it’s hard to forgive him for “Eight Crazy Nights.”
But judging by this trailer, Apatow hasn’t drawn a new kind of funny from his leading man.
“Funny People” hits theaters July 31. Until then, I’ll wait for a better trailer to restore my faith.
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I'm an award-winning journalist and film critic with more than a decade of experience in newspapers, magazines and the Web. I'm a member of both the Washington, DC Area Film Critics Association and the Denver Film Critics Society.
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