In 2009, Apatow served as producer for the biblical comedy film "Year One"; the film was not well received. He also released his third directorial feature on July 31 that same year, titled "Funny People". Apatow wrote the film, which starred Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen as a pair of standup comedians, one of whom has a terminal illness. Other co-stars included his wife Leslie Mann and Eric Bana, who was a comedic actor in Australia before appearing in American films. The film contained more dramatic elements than Apatow's previous directorial efforts. Although the film was not financially successful (grossing $54 million domestically), the critical reception was primarily positive, with David Denby of "The New Yorker" magazine including the film on his top ten films of 2009, calling "Funny People" "a serious comedy about a funny man's brush with death" and stating that the film "is Apatow's richest, most complicated movie yet—a summing up of his feelings about comedy and its relation to the rest of existence." "New York Times" critic A.O. Scott, reflecting on summer films of 2009, opined that "Funny People" was "a movie about growing up, feeling sad, facing death—a long, serious film whose subject is the challenge of maturity. Which may be why, in the face of a softish opening weekend, various interpreters of box office data were quick to declare "Funny People" a flop. The summer is no time for grown-ups."