Judd Apatow might have become one of Hollywood’s reigning kings of comedy by making hard-R, foul-mouthed laffers, but the films he’s directed so far have stuck to a reliable mix of laughs and lessons. More specifically, the trademark Apatow storyline involves a man who experiences a life-changing event (whether it’s getting a woman pregnant or being outed as an overaged celibate), and learns important lessons about living as a result. And while Funny People looks like he’s stuck to this same formula again, I find it interesting that he’s split his usual schlubby leading man into two this time around. While a movie star played by longtime Apatow pal Adam Sandler gets the terminal disease and the estranged wife he tries to win back, Seth Rogen is the young comic on the make who falls into Sandler’s orbit and is forced to grow up, despite a Greek chorus of sailor-tongued young dudes (another favorite Apatow meme). It’s hard to say whether this twist on the usual Apatow formula will work as well as The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up did, but this trailer has me curious to see if Apatow can handle the more serious undercurrents he’s set up for himself. Also, it’s nice to see Eric Bana in a role that doesn’t require him to be dour and tortured- as anyone who’s seen Chopper can tell you, Bana’s a funny dude, and I welcome the chance to see him cut loose again.