Judd Apatow And Adam Sandler's Movie About Morality

ASSUMING Judd Apatow doesn't change his mind, and he often does, his new movie, "Funny People," will begin with a scene of Adam Sandler as no paying audience has ever seen him. In grainy video a boyishly goofy Mr. Sandler, still in his 20s with a tilted baseball cap on his head, is shown as he lies across a messy bed in a dingy Los Angeles apartment, making prank phone calls to the delight of a few off-screen observers.

In the context of the movie (set for release on July 31), this is our introduction to the fictional comedian George Simmons, who grew up, got famous, became an arrogant movie star and then was told he had a fatal illness. For the character, the scene is a final moment of innocence before he loses his way on the road to celebrity and success.

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