The Movie Blog

Judd Apatow & Adam Sandler Set To Spin Tales Of Stand Up Comedy

By Doug - June 2, 2008 - 07:50 America/Montreal

It looks like Judd Apatow and Adam Sandler are going to spin a tale about a pair of stand up comics. We get wind of this news thanks to our friends at cinematical:

We wrote about Untitled Judd Apatow/Adam Sandler project back in March, when all we knew was that Apatow would be collaborating with Sandler on a movie also starring best bud Seth Rogen and wife Leslie Mann (Sandler, of course, is a former roommate). This week, Rogen revealed to MTV that the movie will be a dramedy with him and Sandler playing a pair of stand-up comics, and Sandler confirmed, expressing mock frustration that he’s going to have to come up with an act — something he hasn’t done in a decade — to promote the film next year.

Stand up comedy can be a very sad and depressing business. People perceive the job as a feel good romp from one gig to the next, when in reality the lonely life on the road, and competitive nature of the business drives many to the bottle, others to the pipe, and a few to shotgun retirement. All that being said, a behind the scenes look at the lives of stand up comics could make for an excellent dark comedy, and with luck, that is what we will get.

If Sandler hits the stage and works out an act in preparation for this film – that could be more fun to watch than the movie itself. In the documentary Comedian, we get to see Seinfeld get back in the saddle and start the long tedious journey of building up another hour of material. It remains one of my favorite documentaries and I hope they have the foresight to tape Sandler’s sets as he prepares so they can include them on the special features of the DVD.